Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which are applied to the field of communication technologies. The method includes: a first network device sends configuration information of a first communication resource to a first terminal device, the first terminal device can configure the first communication resource according to the received configuration information, and the first terminal device can listen for a paging message for paging a second terminal device broadcast by the first network device on the first communication resource, so that the first terminal device in the connected state can listen for the paging message for the second terminal device, and thus the second terminal device can establish a communication connection with the first network device.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the development and improvement of communication technologies, one device can provide communication services for another device. For example, in a layer 2 (L2) relay system architecture of user equipment to network (U2N), a relay user equipment (relay UE) can listen for paging information of a remote user equipment (remote UE), so that after the remote UE receives a paging message, it can establish a connection with a base station through the relay UE to perform data transmission or voice transmission.

[0003] Generally, when the relay UE is in the idle state (IDLE) or the inactive state (INACTIVE, or the third state), the relay UE can listen for paging messages broadcast by the base station on an initial bandwidth part (initial BWP). Further, the relay UE decodes the identity (ID) of the remote UE in the paging message, and the relay UE sends the paging message to the remote UE.

[0004] However, when the relay UE is in the connected state (CONNECTED), the base station activates an active BWP for the relay UE, and the active BWP cannot ensure that the relay UE listens for paging messages broadcast by the base station on the initial BWP, so that the relay UE cannot meet the requirement of listening for paging messages for the remote UE. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of this application provides a communication method and apparatus. A first network device sends configuration information of first communication resources to a first terminal device. The first terminal device can configure the first communication resources according to the received configuration information, so that the first terminal device can listen for paging messages broadcast by the first network device on the first communication resources for paging a second terminal device, thereby solving the need for the first terminal device to listen for paging messages for the second terminal device, and enabling the second terminal device to establish a communication connection with the first network device.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be applied to a first network device or a component of the first network device (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc.). The method includes: sending configuration information of first communication resources to a first terminal device; wherein, the first terminal device provides relay services for a second terminal device, and the first communication resources are used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and the first network device; broadcasting a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resources. In this way, the first network device can correctly page the second terminal device through the paging message, so that a communication connection is established between the first network device and the second terminal device.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the first communication resources include second communication resources. Broadcasting a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resources includes: broadcasting the paging message through the second communication resources, and the second communication resources are used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data. In this way, the first terminal device can receive the paging message according to the second communication resources, thereby meeting the requirement that the first terminal device listens for the paging message for the second terminal device.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device. In this way, the first terminal device can provide relay services for the second terminal device, so that the communication of the second terminal device is not restricted by geography.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first communication resources are an activated bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resources are an initial bandwidth part (BWP).

[0010] In a possible implementation, receive first information from the first terminal device, and the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first information includes: identification information of the second terminal device.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the identification information of the second terminal device includes: a 5G short-term mobile station identity (5G-S-TMSI) or a full inactive state radio network temporary identity (Full I-RNTI).

[0014] In a possible implementation, the non-connected state includes: an idle state or an inactive state.

[0015] In a possible implementation, send the identification information of the second terminal device to a second network device; wherein, the second network device is a target network device for the handover of the first terminal device.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first terminal device or a component of the first terminal device (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc.). The method includes: receiving configuration information of first communication resources from a first network device; wherein the first terminal device provides a relay service for a second terminal device, and the first communication resources are used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and the first network device; configuring the first communication resources according to the configuration information; receiving a paging message according to the first communication resources, and the paging message is used to page the second terminal device. In this way, the first terminal device in a connected state can receive the paging message of the second terminal device according to the first communication resources, so that the first terminal device can meet the need to monitor the paging message for the second terminal device, enabling the second terminal device to establish a communication connection with the first network device.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first communication resources include second communication resources. Receiving a paging message according to the first communication resources includes: receiving the paging message according to the second communication resources, and the second communication resources are used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data. In this way, the second terminal device can establish a communication connection with the first network device based on the paging message.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device. In this way, the first terminal device can provide a relay service for the second terminal device, enabling the communication of the second terminal device to be unrestricted by geography.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the first communication resources are an active bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resources are an initial bandwidth part (BWP).

[0020] In a possible implementation, it further includes: sending first information to the first network device, and the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the first information is a dedicated cell.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first information includes: identification information of the second terminal device.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the identification information of the second terminal device includes: a 5G temporary mobile station identifier (5G-S-TMSI) or a full inactive state radio network temporary identifier (Full I-RNTI).

[0025] In a possible implementation, it further includes: sending a paging message to a second terminal device; or, sending second indication information to the second terminal device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device is paged.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the non-connected state includes: an idle state or an inactive state.

[0027] In a possible implementation, before sending the first information to the first network device, it further includes: establishing a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

[0028] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may be a first network device, or a chip or a chip system within the first network device. The communication device may include a communication unit. When the communication device is the first network device, the communication unit may be a communication interface or an interface circuit. The communication device may further include a storage unit, and the storage unit may be a memory. The storage unit is used to store instructions so that the first network device implements a communication method described in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect. When the communication device is a chip or a chip system within the first network device, the communication unit may be a communication interface (for example, an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit) so that the first network device implements a communication method described in the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect. The storage unit may be a storage unit within the chip (for example, a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage unit outside the chip within the first network device (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0029] Exemplarily, the communication unit is used to send configuration information of a first communication resource to a first terminal device; wherein, the first terminal device provides a relay service for a second terminal device, and the first communication resource is used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and the first network device; the communication unit is used to broadcast a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resource.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the first communication resource includes a second communication resource, and the communication unit is specifically used to broadcast the paging message through the second communication resource, and the second communication resource is used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the first communication resource is an active bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resource is an initial bandwidth part (BWP).

[0033] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is specifically configured to receive first information from a first terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and a second terminal device.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the first information is a dedicated cell.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the first information includes: identification information of the second terminal device.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the identification information of the second terminal device includes: 5G-S-TMSI (5G Temporary Mobile Station Identity) or Full I-RNTI (Full Inactive State Radio Network Temporary Identity).

[0038] In a possible implementation, the non-connected state includes: the idle state or the inactive state.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is specifically configured to send the identification information of the second terminal device to a second network device; where the second network device is the target network device for the first terminal device to perform handover.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may be the first terminal device, or a chip or a chip system within the first terminal device. The communication device may include a processing unit and a communication unit. When the communication device is a network device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the communication unit may be a communication interface or an interface circuit. The communication device may further include a storage unit, and the storage unit may be a memory. The storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to enable the first terminal device to implement a communication method described in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect. When the communication device is a chip or a chip system within the first terminal device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the communication unit may be a communication interface. For example, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc. The processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to enable the first terminal device to implement a communication method described in the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect. The storage unit may be a storage unit within the chip (for example, a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage unit outside the chip within the first terminal device (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0041] Exemplarily, a communication unit is configured to receive configuration information of a first communication resource from a first network device; wherein, a first terminal device provides a relay service for a second terminal device, and the first communication resource is used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and the first network device; a processing unit is configured to configure the first communication resource according to the configuration information; the communication unit is configured to receive a paging message according to the first communication resource, and the paging message is used to page the second terminal device.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the first communication resource includes a second communication resource, and the communication unit is specifically configured to receive a paging message according to the second communication resource, and the second communication resource is used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the first communication resource is an active bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resource is an initial bandwidth part (BWP).

[0045] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is specifically configured to send a first piece of information to the first network device, and the first piece of information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the first piece of information is a dedicated cell.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the first piece of information includes: identification information of the second terminal device.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the identification information of the second terminal device includes: a 5G-S-TMSI (5G Temporary Mobile Station Identity) or a Full I-RNTI (Full Inactive State Radio Network Temporary Identity).

[0050] In a possible implementation, the communication unit is specifically configured to send a paging message to the second terminal device; or, the communication unit is specifically configured to send a second piece of indication information to the second terminal device, and the second piece of indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device is paged.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the non-connected state includes: an idle state or a non-active state.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is specifically configured to establish a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

[0053] Fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction runs on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the communication method described in any implementation manner of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0054] Sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions. When the instructions run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the communication method described in any implementation manner of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0055] Seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes any one or more of the following: the communication device described in the third aspect and various possible implementation manners of the third aspect, the communication device described in the fourth aspect and various possible implementation manners of the fourth aspect.

[0056] Eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a storage medium. When the instruction stored in the storage medium runs on the processor, the communication method described in any implementation manner of the first aspect to the second aspect is implemented.

[0057] Ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip or a chip system, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface. The communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected by a line. The at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction to perform the communication method described in any one of the implementations of the first aspect to the second aspect. Among them, the communication interface in the chip may be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in the present application further includes at least one memory, in which instructions are stored. The memory may be a storage unit inside the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc., or a storage unit of the chip (such as a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0059] It should be understood that the second aspect to the ninth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of the present application. The beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation manners are similar and will not be described in detail. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of device-to-device (D2D) communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of D2D discovery provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of an L2 evolved U2N relay user plane radio protocol stack provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of an L2 evolved U2N relay control plane radio protocol stack provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a U2N relay scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the process for a relay UE to monitor paging messages provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the process for a relay UE to monitor paging messages provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the frequency domain ranges of an initial BWP and an active BWP provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the process of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the process of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the process of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the process of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the process of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0075] For the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. For example, the first information and the second information are only used to distinguish different information, and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences.

[0076] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific manner.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (item) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0078] The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) international standardization organization introduced D2D technology in the long term evolution (LTE) release 12 (R12) to support direct communication between two terminal devices.

[0079] The R12 D2D technology is oriented to public safety and includes D2D communication and D2D discovery. Among them, the R12 D2D communication is oriented to public safety and can support multicast communication (one - to - many D2D communication), and the R12 D2D discovery supports simple commercial broadcasts (such as advertisements, broadcasts, etc.).

[0080] Exemplarily, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a D2D communication provided for the embodiments of the present application, asFigure 1 As shown, within the scope of the public security group, User 1 can share data or play interactive games with User 2, User 3, and / or User 4 through the D2D communication function.

[0081] Exemplarily, Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic diagram of D2D discovery provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 shown, within the communication coverage of the base station, a user equipment (UE) (or referred to as a terminal device, or simply a terminal) in a restaurant can push advertisements or discount information to UEs in the neighboring area through the D2D discovery function.

[0082] Furthermore, the 3GPP international standardization organization enhanced the D2D technology in LTE Release 13 (R13), enabling the D2D technology to support unicast communication (one-to-one). To improve network coverage, the D2D technology can also support the U2N relay scenario.

[0083] Furthermore, the 3GPP international standardization organization mentioned the U2N relay of wearable devices in LTE Release 15 (R15), and 3GPP R15 can support L2 relay.

[0084] Exemplarily, Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a user plane radio protocol stack for layer 2 evolved U2N relay provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) is transparent to the L2 relay UE, and the L2 relay UE can assist the remote UE in establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the base station.

[0085] In a possible implementation, the user plane radio protocol stack of the remote UE includes an internet protocol (IP) layer, a PDCP layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the user plane radio protocol stack of the L2 relay UE includes an RLC layer, a MAC layer, a PHY layer, and an adaptation layer.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the user plane radio protocol stack of a base station (eNB) includes a PDCP layer, an adaptation layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, a PHY layer, a general packet radio service tunnel protocol user (GTP-U) layer, a user datagram protocol (UDP) / IP layer, and a layer 1 (L1) / L2.

[0088] Among them, the adaptation layer is located in the LTE / new radio (NR) of the relay UE and the base station. The purpose of the adaptation layer is to carry the identifier of the remote UE and the signalling radio bearers (SRB) / data radio bearer (DRB) identifier of the remote UE during the RRC message transmission or data transmission process, or to carry the identifier of the remote UE and the SL / PC5 interface identifier between the relay UE and the remote UE.

[0089] In a possible implementation, the user plane radio protocol stack of the core network (CN) includes an IP layer, a GTP-U layer, a UDP / IP layer, and an L1 / L2.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the remote UE and the relay UE communicate through the PC5 interface, and the relay UE and the base station communicate through the Uu interface. The Uu interface can be used for both the uplink and the downlink; the base station and the CN communicate through the S1-U / S5 / S8 interface. Specifically, the S1-U / S5 / S8 interface can be used for long-distance communication between the CN and the remote UE.

[0091] Exemplarily, Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a control plane radio protocol stack for layer 2 evolved U2N relay provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4 shown, the PDCP layer and the RRC layer are transparent to the relay UE, and the remote UE can establish an RRC connection with the base station with the assistance of the relay UE.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the control plane radio protocol stack of the remote UE includes a non-access stratum (NAS), an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer.

[0093] In a possible implementation, the control plane radio protocol stack of the L2 relay UE includes an RLC layer, a MAC layer, a PHY layer, and an adaptation layer.

[0094] Among them, the adaptation layer is located in the LTE / new radio (NR) of the relay UE and the base station. The purpose of the adaptation layer is to carry the identifier of the remote UE and the signalling radio bearers (SRBs) / data radio bearer (DRB) identifier of the remote UE during the RRC message transmission or data transmission process, or to carry the identifier of the remote UE and the SL / PC5 interface identifier between the relay UE and the remote UE.

[0095] In a possible implementation, the control plane radio protocol stack of the base station (eNB) includes an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an adaptation layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, a PHY layer, an S1 application protocol (S1-AP) layer, a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) layer, an IP layer, and an L1 / L2.

[0096] In a possible implementation, the control plane radio protocol stack of the core network (CN) includes a NAS layer, an S1-AP layer, an SCTP layer, an IP layer, and an L1 / L2.

[0097] In a possible implementation, the remote UE and the relay UE communicate through the PC5 interface, and the relay UE and the base station communicate through the Uu interface. The Uu interface can be used for both the uplink and the downlink; the base station and the CN communicate through the S1-MME interface, and the S1-MME interface is used to transmit session management (SM) and mobility management (MM) information.

[0098] With the gradual improvement and development of communication technologies, the 5th generation new radio (5G NR) technology introduces D2D communication and UE-to-UE cooperative communication in the 3GPP standard. In addition to being used for public safety, the D2D communication and UE-to-UE cooperative communication in the 5G NR technology are considered for improving the performance of the network system. Among them, the network system performance can include network coverage and capacity.

[0099] Exemplarily, Figure 5 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a U2N relay scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 5As shown, the scenario may include a base station, a relay UE, and a remote UE. Among them, the base station and the relay UE can communicate in any of the above possible ways, and the relay UE and the remote UE can communicate through a sidelink (SL), etc.

[0100] In the uplink scenario, when the remote UE needs to send data to the base station, the remote UE can send the data to the relay UE, and the relay UE forwards the data received from the remote UE to the base station.

[0101] In the downlink scenario, when the base station needs to send data to the remote UE, the base station can send the data to the relay UE, and the relay UE forwards the data received from the base station to the remote UE.

[0102] It can be understood that even if the remote UE is not within the network coverage of the base station, due to the cooperative communication of the relay UE, the network coverage of the base station can be extended to the area of the remote UE, thus improving the network coverage.

[0103] In a possible situation, when the remote UE is in the IDLE state or the INACTIVE state, the connection between the remote UE and the base station is disconnected. When the base station has data or voice to send to the remote UE, the base station can find the remote UE through a paging message. After receiving the paging message, the remote UE can establish a connection with the base station with the assistance of the relay UE to perform data transmission or voice transmission; or, after receiving the paging message, the remote UE can trigger an initial connection establishment based on the paging message.

[0104] In the communication scenario of U2N L2 relay, the ways for the base station to page through the Uu interface may include: CN paging and radio access network (RAN) paging.

[0105] In a possible way, when the UE is in the IDLE state, the paging initiated by the CN to the UE is CN paging, and the CN paging performs the paging process based on the tracking area (TA).

[0106] Exemplarily, CN paging is initiated by the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. The AMF network element sends a paging message to the base stations included in the tracking area identity (TAI) list of the UE. The base station broadcasts the paging message within the cell related to itself found in the TAI list. The UE that monitors the paging message will check whether its own identity (ID) is included. If its own ID is present, the UE will initiate an RRC establishment request to connect to the base station; if its own ID is not present, the UE will ignore this paging request.

[0107] In another possible way, in the case where the UE is in the INACTIVE state, the paging initiated by the base station side is called RAN paging, and RAN paging is performed based on the RAN for the paging process.

[0108] Exemplarily, RAN paging is initiated by the last serving base station before the UE enters the INACTIVE state from the CONNECTED state. When the UE enters the INACTIVE state, it is not perceived by the AMF network element side; on the AMF network element side, the UE is still in the CONNECTED state, and the UE will continue to send data to the last serving base station. When the last serving base station cannot find the UE, the last serving base station will send a paging message to the base stations within the radio access network area code (RANAC) list of the UE. The base station broadcasts the paging message within the cell related to itself found in the RAN paging area. The UE that monitors the paging message will check whether its own ID is included. If its own ID is present, the UE will initiate an RRC establishment request to connect to the base station; if its own ID is not present, the UE will ignore this paging request.

[0109] In the embodiments of this application, paging in the Uu technology in the time domain can be understood as: The UE in the IDLE state or INACTIVE state will choose to "wake up" within a suitable time period to receive the paging message. Among them, the frequency domain resources occupied by the paging message are specified by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled by the paging radio network temporary identity (P-RNTI).

[0110] In the time domain, the UE attempts to receive the paging message on the paging occasions (POs) of the paging frame (PF) within the paging cycle. The UE remains in a "sleep" state during other time periods, thereby reducing the power consumption of the UE and extending the usage time of the UE battery. The base station needs to send the paging message over the air interface at this moment so that the UE can receive the paging message at this moment.

[0111] Exemplarily, Table 1 shows the names of the parameters and the content described by each parameter. As shown in Table 1, the system frame number (SFN) represents the current frame number where the data is sent; T is the discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, and T can be the minimum value between the specific DRX (or called the paging cycle) and the default DRX. If the UE is not configured with a specific DRX, the UE can use the default DRX; N is the number of PFs included in T, Ns is the number of POs included in each PF, PF_offset is the offset of the PF, and UE_ID is the result of the remainder operation of the 5G s-temporary mobile subscriber identity (5G-S-TMSI) divided by 1024.

[0112] Table 1

[0113] Parameter Description SFN System Frame Number T DRX Cycle, min(Specific DRX, Default DRX) N Number of PFs included in T Ns Number of POs included in each PF PF_offset Offset of PF UE_ID 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024

[0114] In a possible way, the PF is a system frame, and the PF satisfies the following formula:

[0115] (SFN + PF_offset) mod T = (T div N) * (UE_ID mod N);

[0116] In a possible way, the POs are indicated by the index i_s, and i_s satisfies the following formula:

[0117] i_s = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns;

[0118] Where, mod represents the remainder operation, and div represents the integer division operation.

[0119] In a possible way, for CN paging, the specific DRX can be configured by NAS signaling, and the default DRX can be configured by an information element (IE) of system information block type 1 (SIB1). This IE is the default paging DRX in the paging control channel (PCCH) configuration.

[0120] In a possible way, for RAN paging, the specific DRX can be configured by RRC release signaling.

[0121] It can be understood that the base station knows the ID of the UE, and the UE knows the DRX cycle, N, Ns, and PF_offset of its serving cell. In this way, both the base station and the UE can know the PF / POs, so that the base station can broadcast paging messages on the PF / POs, and the UE can listen for paging messages on the PF / POs.

[0122] In a possible way, the relay UE can listen for paging messages on the POs of the PF of the remote UE. Exemplarily, Figure 6 FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a process for a relay UE to listen for paging messages provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0123] S601: The mobile management entity (MME) sends a paging message of the remote UE to the base station through the S1AP interface.

[0124] S602: The base station broadcasts the paging message of the remote UE on the air interface through the PF / POs of the remote UE.

[0125] S603: The relay UE listens for the paging message of the remote UE on the PF / POs of the remote UE. If it is determined that the remote UE is paged, it sends a paging message to the remote UE through the PC5 interface.

[0126] In the embodiment of the present application, the relay UE receives the paging message sent by the base station, the remote UE tells its own ID to the relay UE, and the relay UE knows the PF / POs of the remote UE. Therefore, the relay UE can listen for the paging message of the remote UE on the PF / POs of the remote UE, the relay UE decodes the paging message and identifies the ID of the remote UE, the relay UE and the remote UE establish a paging channel on the short-distance link, and the relay UE uses the paging channel to forward the paging message to the remote UE through the PC5 interface.

[0127] In a possible way, the relay UE can monitor paging messages on the POs of its own PF. Exemplarily,Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the process for a relay UE to monitor paging messages provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0128] S701: The MME sends a paging message of the remote UE to the base station through the S1AP interface.

[0129] S702: The base station broadcasts the paging message of the remote UE on the air interface through the PF / POs of the relay UE.

[0130] S703: The relay UE monitors the paging message of the remote UE on its own PF / POs. If it is determined that the remote UE is paged, it sends a paging message to the remote UE through the PC5 interface.

[0131] In a possible manner, the relay UE receives the paging message sent by the base station. The remote UE notifies the relay UE of its own ID. The CN knows the connection relationship between the remote UE and the relay UE. The CN notifies the base station to broadcast the paging message of the remote UE on the PF / POs of the relay UE. Thus, the relay UE can monitor the paging message of the remote UE on its own PF / POs. The relay UE decodes the paging message and identifies the ID of the remote UE. The relay UE and the remote UE establish a paging channel on the short - distance link. The relay UE uses the paging channel to forward the paging message to the remote UE through the PC5 interface.

[0132] In an embodiment of the present application, paging in the Uu technology in the frequency domain can be understood as follows: The base station broadcasts paging messages and short messages on the initial bandwidth part (initial BWP), and broadcasts short messages on other dedicated BWPs (for example, the active BWP).

[0133] For example, when a UE in the IDLE state or INACTIVE state is activated with the initial BWP, the base station can broadcast paging messages on the initial BWP, and the UE can monitor paging messages and short messages on the initial BWP to ensure that the UE in the IDLE state or INACTIVE state is correctly paged. When a UE in the CONNECTED state is activated with other dedicated bandwidth parts (BWP), the UE can monitor short messages but cannot monitor paging messages.

[0134] In a possible situation, during the process of the relay UE assisting the remote UE to establish a connection with the base station, the relay UE in the CONNECTED state is activated with the active BWP, and the frequency domain range of the active BWP is different from that of the initial BWP, so that the relay UE cannot monitor the paging message of the remote UE.

[0135] Exemplarily, Figure 8Schematic diagram of the frequency domain ranges of an initial BWP and an active BWP provided by an embodiment of this application. As Figure 8 shown, a base station (gNB) broadcasts a paging message on the initial BWP. A relay UE in the CONNECTED state has its active BWP activated. The frequency domain ranges of the initial BWP and the active BWP are different, such that the relay UE in the CONNECTED state cannot monitor the paging message, failing to meet the requirement of monitoring the paging message for a remote UE.

[0136] The method by which the relay UE monitors the paging message of the remote UE on PF / POs is used to solve the paging problem in the time domain and cannot solve the paging problem in the frequency domain; the base station broadcasts the paging message on the initial BWP, resulting in the relay UE in the IDLE state or the INACTIVE state being able to monitor the paging message of the remote UE, while the relay UE in the CONNECTED state cannot monitor the paging message of the remote UE.

[0137] Based on this, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method and apparatus. A first network device sends configuration information of a first communication resource to a first terminal device. The first terminal device can configure the first communication resource according to the received configuration information, and the first terminal device can monitor the paging message broadcast by the first network device on the first communication resource, such that the first terminal device in the connected state can monitor the paging message for a second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish a communication connection with the first network device.

[0138] The method of the embodiment of this application can be applied to the U2N relay communication scenario of 5G NR and can also be applied to the LTE U2N relay communication scenario; alternatively, it can be applied to a communication scenario where one device provides services for another device.

[0139] The first network device described in the embodiment of this application can be an access network device connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G generation core (NGC). For example, the first network device can be an eNB, a gNB, or an eLTE eNB.

[0140] The first terminal device described in the embodiments of the present application may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a portable laptop computer, a virtual / hybrid / augmented reality device, a navigation device, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with satellite communication function, a computing device or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) or a terminal device in other future communication systems, etc.

[0141] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application and how the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application solve the above technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These several specific embodiments below can be implemented independently or in combination with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0142] Figure 9 The flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application may include the following steps:

[0143] S901: The first network device sends configuration information of the first communication resource to the first terminal device.

[0144] In the embodiments of the present application, the first communication resource is used for communication between the first terminal device in the connected state and the first network device.

[0145] For example, the first terminal device may receive a paging message from the first network device through the first communication resource, so that the first terminal device can assist the second terminal device and the first network device in establishing a connection. Among them, the first terminal device may be a relay terminal device, the second terminal device may be a remote terminal device, and the first terminal device may be used to provide a relay service for the second terminal device; among them, the relay service can be understood as that the first terminal device receives data of the second terminal device and forwards the data to the first network device, so that the second terminal device can send the data to the first network device; and / or, the first terminal device receives data of the first network device and forwards the data to the second terminal device, so that the first network device can send the data to the second terminal device. The base station may also send data to the second terminal device based on the first terminal device, so that the first network device can send the data to the second terminal device.

[0146] In a possible implementation, the first communication resource includes a time domain resource or a frequency domain resource. Among them, the time domain resource may include: start time, duration, or periodicity, and the frequency domain resource may include: start carrier frequency or bandwidth size.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the first communication resource may be: carrier frequency, BWP, resource pool, sub-channel, sub-carrier, frame number, or sub-frame number, etc. It can be understood that the specific content of the form of the first communication resource can also be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0148] In the embodiments of the present application, the configuration information of the first communication resource is used for the first terminal device to configure the first communication resource, so that the first terminal device in the connected state can communicate according to the first communication resource. For example, the configuration information of the first communication resource may include the frequency domain size of the first communication resource or the start position of the first communication resource, etc. It can be understood that the specific content of the configuration information of the first communication resource can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0149] S902: The first terminal device configures the first communication resource according to the configuration information of the first communication resource.

[0150] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device may set the frequency domain range of the first communication resource according to the configuration information of the first communication resource. It can be understood that the specific range of the frequency domain range of the first communication resource can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0151] S903: The first network device broadcasts a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resource.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, the second terminal device is in a non-connected state, and the non-connected state may include an idle state or a non-active state. For example, when the second terminal device is in a non-connected state and the communication between the second terminal device and the first network device is disconnected, the first network device can find the second terminal device through the paging message, so that a communication connection is established between the first network device and the second terminal device.

[0153] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network device broadcasts the paging message through the first communication resource, which can be understood as the first network device uses the first communication resource to broadcast the paging message, or the first network device broadcasts the paging message on the first communication resource.

[0154] For example, after the first network device receives a paging message from the core network, or after receiving a paging message from an anchor gNB, or after the first network device triggers a paging mechanism for the anchor base station, the first network device broadcasts the paging message within the bandwidth of the first communication resource, so that the connected first terminal device can continue to monitor the paging message. It can be understood that the specific implementation manner of the first network device broadcasting the paging message can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations thereon.

[0155] In the embodiments of this application, the first network device may broadcast a paging message based on the first communication resource through PF / POs in the time domain. For example, the first network device calculates the PF / POs of the paging message of the second terminal device in the time domain according to the identification information of the second terminal device, and the first network device broadcasts the paging message on the PF / POs of the second terminal device. The specific manner for the first network device to calculate PF / POs has been described in the above formula and will not be elaborated here. For another example, when the first network senses the association relationship between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the first network device may also broadcast the paging message of the second terminal device on the PF / POs of the first terminal device.

[0156] In the embodiments of this application, the first network device may send a paging message to the first terminal device. For example, the first network device sends an RRC message to the first terminal device, and the RRC message includes the paging message.

[0157] S904: The first terminal device receives the paging message according to the first communication resource.

[0158] In the embodiments of this application, the first terminal device may receive the paging message according to the first communication resource in the frequency domain. For example, the first terminal device monitors the paging message within the frequency domain range of the first communication resource. It can be understood that the specific implementation manner for the first terminal device to receive the paging message can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations thereon.

[0159] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device may receive a paging message according to the first communication resource through PF / POs in the time domain. For example, the first terminal device receives the identification information of the second terminal device and calculates the PF / POs of the second terminal device. The first terminal device may listen for the paging message of the second terminal device on the PF / POs of the second terminal device. For another example, when the first network device broadcasts the paging message of the second terminal device on the PF / POs of the first terminal device, the first terminal device may listen for the paging message of the second terminal device through its own PF / POs. When the first terminal device parses the paging message and confirms that the second network device is paged, the first terminal device may broadcast a paging message on the PC5 interface to inform the second terminal device that it is paged; or, the first terminal device may inform the second terminal device that it is paged through a unicast message on the PC5 interface.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device receives a paging message, and the first terminal device may assist the second terminal device to establish an RRC connection with the first network device, so that normal communication is achieved between the second terminal device and the first network device.

[0161] In summary, the first network device sends the configuration information of the first communication resource to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device may activate the first communication resource according to the configuration information. In this way, when the first network device broadcasts a paging message through the first communication resource, the first terminal device may receive the paging message, so as to meet the requirement that the first terminal device in the connected state listens for the paging message for the second terminal device.

[0162] In Figure 9 Based on the corresponding embodiments, the first communication resource includes a BWP. Figure 10 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application are exemplarily described with the first communication resource being an activated BWP. For example, the first network device broadcasts a paging message through the activated BWP, the first terminal device receives the paging message according to the activated BWP, and the first terminal device sends a paging message to the second terminal device. As Figure 10 shown, the following steps may be included:

[0163] S1001: The first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a sidelink connection.

[0164] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device may send a message to the second terminal device through the sidelink, so that the second terminal device can communicate with the first network device according to the message.

[0165] S1002: The first terminal device sends the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0166] In the embodiments of the present application, the system message may be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID and a Tracking Area Code (TAC). The system message may be a PLMN ID, a TAC, and a RAN-based Notification Area Code (RNAC). The system message may also be a PLMN ID and a serving cell ID.

[0167] In the example of the present application, the first terminal device sending the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device, or the first terminal device periodically broadcasting the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device, can enable the Tracking Area Identity (TAI) list or the RAN Notification Area (RNA) list of the second terminal device to include the serving cell of the first terminal device, so that the first network can page the second terminal device through the first terminal device.

[0168] Exemplarily, when the second terminal device determines that its TAI list or RNA list does not include the TAC, RNAC, or serving cell ID of the first terminal device, the second terminal device triggers a Tracking Area Update (TAU) or a RAN-based Notification Area Update (RNAU), so that the TAI list or RNA list of the second terminal device includes the TAC, RNAC, or serving cell ID of the first terminal device.

[0169] S1003: The first network device receives first information from the first terminal device.

[0170] In the embodiments of the present application, the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. For example, the first information may be a dedicated cell, and the dedicated cell can be understood as dedicated signaling or dedicated information. Among them, the dedicated cell may carry the information that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0171] In the embodiments of the present application, the first information may include the identification information of the second terminal device; among them, the identification information included in the first information may be that of the second terminal device in a non-connected state, and the non-connected state includes an idle state or a non-active state.

[0172] Exemplarily, the identification information of the second terminal device may be a 5G temporary mobile station identifier or a full inactive radio network temporary identifier (Full I-RNTI), or the identification information of the second terminal device may be other identifiers that can be used to identify the second terminal device. That is to say, the specific content of the identification information of the second terminal device can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0173] S1004: The first network device sends the configuration information for activating the BWP to the first terminal device.

[0174] S1005: The first terminal device configures the activated BWP according to the configuration information for activating the BWP.

[0175] S1006: The first network device broadcasts a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the activated BWP.

[0176] S1007: The first terminal device receives the paging message according to the activated BWP.

[0177] S1008: The first terminal device sends paging information to the second terminal device.

[0178] In the embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device receives the paging message, and the first terminal device parses the paging message to identify the ID of the second terminal device. Thus, the first terminal device sends the paging message to the second terminal device through the PC5 interface. In this way, the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device according to the paging message, so that the communication between the second terminal device and the first network device can proceed normally.

[0179] S1009: The first network device sends the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device.

[0180] In the embodiments of the present application, the second network device is the target network device for the handover of the first terminal device. For example, after the first terminal device camps on the cell covered by the second network device, during the group handover process, the first network device may send the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device. In this way, the second network device can know the connection relationship between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0181] In the embodiments of the present application, after the first terminal device camps on the cell covered by the second network device, the first terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the second network device, and the first terminal device can send the identification information of the second terminal device, so that the second network device can know the connection relationship between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0182] In the embodiments of the present application, S1004 - S1007 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S901 - S904, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0183] It should be noted that S1001 - S1003, S1008, and S1009 in the embodiments of the present application are optional steps. One or more of the optional steps can be set according to the actual application scenario. The sequence of each step in the embodiments of the present application can also be adjusted according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0184] In summary, the first network device sends the configuration information for activating the BWP to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device sets the activated BWP according to the configuration information. In this way, the first network device broadcasts a paging message through the activated BWP, the first terminal device can receive the paging message according to the activated BWP, and the first terminal device can send an information message to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device and the first network device establish an RRC connection.

[0185] In a possible implementation, the first terminal device may activate multiple BWPs simultaneously. When the first terminal device monitors the paging message for the second terminal device, the first terminal device can use the method of the embodiments of the present application to receive the paging message, and the first terminal device sends the paging message to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device.

[0186] In Figure 9 Based on the corresponding embodiment, the first communication resource includes a BWP. Figure 11 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application are exemplarily described with the first communication resource being the activated BWP. For example, the first network device broadcasts a paging message on the activated BWP, the first terminal device receives the paging message on the activated BWP, and the first terminal device sends the second indication information to the second terminal device. As Figure 11 shown, it may include the following steps:

[0187] S1101: The first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a sidelink connection.

[0188] S1102: The first terminal device sends the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0189] S1103: The first network device receives the first information from the first terminal device.

[0190] S1104: The first network device sends the configuration information for activating the BWP to the first terminal device.

[0191] S1105: The first terminal device configures the activated BWP according to the configuration information of the activated BWP.

[0192] S1106: The first network device broadcasts a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the activated BWP.

[0193] S1107: The first terminal device receives the paging message according to the activated BWP.

[0194] S1108: The first terminal device sends second indication information to the second terminal device.

[0195] In the embodiments of the present application, the second indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device is paged. In this way, the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device according to the second indication information, so that the communication between the second network device and the second terminal device can proceed normally.

[0196] S1109: The first network device sends the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device.

[0197] In the embodiments of the present application, S1101 - S1103, S1109 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S1001 - S1003, S1009, and S1104 - S1107 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S901 - S904, which will not be elaborated here.

[0198] It should be noted that S1101 - S1103, S1108, S1109 in the embodiments of the present application are optional steps. One or more of the optional steps can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the sequence of each step in the embodiments of the present application can also be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0199] In summary, the first network device sends the configuration information of the activated BWP to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device configures the activated BWP according to the configuration information. In this way, the first network device broadcasts a paging message through the activated BWP, the first terminal device can receive the paging message according to the activated BWP, and the first terminal device can send second indication information to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device according to the second indication information, and the communication between the second network device and the second terminal device can proceed normally.

[0200] In a possible implementation manner, the first terminal device may activate multiple BWPs simultaneously. When the first terminal device monitors the paging message for the second terminal device, the first terminal device can use the method in the embodiments of the present application to receive the paging message, and the first terminal device sends the paging message to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device.

[0201] Based on the corresponding embodiment, the first communication resource includes a BWP. Figure 9 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The first communication resource is an activated BWP, and the second communication resource is an initial BWP. The activated BWP includes the initial BWP. Or it can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the frequency domain range of the usually activated BWP is extended, so that the activated BWP includes the frequency domain range of the initial BWP. The embodiment of the present application takes the initial BWP as an example for exemplary illustration. As Figure 12 shown, the following steps may be included: Figure 12

[0202] S1201: The first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a sidelink connection.

[0203] S1202: The first terminal device sends the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0204] S1203: The first network device receives the first information from the first terminal device.

[0205] S1204: The first network device sends the configuration information of the activated BWP to the first terminal device. The activated BWP includes the initial BWP.

[0206] In the embodiment of the present application, the initial BWP is used for the first terminal device in the non-connected state to receive data. The non-connected state includes the idle state or the non-active state. For example, when the first terminal device is in the non-connected state, the first terminal device can receive messages from the first network device through the initial BWP, so that the first terminal device can assist the second terminal device and the first network device to establish a connection.

[0207] In the embodiment of the present application, the frequency domain range of the activated BWP includes the frequency domain range of the initial BWP. It can be understood that the specific range of the frequency domain range of the activated BWP can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0208] S1205: The first terminal device configures the activated BWP according to the configuration information of the activated BWP. The activated BWP includes the initial BWP.

[0209] S1206: The first network device broadcasts a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the initial BWP.

[0210] S1207: The first terminal device receives the paging message according to the initial BWP.

[0211] S1208: The first terminal device sends the paging message to the second terminal device.

[0212] ​In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device receives a paging message, parses the paging message to identify the ID of the second terminal device, and then the first terminal device sends the paging message to the second terminal device through the PC5 interface. In this way, the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device according to the paging message, so that the communication between the second terminal device and the first network device can proceed normally.

[0213] S1209: The first network device sends the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device.

[0214] In an embodiment of the present application, S1201 - S1203, S1209 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S1001 - S1003, S1009, and S1204 - S1207 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S901 - S904, which will not be elaborated here.

[0215] It should be noted that S1201 - S1203, S1208, S1209 in the embodiment of the present application are optional steps. One or more of the optional steps can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the sequence of each step in the embodiment of the present application can also be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0216] In summary, the first network device sends the configuration information for activating the BWP to the first terminal device. The activated BWP includes the initial BWP. In this way, the first network device can broadcast the paging message through the initial BWP, the first terminal device can receive the paging message according to the initial BWP, and the first terminal device can send an information message to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device and the first network device establish an RRC connection.

[0217] In a possible implementation, the first terminal device may activate multiple BWPs simultaneously. When the first terminal device listens for the paging message for the second terminal device, the first terminal device can use the method in the embodiment of the present application to receive the paging message and send the paging message to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device.

[0218] In Figure 9 Based on the corresponding embodiment, the first communication resource includes the BWP. Figure 13 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The first communication resource is the activated BWP, and the second communication resource is the initial BWP. The activated BWP includes the initial BWP, or it can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the frequency domain range of the usually activated BWP is extended, so that the activated BWP includes the frequency domain range of the initial BWP. The embodiment of the present application takes the initial BWP as an example for exemplary illustration. As Figure 13 shown, the following steps may be included:

[0219] S1301: The first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a sidelink connection.

[0220] S1302: The first terminal device sends the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0221] S1303: The first network device receives the first information from the first terminal device.

[0222] S1304: The first network device sends the configuration information for activating the BWP to the first terminal device, where the activated BWP includes the initial BWP.

[0223] S1305: The first terminal device configures the activated BWP according to the configuration information of the activated BWP, where the activated BWP includes the initial BWP.

[0224] S1306: The first network device broadcasts a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the initial BWP.

[0225] S1307: The first terminal device receives the paging message according to the initial BWP.

[0226] S1308: The first terminal device sends the second indication information to the second terminal device.

[0227] In the embodiments of the present application, the second indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device is paged. In this way, the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device according to the second indication information, so that the communication between the second network device and the second terminal device can proceed normally.

[0228] S1309: The first network device sends the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device.

[0229] In the embodiments of the present application, S1301 - S1303, S1309 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S1001 - S1003, S1009, and S1304 - S1307 can be adaptively described with reference to the content of S901 - S904, which will not be elaborated here.

[0230] It should be noted that S1301 - S1303, S1308, S1309 in the embodiments of the present application are optional steps. One or more of the optional steps can be set according to the actual application scenario, and the sequence of each step in the embodiments of the present application can also be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0231] In summary, the first network device sends configuration information for activating a BWP to the first terminal device. The activated BWP includes an initial BWP. In this way, the first network device broadcasts a paging message through the initial BWP, and the first terminal device can receive the paging message according to the initial BWP. The first terminal device can send second indication information to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device according to the second indication information, enabling normal communication between the second network device and the second terminal device.

[0232] In possible implementation manners, the first terminal device may activate multiple BWPs simultaneously. When the first terminal device monitors paging messages for the second terminal device, the first terminal device can still use the method of the embodiments of the present application to receive paging messages. The first terminal device sends a paging message to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can establish an RRC connection with the first network device.

[0233] As described above in conjunction with Figures 9 - 13 , the method of the embodiments of the present application has been described. Next, a communication device for executing the above method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described. The communication device includes one or more modules for implementing the method including the steps described above in Figures 9 - 13 . The one or more modules may correspond to the steps of the method including the steps described above in Figures 9 - 13 . Specifically, for each step of the method executed by the first network device in the embodiments of the present application, there is a unit or module in the first network device that executes each step of the method. For each step of the method executed by the first terminal device, there is a unit or module in the first terminal device that executes each step of the method. For example, a module for controlling or processing the actions of the communication device may be referred to as a processing module. A module for executing steps of message or data processing on the communication device side may be referred to as a communication module.

[0234] Next, an example will be given by dividing each functional module according to the corresponding functions:

[0235] Exemplarily, Figure 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1400 provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 14 , the communication device 1400 may be the first network device or the first terminal device, or may be a chip applied to the first network device or the first terminal device. The communication device 1400 includes: a processing unit 141 and a communication unit 142. Among them, the communication unit 142 is used to support the communication device to execute steps of information sending or receiving, and the processing unit 141 is used to support the communication device to execute steps of information processing.

[0236] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1400 described in the embodiments of the present application can execute Figure 9 the content described in the corresponding embodiment.

[0237] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by a first network device:

[0238] The communication unit 142 is used to send the configuration information of the first communication resource to a first terminal device.

[0239] The communication unit 142 is further used to broadcast a paging message for paging a second terminal device through the first communication resource.

[0240] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by a first terminal device:

[0241] The processing unit 141 is used to configure the first communication resource according to the configuration information of the first communication resource.

[0242] The communication unit 142 is used to receive a paging message according to the first communication resource.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1400 described in the embodiments of the present application can execute Figure 10 the content described in the corresponding embodiment.

[0244] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by a first network device:

[0245] The communication unit 142 is used to receive first information from a first terminal device.

[0246] The communication unit 142 is further used to send the configuration information for activating the BWP to the first terminal device.

[0247] The communication unit 142 is further used to broadcast a paging message for paging a second terminal device through the activated BWP.

[0248] The communication unit 142 is further used to send the identification information of the second terminal device to a second network device.

[0249] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by a first terminal device:

[0250] The processing unit 141 is used to establish a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

[0251] The communication unit 142 is used to send the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0252] The processing unit 141 is further configured to configure the activated BWP according to the configuration information of the activated BWP.

[0253] The communication unit 142 is further configured to receive a paging message according to the activated BWP.

[0254] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send paging information to the second terminal device.

[0255] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device 1400 described in the embodiments of the present application may execute Figure 11 the content described in the corresponding embodiments.

[0256] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by the first network device:

[0257] The communication unit 142 is configured to receive first information from the first terminal device.

[0258] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send the configuration information of the activated BWP to the first terminal device.

[0259] The communication unit 142 is further configured to broadcast a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the activated BWP.

[0260] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device.

[0261] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by the first terminal device:

[0262] The processing unit 141 is configured to establish a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

[0263] The communication unit 142 is configured to send the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0264] The processing unit 141 is further configured to configure the activated BWP according to the configuration information of the activated BWP.

[0265] The communication unit 142 is further configured to receive a paging message according to the activated BWP.

[0266] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send second indication information to the second terminal device.

[0267] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device 1400 described in the embodiments of the present application may execute Figure 12 the content described in the corresponding embodiments.

[0268] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to execute the operations performed by the first network device:

[0269] The communication unit 142 is configured to receive first information from a first terminal device.

[0270] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send configuration information for activating a BWP to the first terminal device, where the activated BWP includes an initial BWP.

[0271] The communication unit 142 is further configured to broadcast a paging message for paging a second terminal device via the initial BWP.

[0272] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send identification information of the second terminal device to a second network device.

[0273] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is configured to perform operations performed by the first terminal device:

[0274] The processing unit 141 is configured to establish a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

[0275] The communication unit 142 is configured to send system information of a serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0276] The processing unit 141 is further configured to configure the activated BWP according to the configuration information of the activated BWP, where the activated BWP includes the initial BWP.

[0277] The communication unit 142 is further configured to receive a paging message according to the initial BWP.

[0278] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send the paging message to the second terminal device.

[0279] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1400 described in the embodiments of the present application may perform Figure 13 the content described in the corresponding embodiments.

[0280] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is configured to perform operations performed by the first network device:

[0281] The communication unit 142 is configured to receive first information from a first terminal device.

[0282] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send configuration information for activating a BWP to the first terminal device, where the activated BWP includes an initial BWP.

[0283] The communication unit 142 is further configured to broadcast a paging message for paging a second terminal device via the initial BWP.

[0284] The communication unit 142 is further configured to send identification information of the second terminal device to a second network device.

[0285] In a possible embodiment, when the communication device 1400 is used to perform the operations performed by the first terminal device:

[0286] The processing unit 141 is used to establish a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

[0287] The communication unit 142 is used to send the system message of the serving cell to the second terminal device.

[0288] The processing unit 141 is further used to configure the active BWP according to the configuration information of the active BWP, and the active BWP includes the initial BWP.

[0289] The communication unit 142 is further used to receive a paging message according to the initial BWP.

[0290] The communication unit 142 is further used to send second indication information to the second terminal device.

[0291] It should be noted that the above is an example of some operations performed by the communication device 1400 for the first terminal device or the first network device. It can be understood that the communication unit 142 and the processing unit 141 are also used to perform other processing, receiving or sending steps or operations performed by the first terminal device or the first network device in the above method embodiments, which will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0292] In a possible embodiment, the communication device 1400 may further include: a storage unit 143. The processing unit 141, the communication unit 142, and the storage unit 143 are connected by communication lines.

[0293] The storage unit 143 may include one or more memories, and the memory may be a device or a component in a device or a circuit for storing programs or data.

[0294] The storage unit 143 may exist independently and be connected to the processing unit 141 of the communication device through a communication line. The storage unit 143 may also be integrated with the processing unit.

[0295] The communication device may be used in a communication device, a circuit, a hardware component, or a chip.

[0296] Taking the communication device as an example of the chip or chip system in the first network device or the first terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 142 may be an input or output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.

[0297] Exemplarily, the storage unit 143 may store computer-executable instructions of the method on the side of the first network device or the first terminal device, so that the processing unit 141 executes the method on the side of the first network device or the first terminal device in the foregoing embodiments. The storage unit 143 may be a register, a cache, or a RAM, etc., and the storage unit 143 may be integrated with the processing unit 141. The storage unit 143 may be a ROM or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, and the storage unit 143 may be independent of the processing unit 141.

[0298] Exemplarily, Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 150 provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The chip 150 includes one or more than two (including two) processors 1510 and a communication interface 1530.

[0299] In some embodiments, the memory 1540 stores the following elements: executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof.

[0300] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 1540 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor 1510. A part of the memory 1540 may also include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0301] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 1510 may control the first transmission chip, the second transmission chip, or the processing chip to perform corresponding operations by calling the operation instructions stored in the memory 1540 (the operation instructions may be stored in the operating system). Among them, the processor 1510 may be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU).

[0302] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 1540, the communication interface 1530, and the memory 1540 are coupled together through a bus system 1520. Among them, in addition to including a data bus, the bus system 1520 may further include a power bus, a control bus, a status signal bus, etc. For the sake of description, in Figure 15 all kinds of buses are labeled as the bus system 1520.

[0303] The method described in the embodiments of the present application above can be applied to, or implemented by, the processor 1510. The processor 1510 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, the steps of the above method can be completed through the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 1510 or instructions in software form. The above-mentioned processor 1510 may be a general-purpose processor (e.g., a microprocessor or a conventional processor), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate, transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The processor 1510 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0304] The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, register, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory 1540, and the processor 1510 reads the information in the memory 1540 and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0305] In a possible implementation, the communication interface 1530 is used to execute Figures 9 - 13 the receiving and sending steps of the first network device or the first terminal device in the embodiments shown. The processor 1510 is used to execute Figures 9 - 13 the processing steps of the first network device or the first terminal device in the embodiments shown.

[0306] In the above embodiments, the instructions stored in the memory for the processor to execute can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product can be pre-written in the memory, or can be downloaded and installed in the memory in software form.

[0307] A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be stored by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that includes one or more available media integrated. For example, the available medium may include magnetic media (such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (such as digital versatile discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (such as solid state disks (SSDs)).

[0308] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium. The methods described in the above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include a computer storage medium and a communication medium, and may also include any medium that can transmit a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium may be any target medium accessible by a computer.

[0309] As a possible design, a computer-readable medium may include a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or other optical disc storage; the computer-readable medium may include magnetic disk storage or other magnetic disk storage devices. Moreover, any connecting wire may also be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, magnetic disks and optical discs include optical discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs use lasers to optically reproduce data. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0310] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product. The methods described in the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the above computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the above method embodiments are generated in whole or in part. The above computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a base station, a terminal, or other programmable devices.

[0311] The above specific implementation manners further elaborate on the purpose, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation manners of the present invention and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that The method includes: Receiving first information sent by a first terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and a second terminal device, and the first information includes: identification information of the second terminal device; the first terminal device provides a relay service for the second terminal device; Sending configuration information of first communication resources to the first terminal device; where the configuration information of the first communication resources is used for the first terminal device to configure the first communication resources, and the first communication resources are frequency domain resources; the first communication resources are used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and a first network device; Sending a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resources; the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device; the identification information of the second terminal device includes: 5G-S-TMSI or Full I-RNTI.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first communication resources include second communication resources, and sending the paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resources includes: Broadcasting the paging message through the second communication resources, where the second communication resources are used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first communication resources are an active bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resources are an initial BWP.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is a dedicated cell.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 3 and 5, characterized in that The non-connected state includes: an idle state or a non-active state.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-3 and 5, characterized in that It further includes: Sending the identification information of the second terminal device to a second network device; where the second network device is a target network device for the first terminal device to perform handover.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Sending first information to a first network device, where the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between a first terminal device and a second terminal device; the first information includes: identification information of the second terminal device; Receiving configuration information of first communication resources from the first network device; where the first communication resources are used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and the first network device; the first terminal device provides a relay service for the second terminal device; the first communication resources are frequency domain resources; Configuring the first communication resources according to the configuration information; Receiving a paging message according to the first communication resources, where the paging message is used to page the second terminal device; the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device; the identification information of the second terminal device includes: 5G-S-TMSI or Full I-RNTI.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first communication resources include second communication resources, and receiving the paging message according to the first communication resources includes: Receiving the paging message according to the second communication resources, where the second communication resources are used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first communication resource is an active bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resource is an initial BWP.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first information is a dedicated cell.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-9 and 12, characterized in that, It further includes: Sending the paging message to the second terminal device; Or, Sending second indication information to the second terminal device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device is paged.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8-9 and 12, characterized in that, The non-connected state includes: the idle state or the inactive state.

15. The method according to claim 12 or 8, characterized in that Before sending the first information to the first network device, it further includes: Establishing a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a communication unit: The communication unit is configured to receive first information from the first terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the first information includes: the identification information of the second terminal device; the first terminal device provides relay services for the second terminal device; The communication unit is configured to send configuration information of the first communication resource to the first terminal device; wherein, the configuration information of the first communication resource is used for the first terminal device to configure the first communication resource, and the first communication resource is a frequency-domain resource; the first communication resource is used for communication between the first terminal device in the connected state and the first network device; The communication unit is configured to send a paging message for paging the second terminal device through the first communication resource; the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device; the identification information of the second terminal device includes: 5G-S-TMSI (5G Temporary Mobile Station Identity) or FullI-RNTI (Full Inactive State Radio Network Temporary Identity).

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein The first communication resource includes a second communication resource, and the communication unit is specifically configured to: send the paging message through the second communication resource, and the second communication resource is used for a terminal device in the non-connected state to receive data.

18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device.

19. The device according to claim 18, characterized in that, The first communication resource is an active bandwidth part (BWP), and the second communication resource is an initial BWP.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The first information is a dedicated cell.

21. The device according to any one of claims 16-19 and 20, characterized in that, The non-connected state includes: the idle state or the inactive state.

22. The device according to any one of claims 16-19 and 20, characterized in that The communication unit is specifically configured to: send the identification information of the second terminal device to the second network device; wherein, the second network device is the target network device for the first terminal device to perform handover.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a communication unit and a processing unit: The communication unit is configured to send first information to the first network device, where the first information is used to indicate that there is a sidelink connection between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the first information includes: the identification information of the second terminal device; The communication unit is configured to receive configuration information of a first communication resource from a first network device; wherein, the first communication resource is used for communication between the first terminal device in a connected state and the first network device, and the first terminal device provides a relay service for a second terminal device; the first communication resource is a frequency domain resource. The processing unit is configured to configure the first communication resource according to the configuration information. The communication unit is configured to receive a paging message according to the first communication resource, where the paging message is used to page the second terminal device; the paging message includes: a paging message related to the identification information of the second terminal device; the identification information of the second terminal device includes: 5G-S-TMSI (5G Temporary Mobile Station Identity) or Full I-RNTI (Full Inactive State Radio Network Temporary Identity).

24. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that, The first communication resource includes a second communication resource, and specifically, the communication unit is configured to: receive the paging message according to the second communication resource, where the second communication resource is used for a terminal device in a non-connected state to receive data.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein The first terminal device is a relay terminal device, and the second terminal device is a remote terminal device.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that, The first communication resource is an active Bandwidth Part (BWP), and the second communication resource is an initial BWP.

27. The device according to claim 23, wherein, The first information is a dedicated cell.

28. The apparatus according to any one of claims 23-26 and 27, characterized in that The communication unit is specifically configured to send the paging message to the second terminal device; or The communication unit is specifically configured to send second indication information to the second terminal device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device is paged.

29. The device according to any one of claims 23-26 and 27, characterized in that, The non-connected state includes: an idle state or a non-active state.

30. The device according to claim 27 or 23, characterized in that, The processing unit is specifically configured to: establish a sidelink connection with the second terminal device.

31. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor and a communication interface; Wherein, the communication interface is configured to perform operations of message sending and receiving in the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7; the processor runs instructions to perform operations of processing or control in the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7.

32. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor and a communication interface; Wherein, the communication interface is configured to perform operations of message sending and receiving in the communication method according to any one of claims 8-15; the processor runs instructions to perform operations of processing or control in the communication method according to any one of claims 8-15.

33. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface is coupled to the at least one processor, and the at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7, or to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 8-15.

34. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are run, the communication method according to any one of claims 1-7 is implemented, or the communication method according to any one of claims 8-15 is implemented.

35. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes at least one communication device as described in any one of claims 16-22 and at least one communication device as described in any one of claims 24-30.

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