Method and apparatus for transmitting data

Abstract

The application provides a method and device for transmitting data. The method comprises: determining, by an access network device, a plurality of paths for transmitting a first quality of service (QoS) flow of a terminal device, the plurality of paths comprising at least two paths in a first path set, the first path set comprising N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths comprise indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the access network device transmits the first QoS flow through the plurality of paths. The method and device for transmitting data provided by the application can enable the terminal device to communicate with the network device through the plurality of paths, thereby improving the reliability or rate of data transmission.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110919122.0, filed on August 11, 2021, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Transmitting Data”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for transmitting data. Background Technology

[0003] With the rapid development of mobile communication, the widespread use of new service types, such as video chat and virtual reality (VR) / augmented reality (AR) data services, has increased users' demand for bandwidth. Device-to-device (D2D) communication allows user equipment (UE) to communicate directly. D2D communication includes one-to-many communication and one-to-one communication. One-to-many communication corresponds to multicast and broadcast communication, while one-to-one communication corresponds to unicast communication. In one-to-one communication, if the sending UE and the receiving UE are within close range, they can communicate directly after mutual discovery. The sending UE and the receiving UE communicate through the PC5 (prosecommunication 5) interface.

[0004] In the existing network architecture, a UE can directly connect to the radio access network (RAN) for communication, or it can communicate with the RAN with the assistance of a relay UE. For example, when the UE is within RAN coverage, or when the communication quality between the UE and the RAN is good, the UE communicates with the RAN via a direct path. When the UE is outside RAN coverage, or when the communication quality between the UE and the RAN is poor, i.e., when the UE cannot directly connect to the RAN, it can communicate with the RAN with the assistance of a relay UE (in this scenario, this UE is called the remote UE, and the remote UE and the relay UE communicate via D2D). That is, the UE switches from a direct path to an indirect path to communicate with the RAN. It can be seen that the UE communicates with the RAN through a single path before and after the communication path switch. However, when the UE communicates with the RAN through only one path, poor communication quality or low data transmission rate may occur. Therefore, how to improve the reliability or rate of data transmission is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method and apparatus for transmitting data, which enables terminal devices to communicate with network devices through multiple paths, thereby improving the reliability or rate of data transmission.

[0006] Firstly, a method for transmitting data is provided. This method can be performed by an access network device, or by a component (such as a chip or chip system) configured in the access network device. This application does not limit this. The method includes: the access network device determining multiple paths for transmitting a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a terminal device, the multiple paths including at least two paths from a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths, and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the access network device transmitting the first QoS flow through the multiple paths.

[0007] Based on the above scheme, the access network device determines at least two paths for data transmission, so that when one of these at least two paths experiences poor communication quality, the reliability or rate of data transmission can be improved. Specifically, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS stream through at least two paths, the reliability of the data packet transmission can be improved; or, when the access network device splits the data packets of the first QoS stream and transmits different data packets through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS stream can be improved.

[0008] The access network device determines at least two paths, including establishing at least two paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device (when there is only one path between the access network device and the terminal device), or selecting multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow (when there are already multiple paths between the access network device and the terminal device).

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device receives first indication information from a core network element, the first indication information indicating that a multi-path transmission mode is used for the first QoS flow, and the access network device determines multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device based on the first indication information.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first instruction information also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely duplication transmission or split transmission.

[0011] For example, if the specific form of multipath transmission is copy transmission, i.e., taking a downlink QoS stream as an example, the access network device copies the data packets of the first QoS stream and transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device then deduplicates the data packets. If the specific form of multipath transmission is split transmission, i.e., taking a downlink QoS stream as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS stream to the terminal device through different paths.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device determines to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream before determining multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream of the terminal device.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the multipath transmission method includes multipath transmission via relay terminal equipment.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can determine multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow by using the preference of the multipath transmission mode indicated by the core network element.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device determines, based on authorization information, whether to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow. This authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method, the access network device determines to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream; if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or is not authorized to use a multipath transmission method, the access network device determines that it cannot use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device receives request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request the use of a multipath transmission method to transmit the first QoS stream. The access network device determines, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream. Alternatively, the access network device determines, based on the request information and authorization information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream. The authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, if the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, the access network device determines to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, when the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow transmitted through the multiple paths are not satisfied, the access network device sends a first message to the core network element, wherein the first message indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied, or the first message indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied when the first QoS flow adopts a multi-path transmission method.

[0020] Based on the above scheme, if the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow transmitted through the multiple paths are not satisfied, the access network device sends the first information to the core network element. After receiving the first information, the core network element will not trigger the access network device to establish multiple paths to transmit the first QoS flow again.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device sends second information to the terminal device, which triggers the terminal device to report information of the relay terminal device. The access network device receives information from at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device, and establishes an indirect path among the multiple paths based on the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device sends third information to at least one relay terminal device, which triggers the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can send second information to the terminal device and third information to the relay terminal device, enabling it to participate in relay discovery. This avoids situations where the terminal device cannot report information or the relay terminal device does not participate in relay discovery, thereby effectively completing the establishment of multiple paths.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device establishes an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS stream, and the access network device transmits the first QoS stream with the terminal device on the data radio bearer through the multiple paths.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the access network device receives the maximum number of paths information corresponding to the multipath transmission method, and the access network device determines the number of multiple paths based on the maximum number of paths information.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can determine the number of multiple paths corresponding to different QoS parameters according to the maximum number of paths information. For example, if the QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flow are higher (the reliability requirements are higher), then more paths are needed to transmit the first QoS flow. However, the number of paths determined is constrained by the maximum number of paths, that is, the number of multiple paths determined by the access network device cannot exceed the maximum number of paths.

[0027] Secondly, a method for transmitting data is provided. This method can be executed by a core network element. The method includes: the core network element determining that a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow for a terminal device will be transmitted using a multipath transmission mode, wherein the multipath transmission mode includes at least two paths from a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and the core network element sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the first QoS flow will be transmitted using a multipath transmission mode.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, the core network element determines that the first Quality of Service (QoS) flow of the terminal equipment will adopt a multi-path transmission method, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission. Furthermore, the core network element also indicates its preference for multi-path transmission methods to the access network equipment, namely, the multi-path transmission method includes indirect transmission through relay terminal equipment, thus giving the access network equipment a certain bias when determining multiple paths.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the first instruction information also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely, copy transmission or split transmission.

[0030] For example, if the specific form of multipath transmission is copy transmission, i.e., taking a downlink QoS stream as an example, the access network device copies the data packets of the first QoS stream and transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device then deduplicates the data packets. If the specific form of multipath transmission is split transmission, i.e., taking a downlink QoS stream as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS stream to the terminal device through different paths.

[0031] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS stream through at least two paths, the reliability of the data packet transmission can be improved. Alternatively, when the access network device splits the data packet of the first QoS stream and transmits different data packets through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS stream can be improved.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the core network element determines, based on the authorization information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow. The authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to adopt a multipath transmission mode.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the core network element sends a second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first data stream, the first data stream including a first service stream or a first QoS stream.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the core network element receives request information from the terminal device, which requests the use of a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream. The core network element determines the use of a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream based on the request information.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the core network element receives request information from the terminal device, which requests a multipath transmission method for the first service flow. The core network element allocates the first QoS flow for the first service flow and determines, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the core network element receives fourth information from the access network device, which indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied. Based on the fourth information, the core network element determines to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow of the terminal device.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the core network element sends maximum path count information to the access network device, which is used to determine the number of multiple paths used to transmit the first QoS flow.

[0038] Thirdly, a method for transmitting data is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a chip or chip system) configured in the terminal device. This application does not limit this. The method includes: the terminal device determining that a multipath transmission mode is to be used for a first data stream, the first data stream including a first service stream or a first quality of service (QoS) stream, the multipath transmission mode being a transmission mode including at least two paths from a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1; the terminal device sending request information, the request information being used to request the use of a multipath transmission mode for the first data stream.

[0039] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device determines to use multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0040] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the terminal device receives second indication information from a core network element, the second indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode should be used for the first data stream, and the terminal device determines to use a multipath transmission mode for the first data stream based on the second indication information.

[0041] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the terminal device receives fourth information indicating that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied. Based on the fourth information, the terminal device determines to adopt a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, or the terminal device determines to adopt a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream based on the fourth information and authorization information. The authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to adopt a multipath transmission method.

[0042] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, the terminal device receives second information from the access network device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information from a relay terminal device, the terminal device sending information from at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, the information from the at least one relay terminal device being used to establish an indirect path in the multipath transmission mode.

[0043] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can receive the second information from the access network device, thereby participating in relay discovery and avoiding the situation where the terminal device cannot report information, thus enabling the access network device to effectively complete the establishment of multiple paths.

[0044] Fourthly, a method for transmitting data is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a chip or chip system) configured in the terminal device. This application does not limit this. The method includes: the terminal device determining to transmit a first data stream using a multipath transmission mode, wherein the multipath transmission mode is a transmission via at least two paths; the terminal device transmitting the first data stream via at least two paths in a second path set, the second path set including direct network communication paths for the terminal device to access the network, and indirect network communication paths for the terminal device to access the network via relay terminal devices.

[0045] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device determines at least two paths for data transmission, so that if the communication quality of one of these at least two paths is poor, the reliability or rate of data transmission can be improved. Specifically, when the terminal device transmits the same data of the first data stream through at least two paths, the reliability of the data transmission can be improved; or, when the terminal device transmits different data of the first data stream through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first data stream can be improved. Furthermore, in this scheme, the terminal device autonomously determines the multi-path transmission method for the first data stream, thus giving the terminal device a high degree of decision-making autonomy.

[0046] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the indirect network communication path includes: a first indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a first relay terminal device.

[0047] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the first indirect network communication path includes: a layer 2 relay indirect network communication path and / or a layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0048] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the indirect network communication path also includes: a second indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a second relay terminal device.

[0049] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the first relay terminal device is a layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0050] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the terminal device determines to use a multi-path transmission method to transmit the first data stream based on its routing strategy or a proximity-based service strategy; or, if the QoS parameters of the first data stream are not satisfied when using a single-path transmission method, the terminal device determines to use a multi-path transmission method to transmit the first data stream; wherein, the single-path transmission method is the transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, or the single-path transmission method is the transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a Layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0051] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device determines, according to the above strategy, to adopt multipath transmission for the first data stream, including indirect paths via Layer 3 relays, which can improve the controllability of the first data stream transmission. Alternatively, based on the above scheme, if the terminal device uses a single-path transmission method to transmit the first data stream, and the QoS parameters of the first data stream are not met, the terminal device can decide to transmit the first data stream using a single-path transmission method in order to meet the QoS parameters. In other words, when the QoS parameters of the first data stream are not met, the terminal device is triggered to establish a path (e.g., a direct path or an indirect path), allowing the first data stream to be transmitted via multiple paths, thereby improving the flexibility of the first data stream transmission.

[0052] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving the terminal device's routing selection policy or the terminal device's proximity-based service policy.

[0053] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the terminal device determines to use a multipath transmission method to transmit the first data stream, including: the terminal device determines to use a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream, wherein the multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect path is a transmission method through at least two paths, and the at least two paths include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0054] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the terminal device determines to use a multipath transmission method to transmit the first data stream, including: the terminal device receiving third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate that the first data stream uses a multipath transmission method, and at least two paths in the multipath transmission method include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path; or, the third indication information being used to indicate that the first data stream uses a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, the multipath transmission method of the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path being a transmission method through at least two paths, and the at least two paths including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0055] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, at least two paths in the second path set include a third indirect network communication path, which is a layer 3 relay indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via the first relay terminal device.

[0056] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving a routing policy or a proximity-based service policy, wherein the routing policy or proximity-based service policy includes third indication information.

[0057] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: the terminal device establishing an indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream when there is no indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream; or, the terminal device establishing a direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream when there is no direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream.

[0058] Fifthly, an apparatus for transmitting data is provided. This apparatus may be an access network device, or it may be a component (such as a chip or chip system) configured within the access network device. This application does not limit this. The apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit: the processing unit is configured to determine multiple paths for transmitting a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a terminal device, the multiple paths including at least two paths from a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths, and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first QoS flow through the multiple paths.

[0059] Based on the above scheme, the access network device determines at least two paths for data transmission, so that when one of the at least two paths has poor communication quality, the reliability of data transmission can be improved.

[0060] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive first indication information from a core network element, the first indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first QoS stream, and the processing unit is further configured to determine multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream of the terminal device based on the first indication information.

[0061] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the first instruction information also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely, copy transmission or split transmission.

[0062] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS stream through at least two paths, the reliability of the data packet transmission can be improved. Alternatively, when the access network device splits the data packet of the first QoS stream and transmits different data packets through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS stream can be improved.

[0063] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the processing unit is further configured to determine a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream before determining multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream to the terminal device.

[0064] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the multipath transmission method includes multipath transmission via relay terminal equipment.

[0065] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on authorization information, whether to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, wherein the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0066] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request the use of a multipath transmission method to transmit the first QoS stream, the processing unit being further configured to determine, based on the request information, the use of a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, or the processing unit being further configured to determine, based on the request information and authorization information, the use of a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, the authorization information indicating that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0067] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, if the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, the processing unit determines to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream.

[0068] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, when the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream transmitted through the multiple paths are not satisfied, the transceiver unit is further configured to send first information to the core network element, wherein the first information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, or the first information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied when the first QoS stream adopts a multi-path transmission method.

[0069] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to send second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of the relay terminal device, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive information from at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device, and the processing unit is further configured to establish an indirect path among the multiple paths based on the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0070] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the processing unit is also configured to send third information to at least one relay terminal device, the third information being used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

[0071] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the processing unit is further configured to establish an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS stream, and the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first QoS stream with the terminal device over the data radio bearer via the multiple paths.

[0072] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive information on the maximum number of paths corresponding to the multipath transmission method, and the processing unit is further configured to determine the number of the multiple paths based on the information on the maximum number of paths.

[0073] Sixthly, an apparatus for transmitting data is provided. This apparatus may be a core network element. The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is used to determine that a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow to a terminal device adopts a multipath transmission mode. This multipath transmission mode includes at least two paths from a first path set, which includes N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device. The N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver unit is used to send first indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is adopted for the first QoS flow.

[0074] Based on the above scheme, the core network element determines that the first Quality of Service (QoS) flow of the terminal equipment will adopt a multi-path transmission method, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission. Furthermore, the core network element also indicates its preference for multi-path transmission methods to the access network equipment, namely, the multi-path transmission method includes indirect transmission through relay terminal equipment, thus giving the access network equipment a certain bias when determining multiple paths.

[0075] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the first instruction information also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely, copy transmission or split transmission.

[0076] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device transmits the same data packet of the first QoS stream through at least two paths, the reliability of the data packet transmission can be improved. Alternatively, when the access network device splits the data packet of the first QoS stream and transmits different data packets through at least two paths, the transmission rate of the first QoS stream can be improved.

[0077] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on authorization information, whether to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, wherein the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0078] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first data stream, the first data stream including a first service stream or a first QoS stream.

[0079] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive request information from a terminal device, the request information being used to request a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, and the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream.

[0080] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive request information from a terminal device, the request information being used to request a multipath transmission method for the first service flow, the processing unit is further configured to allocate the first QoS flow for the first service flow, and the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow.

[0081] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive fourth information from the access network device, the fourth information indicating that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, and the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the fourth information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream of the terminal device.

[0082] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is also used to send maximum path count information to the access network device, the maximum path count information being used to determine the number of multiple paths used to transmit the first QoS flow.

[0083] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus for transmitting data is provided. This apparatus may be a terminal device, or it may be a component (such as a chip or chip system) configured in a terminal device. This application does not limit this. The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is used to determine a multipath transmission mode for a first data stream, the first data stream including a first service stream or a first quality of service (QoS) stream, the multipath transmission mode being a transmission mode including at least two paths from a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between an access network device and a terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver unit is used to send request information, the request information being used to request the use of a multipath transmission mode for the first data stream.

[0084] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device determines to use multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0085] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second indication information from a core network element, the second indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is adopted for the first data stream, and the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the second indication information, that a multipath transmission mode is adopted for the first data stream.

[0086] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive fourth information indicating that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied. The processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the fourth information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream, or the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the fourth information and authorization information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream. The authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to adopt a multipath transmission mode.

[0087] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information from the access network device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information from the relay terminal device, and the transceiver unit is further configured to send information from at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, the information from the at least one relay terminal device being used to establish an indirect path in the multipath transmission mode.

[0088] Eighthly, a communication apparatus is provided, which may be an access network device as described in the first aspect, an electronic device configured in an access network device, or a larger device including an access network device. The apparatus is used to perform the method provided in the first aspect.

[0089] The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for executing instructions in the memory to implement the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Optionally, the device further includes a memory that may be deployed separately from the processor or centrally. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface to which the processor is coupled.

[0090] In one implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0091] In another implementation, the device is a chip configured in an access network device. When the device is a chip configured in an access network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0092] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0093] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be, but is not limited to, a signal received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, but is not limited to, an output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, used as both input and output circuits at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0094] A ninth aspect provides a communication apparatus, which may be a core network element as described in the second aspect above, an electronic device configured in a core network element, or a larger device including a core network element. The apparatus is used to perform the method provided in the second aspect above.

[0095] The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for executing instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Optionally, the device further includes a memory that may be deployed separately from the processor or centrally. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface to which the processor is coupled.

[0096] In one implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0097] In another implementation, the device is a chip configured within a core network element. When the device is a chip configured within a core network element, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0098] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0099] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be, but is not limited to, a signal received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, but is not limited to, an output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, used as both input and output circuits at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0100] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus may be a terminal device as described in the third or fourth aspect above, an electronic device configured in a terminal device, or a larger device including a terminal device. The apparatus is used to perform the method provided in the third or fourth aspect above.

[0101] The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for executing instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the third or fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Optionally, the device further includes a memory that may be deployed separately from the processor or centrally. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface to which the processor is coupled.

[0102] In one implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0103] In another implementation, the device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0104] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0105] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be, but is not limited to, a signal received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, but is not limited to, an output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, used as both input and output circuits at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0106] Eleventhly, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform any one of the first to fourth aspects described above, and the method in any one of the possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0107] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the first to fourth aspects described above, and the method in any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0108] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned access network equipment, core network elements, and terminal equipment. Optionally, the communication system further includes relay terminal equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0109] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0110] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal device provided in this application accessing the network through a relay terminal device.

[0111] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the relay communication process for remote terminal equipment supporting Layer 2 provided in this application.

[0112] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the communication process of the remote terminal device provided in this application switching from a direct connection to an indirect connection.

[0113] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the multipath transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0114] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the process by which an access network device obtains information about a relay terminal device, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0115] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process by which a core network element determines the multipath transmission method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0116] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process by which a terminal device determines the use of a multipath transmission method, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0117] Figure 9 This is another schematic diagram of the process using a multipath transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0118] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0119] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0120] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0121] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0122] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0123] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, this network architecture may include user equipment 110, (wireless) access network equipment 120, user plane network element 130, data network 140, authentication server 150, mobility management network element 160, session management network element 170, application network element 180, unified data management network element 190, policy control network element 191, network function repository function network element 192, network openness network element 193, and network slice selection function network element 194, etc. The following describes each network element involved in this network architecture.

[0124] 1. User equipment (UE) 110: User equipment can also be called terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent or user device. The terminals in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks, or terminals in future evolved networks, etc.

[0125] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses. They also include devices focused on a specific application function that require the use of other devices, such as smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0126] 2. (Radio) Access Network ((R)AN) 120: Access network equipment can also be called access device. (R)AN can manage radio resources, provide access services for user equipment, and complete the forwarding of user equipment data between user equipment and core network. (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in the network.

[0127] For example, the access network device in this application embodiment can be any communication device with wireless transceiver function for communicating with user equipment. The access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved NodeB (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved NodeB (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system. It can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0128] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a dedicated unit (DU). The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements others. For example, the CU handles non-real-time protocols and services, implementing radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU handles physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and active antenna-related functions. RRC layer information is generated by the CU and is ultimately encapsulated by the DU's PHY layer to become PHY layer information, or it may be derived from PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can be considered as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It is understood that access network equipment can be one or more of the following: CU nodes, DU nodes, and AAU nodes. Furthermore, a CU can be classified as an access network device in the radio access network (RAN) or as an access network device in the core network (CN); this application does not impose any limitations on this classification.

[0129] 3. User plane network element 130: As the interface with the data network, it performs functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, and bandwidth limiting. This includes packet routing and forwarding, as well as quality of service (QoS) processing for user plane data.

[0130] In a 5G communication system, this user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0131] 4. Data Network 140: Provides services such as carrier services, internet access, or third-party services, including servers. The server side implements video source encoding, rendering, etc. In a 5G communication system, this data network can be a data network (DN).

[0132] 5. Authentication Server 150: Performs user security authentication. In a 5G communication system, this authentication server can be an authentication server function (AUSF) network element.

[0133] 6. Mobility Management Network Element 160: Primarily used for mobility management and access management. In 5G communication systems, this access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF), mainly performing mobility management, access authentication / authorization, and other functions. Additionally, it is responsible for transmitting user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF) network element.

[0134] 7. Session Management Element 170: Primarily used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for user equipment, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification, etc.

[0135] In 5G communication systems, this session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element, which completes terminal IP address allocation, UPF selection, and billing and QoS policy control, etc.

[0136] 8. Application Network Element 180: In a 5G communication system, this application network element can be an application function (AF) network element, which represents the application function of a third party or operator. It is the interface for the 5G network to obtain external application data and is mainly used to convey the application side's requirements to the network side.

[0137] 9. Unified Data Management Network Element 190: Responsible for the management of user identifiers, subscription data, authentication data, and user service network element registration management. In 5G communication systems, this unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) system.

[0138] 10. Policy control network element 191: Includes user subscription data management functions, policy control functions, billing policy control functions, quality of service (QoS) control, etc., which are used to guide network behavior and provide policy rule information to control plane function network elements (such as AMF, SMF, etc.).

[0139] In 5G communication systems, the policy control network element can be a PCF.

[0140] 11. Network slice selection function network element 194: Responsible for selecting network slices for UE. In 5G communication systems, this application network element can be a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element.

[0141] 12. Network Function Repository Function Network Element 192: Provides storage and selection functions for network function entity information for other core network elements. In 5G communication systems, this network element can be a network function repository function (NRF).

[0142] 13. Network Open Element 193: In a 5G communication system, this network open element can be a network element function (NEF) element, which is mainly used to expose the services and capabilities of 3GPP network functions to the AF, and at the same time allows the AF to provide information to 3GPP network functions.

[0143] In future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, the aforementioned network elements or devices may still use their names from the 5G communication system, or they may have other names; this application embodiment does not limit this. The function of the aforementioned network element or device can be performed by a single network element or by several network elements working together. In actual deployment, network elements in the core network can be deployed on the same or different physical devices. For example, as a possible deployment, the AMF and SMF can be deployed on the same physical device. As another example, 5G core network elements can be deployed on the same physical device as 4G core network elements. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0144] Understandable. Figure 1 This is merely an example and does not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application may also involve... Figure 1 The network elements not shown in the diagram may also include, of course, the communication method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 1 Some of the network elements are shown.

[0145] exist Figure 1 In the network architecture shown, the terminal connects to the AMF via the N1 interface, the (R)AN connects to the AMF via the N2 interface, and the (R)AN connects to the UPF via the N3 interface. UPFs are connected to each other via the N9 interface, and the UPFs are interconnected with the DN via the N6 interface. The SMF controls the UPF via the N4 interface.

[0146] It is understood that the network architecture described above for the embodiments of this application is merely an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any network architecture capable of realizing the functions of the above-described network elements is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0147] With the rapid development of mobile communications, the widespread use of new service types, such as video chat and VR / AR data services, has increased users' demand for bandwidth. D2D communication has already been applied to 4G and 5G network systems. In the existing network architecture ( Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device can directly connect to the access network device for communication. Of course, the terminal device can also support communication with the access network device through the relay terminal device. In this case, the communication between the terminal device and the relay terminal device is D2D communication. D2D communication enables the terminal device to share spectrum resources with the cell users under the control of the cell network, which can effectively improve the utilization rate of spectrum resources.

[0148] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates how a terminal device accesses the network with the assistance of a relay terminal device.

[0149] When the remote terminal device 10 is outside the coverage of the access network device 30, or when the communication signal between the remote terminal device 10 and the access network device 30 (e.g., RAN) is poor (e.g., remote UE), a communication method can be established whereby the remote terminal device 10 connects to the access network device 30 through a relay terminal device 20 (e.g., relay UE), enabling communication between the remote terminal device 10 and the access network device 30. Figure 2 As shown, the remote terminal device 10 can connect to the network-side device through the relay terminal device. Figure 2 The network-side devices shown include access network device 30 and UPF, of course, Figure 2 The network-side devices shown are merely examples. Figure 2 Other network-side devices may also be included, and this application makes no restrictions on this.

[0150] It should be understood that a remote terminal device is a terminal device that connects to an access network device through indirect communication. For example, the remote terminal device and the access network device cannot communicate directly and require the assistance of a relay terminal device. In other words, the remote terminal device and the access network device use indirect communication when indirectly connected, meaning they communicate through an indirect path. A relay terminal device is a terminal device that assists the remote terminal device in accessing the network-side equipment. When the remote terminal device does not require the assistance of a relay terminal device to communicate with the access network device, they are in a directly connected state. In this case, the remote terminal device and the access network device use direct communication, meaning they communicate through a direct path.

[0151] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the process of supporting layer-2 relay (L2 relay) communication for remote terminal devices. Figure 3 The method 100 shown includes:

[0152] Optionally, in step S110, the remote terminal device (example of a remote UE in the figure) and the relay terminal device (example of a relay UE in the figure) initially register with the network.

[0153] It should be understood that remote terminal devices may not be registered even if they are not directly connected to the network, in which case they need to be registered in step S174.

[0154] In step S120, the remote terminal device obtains authorization information from PCF#1 (the PCF corresponding to the remote terminal device). This authorization information includes that the UE is authorized to conduct indirect communication, meaning that the UE can act as a remote terminal device. The relay terminal device obtains authorization information from PCF#2 (the PCF corresponding to the relay terminal device). This authorization information includes that the UE is authorized to conduct indirect communication, meaning that the UE can act as a relay terminal device.

[0155] It should be understood that if the remote terminal device is not registered with the network, pre-configured authorization information will be used. Here, the PCF corresponding to the terminal device can be understood as the PCF responsible for providing the terminal device policy during the terminal device's registration.

[0156] Step S130: Discovery and selection process for relay terminal devices.

[0157] In step S140, the remote terminal device sends a direct communication request message to the relay terminal device. This request message is used to establish a PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device. Correspondingly, the relay terminal device receives the direct communication request message.

[0158] In step S150, after the relay terminal device receives the direct communication request message, if the relay terminal device is not in the connected state (RRC connected), the relay terminal device triggers a service request (i.e., the relay terminal device initiates a service request) to the access network device (RAN in the figure) and the AMF#2 corresponding to the relay terminal device, thereby enabling the relay terminal device to enter the connected state.

[0159] In step S160, corresponding to the direct communication request message sent by the remote terminal device, the relay terminal device sends an indirect communication response message to the remote terminal device. The remote terminal device receives the indirect communication response message, thereby completing the establishment of the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device.

[0160] It should be understood that after step S160, the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device have completed the establishment of the PC5 link, and the relay terminal device is in the connected state at this time.

[0161] Steps S170, S171, S172, and S173 constitute the process by which a remote terminal device establishes an RRC connection to an access network device through a relay terminal device.

[0162] Specifically, the relay terminal device forwards uplink and downlink signaling (such as RRC establishment request message and RRC establishment message) of the remote terminal device according to the access stratum layer configuration, thereby enabling the remote terminal device to access the access network device and establish an RRC connection between the remote terminal device and the access network device.

[0163] In step S174, the remote terminal device initiates a non-access stratum (NAS) request to AMF#1 (the AMF corresponding to the remote terminal device) through the access network device. Here, AMF#1 corresponding to the remote terminal device can be understood as the AMF responsible for the mobility management of the remote terminal device during its registration.

[0164] It should be understood that if the remote terminal device has not initially registered in step S110, then this NAS message is an initial registration message. If the remote terminal device has already registered in step S110, then this NAS message is a service request message.

[0165] Optionally, in the service request message, the remote terminal device may choose to activate a protocol data unit (PDU) session.

[0166] Optionally, if the NAS message is an initial registration message, the remote terminal device initiates a PDU session establishment process in step S180.

[0167] In step S190, after the PDU session is established, the data between the remote terminal device and UPF#1 (the UPF corresponding to the remote terminal device, i.e., the UPF that transmits data with the remote terminal device) is forwarded by the relay terminal device and the access network device. Specifically, the relay terminal device forwards the uplink and downlink data transmitted between the remote terminal device and the access network device according to the access layer configuration.

[0168] It should be understood that the protocol stack between the relay terminal device and the access network device needs to support an adaptation layer. The role of the adaptation layer is to help the relay terminal device and the access network device distinguish the data of the remote terminal device.

[0169] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the communication process when a remote terminal device switches from a direct connection to an indirect connection. Figure 4 The method 200 shown includes:

[0170] S210, when the remote terminal device (represented by the remote UE in the figure) is directly connected to the access network device (represented by the RAN in the figure), the remote terminal device and the access network device can directly transmit uplink and downlink data, that is, the uplink and downlink data transmitted between the remote terminal device and the access network device does not go through the relay terminal device (represented by the relay UE in the figure) for forwarding.

[0171] S220: After the remote terminal device accesses the access network device, the access network device first sends measurement configuration information to the remote terminal device. This measurement configuration information includes signal threshold information. This information instructs the remote terminal device that when the measured signal strength of the serving cell is lower than the aforementioned signal threshold, the remote terminal device is allowed to send a discovery message to discover relay terminal devices. After discovering a candidate relay terminal device, the remote terminal device reports the identification information of the candidate relay terminal device to the access network device.

[0172] S230, the access network device determines to switch the remote terminal device to the target relay terminal device. Specifically, the access network device can select the target relay terminal device based on the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device and / or the signal quality between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device.

[0173] S240, the access network device sends configuration information (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message) to the target relay terminal device. This configuration information is used to transmit signaling or data from the remote terminal device. Correspondingly, after receiving the configuration information, the target relay terminal device sends a response message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration complete message).

[0174] It should be understood that the configuration information may include the identification information of the remote terminal device. Thus, when transmitting data of the remote terminal device between the access network device and the target relay terminal device, the sender needs to add the identification information of the remote terminal device to the data packet header (such as at the adaptation layer) so that the receiver can identify the data / signaling of the remote terminal device.

[0175] In step S250, the access network device sends configuration information, such as an RRC reconfiguration message, to the remote terminal device. This configuration information is used to transmit signaling or data from the remote terminal device to the access network device via the relay terminal device. The configuration information may include the identifier of the target relay terminal device and the configuration information of the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the target relay terminal device (e.g., logical channel number, Layer 2 identifier, etc.). The identifier of the target relay terminal device is used by the remote terminal device to determine which relay terminal device to connect to the access network device through, and the configuration information of the PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device is used to transmit data from the remote terminal device between the two devices.

[0176] Optionally, method 200 further includes:

[0177] Step S260: If there is no PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the target relay terminal device, then establish a PC5 link between the remote terminal device and the target relay terminal device in this step.

[0178] In step S270, in response to the configuration message in S250, the remote terminal device sends a response message of the configuration message to the access network device through the target relay terminal device, such as an RRC reconfiguration complete message (RRCReconfigurationComplete message).

[0179] In step S280, after the remote terminal device switches from direct communication with the access network device to indirect communication with the access network device through the relay terminal device, the data transmission between the remote terminal device and the access network device is forwarded by the relay terminal device.

[0180] The following section introduces a redundant transmission scheme that can improve the reliability of data transmission between access network devices and terminal devices.

[0181] The redundant transmission scheme between access network equipment and terminal equipment is to introduce dual connectivity (DC). Specifically, access network equipment is divided into master node (MN) and secondary node (SN), and dual connectivity refers to the connection between MN and terminal equipment and the connection between SN and terminal equipment.

[0182] Here is an example of redundant transmission: When the MN receives data from the UPF, it can send the data directly to the terminal device via the direct path between the MN and the terminal device, or it can send the data to the terminal device via the indirect path between the SN and the terminal device (that is, send the data to the SN first, and then the SN sends the data to the terminal device). The terminal device performs deduplication after receiving the data.

[0183] In the scheme described above where the remote terminal device communicates through a Layer 2 relay terminal device, there is only one communication link between the remote terminal device and the access network device: remote terminal device - relay terminal device - access network device. In the scheme where the remote terminal device switches from direct to indirect communication, before the switch, the remote terminal device communicates directly with the access network device; after the switch, the remote terminal device communicates indirectly with the access network device through the relay terminal device. Therefore, it is evident that there is only one communication link between the remote terminal device and the access network device before and after the switch, resulting in lower reliability during data transmission.

[0184] The above section introduced a scheme to improve the reliability of data transmission, namely a redundant transmission scheme to improve the reliability of data transmission between RAN and UE. This redundant transmission scheme requires that MN and SN have an interconnection relationship in network deployment, which places high demands on network deployment.

[0185] This application proposes a method for transmitting data through multiple paths, which can improve the reliability of data transmission between the RAN and UE.

[0186] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the multipath transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 Method 300 includes:

[0187] In step S310, the access network device determines multiple paths for transmitting a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow of the terminal device. The multiple paths include at least two paths from a first path set, which includes N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device. The N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0188] It should be understood that N indirect paths include the indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices. In other words, there are N relay terminal devices between the access network device and the terminal device, and therefore there are N indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0189] Optionally, the access network device determines multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device via method 1 or method 2, including:

[0190] Method 1: The access network device establishes multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device. When there is only one path between the access network device and the terminal device, the path can be a direct path or an indirect path. The access network device needs to establish other paths for the first QoS flow of the terminal device.

[0191] Scenario 1: Other paths include direct paths. The access network device establishes a direct path with the terminal device by sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device (as in step S250).

[0192] Scenario 2: Other paths include indirect paths. The access network device receives measurement reporting information from the terminal device (as in step S220), determines the target relay terminal device (see step S230), and then establishes an indirect path with the terminal device by sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the relay terminal device (as in step S240) and an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device (as in step S250).

[0193] Method 2: The access network device selects multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream. When multiple paths already exist between the access network device and the terminal device, the access network device needs to select a relay terminal device path for the first QoS stream of the terminal device. The access network device uses all or some of the existing paths between the access network device and the terminal device for transmitting the first QoS stream.

[0194] Specifically, the access network device can select multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream based on the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device, and / or the signal quality between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device. For example, if the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device is lower than a set threshold, the access network device will not select an indirect path through the relay terminal device as the path for transmitting the first QoS stream; as another example, if the signal quality between the relay terminal device and the access network device is higher than a set threshold, or if the signal quality between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device is higher than a set threshold, the access network device will select an indirect path through the relay terminal device as the path for transmitting the first QoS stream.

[0195] For example, if multiple paths already exist between the access network device and the terminal device, the access network device determines whether the existing multiple paths can be used to transmit the first QoS stream of the terminal device. If so, there is no need to establish multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream of the terminal device; if not, multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream of the terminal device are established.

[0196] The following describes how access network devices determine the number of multiple paths.

[0197] Optionally, the access network device obtains the maximum number of paths (max pathnumber) information corresponding to the multipath transmission mode, and determines the number of multiple paths based on the maximum number of paths information.

[0198] For example, the access network device obtains the maximum number of paths corresponding to the multipath transmission mode from the network management device. It should be understood that in this case, the maximum number of paths does not distinguish between terminal devices; that is, the same maximum number of paths is used for each terminal device.

[0199] For example, the SMF or AMF sends the maximum number of paths corresponding to the multipath transmission mode to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the maximum number of paths information and determines the number of multiple paths based on the maximum number of paths information.

[0200] Specifically, in the terminal device registration process, the AMF obtains the maximum path count information of the terminal device from the UDM, and sends the maximum path count information of the terminal device to the access network device. The maximum path count information can be used as the subscription information of the terminal device. Alternatively, the SMF obtains the maximum path count information of the terminal device from the UDM and sends it to the access network device through the AMF during the session establishment or modification process. The maximum path count information and the first indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0201] Optionally, the access network device determines the number of multiple paths based on the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow. Higher QoS parameter requirements (higher reliability or higher rate requirements) for a QoS flow necessitate more paths to transmit that QoS flow. For example, the access network device may configure the mapping between QoS parameters and the number of paths locally or obtain it from a network management device or core network device, and then determine the number of multiple paths based on this mapping.

[0202] Optionally, the access network device determines the number of multiple paths based on the maximum number of paths information and the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow. For example, the access network device configures locally or obtains the correspondence between QoS parameters and the number of paths from the network management device or core network device, and determines the number of multiple paths based on this correspondence, wherein the number of multiple paths does not exceed the maximum number of paths.

[0203] Optionally, before step S310, i.e. before the access network device determines multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, method 300 further includes:

[0204] Step S309: The access network device determines that the first QoS flow will be transmitted using a multipath transmission method.

[0205] Access network devices can determine the multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow in the following ways:

[0206] Method 1:

[0207] Optionally, before step S309, the method 300 further includes:

[0208] In step S307, the core network element sends a first indication message to the access network device, indicating that the first QoS flow should be transmitted using a multipath transmission method. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first indication message and determines, based on the first indication message, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow.

[0209] Specifically, after receiving the first indication information, the access network device determines multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow based on the first indication information. The first indication information includes the QoS flow identifier (QFI) corresponding to the first QoS flow, or the access network device receives the first indication information and the QoS flow identifier corresponding to the first QoS flow in the same message.

[0210] For example, the core network element is the SMF. The SMF uses N2 Session Management Information to send the first indication information to the access network device through the AMF. In addition, the SMF also sends QoS parameter information associated with the first QoS flow to the access network device, such as a QoS profile, which includes the latency, reliability, rate, and priority associated with the first QoS flow.

[0211] Alternatively, the SMF can send a first indication message to the terminal device via a NAS message. Upon receiving the first indication message, the terminal device sends a request message to the SMF or the access network device, requesting that the first QoS stream be transmitted using a multipath transmission method.

[0212] It should be understood that the aforementioned first instruction information can also be regarded as a request information. That is, after receiving the first instruction information, the access network device may not execute according to the content indicated by the first instruction information. That is, the core network element requests to use multipath transmission mode for the transmission of the first QoS flow. The access network device needs to further determine whether to use multipath transmission mode for the transmission of the first QoS flow. For example, the access network device considers whether it supports multipath transmission capability. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0213] Optionally, the first indication information may also include the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely, duplication transmission or split transmission.

[0214] For example, if the specific form of multipath transmission is copy transmission, i.e., taking a downlink QoS stream as an example, the access network device copies the data packets of the first QoS stream and transmits the same data packets to the terminal device through multiple paths, and the terminal device then deduplicates the data packets. If the specific form of multipath transmission is split transmission, i.e., taking a downlink QoS stream as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS stream to the terminal device through different paths.

[0215] Method 2:

[0216] Optionally, the access network device can determine the multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow based on the authorization information, which indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use the multipath transmission mode. The terminal device being authorized as a remote terminal device can also mean that the terminal device is authorized to access the network through a relay terminal device. Specifically, in the terminal device's registration process, the access network device receives this authorization information from the AMF.

[0217] For example, if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use multipath transmission, the access network device determines that it should use multipath transmission for the first QoS stream; if the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or is not authorized to use multipath transmission, the access network device determines that it cannot use multipath transmission for the first QoS stream; if the access network device does not receive the authorization information from the AMF, the access network device determines that it cannot use multipath transmission for the first QoS stream.

[0218] Method 3:

[0219] Optionally, when the access network device has pre-configuration information locally, the access network device can determine the multi-path transmission mode for the first QoS flow based on the pre-configuration information and the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow obtained from the SMF.

[0220] For example, the RAN can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow based on the 5G QoS identifier (5QI) information in the local pre-configuration information and QoS parameter information. The local pre-configuration information includes which QoS flows corresponding to 5QI information need to adopt the multipath transmission method (5QI is the index value of QoS parameters, and each 5QI value corresponds to a set of QoS parameters).

[0221] Method 4:

[0222] Optionally, after receiving the first indication information from the core network element, the access network device determines, based on the first indication information and the authorization information, to transmit the first QoS flow using a multipath transmission method.

[0223] For example, after receiving the first indication information from the core network element, the access network device further needs to determine, based on the authorization information, to use a multipath transmission method to transmit the first QoS flow.

[0224] Method 5:

[0225] Optionally, if the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied, the access network device determines to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow.

[0226] For example, when the access network device determines that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied, the access network device determines to attempt to satisfy the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow by using a multipath transmission method.

[0227] Optionally, the access network device can also determine the specific form of the multipath transmission method, which can be either copy transmission or split transmission.

[0228] For example, if the packet error rate (PER) parameter in the QoS parameters is not met, the specific form of multipath transmission can be copy transmission. Taking a downstream QoS stream as an example, the access network device copies the data packets of the first QoS stream and transmits the same data packets through multiple paths to the terminal device, where the terminal device then deduplicates the data packets. Here, the packet error rate not being met in the QoS parameters can be understood as the actual packet error rate of the first QoS stream transmitted by the access network device being higher than the packet error rate specified in the QoS parameters. As another example, if the guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR) parameter in the QoS parameters is not met, the specific form of multipath transmission can be split transmission. Taking a downstream QoS stream as an example, the access network device transmits different data packets of the first QoS stream to the terminal device through different paths. Here, the guaranteed flow bit rate not being met in the QoS parameters can be understood as the actual flow bit rate of the first QoS stream transmitted by the access network device being lower than the guaranteed flow bit rate specified in the QoS parameters.

[0229] Method 6:

[0230] Optionally, if the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, a multipath transmission method can be further determined for the first QoS stream based on the authorization information.

[0231] Method 7:

[0232] Optionally, the access network device can also receive configuration information from the SMF. This configuration information may indicate that a multipath transmission method should be used for the first QoS flow when its QoS parameters are not met. If the access network device determines that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not met, it can further determine, based on this configuration information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow.

[0233] Method 8:

[0234] Optionally, before step S309, the method 300 further includes:

[0235] In step S308, the terminal device sends a request message to the access network device, requesting that the first QoS stream be transmitted using a multipath transmission method. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the request message and determines, based on it, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream. For example, the terminal device can send the request message to the access network device via an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0236] Specifically, after receiving the request information, the access network device determines, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream. Alternatively, after receiving the request information, the access network device determines, based on the request information and authorization information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, where the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0237] It should be understood that the above different methods are parallel solutions, and the access network device can also combine one or more of the above methods to determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0238] The following describes how access network devices determine their multipath transmission preferences, including the multipath transmission method determined by the access network devices through relay terminal devices.

[0239] Optionally, in step 307, the access network device receives the first indication information. In addition to indicating that the first QoS flow is transmitted using a multipath transmission method, the first indication information may also include a field indicating that the multipath transmission method includes a multipath transmission method through a relay terminal device. That is, the field indicates the preference for the multipath transmission method (for example, the field may be Relay link prefer, indicating a preference for multipath transmission through a relay terminal device).

[0240] Alternatively, the first indication information may directly indicate that the first QoS flow will be transmitted using a multipath transmission method via relay terminal equipment. Multipath transmission via relay terminal equipment can be understood as an indirect path among the multiple paths being the indirect path between the access network device and the terminal device via the relay terminal equipment; that is, the indirect path among the multiple paths is not the indirect path between the access network device and the terminal device via secondary nodes. Therefore, after receiving the first indication information, the access network device can determine the type of multipath transmission method, such as including indirect transmission via relay terminal equipment and direct transmission, and will not select the dual-connection indirect transmission method (the field indicating preference for dual-connection indirect transmission can be DC prefer).

[0241] Optionally, the access network device determines that the first QoS stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method, and may further include the access network device determining that the first QoS stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method through a relay terminal device.

[0242] For example, the access network device determines, based on its own capabilities, to adopt a multipath transmission method through the relay terminal device for the first QoS flow. The access network device's capabilities may include its protocol stack supporting the adaptation layer, its support for Layer 2 relay transmission, or its existing connection with a Layer 2 relay.

[0243] For example, the access network device determines that the first QoS stream cannot perform DC (Distribution Control) based on the fact that the remote terminal device cannot perform DC. Specifically, the access network device can determine that the terminal device cannot perform DC based on the radio capability of the remote terminal device obtained from the remote terminal device or the AMF (Access Provider Function), or the connection relationship of the access network devices. The connection relationship of the access network devices refers to whether the access network device has a direct connection with other access network devices or whether the access network device can become a master node and connect with other auxiliary nodes. In step S320, the access network device transmits the first QoS stream through the multiple paths.

[0244] Optionally, the access network device establishes a dedicated data radio bearer (DRB) for the first QoS flow. The access network device transmits the first QoS flow on this data radio bearer through the multiple paths. Specifically, taking a downstream QoS flow as an example, after receiving the data of the first QoS flow from the UPF, the access network device maps the data of the first QoS flow to the data radio bearer and sends the data of the data radio bearer to the terminal device through multiple paths (including direct paths and indirect paths). The terminal device receives the data of the data radio bearer from the multiple paths, eliminates duplicate data, and then submits the data to the application layer.

[0245] It should be understood that an independent data radio bearer means that the first QoS flow has an independent data radio bearer, which is not shared with other QoS flows.

[0246] Optionally, method 300 further includes:

[0247] In step S330, when the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow transmitted through multiple paths are not satisfied, the access network device sends first information to the core network element, and the core network element receives the first information.

[0248] Here, the first information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied. Or

[0249] The first information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied when the first QoS stream uses a multipath transmission method. In this case, the first information includes two fields: the first field indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, and the second field indicates that the first QoS stream uses a multipath transmission method. Alternatively, the first information includes one field, which indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied when the first QoS stream uses a multipath transmission method.

[0250] For example, the access network device sends first information to the core network element SMF through the AMF. The first information is used to notify the SMF that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not yet satisfied in the case of multipath transmission. In this way, after receiving the first information, the SMF does not need to trigger the access network device to establish multipath transmission of the first QoS flow again, and after receiving the first information, the SMF notifies the terminal device of the change in the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow.

[0251] It should be understood that the first information is sent when the access network device is already transmitting the first QoS stream using multipath transmission mode, and the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied.

[0252] Regarding the description of step S310 above, in method 1 (i.e., the access network device establishes multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device), case 2 (i.e., the other paths include indirect paths), that is, the access network device establishes an indirect path for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device, it should be understood that the information of the relay terminal device needs to be obtained before establishing the indirect path.

[0253] The following describes a method for access network devices to obtain information about relay terminal devices 400. Figure 6 The method 400 shown includes:

[0254] In step S410, the access network device sends second information to the terminal device. The second information is used to trigger the terminal device to report information of the relay terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information.

[0255] For example, the access network device sends an RRC message to the remote terminal device. The RRC message includes second information. The RRC message is used to request the remote terminal device to report a measurement report or report a relay UElist. In addition, the access network device can also use the RRC message to instruct the relay UElist to be used to establish multipath transmission, or the access network device can also use the RRC message to instruct to only discover relay UEs in the same cell as the measurement. In this way, the remote terminal device only discovers and reports information of relay UEs with the same cell ID as the cell serving the remote terminal device.

[0256] Optionally, the second information may also include indication information for sending or receiving relay discovery messages, or it may include information about discovery mode A (discovery mode A is when the terminal device receives a relay discovery message) or discovery mode B (discovery mode B is when the terminal device sends a relay discovery message). After receiving the second information, the terminal device can participate in relay discovery using discovery mode A or B, or send or receive relay discovery messages. Specifically, the access network device determines the second information based on other information obtained from the terminal device or the AMF. The terminal device may proactively report to the RAN that it prefers to send or receive discovery messages (or discovery mode A or B), or the RAN may obtain information from the AMF whether the terminal device is authorized as a receiving terminal device or a sending terminal device.

[0257] Optionally, the method 400 further includes:

[0258] In step S420, after receiving the second information, the terminal device participates in relay discovery.

[0259] For example, after receiving the second information, the terminal device participates in the relay discovery process. The second information serves as the trigger condition for the terminal device to participate in relay discovery. It should be understood that before receiving this second information, the terminal device does not participate in relay discovery; that is, the terminal device will neither actively send nor receive relay discovery messages (corresponding to discovery mode B). The terminal device's participation in the relay discovery process can include the terminal device actively sending a relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode B) or the terminal device receiving a relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode A). It should be understood that when the terminal device receives the second information, the remote terminal device can ignore the configuration rules sent by the access network device (the discovery process can only be initiated when the air interface signal is below a threshold, same as step S220).

[0260] In the relay discovery process, the relay discovery message actively sent by the remote terminal device may also include a CellID. This CellID is used to discover relay terminal devices residing in the cell identified by that CellID (the cell providing service to the remote terminal device). The relay terminal device receiving the discovery message then determines whether the identifier of its residing cell matches the CellID; if they match, it sends a response message. The relay discovery message received by the terminal device includes the CellID of the cell where the relay terminal device resides. The terminal device determines whether the identifier of its residing cell matches the CellID; if they match, it sends a response message or establishes a connection with that relay terminal device.

[0261] Optionally, when the second information also includes indication information for sending or receiving relay discovery messages, or information about discovery mode A or discovery mode B, the terminal device participates in relay discovery using discovery mode A or B, or the terminal device sends or receives discovery messages.

[0262] In step S450, the terminal device sends information about at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, and the access network device receives the information about the at least one relay terminal device.

[0263] For example, the information of the at least one relay terminal device may be carried in a measurement report sent by the terminal device to the access network device. The information of the relay terminal device includes the identification information of the relay terminal device, such as the cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI). The information of the relay terminal device may also include the cell ID of the cell in which the relay terminal device is camped.

[0264] The information of the relay terminal equipment may also include signal quality information between the relay terminal equipment and the access network equipment and / or signal quality information between the relay terminal equipment and the remote terminal equipment, wherein the signal quality information may be reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ).

[0265] After receiving information from at least one relay terminal device, the access network device can establish at least one indirect path among multiple paths based on the information from at least one relay terminal device.

[0266] Optionally, the access network device determines the relay terminal device for establishing an indirect path based on the information of the at least one relay terminal device, and then establishes the indirect path through the selected relay terminal device. For example, the access network device receives information from 10 relay terminal devices and selects one or more relay terminal devices from these 10 relay terminal devices. Specifically, the access network device can select a relay terminal device based on the signal quality information between each relay terminal device and the access network device and / or the signal quality information between each relay terminal device and a terminal device. For example, if the signal quality between a relay terminal device and the access network device is lower than a set threshold, the access network device does not select that relay terminal device; as another example, if the signal quality between a relay terminal device and the access network device is higher than a set threshold, or if the signal quality between the remote UE and the relay terminal device is higher than a set threshold, the access network device selects that relay terminal device.

[0267] Optionally, before step S450, the method 400 further includes:

[0268] In step S430, the access network device sends third information to at least one relay terminal device. The third information is used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery. Correspondingly, the at least one relay terminal device receives the third information.

[0269] For example, an access network device sends third information to at least one relay terminal device, including relay terminal device 1 and relay terminal device 2. After receiving the third information, relay terminal device 1 and relay terminal device 2 participate in relay discovery respectively. Assume that the list of relay terminal device information sent by the terminal device to the access network device includes information on 10 relay terminal devices, including information on relay terminal device 1 and relay terminal device 2. If the access network device determines three paths, including two indirect paths and one direct path, the two indirect paths are indirect paths through relay terminal device 1 and relay terminal device 2.

[0270] For example, access network devices can activate relay terminal devices to participate in relay discovery by sending third information via unicast or broadcast. When sending third information via unicast, the access network device can send an RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the relay terminal device's authorization information (whether it is authorized to act as a relay terminal device; this authorization information is obtained by the AMF from the UDM and sent to the access network device during the relay terminal device registration process). The RRC message includes the third information, i.e., an activation relay discovery indication. When sending third information via broadcast, the third information is carried in a system information block (SIB) message.

[0271] Optionally, the third information may also include indication information for sending or receiving relay discovery messages, or the third information may also include information about discovery mode A or discovery mode B. In this way, after receiving the third information, the relay terminal device can participate in relay discovery using discovery mode A or B, or send or receive relay discovery messages.

[0272] Specifically, the access network device determines the third information based on other information obtained from the relay terminal device or the AMF. The relay terminal device may proactively report to the access network device whether it prefers to send or receive discovery messages (or discovery mode A or B), or the access network device may obtain information from the AMF whether the relay terminal device is authorized as a receiving terminal device or a sending terminal device.

[0273] And in step S440, after receiving the third information, the relay terminal device participates in relay discovery.

[0274] For example, when a relay terminal device receives the third information, this third information serves as a trigger condition for the relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery. It should be understood that before receiving this third information, the relay terminal device does not participate in relay discovery; that is, the relay terminal device will neither actively send nor receive relay discovery messages (corresponding to discovery mode A). The relay terminal device's participation in the relay discovery process may include the relay terminal device actively sending a relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode A) or receiving a relay discovery message (corresponding to discovery mode B).

[0275] It should be understood that when the relay terminal device receives the second information, it can ignore the configuration rules sent by the access network device (the air interface signal can only participate in the discovery process if certain conditions are met). In the relay discovery process, the relay discovery message actively sent by the relay terminal device may also include a Cell ID, which represents the cell identifier where the relay terminal device is camped. The relay discovery message received by the relay terminal device includes the Cell ID of the cell where the remote terminal device is camped. The relay terminal device determines whether the identifier of its own camped cell is the same as the Cell ID; if they are the same, it sends a response message or establishes a connection with the remote terminal device.

[0276] Optionally, the third information may also include indication information for sending or receiving relay discovery messages, or it may include information about discovery mode A or discovery mode B. The relay terminal device sends or receives a relay discovery message when it determines whether to participate in relay discovery based on the third information.

[0277] The following describes a method 500 for a core network element to determine whether to use a multipath transmission mode to transmit the first QoS flow. After determining that a multipath transmission mode is used, the core network element sends a first indication message to the access network device. It should be understood that method 500 can be regarded as the triggering condition for step S307 in method 300, and the core network element in method 500 is illustrated by an example of an SMF. Figure 7 The method 500 shown includes:

[0278] In step S520, the core network element determines that the first QoS flow of the terminal device adopts a multi-path transmission mode. The multi-path transmission mode includes the transmission mode of at least two paths in the first path set. The first path set includes N indirect paths and the direct path between the access network device and the terminal device. The N indirect paths include the indirect path between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0279] Core network elements can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow in the following ways:

[0280] Method 1:

[0281] The core network element can determine the use of multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow based on the authorization information. The authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use multipath transmission mode. If the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or not authorized to use multipath transmission mode, the core network element determines that multipath transmission mode cannot be used for the first QoS flow.

[0282] For example, the core network element SMF can obtain the authorization information from the PCF or UDM.

[0283] Alternatively, the SMF can determine which QoS flows should use multipath transmission based on the authorized 5QI information obtained from the PCF. For example, the SMF can locally configure which 5QI-corresponding QoS flows need to use multipath transmission.

[0284] Alternatively, the SMF can obtain access network device capabilities (e.g., whether the access network device supports redundant transmission via Layer 2 relays) through the AMF, and determine the first QoS flow to use a multipath transmission method based on the authorization information and the access network device capabilities. For example, the first QoS flow is determined to use a multipath transmission method only when the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method, and the access network device capabilities support redundant transmission via Layer 2 relays.

[0285] Method 2:

[0286] Optionally, method 500 further includes:

[0287] In step S511, the terminal device sends a request message to the core network element. The request message is used to request the use of multipath transmission mode to transmit the first data stream. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the request message.

[0288] The core network element can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow based on the request information.

[0289] Optionally, in step S511, the terminal device sends a NAS message to the AMF, which includes request information, and the AMF then forwards the request information to the SMF.

[0290] When the first data stream is the first QoS stream, the core network element can determine the multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream through the request information.

[0291] When the first data stream is the first service stream, the core network element allocates the first QoS stream to the first service stream and then determines the multipath transmission mode to be used for the first QoS stream.

[0292] Method 3:

[0293] Optionally, method 500 further includes:

[0294] In step S512, the access network device sends a fourth message to the core network element, indicating that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the fourth message and determines the multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow based on the fourth message.

[0295] Based on this fourth piece of information, the core network element can determine the multipath transmission method to be used for the first QoS flow.

[0296] Optionally, in step S512, the access network device sends fourth information to the core network element SMF through the AMF. The fourth information may be included in the N2 session management information (N2 SM information).

[0297] It should be understood that core network elements can also combine the above methods to determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow. For example, core network elements can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow according to method 1 and method 2, or core network elements can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow according to method 1 and method 3, or core network elements can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow according to method 2 and method 3, or core network elements can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS flow according to method 1, method 2 and method 3. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0298] Step S530 corresponds to Figure 3Step S307 in the process.

[0299] Optionally, in step S520 above, the core network element can also determine the specific form of the multipath transmission mode, namely, duplication transmission or split transmission. Correspondingly, the first indication information in step S530 also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission mode.

[0300] For example, if the packet error rate in the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream is not met, the specific form of multipath transmission can be duplicate transmission. Here, "not meeting the packet error rate in the QoS parameters" can be understood as the actual packet error rate of the access network device transmitting the first QoS stream being higher than the packet error rate in the QoS parameters. As another example, if the guaranteed stream bit rate requirement in the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream is high, or the guaranteed stream bit rate in the core network element receiving the fourth information is not met, the specific form of multipath transmission can be split transmission. Here, "not meeting the guaranteed stream bit rate in the QoS parameters" can be understood as the actual stream bit rate of the access network device transmitting the first QoS stream being lower than the guaranteed stream bit rate in the QoS parameters.

[0301] The following describes a method 600 for a terminal device to determine whether to use a multipath transmission mode to transmit the first QoS stream. After determining that a multipath transmission mode is to be used, the terminal device sends a request message to the access network device or the core network element. It should be understood that method 600 can be regarded as the triggering condition for step S308 in method 300. Figure 8 The method 600 shown includes:

[0302] In step S630, the terminal device determines that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first data stream.

[0303] Terminal devices can determine the multipath transmission mode for the first data stream in the following ways:

[0304] Method 1:

[0305] In step S610, the core network element sends a second indication information to the terminal device. This second indication information indicates that a multipath transmission mode should be used for the first data stream. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second indication information and determines that a multipath transmission mode should be used for the first data stream. For example, the core network element can be a PCF, and the first data stream is a first service stream. In the terminal device registration process or policy update process, the PCF sends the second indication information to the terminal device through the AMF. This second indication information indicates that a multipath transmission mode should be used for the first data stream. The first data stream can be represented as a traffic descriptor, specifically an application identifier, application descriptor, or IP descriptor. The IP descriptor can be in the form of an IP triplet (IP address, port number, protocol identifier). Alternatively, the PCF can send the second indication information to the SMF. In the PDU session establishment or modification process, the SMF sends the second indication information to the terminal device through the AMF.

[0306] Optionally, the PCF sends a policy (second indication information) to the terminal device based on the authorization information, indicating which applications can use multipath transmission. This policy is in the terminal device's route selection policy (URSP) or in policy information used separately for ProSe communication.

[0307] When a terminal device initiates a service, it determines that the first data stream can use a multipath transmission method based on the policy information. Therefore, in step S640, the terminal device sends a request message to the SMF to request the establishment of multipath transmission for the first data stream (first service stream or first QoS stream). This request message can be a redundant transmission request or a multiple path transmission request; this application does not impose any restrictions on this. The request message may also include packet filters corresponding to the data stream, requested QoS parameters, and a segregation indication. The segregation indication indicates that a separate QoS stream needs to be established for this data stream, and that this QoS stream should not be shared with other services.

[0308] Alternatively, when the terminal device initiates a service, it determines that the first data stream can use a multi-path transmission method based on the policy information, requests the SMF to establish a separate QoS stream for the first data stream (first QoS stream), and then in step S650, the terminal device requests the access network device to establish multiple paths for the first QoS stream for transmission.

[0309] Method 2:

[0310] In step S620, the core network element sends fourth information to the terminal device. The fourth information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS flow are not satisfied. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth information and determines that the first QoS flow should be transmitted using a multipath transmission method based on the fourth information, and then executes step S640 or step S650.

[0311] For example, the core network element can be an SMF. At the terminal device, the fourth information serves as a trigger condition for the first QoS flow to adopt multipath transmission. Optionally, after receiving the fourth information, the terminal device further determines the authorization information. If the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use multipath transmission, the terminal device determines to use multipath transmission for the first QoS flow. If the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is not authorized as a remote terminal device or not authorized to use multipath transmission, the terminal device determines that it cannot use multipath transmission for the first QoS flow.

[0312] It should be understood that before step S620, the core network element SMF obtains the fourth information in step S512. Step S640 corresponds to... Figure 7 The steps S511 and S650 shown correspond to Figure 5 Step S308 is shown.

[0313] It should be understood that the terminal device can also combine the above methods to determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream. For example, the terminal device can determine the multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream according to method 1 and method 2. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0314] In this application, the direct path can be understood as a direct network communication path, and the indirect path can be understood as an indirect network communication path.

[0315] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another process using a multipath transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 Example method 700 includes:

[0316] S710, the terminal device determines to use a multipath transmission method to transmit the first data stream, which is a method of transmission through at least two paths.

[0317] The first data stream can be represented as a data stream description, which can be an application identifier, application description, or IP description.

[0318] It should be noted that the determination in step S710 and its various implementations to use a multipath transmission method to transmit the first data stream can be replaced by or include: determining to use a multipath transmission method including a layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0319] The multipath transmission method, which includes a Layer 3 relay indirect path, can be understood as a transmission method through at least two paths, and these at least two paths include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0320] In this context, the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path can be understood as the indirect network communication path through which a terminal device accesses the network via a Layer 3 relay terminal device, or the indirect network communication path between a terminal device and a network device via a Layer 3 relay terminal device. This network device can be an access network device or a core network device.

[0321] Specifically, step S710 can be implemented in a variety of ways.

[0322] Method 1:

[0323] The terminal device determines, based on its URSP or ProSe policy (based on proximity services), to use a multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0324] If the URSP or ProSe policy instructs the first data stream to use multipath transmission including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, it means that the terminal device needs to use multipath transmission for the first data stream, and the indirect network communication path among the multiple paths for transmitting the first data stream is a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. Alternatively, the URSP or ProSe policy may instruct the first data stream to use multipath transmission including a direct network communication path and a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, meaning that the terminal device needs to use multipath transmission for the first data stream, and the multiple paths for transmitting the first data stream include a direct network communication path and a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. Furthermore, the terminal device determines, based on its URSP or ProSe policy, to use a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0325] For example, the URSP policy or ProSe policy includes a correspondence between a first data stream and a route selection descriptor (RSD). The RSD includes third indication information, which indicates that the first data stream uses multipath transmission or indicates that the first data stream uses multipath transmission including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. Furthermore, the terminal device determines, based on its URSP policy or ProSe policy, to use a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0326] For example, the URSP policy or ProSe policy indicates that the first data stream should be transmitted using multipath, meaning that the terminal device needs to use multipath transmission for the first data stream. Then, the terminal device determines whether to use multipath transmission to transmit the first data stream based on its URSP policy or ProSe policy.

[0327] For example, the URSP policy or ProSe policy instructs the first data stream to use multipath transmission, meaning that the terminal device needs to use multipath transmission for the first data stream, and the multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path has a higher priority than the multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 2 relay indirect network communication path. Furthermore, the terminal device determines, based on its URSP policy or ProSe policy, to use the multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0328] For example, the URSP policy or ProSe policy includes a correspondence between a first data stream and a route selection descriptor (RSD). The RSD includes third indication information that indicates the first data stream uses multipath transmission. Then, the terminal device determines, based on its URSP policy or ProSe policy, to transmit the first data stream using a multipath transmission method.

[0329] For example, the URSP policy or ProSe policy includes a correspondence between a first data stream and a first RSD and a second RSD. The first RSD includes third indication information, which indicates that the first data stream uses multipath transmission including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. The second RSD includes fourth indication information, which indicates that the first data stream uses multipath transmission including a Layer 2 relay indirect network communication path. The first RSD has a higher priority than the second RSD. Furthermore, the terminal device determines, based on its URSP policy or ProSe policy, to use a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0330] Method 2:

[0331] The terminal device receives the third instruction information.

[0332] The third indication information can be used to indicate that the first data stream adopts a multipath transmission mode, or the third indication information can be used to indicate that the first data stream adopts a multipath transmission mode including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. Alternatively, the third indication information can be expressed as follows: the third indication information can be used to indicate that the first data stream adopts a multipath transmission mode, and at least two paths in the multipath transmission mode include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0333] Alternatively, the third indication information can be used to indicate the use of a multipath transmission mode, or the third indication information can be used to indicate the use of a multipath transmission mode that includes a Layer 3 trunk indirect network communication path. The third indication information indicating the use of a multipath transmission mode that includes a Layer 3 trunk indirect network communication path can also be expressed as follows: the third indication information can be used to indicate the use of a multipath transmission mode, and at least two paths in the multipath transmission mode include a Layer 3 trunk indirect network communication path.

[0334] It should be noted that when step S710 is implemented using method two, step S720 may include: the terminal device transmitting the first data stream through at least two paths in the second path set according to the third indication information. The at least two paths in the second path set may include indirect network communication paths, which are Layer 3 relay indirect network communication paths through which the terminal device accesses the network via a first relay terminal device. The first relay terminal device may be a Layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0335] It should be noted that step S710 can be replaced by the terminal device receiving the third indication information, without restriction. In the scheme where S710 is replaced by the terminal device receiving the third indication information, the terminal device may not need to perform the determination to use a multi-path transmission method to transmit the first data stream. That is, after the terminal device receives the third indication information, in S720 it can directly transmit the first data stream through at least two paths in the second path set based on the third indication information.

[0336] Furthermore, the third indication information may be carried in the terminal device's URSP policy or the terminal device's ProSe policy. Further, the terminal device receiving the third indication information may include: the terminal device receiving its own URSP policy or its own ProSe policy. For example, the terminal device obtains its own URSP policy (either a locally pre-configured URSP policy or a URSP policy received from the PCF), and the URSP policy indicates that the first data stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method, or indicates that the first data stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0337] For example, the terminal device obtains the terminal device's ProSe policy (either a locally pre-configured ProSe policy or a ProSe policy received from the PCF). The terminal device's ProSe policy indicates that the first data stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method, or indicates that the first data stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0338] For example, UE#1 obtains the ProSe policy from the PCF (the PCF selected by AMF for UE#1 during registration). The ProSe policy includes third indication information, which indicates whether the first data stream can be transmitted using multipath transmission or whether the first data stream can be transmitted using multipath transmission including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. Before transmitting the first data stream, UE#1 can determine whether the first data stream should be transmitted using a multipath transmission method or a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path based on the ProSe policy. If the third indication information indicates that the first data stream can be transmitted using a multipath transmission method or a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, then UE#1 determines to transmit the first data stream using either the multipath transmission method or the multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0339] For example, UE#1 obtains the URSP from the PCF (the PCF selected by UE#1 during registration). The URSP includes the correspondence between the first data stream and the route selection descriptor (RSD). The RSD includes third indication information, which indicates whether the first data stream uses multipath transmission or multipath transmission including a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay communication path. This third indication information is, for example, "Multi-Path with Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay indication." Alternatively, the RSD corresponding to the first data stream includes "Multi-Path with Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay indication." Before transmitting the first data stream, UE#1 can determine whether the first data stream should use multipath transmission or multipath transmission including a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay communication path based on the correspondence between the first data stream and the RSD. If the RSD corresponding to the first data stream includes the aforementioned third indication information (i.e., Multi-Path with Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay indication), then UE#1 determines to transmit the first data stream using a multi-path transmission method or a multi-path transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0340] For example, UE#1 obtains the URSP from the PCF (the PCF selected by AMF for UE#1 during registration). The URSP includes the correspondence between the first data stream and the RSD. The RSD includes third indication information, which indicates that the first data stream uses multipath transmission including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. This third indication information is, for example, ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication and multi-path preference. Multi-path preference can be replaced by multi-path indication. In other words, the RSD corresponding to the first data stream includes ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication and multi-path preference. It should be understood that if the RSD corresponding to the first data stream only includes the ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication, then UE#1 uses the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream; if the RSD corresponding to the first data stream includes both the ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication and Multi-Pathpreference, then UE#1 uses a multi-path transmission method including the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream. Before transmitting the first data stream, UE#1 can determine whether the first data stream should be transmitted using a multi-path transmission method or a multi-path transmission method including the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path based on the correspondence between the first data stream and the RSD. If the RSD corresponding to the first data stream includes the aforementioned third indication information (i.e., ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication and Multi-Pathpreference), then UE#1 determines whether to use a multi-path transmission method or a multi-path transmission method including the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0341] It is understood that the URSP policy or ProSe policy instructs the first data stream to use multipath transmission, which means that the terminal device needs to use multipath transmission for the first data stream. Specifically, the indirect network communication path among the multiple paths for transmitting the first data stream is a Layer 2 relay indirect network communication path, a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, or other indirect network communication path. This application does not limit this.

[0342] It can also be understood that the URSP including the aforementioned third indication information can also be called an enhanced URSP, or it can be called another name. The ProSe policy including the aforementioned third indication information can also be called another name. The third indication information is only an example, and this application does not limit it. The RSD can also include ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication, that is, allowing UE#1 to connect to the network through the Layer 3 relay terminal equipment. If the RSD includes ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication, then the RSD may not include other information, such as route selection descriptor precedence, route selection components, session and service continuity mode selection (SSC), network slice selection, data network name (DNN) selection, PDU session type selection, non-seamless offload indication, etc. That is, the ProSeLayer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication is not used together with the other information mentioned above.

[0343] If UE#1 determines that the RSD corresponding to the data stream to be transmitted includes the ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-NetworkRelay offload indication, then UE#1 determines to use the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the data stream based on the RSD. UE#1, as a remote UE, discovers the Layer 3 relay terminal equipment, establishes a PC5 connection with the Layer 3 relay terminal equipment, and then transmits the data stream through this Layer 3 relay terminal equipment.

[0344] The Multi-Path with Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay indication and the ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication can be used independently, meaning they do not need to be used together. In other words, if the RSD corresponding to a data stream includes the ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication, then UE#1 determines to use a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the data stream. If the RSD corresponding to a data stream includes the Multi-Path with Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay indication, then UE#1 determines to use a multi-path transmission path that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the data stream.

[0345] Optionally, the URSP policy or ProSe policy may also indicate the number of multiple paths through which the first data stream is transmitted.

[0346] For example, the URSP policy or ProSe policy also indicates that the number of multiple paths for transmitting the first data stream is 3. The terminal device can determine that the data stream is transmitted through 3 paths. These 3 paths can be 1 direct network communication path and 2 Layer 3 relay indirect network communication paths, or 3 Layer 3 relay indirect network communication paths, or 3 other combinations of paths. This application does not limit this.

[0347] Optionally, the URSP policy or ProSe policy may also indicate whether a direct network communication path is included among the multiple paths for transmitting the first data stream. If a direct network communication path is not included among the multiple paths, the terminal device does not use the direct network communication path to transmit the first data stream, or only uses the indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream. If a direct network communication path is included among the multiple paths, the terminal device uses the direct network communication path to transmit the first data stream, or uses both the direct network communication path and the indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream.

[0348] In this application embodiment, the third indication information indicating that the first data stream uses multi-path transmission can be understood as: the third indication information instructs the terminal device to transmit the first data stream through multiple paths. Whether these multiple paths specifically include Layer 3 relay indirect network communication paths is not limited in this application. After obtaining the third indication information, the terminal device can determine whether the multiple paths for transmitting the first data stream include Layer 3 relay indirect network communication paths by combining the third indication information with its own circumstances.

[0349] It should be noted that when the aforementioned third indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to use a multipath transmission method or a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path for transmission, it can be understood that the third indication information does not necessarily need to instruct the use of a multipath transmission method or a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path for a specific data stream (e.g., the first data stream). Accordingly, when the terminal device has a data stream that needs to be transmitted, it can transmit the data stream using a multipath transmission method or a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path based on the third indication information.

[0350] Method 3:

[0351] If the QoS parameters of the first data stream are not satisfied when using a single-path transmission method, the terminal device determines to use a multi-path transmission method to transmit the first data stream.

[0352] Among them, the single-path transmission method can be a transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a direct network communication path, or the single-path transmission method can be a transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through an indirect network communication path.

[0353] Possible implementation method #1:

[0354] Optionally, before the terminal device determines that a multipath transmission mode is to be used for the first data stream, method 700 further includes:

[0355] The terminal device transmits the first data stream using a single-path transmission method. The QoS parameters corresponding to the first data stream are not met. The single-path transmission method is the transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a direct network communication path.

[0356] For example, the direct network communication path corresponds to a PDU session. Before transmitting the first data stream, UE#1 establishes a PDU session for transmitting the first data stream based on the URSP policy. The RSD corresponding to the first data stream in the URSP policy includes PDU session parameters such as DNN and S-NSSAI. The RSD does not include ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offloadindication.

[0357] During the transmission of the first data stream by UE#1 through the PDU session, UE#1 receives a notification of QoS parameter changes corresponding to the first data stream from the SMF, for example, the QoS parameters corresponding to the first data stream are not met. Specifically, the SMF informs UE#1 that the rate, latency, or reliability of the first data stream is not met. At this time, if the ProSe policy obtained by UE#1 from the PCF indicates that the first data stream can be transmitted using a multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, then UE#1 can determine to transmit the first data stream using a multipath transmission method that includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. For example, this multipath transmission method includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path and a direct network communication path corresponding to the PDU session. As a remote UE, UE#1 can execute the relay discovery procedure and the PC5 connection establishment procedure to establish a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0358] Optionally, UE#1 determines the QoS parameters in the established Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path based on the changes in QoS parameters.

[0359] Specifically, UE#1 can use the reduced rate or reliability value or the increased latency value provided by SMF as the rate, latency or reliability values ​​of the QoS parameters in the PC5 connection.

[0360] For example, when using PDU session transmission, the QoS overview of the first data stream includes a rate value of m1, and the actual rate value of the first data stream is m2. Since m2 is less than m1, the rate is not satisfied. UE#1 determines m3 based on m2 and m1. After establishing the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, m3 can be used as the rate value included in the QoS overview of the PC5 connection. Here, m2 can be equal to m3, or m2 can be not equal to m3. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0361] For example, when using PDU session transmission, the reliability value included in the QoS overview of the first data stream is p1, and the reliability value of the actual transmitted first data stream is p2. Since p2 is less than p1, the reliability is not satisfied. UE#1 determines p3 based on p2 and p1. After establishing the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, p3 can be used as the reliability value included in the QoS overview of the PC5 connection. Here, p2 can be equal to p3, or p2 can be not equal to p3. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0362] For example, when using PDU session transmission, the QoS profile of the first data stream includes a delay value of q1, and the actual delay value of the first data stream is q2. Since q2 is greater than q1, the delay is not satisfied. UE#1 determines q3 based on q2 and q1. After establishing the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, q3 can be used as the delay value included in the QoS profile of the PC5 connection. Here, q2 can be equal to q3, or q2 can be not equal to q3. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0363] Possible implementation method #2:

[0364] Optionally, before the terminal device determines that a multipath transmission mode is to be used for the first data stream, method 700 further includes:

[0365] The terminal device transmits the first data stream using a single-path transmission method. The QoS parameters corresponding to the first data stream are not met. The single-path transmission method is the transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through an indirect network communication path.

[0366] For example, the indirect network communication path is a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. Before transmitting the first data stream, UE#1 determines to transmit the first data stream through the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path based on the URSP policy, and establishes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream. The RSD corresponding to the first data stream in the URSP policy includes ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offload indication.

[0367] During the transmission of the first data stream by UE#1 through the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, UE#2 is a Layer 3 relay terminal device. UE#2 receives a QoS parameter change notification corresponding to the first data stream from the SMF and informs UE#1 of it. The QoS parameter change notification may indicate that the QoS parameters corresponding to the first data stream are not met. Specifically, the SMF informs UE#2 that the rate, latency, or reliability of the first data stream is not met. At this time, if the ProSe policy obtained by UE#1 from the PCF indicates that the first data stream can use a multipath transmission method including the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, then UE#1 can determine to use a multipath transmission method including both a direct network communication path and a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path to transmit the first data stream. For example, this multipath transmission method includes both the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path and the direct network communication path corresponding to the PDU session. UE#1 establishes a PDU session for transmitting the first data stream based on other RSDs in the URSP policy (different from RSDs including ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay offloadindication), or UE#1 establishes a PDU session for transmitting the first data stream based on the correspondence between RSC and PDU session parameters. Here, RSC corresponds to the first data stream. Alternatively, UE#1 can determine to use multiple Layer 3 relay indirect network communication paths to transmit the first data stream. For example, UE#1 can determine to use Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path #1 (an existing path) and Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path #2 to transmit the first data stream. UE#1, as a remote UE, can execute the relay discovery procedure and the PC5 connection establishment procedure to establish Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path #2. Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path #2 is the indirect network communication path of UE#1 through UE#3 (a Layer 3 relay terminal device).

[0368] Optionally, UE#2 uses the reduced rate or reliability value or increased latency value provided by SMF as the rate, latency or reliability value of the QoS parameters in the PC5 connection (including the PC5 connection corresponding to Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path #1 and / or Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path #2).

[0369] Similar to UE#1, which uses the reduced rate or reliability value or increased latency value provided by SMF as the rate, latency, or reliability value for QoS parameters in a PC5 connection, please refer to the relevant description above for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0370] According to the solution provided by this implementation method, if the terminal device finds that the QoS parameters corresponding to the first data stream are not satisfied during the transmission of the first data stream in a single-path transmission mode, the terminal device can trigger the establishment of a multi-path including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, so that the QoS parameters corresponding to the first data stream can be satisfied when the first data stream is transmitted in a multi-path transmission mode.

[0371] S720, the terminal device transmits the first data stream through at least two paths in the second path set.

[0372] The second set of paths may include: direct network communication paths for terminal devices to access the network, and indirect network communication paths for terminal devices to access the network through relay terminal devices.

[0373] One possible implementation includes an indirect network communication path comprising: a first indirect network communication path through which a terminal device accesses the network via a first relay terminal device.

[0374] For example, the first indirect network communication path includes: a Layer 2 relay indirect network communication path and / or a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0375] For example, the first relay terminal device may be a Layer 3 relay terminal device, but this application does not limit this.

[0376] Another possible implementation includes an indirect network communication path: a second indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a second relay terminal device.

[0377] For example, the second relay terminal device can be a Layer 3 relay terminal device, and this application does not limit this.

[0378] Specifically, at least two paths in the second path set for transmitting the first data stream include a third indirect network communication path, which is a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a relay terminal device. For example, at least two paths in the second path set include the aforementioned third indirect network communication path and a direct network communication path, or at least two paths in the second path set include the third indirect network communication path but do not include the direct network communication path. The terminal device transmits the first data stream via the direct network communication path, i.e., the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a PDU session; the terminal device transmits the first data stream via the third indirect network communication path, i.e., the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a PC5 connection between the terminal device and the relay terminal device and the PDU session of the relay terminal device.

[0379] It is understood that the third indirect network communication path is either an existing indirect network communication path or a newly established indirect network communication path by the terminal device. The direct network communication path can be either an existing direct network communication path or a newly established direct network communication path; this application embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0380] Alternatively, at least two paths in the second path set may also include other indirect network communication paths, such as the Layer 2 relay indirect network communication path mentioned in method 300, or a dual-connection indirect network communication path. The methods for establishing Layer 2 relay indirect network communication paths or dual-connection indirect network communication paths are described in the preceding text and will not be repeated here.

[0381] Terminal device access to the network can be understood as terminal device accessing network devices. The direct network communication path for terminal device access to the network can be understood as the direct network communication path between the terminal device and the network device (or the direct network communication path between the network device and the terminal device). The indirect network communication path for terminal device access to the network can be understood as the indirect network communication path between the terminal device and the network device through a relay terminal device (or the indirect network communication path between the network device and the terminal device through a relay terminal device).

[0382] For example, the network device can be an access network device or a UPF. When the network device is an access network device, the second path set includes the direct network communication path between the access network device and the terminal device, and the M indirect network communication paths between the access network device and the terminal device through M relay terminal devices. Alternatively, when the network device is a UPF, the second path set includes the direct network communication path between the UPF and the terminal device, and the M indirect network communication paths between the UPF and the terminal device through M relay terminal devices, where M is greater than or equal to 1.

[0383] For example, the M indirect network communication paths are the indirect network communication paths between the access network device and the terminal device through the Layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0384] It is understandable that different indirect network communication paths correspond to different access network devices. For example, indirect network communication path 1 is the path between access network device #1 and the terminal device via layer 3 relay terminal device #1 (i.e., access network device #1 → layer 3 relay terminal device #1 → terminal device, or terminal device → layer 3 relay terminal device #1 → access network device #1), and indirect network communication path 2 is the path between access network device #2 and the terminal device via layer 3 relay terminal device #2 (i.e., access network device #2 → layer 3 relay terminal device #2 → terminal device, or terminal device → layer 3 relay terminal device #2 → access network device #2). "→" indicates the transmission direction.

[0385] It can also be understood that when the network device is an access network device, the access network devices corresponding to the direct network communication path and the indirect network communication path in the second path set can be different. For example, the second path set includes a direct network communication path and an indirect network communication path 1. The direct network communication path is the path between access network device #3 and the terminal device (i.e., access network device #3 → terminal device, or terminal device → access network device #3). The indirect network communication path 1 is the path between access network device #1 and the terminal device through the layer 3 relay terminal device #1.

[0386] For example, the M indirect network communication paths are the indirect network communication paths between the UPF and the terminal device via the Layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0387] It is understandable that different indirect network communication paths correspond to different UPFs. For example, indirect network communication path 3 is the path between UPF#1 device and the terminal device through Layer 3 relay terminal device #1 (i.e., UPF#1 → Layer 3 relay terminal device #1 → terminal device, or terminal device → Layer 3 relay terminal device #1 → UPF#1), and indirect network communication path 4 is the path between UPF device #2 and the terminal device through Layer 3 relay terminal device #2 (i.e., UPF#2 → Layer 3 relay terminal device #2 → terminal device, or terminal device → Layer 3 relay terminal device #2 → UPF#2).

[0388] It can also be understood that when the network device is a UPF, the UPFs corresponding to the direct network communication paths and indirect network communication paths in the second path set can be different. For example, the second path set includes a direct network communication path and an indirect network communication path 3. The direct network communication path is the path between UPF#3 and the terminal device (i.e., UPF#3 → terminal device, or terminal device → UPF#3), and the indirect network communication path 3 is the path between UPF#1 and the terminal device through Layer 3 relay terminal device #1.

[0389] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, Device A→Device B can be understood as the transmission between Device A and Device B not being forwarded by other devices, or it can be understood as the transmission between Device A and Device B being forwarded by one or more other devices.

[0390] When a network device is an access network device, a direct network communication path refers to the transmission path through which a terminal device connects to the access network device without going through a relay terminal device, or it refers to the transmission path through which the terminal device directly connects to the access network device. An indirect network communication path refers to the transmission path through which a terminal device connects to the access network device via a relay terminal device, or it refers to the transmission path through which the terminal device does not directly connect to the access network device.

[0391] When the network device is a UPF (User-Defined Provider), a direct network communication path refers to the transmission path through which the terminal device connects to the UPF without going through a relay terminal device, or it refers to the transmission path through which the terminal device directly connects to the UPF, or it refers to the transmission path of the terminal device's PDU session. An indirect network communication path refers to the transmission path through which the terminal device connects to the UPF via a relay terminal device, or it refers to the transmission path through which the terminal device does not directly connect to the UPF via an access network device, or it refers to the transmission path of the PC5 connection between the terminal device and the relay terminal device and the PDU session of the relay terminal device.

[0392] In the above implementation, the terminal device supports acting as a Layer 3 remote terminal device, meaning that the terminal device supports Layer 3 relay transmission. Only when the terminal device supports Layer 3 relay transmission can it transmit data streams to access network devices or UPFs via a Layer 3 relay terminal device. A Layer 3 relay terminal device is a relay terminal device that supports Layer 3 relay transmission.

[0393] Optionally, method 700 further includes:

[0394] In the absence of a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream, the terminal device establishes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream.

[0395] For example, UE#1 determines the relay service code (RSC) corresponding to the first data stream. The RSC is associated with a PC5 connection (one PC5 connection is associated with one RSC, and the RSC serves as the context of the PC5 connection). If the RSC corresponding to the first data stream is RSC#1, UE#1 determines whether a PC5 connection is already associated with RSC#1 or whether the context of an existing PC5 connection includes RSC#1. The RSC corresponding to the first data stream can be obtained from the PCF or pre-configured locally.

[0396] Scenario #1: UE#1 determines that no PC5 connection has been associated with RSC#1 yet, triggering the relay discovery procedure and PC5 connection establishment procedure, using RSC#1 to establish a PC5 connection for transmitting the first data stream. Once the PC5 connection is established and the PDU session of the relay terminal equipment is established, the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path is established.

[0397] Scenario #2: UE#1 determines that an existing PC5 connection (e.g., PC5 connection #1) is associated with RSC#1. In this case, the PC5 connection modification procedure can be executed, that is, modifying PC5 connection #1 to transmit the first data stream.

[0398] For example, UE#1 determines whether a PDU session already exists to transmit the first data stream based on the RSC corresponding to the first data stream and the PDU session parameters associated with the RSC (such as DNN or S-NSSAI). The PDU session parameters associated with the RSC can be pre-configured or obtained by UE#1 from the PCF.

[0399] Case #1: UE #1 determines that there is no PDU session available for transmitting the first data stream (e.g., the parameters of the established PDU session are different from the DNN and S-NSSAI associated with the RSC corresponding to the first data stream), and establishes a PDU session for transmitting the first data stream.

[0400] Scenario #2: UE #1 determines that an existing PDU session (e.g., PDU session #1) can be used to transmit the first data stream (e.g., the parameters of the established PDU session are the same as the DNN and S-NSSAI associated with the RSC corresponding to the first data stream). In this case, the PDU session modification procedure can be executed, that is, modifying PDU session #1 to be used to transmit the first data stream.

[0401] Alternatively, method 700 may also include:

[0402] When there is no direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream, the terminal device establishes a direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream.

[0403] In one possible implementation, the terminal device establishes a PDU session for transmitting the first data stream when there is no PDU session for transmitting the first data stream.

[0404] For example, UE#1 determines whether a PDU session already transmits the first data stream based on the DNN / single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) included in the RSD corresponding to the first data stream.

[0405] Case #1: UE #1 determines that there is no PDU session available for transmitting the first data stream (e.g., the parameters of the established PDU session are different from the DNN and S-NSSAI included in the RSD corresponding to the first data stream), and establishes a PDU session for transmitting the first data stream.

[0406] Scenario #2: UE #1 determines that an existing PDU session (e.g., PDU session #1) can be used to transmit the first data stream (e.g., the parameters of the established PDU session are the same as the DNN and S-NSSAI included in the RSD corresponding to the first data stream). In this case, the PDU session modification procedure can be executed, that is, modifying PDU session #1 to be used to transmit the first data stream.

[0407] Based on method 700, the terminal device can make its own decision or determine, according to network configuration strategy, to transmit the first data stream through at least two paths, so that when one of the at least two paths has poor communication quality, the reliability or rate of data transmission can be improved.

[0408] It should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more.

[0409] It should be understood that the dashed steps shown in the flowchart above are optional steps, and the order of each step is determined according to the internal logic of the method. The numbers shown in the flowchart are only examples and do not restrict the order of the steps in this application.

[0410] It should also be understood that the methods provided in the embodiments of this application can be used alone or in combination, and this application does not impose any restrictions on them.

[0411] It should be noted that, Figures 4-9 The execution entity shown in the diagram is merely an example; any entity that supports the implementation of this execution entity could also be an example. Figures 4-9 This application does not limit the chip, chip system, or processor used in the methods shown.

[0412] The method embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The apparatus embodiments of this application are described below. It is understood that the descriptions of the method embodiments and the apparatus embodiments may correspond to each other; therefore, any parts not described herein can be referred to the preceding method embodiments.

[0413] It is understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by core network elements can also be implemented by components (e.g., chips or circuits) that can be used in core network elements. Similarly, the methods and operations implemented by access network devices can also be implemented by components (e.g., chips or circuits) that can be used in access network devices, and the methods and operations implemented by terminal devices can also be implemented by components (e.g., chips or circuits) that can be used in terminal devices.

[0414] The above mainly describes the solution provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. It is understood that each network element, such as a transmitting or receiving device, includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules to perform the above functions. Those skilled in the art should recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0415] This application embodiment can divide the transmitting or receiving device into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0416] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 800 includes a transceiver unit 810 and a processing unit 820. The transceiver unit 810 can communicate with external devices, and the processing unit 820 is used for data processing. The transceiver unit 810 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0417] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 820 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit.

[0418] In one design, the communication device 800 can be an access network device, the transceiver unit 810 is used to perform the receiving or sending operations of the access network device in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 820 is used to perform the internal processing operations of the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0419] In one possible implementation, processing unit 820 is configured to determine multiple paths for transmitting a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a terminal device. These multiple paths include at least two paths from a first path set, which includes N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device. The N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Transceiver unit 810 is configured to transmit the first QoS flow through these multiple paths.

[0420] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive first indication information from a core network element, the first indication information indicating that a multipath transmission method should be used for the first QoS flow. The processing unit 820 is further configured to determine multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS flow of the terminal device based on the first indication information.

[0421] In one possible implementation, the first instruction information also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely, copy transmission or split transmission.

[0422] In one possible implementation, before determining multiple paths for transmitting the first QoS stream of the terminal device, the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream.

[0423] In one possible implementation, the multipath transmission method includes multipath transmission via relay terminal equipment.

[0424] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on authorization information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream, wherein the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to adopt a multipath transmission mode.

[0425] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request the use of a multipath transmission method to transmit the first QoS stream, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on the request information, the use of a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, or the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on the request information and authorization information, the use of a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, wherein the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to use a multipath transmission method.

[0426] In one possible implementation, if the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, the processing unit 820 determines that a multipath transmission method should be used for the first QoS stream.

[0427] In one possible implementation, when the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream transmitted through the multiple paths are not satisfied, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to send first information to the core network element, wherein the first information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, or the first information indicates that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied when the first QoS stream adopts a multi-path transmission method.

[0428] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to send second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of the relay terminal device. The transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive information from at least one relay terminal device from the terminal device. The processing unit 820 is further configured to establish an indirect path among the multiple paths based on the information of the at least one relay terminal device.

[0429] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is further configured to send third information to at least one relay terminal device, the third information being used to trigger the at least one relay terminal device to participate in relay discovery.

[0430] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is further configured to establish an independent data radio bearer for the first QoS stream, and the transceiver unit 810 is configured to transmit the first QoS stream with the terminal device over the data radio bearer via the multiple paths.

[0431] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive the maximum number of paths information corresponding to the multipath transmission mode, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine the number of multiple paths based on the maximum number of paths information.

[0432] Alternatively, the communication device 800 can be a component configured in the access network equipment, such as a chip in the access network equipment.

[0433] In another design, the communication device 800 can be a core network element, such as an SMF. The transceiver unit 810 is used to perform the receiving or transmitting operations of the core network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 820 is used to perform the internal processing operations of the core network element in the above method embodiment.

[0434] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is configured to determine that a multipath transmission mode is used for a first QoS flow to the terminal device. This multipath transmission mode includes at least two paths from a first path set, which includes N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device. The N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device via N relay terminal devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The transceiver unit 810 is configured to send first indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first QoS flow.

[0435] In one possible implementation, the first instruction information also includes the specific form of the multipath transmission method, namely, copy transmission or split transmission.

[0436] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on authorization information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream, wherein the authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to adopt a multipath transmission mode.

[0437] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to send a second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first data stream, the first data stream including a first service stream or a first QoS stream.

[0438] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission method for the first QoS stream.

[0439] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive request information from the terminal device, the request information being used to request a multipath transmission mode for the first service flow, the processing unit 820 is further configured to allocate the first QoS flow for the first service flow, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on the request information, to use a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS flow.

[0440] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive fourth information from the access network device, the fourth information indicating that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied, and the processing unit 820 is further configured to determine, based on the fourth information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream of the terminal device.

[0441] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 810 is further configured to send maximum path count information to the access network device, the maximum path count information being used to determine the number of multiple paths used to transmit the first QoS flow.

[0442] Alternatively, the communication device 800 can be a component configured in a core network element, such as a chip in a core network element.

[0443] In this case, the transceiver unit 810 can be an interface circuit, pins, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can include input circuits and output circuits, and the processing unit 820 can include processing circuits.

[0444] Optionally, the transceiver unit 810 can also be a radio frequency (RF) module. The processing unit 820 can be a baseband module. The RF module is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals and converting RF signals to baseband signals, while the baseband module is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the base station.

[0445] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 900 includes a transceiver unit 910 and a processing unit 920. The transceiver unit 910 can communicate with external devices, and the processing unit 920 is used for data processing. The transceiver unit 910 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0446] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 920 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit.

[0447] In one scenario, the communication device 900 can be a terminal device, with the transceiver unit 910 performing the receiving or sending operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 920 performing the internal processing operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0448] In one possible implementation, processing unit 920 is configured to determine a multipath transmission mode for a first data stream, the first data stream including a first service stream or a first quality of service (QoS) stream, the multipath transmission mode being a transmission mode including at least two paths from a first path set, the first path set including N indirect paths and a direct path between the access network device and the terminal device, wherein the N indirect paths include indirect paths between the access network device and the terminal device through N relay terminal devices, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Transceiver unit 910 is configured to send request information requesting the use of a multipath transmission mode for the first data stream.

[0449] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to receive second indication information from a core network element, the second indication information indicating that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first data stream, and the processing unit 920 is further configured to determine, based on the second indication information, that a multipath transmission mode is used for the first data stream.

[0450] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to receive fourth information indicating that the QoS parameters of the first QoS stream are not satisfied. The processing unit 920 is further configured to determine, based on the fourth information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream. Alternatively, the processing unit 920 is further configured to determine, based on the fourth information and authorization information, to adopt a multipath transmission mode for the first QoS stream. The authorization information indicates that the terminal device is authorized as a remote terminal device or authorized to adopt a multipath transmission mode.

[0451] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to receive second information from the access network device, the second information being used to trigger the terminal device to report information of the relay terminal device, and the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to send information of at least one relay terminal device to the access network device, the information of the at least one relay terminal device being used to establish an indirect path in the multipath transmission mode.

[0452] In another design, the processing unit 920 is used to determine that the first data stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method, which is a transmission method through at least two paths. The transceiver unit 910 is used to transmit the first data stream through at least two paths in a second path set, which includes direct network communication paths for the terminal device to access the network and indirect network communication paths for the terminal device to access the network through relay terminal devices.

[0453] In one possible implementation, the indirect network communication path includes: a first indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a first relay terminal device.

[0454] In one possible implementation, the first indirect network communication path includes: a layer 2 relay indirect network communication path and / or a layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0455] In one possible implementation, the indirect network communication path further includes a second indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a second relay terminal device.

[0456] In one possible implementation, the first relay terminal device is a Layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0457] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 920 is specifically used to determine, based on the routing policy of the terminal device or the proximity-based service policy, to transmit the first data stream using a multi-path transmission method; or, if the QoS parameters of the first data stream are not satisfied when transmitting the first data stream using a single-path transmission method, the processing unit 920 is used to determine to transmit the first data stream using a multi-path transmission method; wherein, the single-path transmission method is the transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, or the single-path transmission method is the transmission method in which the terminal device transmits the first data stream through a Layer 3 relay terminal device.

[0458] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to receive the routing policy of the terminal device or the proximity-based service policy of the terminal device.

[0459] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 920 is specifically used to determine that the first data stream is transmitted using a multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. The multipath transmission method including a Layer 3 relay indirect path is a transmission method through at least two paths, and the at least two paths include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0460] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to receive third indication information, which indicates that the first data stream adopts a multipath transmission mode, and at least two paths in the multipath transmission mode include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path; or, the third indication information indicates that the first data stream adopts a multipath transmission mode including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path, and the multipath transmission mode of the Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path is a transmission mode through at least two paths, and at least two paths include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path.

[0461] In one possible implementation, at least two paths in the second path set include a third indirect network communication path, which is a layer 3 relay indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via the first relay terminal device.

[0462] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 910 is further configured to receive a routing policy or a proximity-based service policy from the terminal device, wherein the routing policy or the proximity-based service policy of the terminal device includes third indication information.

[0463] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 920 is further configured to establish an indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream when there is no indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream; or, the processing unit 920 is further configured to establish a direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream when there is no direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream.

[0464] It is understood that the communication device 900 can also be a component configured in a terminal device, such as a chip in the terminal device.

[0465] In this case, the transceiver unit 910 can be an interface circuit, pins, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can include input circuits and output circuits, and the processing unit 920 can include processing circuits.

[0466] like Figure 12 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010, which is coupled to a memory 1020. The memory 1020 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1010 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1020, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0467] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1010.

[0468] Optionally, such as Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1000 may also include a memory 1020.

[0469] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memory 1020.

[0470] Alternatively, the memory 1020 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or set separately.

[0471] Optionally, such as Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1030 and / or a communication interface, which are used for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 1010 is used to control the transceiver 1030 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0472] It should be understood that the communication interface is used for communication between core network elements. For example, the communication interface is used for communication between core network elements and access network equipment or other core network elements.

[0473] As one approach, the communication device 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the core network elements in the above method embodiments.

[0474] For example, processor 1010 is used to implement the operations performed internally by the core network element in the above method embodiment, and transceiver 1030 is used to implement the receiving or transmitting operations performed by the core network element in the above method embodiment. The processing unit 820 in device 800 can be... Figure 12The processor in the middle, the transceiver unit 810 can be Figure 12 The transceiver and / or communication interface in the process. For details on the operations performed by the processor 1010, please refer to the description of the processing unit 820 above. For details on the operations performed by the transceiver 1030, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit 810. They will not be repeated here.

[0475] As an alternative, the communication device 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0476] For example, processor 1010 is used to implement the operations performed internally by the access network device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 1030 is used to implement the receiving or transmitting operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 820 in device 800 can be... Figure 12 The processor in the middle, the transceiver unit 810 can be Figure 12 The transceiver and / or communication interface in the process. For details on the operations performed by the processor 1010, please refer to the description of the processing unit 820 above. For details on the operations performed by the transceiver 1030, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit 810. They will not be repeated here.

[0477] like Figure 13 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1100. The communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110, which is coupled to a memory 1120. The memory 1120 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1110 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1120, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0478] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may include one or more processors 1110.

[0479] Optionally, such as Figure 13 As shown, the communication device 1100 may also include a memory 1120.

[0480] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may include one or more memory 1120s.

[0481] Alternatively, the memory 1120 may be integrated with the processor 1110 or set separately.

[0482] Optionally, such as Figure 13 As shown, the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver 1130 and / or a communication interface, which are used for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 1110 is used to control the transceiver 1130 and / or the communication interface to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0483] As one solution, the communication device 1100 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, the processor 1110 is used to implement the operations performed internally by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 1130 is used to implement the receiving or transmitting operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 920 in the device 900 can be... Figure 13 The processor in the middle, the transceiver unit 910 can be Figure 13 The transceiver in the transceiver. For details on the operations performed by the processor 1110, please refer to the description of the processing unit 920 above. For details on the operations performed by the transceiver 1130, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit 910. They will not be repeated here.

[0484] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by core network elements, access network devices, or terminal devices in the above-described method embodiments.

[0485] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the method executed by the core network element, the access network device, or the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0486] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the method executed by the core network element, the access network device, or the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0487] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the core network elements, access network equipment, and terminal equipment described in the above embodiments. Optionally, the communication system further includes the relay terminal equipment described in the above embodiments.

[0488] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device described in the above embodiments.

[0489] Furthermore, the communication system may also include access network equipment or core network elements (such as UPF).

[0490] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant content in any of the communication devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0491] In this embodiment, the core network element, access network device, or terminal device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0492] This application does not specifically limit the structure of the execution subject of the method provided in this application embodiment. As long as it can communicate according to the method provided in this application embodiment by running a program that records the code of the method provided in this application embodiment. For example, the execution subject of the method provided in this application embodiment can be a core network element, an access network device, or a terminal device, or it can be a functional module in the core network element, access network device, or terminal device that can call and execute a program.

[0493] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0494] It should also be understood that the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations used herein are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0495] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0496] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0497] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division. Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0498] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. For example, but not limited to: computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), universal serial bus flash disk, portable hard disk, or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code having the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer. Additionally, by way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), or direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0499] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives a third indication information from the policy control network element. The third indication information indicates that the first data stream adopts a multi-path transmission mode including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. The multi-path transmission mode including a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path is a transmission mode through at least two paths, and the at least two paths include a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path. The terminal device transmits the first data stream through at least two paths in the second path set according to the third instruction information; The second path set includes: a direct network communication path for the terminal device to access the network, and an indirect network communication path for the terminal device to access the network through a relay terminal device. The indirect network communication path includes a Layer 3 relay indirect network communication path for the terminal device to access the network through a first relay terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indirect network communication path further includes: a layer 3 relay indirect network communication path through which the terminal device accesses the network via a second relay terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second relay terminal device is a Layer 3 relay terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first relay terminal device is a Layer 3 relay terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The third indication information includes multi-path preferences.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The terminal device receives third indication information from the policy control network element, including: The terminal device receives a routing policy or a proximity-based service policy from the policy control network element, wherein the routing policy or the proximity-based service policy includes the third indication information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device establishes the indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream when there is no indirect network communication path for transmitting the first data stream; or, The terminal device establishes the direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream when there is no direct network communication path for transmitting the first data stream.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store one or more computer programs that, when the one or more computer programs are run, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 to be performed.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip or chip system.

11. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes an access network device and a terminal device. The access network device is used for the terminal device to access the network, and the terminal device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: computer program code, which, when run, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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