Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device. The method comprises: using a first access technology to receive a first message from a second network device, the first message being used for paging, the first message comprising first information, the first information indicating a second access technology; and sending a second message by adopting a second access technology, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal equipment. Based on the method described by the invention, the coverage area can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a type of automatic identification technology that uses wireless radio frequency to perform contactless two-way data communication. The main application scenario is identity recognition, and in some scenarios it can also be used to read and write user data. The radio frequency identification system includes a reader and a tag. The reader can be understood as a network device in the RFID system, and the tag can be understood as a terminal device in the RFID system. Exemplarily, the tag can be an electronic price tag in a supermarket, the reader can be a handheld terminal device that can read and write electronic price tags, and the reader can also be a network device in a local area network built by the supermarket. The reader can read the tag information in the tag or write the tag information to the tag. At present, due to the low cost and design complexity of the tag terminal, the coverage supported by the tag is poor, which limits the coverage of the reader. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device, which can improve the coverage of a reader / writer.

[0004] In the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the functions of the reader / writer are jointly performed by the first network device and the second network device, wherein the first network device is a network device with a forwarding function, and the second network device is a network device with a function of communicating with the core network. In this method, the tag can be understood as a terminal device.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a first network device (e.g., a relay node, a distribution unit, etc.), or by a component of the first network device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network device. The method includes:

[0006] A first message is received from a second network device using a first access technology, the first message is used for paging, the first message includes first information, and the first information indicates a second access technology; a second message is sent using the second access technology, the second message is used for paging a terminal device.

[0007] By adopting this method, a first network device can be introduced, and the first network device forwards the paging message from the second network device to the terminal device, so that the second network device can page the terminal device at a farther distance, thereby improving the coverage. By carrying the first information in the first message, the first network device can distinguish between the terminal device using the second access technology and the terminal device using the first access technology, and determine to use the second access technology to page the terminal device, so that the first network device can serve two terminal devices using different access technologies. In addition, by adopting this method, the first network device and the second network device communicate using the first access technology, and the first network device and the terminal device communicate using the second access technology, thereby realizing the network node layer 2 relay.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the second access technology is used to receive first data from a first terminal device; and the first access technology is used to send a third message to the second network device, wherein the third message includes the first data and the first information.

[0009] By adopting this method, the first data from the first terminal device can be forwarded to the second network device through the first network device, so that the second network device can receive data sent by a terminal device at a farther distance, thereby improving the coverage. By carrying the first information in the third message, the second network device can distinguish between the terminal device using the second access technology and the terminal device using the first access technology, and determine to use the second access technology to process the first data, so that the second network device can serve two terminal devices using different access technologies.

[0010] It can be understood that the first information carried in the third message may be the first information carried in the first message, or may be a variation of the first information carried in the first message, or may be information with similar functions to the first information carried in the first message. The third message includes the first information, which may be replaced by the third message including the third information, wherein the third information indicates the second access technology. For the third information, reference may be made to the description of the first information.

[0011] In another possible implementation, the second message indicates N random access opportunities, and the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N; the method also includes: in a first random access opportunity among the N random access opportunities, using the second access technology to receive first data from a first terminal device, the first terminal device being one of the M terminal devices; using the first access technology to send a third message to the second network device, the third message including the first data and the first information; and using the second access technology to send a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to trigger the next random access opportunity.

[0012] By adopting this method, by carrying the first information in the third message, the second network device can determine to adopt the second access technology to process the data from the M terminal devices, without the network maintaining a terminal-specific identifier for each of the M terminal devices, or maintaining a terminal-specific context, thereby reducing the complexity of network implementation.

[0013] In another possible implementation, the second message indicates N random access opportunities, and the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N; the method also includes: in a first random access opportunity among the N random access opportunities, using the second access technology to receive first data from a first terminal device, and the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; using the second access technology to send a fourth message, and the fourth message is used to trigger a next random access opportunity; in a second random access opportunity after the first random access opportunity, using the second access technology to receive second data from a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is one of the M terminal devices, and the second random access opportunity is one of the N random access opportunities; using the first access technology to send a third message to the second network device, the third message including the first data and / or the second data, and the third message also including the first information.

[0014] By adopting this method, the first network device can forward the data received from the first terminal device to the second network device before or after the next random access opportunity is triggered. The first network device can also forward one data received from the terminal device to the second network device at a time, or can also forward two or more data received from the terminal device to the second network device at a time. The flexibility of the first network device is improved.

[0015] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology. The method also includes: determining the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device based on the first service type; and sending the fourth message using the second access technology includes: sending the fourth message after completing data transmission for the number of interactions.

[0016] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the number of data interactions required for the service through the first service type, thereby determining whether the terminal device can be released, or whether the next random access opportunity can be triggered.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology. The method also includes: determining a duration for data interaction with a terminal device based on the first service type; and sending a fourth message using the second access technology includes: sending the fourth message after transmitting data for the duration with the first terminal device.

[0018] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the data interaction duration required for the service through the first service type, thereby determining whether the terminal device can be released, or whether the next random access opportunity can be triggered.

[0019] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology, and the sending of the fourth message using the second access technology includes: after receiving indication information indicating end or release from the second network device, sending the fourth message.

[0020] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the need to receive an instruction from the second network device through the first service type, and determine whether the terminal device can be released or whether the next random access opportunity can be triggered based on the instruction.

[0021] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology; the method also includes: determining the number of data interactions or the duration of data interactions with the terminal device based on the first service type; when transmitting data with the second network device for the number of interactions or the duration, carrying an identifier specific to the terminal device.

[0022] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the number of data interactions or the duration of data interactions required for the service through the first service type, and allocate a terminal-specific identifier to the terminal device, the identifier being used to indicate that the interacted data belongs to the terminal device. In this way, data interactions regarding the first service type can be performed at a time other than the random access opportunity in which the terminal device is located when it successfully accesses, thereby improving flexibility.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology; the method also includes: carrying an identifier specific to the terminal device when transmitting data with the second network device; and releasing the terminal device after receiving an indication message indicating end or release from the second network device.

[0024] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine that a terminal-specific identifier needs to be allocated to the terminal device through the first service type, and the identifier is used to indicate that the interacted data belongs to the terminal device. In this way, data interaction regarding the first service type can be performed at a time other than the random access opportunity when the terminal device successfully accesses, thereby improving flexibility. At the same time, the first network device can determine that an instruction from the second network device needs to be received through the first service type, and determine whether the terminal device can be released according to the instruction.

[0025] In another possible implementation, the first information or the third information is one of the following: a terminal type of a terminal using the second access technology, a terminal identifier of a terminal using the second access technology, a service type of a service using the second access technology, a service identifier of a service using the second access technology, or an identifier of the second access technology.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the second information is one of the following: a service type of a service using the second access technology, and a service identifier of a service using the second access technology.

[0027] It can be understood that the first information and the second information can be the same information element, the same field or the same parameter, etc., or can be different information elements, different fields or different parameters, etc.

[0028] In another possible implementation, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0029] By adopting this method, on the one hand, the coverage supported by IoT devices can be increased, and on the other hand, NR technology can be used for relaying, thereby reducing the implementation complexity.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a second network device (such as a base station, a centralized unit, etc.), or by a component of the second network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second network device. The method includes:

[0031] A first message is sent to a first network device using a first access technology, wherein the first message is used to page a first terminal device. The first message includes first information, wherein the first information indicates a second access technology; the first information is used to indicate that the first network device sends a second message using the second access technology, wherein the second message is used to page the first terminal device.

[0032] By adopting this method, a first network device can be introduced, and the first network device forwards a paging message to a terminal device, so that the second network device can page a terminal device at a farther distance, thereby improving the coverage. By carrying the first information in the first message, the first network device can distinguish between a terminal device using the second access technology and a terminal device using the first access technology, and determine to use the second access technology to page the terminal device, so that the second network device can page two terminal devices using different access technologies. In addition, by adopting this method, the first network device and the second network device communicate using the first access technology, and the first network device and the terminal device communicate using the second access technology, thereby realizing network node layer 2 relay.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the first access technology is used to receive a third message from the first network device, the third message including first data and the first information; and the second access technology is used to process the first data.

[0034] By adopting this method, the first data from the terminal device can be forwarded by the first network device, so that the second network device can receive data sent by the terminal device at a farther distance, thereby improving the coverage. By carrying the first information in the third message, the second network device can distinguish between the terminal device using the second access technology and the terminal device using the first access technology, and determine to use the second access technology to process the first data, so that the second network device can serve two terminal devices using different access technologies.

[0035] It can be understood that the first information carried in the third message may be the first information carried in the first message, or may be a variation of the first information carried in the first message, or may be information with similar functions to the first information carried in the first message. The third message includes the first information, which may be replaced by the third message including the third information, wherein the third information indicates the second access technology. For the third information, reference may be made to the description of the first information.

[0036] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, the second information indicating a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology, and the method further includes: indicating the number of data interactions or the duration of data interactions with the terminal device through the first service type.

[0037] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the number of data interactions required for the service through the first service type, thereby determining whether the terminal device can be released, or whether the next random access opportunity can be triggered.

[0038] In another possible implementation, the first message further includes second information, where the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology, and the method further includes: sending indication information indicating end or release to the first network device.

[0039] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the need to receive an instruction from the second network device through the first service type, and determine whether the terminal device can be released or whether the next random access opportunity can be triggered based on the instruction.

[0040] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology; the method also includes: indicating the number of interactions or the duration of data interaction with the terminal device through the first service type; when transmitting data with the first network device for the number of interactions or the duration, carrying an identifier specific to the terminal device.

[0041] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine the number of data interactions or the duration of data interactions required for the service through the first service type, and allocate a terminal-specific identifier to the terminal device, the identifier being used to indicate that the interacted data belongs to the terminal device. In this way, data interactions regarding the first service type can be performed at a time other than the random access opportunity in which the terminal device is located when it successfully accesses, thereby improving flexibility.

[0042] In another possible implementation, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology; the method also includes: carrying an identifier specific to the terminal device when transmitting data with the first network device; and sending indication information indicating end or release to the first network device.

[0043] By adopting this method, the first network device can determine that a terminal-specific identifier needs to be allocated to the terminal device through the first service type, and the identifier is used to indicate that the interacted data belongs to the terminal device. In this way, data interaction regarding the first service type can be performed at a time other than the random access opportunity when the terminal device successfully accesses, thereby improving flexibility. At the same time, the first network device can determine that an instruction from the second network device needs to be received through the first service type, and determine whether the terminal device can be released according to the instruction.

[0044] In another possible implementation, the first information or the third information is one of the following: a terminal type of a terminal using the second access technology, a terminal identifier of a terminal using the second access technology, a service type of a service using the second access technology, a service identifier of a service using the second access technology, or an identifier of the second access technology.

[0045] In another possible implementation, the second information is one of the following: a service type of a service using the second access technology, and a service identifier of a service using the second access technology.

[0046] It can be understood that the first information and the second information can be the same information element, the same field or the same parameter, etc., or can be different information elements, different fields or different parameters, etc.

[0047] In another possible implementation, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0048] By adopting this method, on the one hand, the coverage supported by IoT devices can be increased, and on the other hand, NR technology can be used for relaying, thereby reducing the implementation complexity.

[0049] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a first network device (e.g., a relay node, a distribution unit, etc.), or by a component of the first network device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network device. The method includes:

[0050] Receive first data from a terminal device; when the first data is received using a second access technology, send a second message to a second network device using the first access technology, the second message including the first data and first information, and the first information indicating the second access technology.

[0051] By adopting this method, the first network device can be introduced, and the first network device forwards the first data from the terminal device to the second network device, so that the second network device can receive data sent by a terminal device farther away, thereby improving the coverage. By carrying the first information in the second message, the second network device can distinguish between the terminal device using the second access technology and the terminal device using the first access technology, and determine to use the second access technology to process the first data, so that the second network device can serve two terminal devices using different access technologies. In addition, by adopting this method, the first access technology is used for communication between the first network device and the second network device, and the second access technology is used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device, thereby realizing the network node layer 2 relay.

[0052] In a possible implementation, before receiving the first data from the terminal device, the method further includes: sending a first message using the second access technology, where the first message is used to configure parameters for random access of the terminal device.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: using the first access technology to receive a response message from the second network device, wherein the response message includes the first information.

[0054] It can be understood that the first information carried in the response message may be the first information carried in the second message, or may be a variation of the first information carried in the second message, or may be information with similar functions to the first information carried in the second message. The response message includes the first information, which may be replaced by the response message including the second information, wherein the second information indicates the second access technology. For the second information, reference may be made to the description of the first information.

[0055] In another possible implementation, the first information or the second information is one of the following: a terminal type of a terminal using the second access technology, a terminal identifier of a terminal using the second access technology, a service type of a service using the second access technology, a service identifier of a service using the second access technology, or an identifier of the second access technology.

[0056] In another possible implementation, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0057] By adopting this method, on the one hand, the coverage supported by IoT devices can be increased, and on the other hand, NR technology can be used for relaying, thereby reducing the implementation complexity.

[0058] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the method may be performed by a second network device (such as a base station, a centralized unit, etc.), or by a component of the second network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second network device. The method includes:

[0059] A second message is received from a first network device using a first access technology, wherein the second message includes first data and first information, and the first information indicates a second access technology; and the first data is processed using the second access technology.

[0060] By adopting this method, by introducing a first network device, the first data from the terminal device can be forwarded by the first network device, so that the second network device can receive data sent by a terminal device farther away, thereby improving the coverage. By carrying the first information in the second message, the second network device can distinguish between terminal devices using the second access technology and terminal devices using the first access technology, and determine to use the second access technology to process the first data, so that the second network device can serve two terminal devices using different access technologies. In addition, by adopting this method, the first access technology is used for communication between the first network device and the second network device, and the second access technology is used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device, thereby realizing the network node layer 2 relay.

[0061] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: using the first access technology to send a response message to the first network device, wherein the response message includes the first information.

[0062] It can be understood that the first information carried in the response message may be the first information carried in the second message, or may be a variation of the first information carried in the second message, or may be information with similar functions to the first information carried in the second message. The response message includes the first information, which may be replaced by the response message including the second information, wherein the second information indicates the second access technology. For the second information, reference may be made to the description of the first information.

[0063] In another possible implementation, the first information or the second information is one of the following: a terminal type of a terminal using the second access technology, a terminal identifier of a terminal using the second access technology, a service type of a service using the second access technology, a service identifier of a service using the second access technology, or an identifier of the second access technology.

[0064] In another possible implementation, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0065] By adopting this method, on the one hand, the coverage supported by IoT devices can be increased, and on the other hand, NR technology can be used for relaying, thereby reducing the implementation complexity.

[0066] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be the first network device or the second network device mentioned above, or may be a device in the first network device or the second network device mentioned above, or may be a device that can be used in combination with the first network device or the second network device mentioned above. Among them, the communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions. The unit or module may be software and / or hardware.

[0067] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program, the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect is executed.

[0068] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, and the processor and the memory are coupled; when the processor calls a computer program in the memory, the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect or the fourth aspect is executed.

[0069] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, a memory and a transceiver, wherein the processor and the memory are coupled; the transceiver is used to send and receive data, and the processor is used to implement the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0070] In the ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor and an interface, wherein the processor and the interface are coupled; the interface is used to receive or output signals, and the processor is used to execute code instructions so that the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect or the fourth aspect is executed.

[0071] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a device, the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0072] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, and when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the computer executes the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, or the fourth aspect.

[0073] In the twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first network device and a second network device, the first network device is used to execute the method described in the first aspect, and the second network device is used to execute the method described in the second aspect; or, the first network device is used to execute the method described in the third aspect, and the second network device is used to execute the method described in the fourth aspect.

[0074] Possible implementations and beneficial effects of the fifth to twelfth aspects can refer to the implementations and beneficial effects described in the first, second, third or fourth aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system architecture provided for this application;

[0076] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a random access process provided by this application;

[0077] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an access scenario provided for this application;

[0078] Figure 4 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 5 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Figure 7 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 8 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Fig.10 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Fig.11aA schematic diagram of a protocol stack architecture of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Fig.11b A schematic diagram of a protocol stack architecture of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Fig.11c A schematic diagram of a protocol stack architecture of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application; Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0088] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided by the present application;

[0089] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of the present application is first introduced below:

[0091] Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is a contactless automatic identification technology. RFID system communication includes a reader and a tag. The tag can also be called an RFID tag or an RFID terminal.

[0092] A reader / writer (also referred to as an RFID reader / writer) is a device with read / write functions, for example, a device that reads or writes tag information. Alternatively, a reader / writer can be understood as a device that can read (and sometimes write) tag information.

[0093] Tags (also called electronic tags or RFID tags) can also be divided into passive tags, semi-passive tags and active tags. Passive tags can also be called passive tags, semi-passive tags can also be called semi-active tags, and active tags can also be called active tags. Passive tags and semi-passive tags communicate with readers based on backscatter carriers, and active tags can actively generate carriers to communicate with readers. Tags can also be called other names, and the above different types of tags can be replaced by different device types. Device type A (one): no energy storage, no independent signal generation capability, can be understood as working based on backscatter; device type B (two): has energy storage, no independent signal generation capability, that is, based on reflection work, using energy to amplify reflected signals; device type C (three): has energy storage capability, has the ability to generate signals independently, that is, by active RF devices. Tags can also be called ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) user equipment (UE).

[0094] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture includes a first network device, a second network device and one or more terminal devices. Among them, the architecture including the first network device and the second network device is proposed in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 Taking the system architecture including the first terminal device and the second terminal device as an example, of course, the number of terminal devices communicating with the network device in the system architecture can also be greater than 2, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0095] In the architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application, the functions of the reader / writer are jointly performed by the first network device and the second network device, wherein the first network device is a network device with a forwarding function, and the second network device is a network device with a function of communicating with the core network.

[0096] The first network device is a network device with a forwarding function. Exemplarily, the first network device is a relay node, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or the first network device is a DU of a base station.

[0097] In an architecture where the first network device is a relay or IAB node, or the first network device is a device that performs functions similar to a relay or IAB node, the second network device may be an access network device or an access network node, i.e., a node or device that connects a terminal device to a network. For example, (radio) access network (R)AN) nodes include but are not limited to: base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), IAB donor stations, access points (APs), transmission reception points (TRPs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), next generation base stations in sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in WiFi systems. RAN nodes may be macro base stations (such as Figure 1 110a in), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 110b in the example), or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node in the present application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0098] In another possible scenario, the function of the second network device can be completed by multiple RAN nodes in collaboration, jointly assisting the terminal to achieve wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence layer protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above-mentioned various protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the third generation partnership project (3GPP). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0099] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0100] In the CU-DU separation architecture, the first network device is the DU of the base station or a device that performs similar functions, and the second network device is the CU of the base station or a device that performs similar functions. For the description of the DU or CU of the base station, please refer to the above content. Similarly, the functions of the CU or DU of the base station can also be completed by multiple modules or nodes, and the details can be referred to the above content.

[0101] In the architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application, Figure 1 The terminal device in the Ambient IoT can be a tag or a terminal device in the future Internet of Things technology. In view of the advantage of RFID communication technology in low power consumption, 5G Ambient IoT came into being. In order to meet the ultra-low power consumption requirements, the terminal devices in the Ambient IoT also use low-precision, low-power medium- and low-frequency ring oscillators or completely receive downlink signals without local oscillation. This receiving method can further reduce the power consumption of downlink reception of terminal devices. For such low-power receiving methods, only amplitude detection such as envelope detection can be performed, because only low-precision ring oscillators cannot guarantee accurate demodulation of signal phase information. The types of tags can also be classified according to other dimensions, such as classification by operating frequency, classification by packaging type, or classification by influencing medium, etc.

[0102] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a device with wireless transceiver functions. The terminal device may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it may also be deployed on the water (such as a ship, etc.); it may also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, a balloon, and a satellite, etc.). For example, the terminal device may be a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a wearable terminal device or a tag, and the like.

[0103] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system, new radio (NR) or future communication systems, etc.

[0104] The technical solution provided in the present application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine-to-machine (M2M) network, Internet of Things (IoT) network or other networks. Among them, IoT network can include vehicle networking, for example. Among them, the communication methods in the vehicle networking system are collectively referred to as vehicle to other devices (vehicle to X, V2X, X can represent anything), for example, the V2X can include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0105] In RFID technology, readers can perform operations such as selection, inventory, and access on tags. The selection operation is used to select one or a group of tags for inventory and access. The inventory operation can be understood as the process of the reader identifying the tag. The access operation can be understood as the process of the reader interacting with the tag. The tag needs to be identified by the reader before access.

[0106] With the diversification of communication needs and the development of communication technology, the use of RFID technology in cellular networks has become an important research direction. In this scenario, the selection operation of the reader on the tag can be understood as a paging operation. The inventory operation of the reader on the tag can be understood as a random access process. The access operation of the reader on the tag can be understood as a data transmission process, etc.

[0107] For example, the reader / writer may select (paging), inventory (random access), and access (data transmission) tags as follows: Figure 2 See Figure 2 , the process includes the following steps:

[0108] S201, the reader sends a select command, which is used to select one or a group of tags.

[0109] Exemplarily, the select command may include memory information, and the tag whose data stored in the storage area indicated by the memory information is consistent with the Mask value is the tag selected by the select command (or paging message). The Mask value may be indicated in the select command.

[0110] Exemplarily, the select command may include the following fields: Command field, Target field, Action field, MemBank field, Pointer field, Length field, Mask field, Truncate field, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field.

[0111] Command field: When the value is 1010, it indicates that the command is a select command.

[0112] Target field: indicates whether the select command is used to change the state of the select flag (SL) bit or the state of the inventory flag (Inventoried).

[0113] There are four types of inventory flags (or sessions), each of which corresponds to two states: state A and state B. The inventory flag state of the tag that has been currently inventoried is flipped to prevent the same tag from being identified multiple times during a round of inventory. SL includes two states: declared and undeclared.

[0114] Action field: used to indicate the change strategy of SL or inventory flag status. The tag paged by the reader can change the status of SL or inventory flag according to the strategy.

[0115] MemBank field, Pointer field, and Length field: together indicate the above memory information.

[0116] Mask field: indicates the Mask value.

[0117] Truncate field: indicates that the tag returns part or all of the electronic product code (EPC).

[0118] CRC field: used to carry CRC.

[0119] It should be noted that step S201 is an optional step, that is, step S201 may not be performed.

[0120] S202: The reader / writer triggers random access (RA).

[0121] Optionally, the reader can send a Query command to trigger random access. The Query command can indicate a certain type of inventory flag (i.e., Sx, x can be 0, 1, 2, or 3) and its state X (X can be A or B), indicating that the reader selects the tag with the inventory flag Sx state X for access. In addition, the Query command can also indicate the parameter Q, which can indicate the maximum access time slot range.

[0122] Optionally, a time slot may refer to a continuous duration triggered (or activated) by a Query / QueryRep command. The duration of a time slot is determined by the Query / QueryRep command that triggers the time slot and the next Query / QueryRep command after the command. A tag may initiate random access in a time slot. Furthermore, data transmission may also be performed in a time slot. The time slot here may also be referred to as a random access opportunity, or as a time unit, which is not limited in this application.

[0123] For multiple tags selected by the reader, the inventory access is performed in a time-division multiplexing manner, that is, after the reader ends the inventory access to one tag, it starts the inventory access to the next tag. The following steps are described using the inventory access to one tag as an example.

[0124] S203: The tag sends a random number (RN) A. Exemplarily, the random number A may be a 16-bit random number (RN16).

[0125] If a tag matches the reader's selection, or is the tag selected by the reader, and the state of the tag's inventory flag Sx is consistent with the state of the inventory flag Sx indicated by the Query command, then after receiving the Query command, the tag can select the tag in the range [0,2 Q -1] as the initial value of the counter. The initial value of the counter can be understood as the time slot number selected by the tag. After the Query command, the tag decrements the counter by 1 each time it receives a QueryRep command. When the counter is decremented to 0, the tag sends a random number A. Alternatively, after the Query command, the tag can increment the counter by 1 each time it receives a QueryRep command. When the value decremented by the counter is the same as the selected value, the tag sends a random number A.

[0126] Optionally, the random number A may be carried in a message A for transmission, and the message A may be analogous to or understood as message 3 (Msg3) of a random access procedure in a cellular network.

[0127] It should be noted that the reader can trigger time slot 0 after sending the Query command in step S202. Therefore, a tag in the range [0,2 Q -1] selects 0 as the initial value of the counter, the tag can execute step S203 after receiving the Query command.

[0128] S204: If the reader successfully receives the random number A, an acknowledgment (ACK) message is sent, in which the random number A is included.

[0129] Optionally, the ACK message can be analogous to or understood as message 4 (Msg4) of the random access process in the cellular network, or the ACK message can be understood as a random access response message or a contention resolution message.

[0130] After the tag receives the confirmation message carrying the random number A sent by itself within the specified time, the tag can execute the following step S205.

[0131] S205. The label sends the electronic product code (EPC).

[0132] S206-S207, after step S205, the reader / writer may optionally send instructions to the tag, perform operations such as reading or writing on the tag, and interact with the tag. After receiving the instruction, the tag may respond to the instruction.

[0133] After the inventory access to the current tag is completed, the reader can send a QueryRep command to start the inventory access to the next tag. After receiving the QueryRep command, the current tag needs to flip the state of its inventory flag Sx. For example, when X is B, the current tag flips the state of the inventory flag Sx from B to A to avoid repeated inventory. After receiving the QueryRep command, if the counter of other tags is reduced to 0, the above steps S203-S207 are executed.

[0134] For example, the reader selects two tags (tag 1 and tag 2) through the select command, and indicates that the number of time slots is 4 through the query command, that is, Q is equal to 2. Figure 3 As shown, the Query command sent by the reader triggers time slot 0, QueryRep#1 triggers time slot 1, Query#2 triggers time slot 2, and Query#3 triggers time slot 3. Assuming that the initial value of the counter selected by tag 1 is 0, tag 1 can perform the above steps S203-S205 after receiving the Query command (i.e., in time slot 0). Assuming that the initial value of the counter selected by tag 2 is 2, the value of the counter of tag 2 is reduced to 1 after receiving QueryRep#1, and the value of the counter is reduced to 0 after receiving QueryRep#2, so tag 2 will be connected in time slot 2.

[0135] With the widespread application of machine type communication (MTC) and Internet of Things (IoT) communications, the number of IoT devices connected in the network is growing. Therefore, the industry has an increasingly strong demand for reducing the cost and power consumption of IoT devices. In the 4th generation (4G) period, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) introduced the narrow band IoT (NB-IoT) system. In the NB-IoT system, the NB-IoT terminal requires external power supply (such as a battery) and has the ability to generate a local high-frequency local oscillator carrier, and its power consumption is at the milliwatt level. With the evolution and development of the fifth generation (5G) IoT, the demand for supporting lower power consumption terminals in 5G networks is increasing, and RFID technology provides a good technical reference in the direction of low power consumption.

[0136] For example, the power and carrier of an RFID tag when it is working come from the reader, so that it can use a low-precision, low-power medium-low frequency ring oscillator or use a completely local oscillator-free downlink signal reception, thereby achieving microwatt-level power consumption. Given the low power consumption advantage of RFID technology, the 5G environment (Ambient) IoT came into being. In order to meet the ultra-low power consumption requirements, the terminals in Ambient IoT (AIOT) are similar to RFID terminals, and also use low-precision, low-power medium-low frequency ring oscillators or use a completely local oscillator-free downlink signal reception to reduce the power consumption of the terminal.

[0137] At present, due to the low cost and design complexity of tags, the coverage supported by tags is poor, generally only covering a few meters. Therefore, the coverage supported by the reader directly connected to the tag is limited. The embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that can improve the coverage of the reader, and for example, the coverage can be increased to tens of meters or even hundreds of meters.

[0138] The following is a further description of a communication method and device provided in an embodiment of the present application:

[0139] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 The method shown may be performed by a first network device, or by a chip in the first network device, or by a partial unit or module in the first network device. Figure 4 The method shown may also be performed by other types of products, and those skilled in the art may further expand the method based on the contents disclosed in the specification. Figure 4 The method execution subject shown takes the first network device as an example. Figure 4 The method shown includes step 401 and step 402 .

[0140] S401: The second network device sends a first message to the first network device using the first access technology, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the first message from the second network device using the first access technology. The first message is used for paging, the first message includes first information, and the first information indicates the second access technology. Alternatively, the second network device sends a first message to the first network device, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the first message from the second network device.

[0141] The second access technology is used for communication between the terminal device and the first network device, and the first access technology is used for communication between the first network device and the second network device. Among them, the first access technology or the second access technology can be a wireless access technology or a wired access technology for accessing the terminal to the network. The first access technology can be NR, LTE, WiFi technology, or a communication technology that will evolve in the future. The second access technology can be an access technology for the Internet of Things, or an access technology for the Ambient Internet of Things, or an access technology for ultra-low complexity / ultra-low power consumption terminals. Exemplarily, the second access technology can be an ambient Internet of Things (AIOT) technology.

[0142] It can be understood that the second access technology in the embodiment of the present application may be a special access technology under the first access technology. For example, the second access technology may be an access technology for a specific service type based on the first access technology. In one example, the second access technology may be an access technology based on the NR access technology and used for the Internet of Things.

[0143] The first message may be an interface message of F1-AP. Specifically, the first message may be an F1-AP message for a first access technology, or an F1-AP message for a second access technology (such as AIOT). The F1-AP interface message may also be replaced by an interface message between DU and CU. The first message is used for paging, and the first message may select or trigger access of at least one terminal device. The first message may be called a paging message, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0144] The first information indicates the second access technology. The first network device may determine to communicate with the terminal device using a behavior corresponding to the second access technology based on the first information. For example, the first network device may determine when to release the terminal based on the first information, or determine when to forward data received from the terminal to the second network device, or determine whether to package multiple data received from one or more terminals and forward them to the second network device. For specific details, please refer to the description in the subsequent steps.

[0145] The first information may indicate the second access technology in an explicit manner. For example, the first information is an identifier of the second access technology, or the first information indicates that the first network device uses the second access technology for communication.

[0146] The first information may also indicate the second access technology in an implicit manner. For example, the first information may be a terminal type or a terminal identifier, or the first information may be a service type (or service mode) or a service identifier, etc. Among them, the terminal or service indicated by the first information is a terminal or service using the second access technology. Therefore, the first information may be a terminal identifier of a terminal using the second access technology, a terminal type of a terminal using the second access technology, a service type of a service using the second access technology, a service identifier of a service using the second access technology, etc. The first information may also be an RRC message for the second access technology.

[0147] In one example, the first information may be a transaction ID, and the first network device may determine that the ongoing service is a service corresponding to the second access technology through the transaction ID, or may determine that the paged terminal is a terminal corresponding to the second access technology through the transaction ID. In another example, the first information may indicate that the ongoing service is a service related to the second access technology, or the first information may indicate a specific service type or service identifier, and the specific service type or service identifier is a service type or service identifier specific to the second access technology. In another example, the service in the above example may be replaced with a terminal. A possible implementation is that the first message includes a non-access stratum (NAS) packet data unit (PDU), and the NAS PDU contains information for selecting a terminal (i.e., the first information), such as an application layer mask or other information. The NAS PDU may be application layer data, or contain information for paging a UE. In another example, the first information may also be one of the device types A, B, and C introduced above.

[0148] Taking the second access technology as AIOT technology as an example, the first information may indicate that the service is an AIOT service. Alternatively, the first information may indicate a specific AIOT service mode, such as the first information indicating that the service mode is an inventory mode, a read mode, or a write mode, or positioning or other service modes that may correspond to AIOT. Alternatively, the first information may indicate (or select, trigger) that the terminal currently being paged is an AIOT terminal. Alternatively, the first information indicates one or more terminal devices, and the one or more terminal devices are AIOT devices.

[0149] Alternatively, the first message may not contain the first information, but the first message indicates the second access technology. Exemplarily, if the first message is a message dedicated to the second access technology, the first message indicates the second access technology. Accordingly, the first network device may determine to communicate with the terminal device using a behavior corresponding to the second access technology based on the first message. For specific examples, refer to the above description.

[0150] Optionally, before S401, the second network device receives a first paging message from the core network, the message may include the first information, or the message may include the fourth information, the fourth information indicating the second access technology. The first information may be a variation of the fourth information, or information that performs a similar function to the fourth information, and the description of the fourth information may refer to the first information. Alternatively, the first paging message may not include the first information or the fourth information, but the first paging message indicates the second access technology.

[0151] S402: The first network device sends a second message using a second access technology, or the first network device sends a second message. Accordingly, the first information included in the first message sent by the second network device, or the first message sent by the second network device, is used for indication. Furthermore, the first information or the first message is used to indicate that the first network device sends the second message using the second access technology, or is used to indicate that the first network device sends the second message. The second message is used to page the first terminal device.

[0152] The first network device receives the first message carrying the first information in S401, or after receiving the first message, can determine to page the terminal device. In a possible implementation, the second access technology can be used, for example Figure 2 The method shown is for paging terminal equipment.

[0153] Specifically, the first network device may send a second message. The second message may be used to select or trigger access of at least one terminal device. In a possible implementation, the first network device may implement the following Figure 2 , Figure 3 The second message can be Figure 2 It can be a Select command or Query command in, or a message with similar functions.

[0154] The second message may also indicate N random access opportunities, where the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N. The second message may be as follows: Figure 2 Query command in, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 A time slot in is a random access opportunity. The first network device can select two terminal devices (i.e., M is equal to 2) through the select command, and indicate that the number of time slots is 4 (i.e., N is equal to 4) through the query command. The content contained in the second message here can be divided into multiple messages or sent in one message. For example, the information triggering access is sent through one message, and the configuration information of random access is sent through another message.

[0155] Accordingly, the terminal device can be understood as follows Figure 2 , Figure 3 The terminal device can access the network according to the tag in the received second message. Specifically, after receiving the second message, the terminal device can determine that the terminal device is selected or triggered to access the network according to the second message. Furthermore, the terminal device can receive the system message and initiate access according to the access resource indicated in the system information.

[0156] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device may Figure 2 The terminal can access the network by using the Select command or Query command shown in the figure, or by using the QueryRep command. Figure 2 The method S203-S205 shown is accessed.

[0157] Steps S401 and S402 effectively expand the coverage of the reader-writer paging tag by introducing a relay into the RFID system.

[0158] After being paged, the terminal device will access. After the terminal device completes the access, the terminal device can perform data transmission with the first network device. Figure 4 The method shown also includes step 403 and step 404. It is understood that step 403 and step 404 can be used as separate embodiments. Step S403 and step S404 can effectively expand the coverage of data communication between the reader and the tag by introducing a relay in the RFID system. When step 403 and step 404 are used as separate embodiments, a paging method different from that of S401 and S402 can be used for paging, and this application does not limit it.

[0159] S403: The first network device receives the first data from the first terminal device using the second access technology. Alternatively, the first network device receives the first data from the first terminal device.

[0160] The first data may be carried in a NAS message, namely, a NAS PDU. The NAS message may be carried in an uplink RRC message, or the NAS message may be carried in a MAC layer message.

[0161] S404: The first network device sends a third message to the second network device using the first access technology, or the first network device sends a third message to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the third message from the first network device using the first access technology, or the second network device receives the third message from the first network device. Optionally, the second network device processes the first data using the second access technology. The third message includes the first data and the first information.

[0162] It can be understood that the first information carried in the third message can be the first information carried in the first message, or it can be a variation of the first information carried in the first message, or it can be information with similar functions to the first information carried in the first message. The third message includes the first information, which can be replaced by the third message including the third information, and the third information indicates the second access technology. In the subsequent description, the first information included in the third message can be replaced by the third information. Regarding the third information, refer to the description of the first information. The third information can be the same as the first information, or it can be part of the content of the first information, such as the first information includes a thing identifier and an AIOT business-specific identifier, and the third information is part of it, such as the third information is a transaction identifier.

[0163] Alternatively, the third message may not contain the first information or the third information, but the third message indicates the second access technology. Exemplarily, if the third message is a message dedicated to the second access technology, the third message indicates the second access technology. The second network device can determine through the third message that the content of the message is associated with the second access technology, or determine to use the second access technology to process the first data. For example, the content contained in the message is processed through the AIOT corresponding protocol stack. Regarding the third message described here, the subsequent related descriptions can also be replaced, and will not be repeated later.

[0164] After the first network device receives the first data sent by the terminal, it can forward the received first data to the second network device by sending a third message.

[0165] The third message can be an interface message between the relay and the base station, or a control plane interface message between the DU and the CU, or an interface message between the first network device and the second network device. Exemplarily, the above interface message can be an F1 port message, or an F1-AP message, or has other names. It can be understood that the interface message here is a high-level message, and there can be multiple implementation methods in the underlying transmission process. In one possible implementation, the interface messages are all carried on the IAB return link, that is, the interface messages are carried by the return RLC channel.

[0166] The third message may be an RRC message containing the first data. Exemplarily, the third message may include an RRC container, which contains the first data. Alternatively, the third message may be a MAC layer message containing the first data. Exemplarily, the first network device may send the data portion (or load) in the MAC PDU received from the terminal to the second network device through the third message, or the first network device may send the entire MAC data packet to the second network device through the third message. Alternatively, the third message may include a NAS message or a container.

[0167] The third message carries the first information. Therefore, the second network device can determine to use the second access technology to process the first data based on the first information carried in the third message. For example, the first data carried in the third message can be interpreted according to the protocol stack or signaling format of the second access technology. Specifically, the second network device can determine that the third message is for AIOT business services, so the RRC or PDCP protocol of AIOT can be used to decode the message. In an embodiment of the present application, determining to use the second access technology to process the first data can be replaced by using the second access technology to parse the first data.

[0168] In a possible implementation, the network can page multiple terminal devices. After the first network device receives the first message in S401, it can determine that the data of the multiple UEs being paged can be forwarded to the second network device through one message based on the first information or the first message. Alternatively, the first network device can determine that the multiple UEs being paged can be grouped based on the first information or the first message, and the data of each UE group is forwarded to the second network device through one message in multiple messages, and optionally, the data of different UE groups is forwarded through different messages in multiple messages. Alternatively, the first network device can determine that the data of the multiple UEs being paged can be forwarded to the second network device through multiple messages based on the first information or the first message, wherein the data of each UE in the multiple UEs being paged is forwarded to the second network device through one message, and optionally, the data of different UEs is forwarded through different messages in multiple messages.

[0169] The number of the plurality of UEs may be determined based on a base station implementation, or based on the number of paged UEs.

[0170] It can be understood that when the first network device forwards the data of multiple UEs to be paged to the second network device through one message, or when the first network device groups multiple UEs to be paged and forwards the data of each UE group to the second network device through one message in multiple messages, the message sent by the first network device to the second network device includes the data from multiple UEs, that is, the first network device packages the data from multiple UEs and sends it to the second network device. The advantage of this is that multiple scheduling on the backhaul link is avoided, thereby avoiding increasing the delay and avoiding increasing the air interface overhead.

[0171] Specifically, the one or more messages sent by the first network device to the second network device may refer to the description of the third message. Furthermore, when a message includes data from multiple UEs, the message may include an RRC message, or the message may include an RRC message list, or the message may include an RRC container list. Among them, the above RRC message, or an RRC message in the above RRC message list, or an RRC container in the above RRC container list, contains a NAS message (or contains data from a UE).

[0172] The one or more messages sent by the first network device to the second network device may carry the first information, or may carry the third information, wherein the third information may be a variation of the first information, and the third information may also be associated with the first message. When the third information is associated with the first message, the first message may not carry the first information. The first information or the third information is used to indicate the second access technology, or to indicate that the one or more messages sent by the first network device to the second network device are associated with the first message, specifically, the one or more messages sent by the first network device to the second network device may be response messages or reply messages to the first message.

[0173] Specifically, after receiving the first message, the first network device may determine to send the data of the UE to be paged to the second network device through one message or multiple messages together.

[0174] An example is that the first network device may include an RRC message or an RRC message list or an RRC container list in one or more messages sent to the second network device. Each RRC container may include a NAS message. The first network device may determine the operation based on the first message, or may determine it based on the first indication information included in the first message. The advantage of sending multiple data in a package is that it avoids the need for multiple scheduling on the backhaul link, increasing latency and air interface overhead. The uplink transmission message may include indication information, and the indication information may be associated with the first message to indicate the response message or reply message corresponding to the first message, so as to facilitate transmission to the core network.

[0175] In another example, after receiving the first message, the first network device may also forward the data sent by each paged terminal to the second network device separately. The specific operations of the first network device are all based on the instructions of the first message. The uplink transmission message may include indication information, and the indication information may be associated with the first message to indicate that the uplink transmission message is a response message or a reply message corresponding to the first message, so as to facilitate transmission to the core network.

[0176] In a possible example, the first network device may forward data from K terminal devices being paged via a message, and the message may be the third message described above. Wherein, K is a positive integer and K is less than or equal to the number of terminal devices being paged. K may be a value indicated by a base station, or K may be a predefined value, or K may be the number of terminal devices being paged. Alternatively, data from K terminal devices being paged may be forwarded via multiple messages, and the multiple messages may be messages similar to the third message described above. Wherein, the multiple messages correspond to the same identifier, such as a service identifier, a transaction identifier (transcation ID), a group identifier, or a process identifier. Alternatively, the multiple messages correspond to the same group of terminal devices. Optionally, after the first network device receives the first message carrying the first information in S401, it may determine to forward the data from the K terminal devices in the above manner according to the first information, or the first network device may determine to forward the data from the K terminal devices in the above manner according to the manner in which the data is received. The first network device may determine in other ways, and this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0177] Similarly, the second network device may send multiple data to the first network device through a message, which may be the eighth message in the subsequent embodiment, and the multiple data will be forwarded by the first network device to the multiple terminal devices being paged (or selected). Alternatively, the second network device may group the multiple terminal devices being paged, and send the data of each terminal device group to the first network device through one of the multiple messages, and optionally, the data of different terminal device groups are forwarded through different messages in the multiple messages. Alternatively, the second network device may send the data of each terminal device to the first network device through one of the multiple messages, and optionally, the data of different terminal devices are forwarded through different messages in the multiple messages. The one or more messages may be messages similar to the eighth message. Among them, the multiple messages correspond to the same identifier, such as a service identifier, a transaction identifier (transcation ID), a group identifier, or a process identifier. Alternatively, the multiple messages correspond to the same group of terminal devices. Optionally, after the second network device receives an uplink message (such as a third message) carrying the first information or the third information, it may determine to send data to the first network device in the above manner according to the first information or the third information.

[0178] The following description is made by taking the first network device as an example.

[0179] In a possible implementation, when the network pages multiple terminals, the first network device can forward the uplink data sent by any of the multiple terminals in the above manner. By carrying the first information or the third information in the message for forwarding the uplink data, the second network device can determine to use the second access technology to process (or parse, decode) the data from the multiple terminal devices, or the second network device can determine that the message for forwarding the uplink data is associated with the first message. The second network device does not require the network to maintain a terminal-specific identifier for each of the multiple terminal devices, or to maintain a terminal-specific context, thereby reducing the complexity of network implementation.

[0180] If the first information is the service type or service identifier of the second access technology, the second network device can determine the identifier of the ongoing service association based on the first information carried in the third message, and send the data to the core network, such as AMF, and other control plane network elements (such as network exposure function (NEF), application function entity (AF), etc.), and finally send it to the application layer.

[0181] In a possible implementation, when multiple terminals paged by the network are associated with the same service type or the same service identifier, by carrying the same service type or the same service identifier in the message forwarding the data from the multiple terminals, the second network device can determine the identifier of the ongoing service association, and then determine the destination address of the data. In this way, the network does not need to maintain a terminal-specific identifier or a terminal-specific context for each of the multiple terminal devices, thereby reducing the complexity of network implementation.

[0182] Considering the group characteristics of AIOT services, the embodiment of the present application introduces a public F1-AP message, which can be used to transmit multi-user data and realize control plane transmission based on F1-AP. The network does not need to maintain a terminal-specific identifier or a terminal-specific context for each of the multiple terminal devices, thereby reducing the complexity of network implementation.

[0183] In a possible implementation, the second message indicates N random access opportunities, and the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N. Alternatively, the N random access opportunities may also be indicated by a third message, and the following description is made by taking the second message indicating the N random access opportunities as an example.

[0184] The first network device may forward data received from the first terminal device to the second network device before or after triggering the next random access opportunity. Or when the first network device completes a data transmission with a terminal, it may communicate with the next terminal. Or when the first network device receives the end of communication with a terminal sent by the second network device, it may communicate with the next terminal. The first network device may also forward one data received from a terminal device to the second network device at a time, or may also forward two or more data received from terminal devices to the second network device at a time. The following is an example.

[0185] Example 1: In the first random access opportunity among N random access opportunities, first data is received from a first terminal device, and the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; a third message is sent to a second network device, and accordingly, the second network device receives the third message, and the third message includes the first data and the first information; a fourth message is sent, and the fourth message is used to trigger the next random access opportunity. The third message can be sent before the fourth message, or after the fourth message.

[0186] Optionally, the first data is data received from the first terminal device using the second access technology, the third message is sent or received using the first access technology, and the fourth message is sent using the second access technology. The description here also applies to the first data, second data, third message, and fourth message in subsequent examples, and will not be repeated later.

[0187] like Figure 5 , Figure 5 A flow chart of a communication method provided for an embodiment of the present application. Taking N=4 and M=1 as an example, the second message indicates 4 random access opportunities (opportunity 1, opportunity 2, opportunity 3, opportunity 4), and these 4 random access opportunities are used for access of a terminal device (first terminal device). The first terminal device completes access at opportunity 1 and sends the first data to the first network device, and accordingly, the first network device receives the first data. The first network device may send a third message to the second network device in opportunity 1, and the third message includes the first data and the first information. After sending the third message, the first network device sends a fourth message in opportunity 1, and the fourth message is used to trigger the next random access opportunity. The first network device may also send the fourth message first and then send the third message. The third message may be sent at opportunity 2 or opportunity 3 or opportunity 4 or other times, and this application does not limit it. For the case where M is greater than 1, any of the M terminal devices can refer to the first terminal device.

[0188] Example 2: In a first random access opportunity among N random access opportunities, first data is received from a first terminal device, where the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; a fourth message is sent, where the fourth message is used to trigger a next random access opportunity; in a second random access opportunity after the first random access opportunity, second data is received from a second terminal device, where the second terminal device is one of the M terminal devices, and the second random access opportunity is one of the N random access opportunities; a third message is sent to a second network device, and accordingly, the second network device receives the third message, where the third message includes the first data and / or the second data, and the third message also includes the first information.

[0189] like Figure 6 , Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method provided for an embodiment of the present application. Taking N=4 and M=2 as an example, the second message indicates 4 random access opportunities (opportunity 1, opportunity 2, opportunity 3, opportunity 4), and these 4 random access opportunities are used for access of a terminal device (first terminal device, second terminal device). The first terminal device completes access at opportunity 1 and sends first data to the first network device, and accordingly, the first network device receives the first data. After receiving the first data, the first network device sends a fourth message, and the fourth message is used to trigger the next random access opportunity. In opportunity 3 after opportunity 1, the second terminal device completes access and sends second data to the first network device, and accordingly, the first network device receives the second data. The first network device sends a third message, as described in Example 1, the third message may be sent at opportunity 3 or opportunity 4 or other time, and this application does not limit it. The third message may include the first data and the second data. Alternatively, the third message may include the first data (or the second data), at which time the first network device may send a seventh message, and the seventh message includes the second data (or the first data).

[0190] In the case where more terminals access, in a possible embodiment, the first network device may continue to receive data from the terminal device in the random access opportunity after sending the third message. In another possible embodiment, the first network device may include part or all of the received data in the third message. If part of the data is included, the remaining data may be included in a subsequent message similar to the third message, such as the seventh message. Or there may be more messages similar to the third message.

[0191] Generally, the network device can perform various types of business operations on the terminal device. Among them, some business types require the terminal to transmit uplink data once, such as the inventory mode, some business types require multiple data interactions (data interactions may include uplink data transmission and may also include downlink data transmission), and some business types require the terminal to receive downlink data without the terminal sending uplink data, etc. The first network device can determine when (or whether) to release the connection with the terminal device, or determine when (or whether) to complete the data transmission with the terminal device, or whether to send an indication of release / completion of transmission to the terminal device based on the receipt of the indication information or message, or whether to perform downlink feedback, or whether to wait for the downlink data sent by the core network or the application layer before releasing. For example, the first network device can determine that the terminal device is released after receiving uplink data once, or determine that the terminal device is released after receiving downlink data once, or determine that the terminal device is released after receiving uplink data and receiving downlink feedback of uplink data, or determine that the terminal device is released after receiving a release indication from the core network or the second network device, through the first message or the information carried in the first message.

[0192] Optionally, the first message further includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type in the service type of the second access technology. In this case, the first network device can communicate with the terminal device according to the needs of the first service type, or determine when (or whether) to end communication with the terminal device, or release the terminal device.

[0193] In a possible example, the data interaction required by the first service type is completed in the same random access opportunity. An example is given below to illustrate.

[0194] Example three: determining the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device according to the first service type; after completing the data transmission for the number of interactions, sending the fourth message.

[0195] The first network device determines the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device, for example, determining the total number of uplink transmissions and downlink transmissions required for the first service type, or determining the number of uplink transmissions required for the first service type, or determining the number of downlink transmissions required for the first service type. It can be understood that when the first service type only requires uplink (or downlink) data transmission, the number of interactions is the number of uplink transmissions (or downlink transmissions).

[0196] like Figure 7 , Figure 7A flow chart of a communication method provided for an embodiment of the present application. The first network device determines the number of interactions based on the first service type. For example, the first service type includes two data transmissions, or the first service type includes one uplink data transmission and one downlink data transmission (which may be a response message for the uplink data transmission). The first network device can receive the first data sent by the first terminal device in opportunity 1, and forward the first data to the second network device through a third message. Furthermore, the first network device can receive the eighth message sent by the second network device in opportunity 1, and forward the third data carried in the eighth message to the first terminal device. After completing the above data transmission, the first network device sends a fourth message to trigger the next random access opportunity. For another example, the first service type includes three data transmissions, or the first service type includes two uplink data transmissions and one downlink data transmission. As Figure 7 After forwarding the third data, the first network device may receive the fourth data sent by the first terminal device, and forward the fourth data to the second network device through the ninth message. After completing the above data transmission, the first network device sends the fourth message to trigger the next random access opportunity.

[0197] exist Figure 7 In the example, the third message, the eighth message, and the ninth message may include the first information or a variation of the first information, or may not include the first information. The sending of the fourth message may be understood as releasing the first terminal device, that is, releasing the connection between the network and the first terminal device. The sending of the fourth message is a way for the first network device to release the first terminal device. There may be other ways to release the first terminal, which are not limited in this application.

[0198] Example 4: Determine the duration of data interaction with the terminal device according to the first service type; after transmitting data with the first terminal device for the duration, send the fourth message.

[0199] Example 4 replaces the number of interactions in Example 3 with the interaction duration. For related descriptions, please refer to Figure 7 The description of Example 3 will not be repeated here.

[0200] Example 5: After receiving the indication information indicating the end or release from the second network device, the fourth message is sent. Accordingly, after completing the data interaction with the terminal device, the second network device sends the indication information indicating the end or release to the first network device.

[0201] like Figure 8 , Figure 8A flow chart of a communication method provided for an embodiment of the present application. The first network device determines when (or whether) a terminal device can be released according to an instruction of a second network device, or determines whether the next random access opportunity can be triggered according to a first service type. For example, the first network device can receive the first data sent by the first terminal device in opportunity 1, and forward the first data to the second network device through a third message. Furthermore, the first network device can receive the eighth message sent by the second network device in opportunity 1, and forward the third data carried in the eighth message to the first terminal device. After completing the above-mentioned data transmission, the first network device receives an indication message indicating the end or release from the second network device, and the first network device sends a fourth message to trigger the next random access opportunity.

[0202] exist Figure 8 In the example of, the third message, the eighth message, and the indication information may include the first information or a variation of the first information, or may not include the first information. The sending of the fourth message may also be understood as releasing the first terminal device. For details, please refer to the above-mentioned related description, which will not be repeated here.

[0203] In another possible example, the data interaction required by the first service type does not need to be completed in the same random access opportunity. The first network device may communicate with other terminal devices during the communication with a terminal device. When the first network device releases the communication with the terminal depends on the indication of the first information or the indication of the second network device. The following is an example.

[0204] Example six: Determine the number of data interactions or the duration of data interactions with a terminal device based on the first service type; carry a terminal device-specific identifier when transmitting data indicating the number of interactions or the duration with a second network device; release the first terminal device after transmitting data indicating the number of interactions or the duration with a first terminal device.

[0205] like Fig. 9 , Fig. 9A flow chart of a communication method provided for an embodiment of the present application. The first network device determines the number of interactions or the duration of interactions based on the first service type. For example, the first service type includes two data transmissions, or the first service type includes one uplink data transmission and one downlink data transmission. The first network device can receive the first data sent by the first terminal device in opportunity 1, and forward the first data to the second network device through a third message, and carry an identifier specific to the first terminal device in the third message. Furthermore, the first network device can receive the eighth message sent by the second network device in opportunity 2 (or other time), and forward the third data carried in the eighth message to the first terminal device, wherein the eighth message carries an identifier specific to the first terminal device. After completing the above-mentioned data transmission, the first network device releases the first terminal device. Fig. 9 In the example, the first terminal device-specific identifier carried in the third message or the eighth message may be the same identifier or different identifiers.

[0206] It can be understood that the first network device can also communicate with other terminal devices in opportunity 2. As shown in the fifth data in the figure, the first network device receives the fifth data from the second terminal device in opportunity 2, and forwards the fifth data to the second network device through the tenth message. The tenth message carries a specific identifier of the second network device. Among them, the first network device can receive the fifth data before or after receiving the eighth message, or before or after sending the third data, and the first network device can send the tenth message before or after receiving the eighth message, or before or after sending the third data. The present application does not limit the order of messages communicated between the first network device and multiple terminal devices. After the first network device transmits data with each of the multiple terminal devices for the number of interactions or duration, the terminal device is released.

[0207] Example 7: When transmitting data with the second network device, a specific identifier of the terminal device is carried; after receiving an indication message indicating the end or release from the second network device, the terminal device is released.

[0208] For more information about Example 7, please refer to Fig. 9 As described in Example 6, the condition for releasing the first terminal device is replaced by receiving indication information from the second network device indicating the end or release, which will not be repeated here.

[0209] In the above examples 3 to 7, the second information may be one of the following: a service type of a service using the second access technology, and a service identifier of a service using the second access technology.

[0210] The second information may indicate the first service type in the service type of the service using the second access technology in an explicit manner. For example, the second information is an identifier of the first service type, or the second information indicates that the ongoing service is the first service type. The second information may also indicate the first service type in an implicit manner. For example, the second information may be a service identifier, and the service indicated by the service identifier is the first service type.

[0211] The first information and the second information may be the same information element, the same field or the same parameter, etc., or may be different information elements, different fields or different parameters, etc.

[0212] The above-mentioned terminal device-specific identifier may also be a group identifier or a process identifier, etc. The group identifier may be a group identifier of a terminal device group, or an identifier of a group of terminal devices.

[0213] In the present application, there may be multiple relay nodes between the access network node and the terminal device. Therefore, in the method on the first network device side, the second network device may also be a network device with a forwarding function, and the second network device may be a parent node of the first network device, or a node closer to the network side or the access network device in the communication link. Alternatively, in the method on the second network device side, the first network device communicates with the terminal device, which may be replaced by communicating with a third network device, wherein the third network device is a network device with a forwarding function, and the third network device may be a child node of the first network device, or a node closer to the terminal side in the communication link.

[0214] The embodiment of the present application introduces a relay architecture and uses a first network device and a second network device to jointly complete the functions of the reader / writer, thereby effectively improving the coverage of the reader / writer. At the same time, by enhancing and improving the IAB architecture, a method based on network node layer 2 relay can be implemented. This embodiment is also applicable to data transmission of AIOT services under the CU-DU separation architecture.

[0215] Figure 4 This shows the process of the network performing paging to trigger the terminal to access and perform data transmission in the scenario of network service triggering or downlink service triggering. For the scenario of terminal service triggering or uplink service triggering, please refer to Fig.10 , Fig.10 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 The method shown may be performed by a first network device, or by a chip in the first network device, or by a partial unit or module in the first network device. Fig.10 The method shown may also be performed by other types of products, and those skilled in the art may further expand the method based on the contents disclosed in the specification. Fig.10 The method execution subject shown takes the first network device as an example. Fig.10 The method shown includes steps 1001 to 1004 .

[0216] S1001: A first network device sends a first message using a second access technology, or a first network device sends a first message, wherein the first message is used to configure parameters for random access of a terminal device. This step is optional.

[0217] Specifically, the first network device may periodically send a first message, wherein the first message may be a broadcast message, for example, system information, a master system information block MIB, or a system information block SIB, or Beacon information.

[0218] Through the first message, the parameters for random access of the terminal device can be configured, for example, random access resources can be configured, and the random access resources are used for access of the terminal device. Accordingly, when the terminal device needs to transmit due to business needs or needs to access the network, the random access resource can be determined according to the parameter configuration in the first message. Furthermore, the terminal device can send a pilot on the random access resource, that is, initiate random access.

[0219] The terminal device initiates random access. The access process can refer to the above description or to Figure 2 That is, the terminal device may actively initiate random access after receiving the random access parameter configuration, or may initiate random access after being selected by the first network device.

[0220] If the terminal device receives a valid response message, it means that the terminal device is successfully connected.

[0221] S1002: The first network device receives first data from the terminal device.

[0222] The first data is carried in an uplink message, such as an uplink direct transfer message, which may be an RRC message, or a MAC PDU or MAC SDU. The message may include a NAS message, which mainly includes service data, and may also include a registration request, a UE identifier, a destination address information, etc. The core network performs authentication through the content of the NAS message, or determines the destination of data transmission according to the content of the NAS message.

[0223] S1003: When the first data is received using the second access technology, the first network device sends a second message to the second network device using the first access technology, or the first network device sends a second message to the second network device, the second message includes the first data and the first information, and the first information indicates the second access technology. Accordingly, the second network device receives the second message, and optionally, the second network device processes the first data using the second access technology.

[0224] When the first network device receives the first data sent by the terminal, it can forward the received first data to the second network device by sending a second message. The second message carries the first information. Therefore, the second network device can determine to use the second access technology to process the first data based on the first information carried in the second message. For example, the first data carried in the third message can be interpreted according to the protocol stack or signaling format of the second access technology. Specifically, the second network device can determine that the third message is for AIOT service, so the RRC or PDCP protocol of AIOT can be used to decode the message.

[0225] Alternatively, the second message may not contain the first information, but the second message indicates the second access technology. Exemplarily, if the second message is a message dedicated to the second access technology, the second message indicates the second access technology. The second network device can determine through the second message that the content of the message is associated with the second access technology, or determine to use the second access technology to process the first data. For example, the content contained in the message is processed by the AIOT corresponding protocol stack. For the description of the second message here, please refer to Figure 4 Description of the third message.

[0226] The first information, the first access technology or the second access technology can refer to Figure 4 The second message may be an uplink RRC transmission message, or an initial uplink RRC transmission message, which includes an RRC message or a MAC PDU or a MAC SDU received from the terminal device.

[0227] Alternatively, the first information in step S1003 may also be an identifier specific to the terminal device. When the first network device forwards the received first data, the second message carries an identifier specific to the terminal. The second network device can use the identifier to determine whether to use the second access technology to process the first data. If the network and the terminal device have multiple data interactions, during these multiple data interactions, the interaction message between the first network device and the second network device may carry an identifier specific to the terminal. Furthermore, in any of the multiple data interactions, the same identifier may be carried, or different identifiers may be carried. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions of Example 6 and Example 7.

[0228] Optionally, the second network device sends the first data and the first information to the core network device. The first information here may also be a variation of the first information. In one possible implementation, the first information may be included in an interface message sent by the second network device to the core network device. In another possible implementation, the first data and the first information may be included in a NAS message. Alternatively, the second network device sends the first data to the core network device, wherein the first information may not be included, but the second radio access technology is indicated by sending a message of the first data.

[0229] Optionally, the core network device may be an access and mobility management function (AMF). In one possible implementation, the AMF sends a link establishment request to the NEF, and the NEF determines the association relationship with the external server based on the first information (e.g., UE identifier), and then sends data to the NEF. In another implementation, the AMF may also obtain the UE's contract information based on the first information (e.g., UE identifier), establish a relationship with the external server, send the label data to the SMF, forward it to the NEF, and then forward it to the external server.

[0230] S1004: The first network device receives a response message from the second network device using the first access technology, or the first network device receives a response message from the second network device, wherein the response message includes the first information. Accordingly, the second network device sends a response message. This step is optional.

[0231] If the external server still has downlink data for the terminal device, the downlink data can be sent to AMF, and AMF will then send the data to the second network device, which will forward the data to the first network device. If the first network device is a device that supports the first access technology and the second access technology, or the first network device serves both the terminal device of the first access technology and the terminal device of the second access technology, the second network device can include the above-mentioned first information when forwarding data to the first network device. Alternatively, the first information may not be included in the response message, that is, the response message indicates the second access technology.

[0232] It can be understood that the first information carried in the response message may be the first information carried in the second message, or may be a variation of the first information carried in the second message, or may be information with similar functions to the first information carried in the second message. The response message includes the first information, which may be replaced by the response message including the second information, wherein the second information indicates the second access technology. For the second information, reference may be made to the description of the first information.

[0233] The embodiment of the present application introduces a relay architecture and uses a first network device and a second network device to jointly complete the functions of the reader / writer, thereby effectively improving the coverage of the reader / writer. At the same time, by enhancing and improving the IAB architecture, a method based on network node layer 2 relay when a terminal service is triggered can be implemented, effectively expanding the coverage of the AIOT UE. At the same time, this embodiment is also applicable to data transmission of AIOT services under the CU-DU separation architecture.

[0234] See also Fig.11a , Fig.11b , Fig.11c , Fig.11a , Fig.11b , Fig.11c Schematic diagram of a protocol stack architecture of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the relay protocol stack architecture described below can be adopted. It can be understood that the architecture can also be applied to the CU-DU separation scenario.

[0235] In the protocol stack architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first network device has a partial protocol stack of the layer 2 peer protocol stack of the terminal device.

[0236] Specifically, refer to Fig.11a The protocol stack of the terminal device may include the physical layer (PHY layer), MAC layer, Radio Link Control layer (RLC layer), PDCP layer and RRC layer, among which the PDCP layer and RLC layer are optional, that is, the protocol stack of the terminal device may not have the PDCP layer and / or RLC layer. Or RLC / PDCP only has the transparent transmission mode. Fig.11a In the embodiment, the first network device can support the peer protocol stacks of the PHY layer and the MAC layer in the protocol stack of the terminal device. Optionally, if the terminal device supports the RLC layer protocol, the first network device also supports the peer protocol stack of the RLC layer. The protocol stacks of each layer in the above description are all protocol stacks related to the second access technology. For example, the terminal device and the first network device communicate using the AIOT-uu port, and the related protocol stack is the AIOT protocol stack. Fig.11a In the first network device, a protocol stack related to the first access technology is also supported. The protocol stack includes an F1-AP layer, a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) layer, an Internet protocol (IP) layer, an adaptive backhaul protocol (BAP) layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. Fig.11aIn the embodiment, the second network device supports a protocol stack related to the first access technology, and the protocol stack includes a protocol equivalent to the protocol stack related to the first access technology supported by the first network device. At the same time, the second network device also supports protocols related to the second access technology supported by the terminal device but not supported by the first network device. This may include a peer protocol stack of the RRC layer. Optionally, if the terminal device supports the PDCP layer but the first network device does not support the PDCP layer, the second network device also supports a peer protocol stack of the PDCP layer. It should be understood that Fig.11a The dotted box in the figure indicates that the corresponding protocol layer may or may not be present.

[0237] In one possible example, the first network device may receive control plane signaling sent by the terminal device, wherein the control plane signaling is signaling encapsulated (or encoded) by the terminal device through a protocol related to the second access technology. For example, the RRC message of AIOT is sent, or the NAS message is sent. Furthermore, the first network device may interpret (or decode) through a protocol related to the second access technology, and then encapsulate the interpreted information through a protocol related to the first access technology or other protocols, such as through an F1-AP message. Furthermore, the first network device may send information encapsulated using a protocol related to the first access technology, and accordingly, the second network device receives the information. The second network device may use a peer protocol stack related to the first access technology to interpret the received information, and further, the second network device may use a peer protocol related to the second access technology to interpret the information interpreted in the previous step. Finally, the second network device may interpret the content of the control signaling originally sent by the terminal device.

[0238] In the above example, the IAB backhaul mechanism is used between the first network device and the second network device, that is, the first access technology is used for backhaul. The control plane signaling can be sent from the first network device to the second network device wirelessly or by wire.

[0239] Fig.11b and Fig.11c The protocol architecture provided in Fig.11a The protocol architecture provided in Fig.11b In the first network device, the PDCP layer protocol can be supported. Fig.11c In the embodiment, the first network device does not support the PDCP layer protocol, nor does it support the RLC layer protocol. Fig.11b and Fig.11c For a description, see Fig.11a , I will not go into details here.

[0240] It can be seen that by adopting the protocol stack architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first network device or the second network device can use the protocol related to the second access technology to interpret the signaling sent by the terminal device. Therefore, when sending signaling, the terminal device can not distinguish whether it is connected to the first network device or the traditional reader / writer. That is, when the terminal device accesses the first network device or accesses the traditional reader / writer, the air interface protocol used is consistent, or it can be said that the air interface signaling used by the terminal device for access is not affected by the different nodes accessed. For example, when the AIOT terminal accesses the first network device or accesses the traditional reader / writer, it can use the AIOT protocol for access. In this way, the terminal device does not need to support multiple access technology-related protocols. Therefore, this method can reduce the implementation complexity of the terminal device.

[0241] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device is given. The communication device 1800 may be the first network device or the second network device in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the first network device or the second network device to implement the above method. The communication device may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and the details may refer to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0242] The communication device 1800 may include one or more processors 1801. The processor 1801 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal, a terminal chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a software program, and process the data of the software program.

[0243] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may include one or more memories 1802, on which instructions 1804 may be stored, and the instructions may be executed on the processor 1801, so that the communication device 1800 performs the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 1802. The processor 1801 and the memory 1802 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0244] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may further include a transceiver 1805 and an antenna 1806. The transceiver 1805 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., for implementing a transceiver function. The transceiver 1805 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., for implementing a receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., for implementing a transmitting function. Among them, Fig.12The processing unit 1702 shown may be the processor 1801. The communication unit 1701 may be the transceiver 1805.

[0245] When the communication device is applied to the first network device:

[0246] The transceiver 1805 can complete the receiving action in S401, the sending action in S402, the receiving action in S403, and the sending action in S404 of the above embodiment.

[0247] Transceiver 1805 is used to receive a first message from a second network device using a first access technology, where the first message is used for paging and includes first information, where the first information indicates a second access technology; transceiver 1805 is also used to send a second message using the second access technology, where the second message is used for paging a terminal device.

[0248] Optionally, the second message indicates N random access opportunities, and the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N; the transceiver 1805 is also used to receive first data from a first terminal device using the second access technology in a first random access opportunity among the N random access opportunities, and the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; the transceiver 1805 is also used to send a third message to the second network device using the first access technology, and the third message includes the first data and the first information; the transceiver 1805 is also used to send a fourth message using the second access technology, and the fourth message is used to trigger the next random access opportunity.

[0249] Optionally, the second message indicates N random access opportunities, and the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N; the transceiver 1805 is also used to receive first data from a first terminal device using the second access technology in a first random access opportunity among the N random access opportunities, and the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; the transceiver 1805 is also used to send a fourth message using the second access technology, and the fourth message is used to trigger the next random access opportunity; the transceiver 1805 is also used to receive second data from a second terminal device using the second access technology in a second random access opportunity after the first random access opportunity, wherein the second terminal device is one of the M terminal devices, and the second random access opportunity is one of the N random access opportunities; the transceiver 1805 is also used to send a third message to the second network device using the first access technology, and the third message includes the first data and / or the second data, and the third message also includes the first information.

[0250] Optionally, the first message also includes second information, wherein the second information indicates a first service type among the service types of the second access technology, and the processor 1801 is used to determine the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device based on the first service type; the use of the second access technology to send the fourth message includes: sending the fourth message after completing the data transmission of the number of interactions.

[0251] Optionally, the first information is one of the following: the terminal type of the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the second access technology, the service type of the second access technology, the service identifier of the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

[0252] Optionally, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0253] When the communication device is applied to the second network device:

[0254] The transceiver 1805 can complete the sending action in S401, the receiving action before S401, and the receiving action in S404 of the above embodiment. The processor 1801 can complete the processing action in S404.

[0255] Transceiver 1805 is used to send a first message to a first network device using a first access technology, where the first message is used to page a first terminal device, and the first message includes first information, where the first information indicates a second access technology; transceiver 1805 is also used to send a second message using the first information to indicate that the first network device uses the second access technology, where the second message is used to page the first terminal device.

[0256] Optionally, the transceiver 1805 is further used to receive a third message from the first network device using the first access technology, where the third message includes first data and the first information; and the processor 1801 is used to process the first data using the second access technology.

[0257] Optionally, the first message also includes second information, and the second information indicates a first service type among the service types of the second access technology. The method also includes: the processor 1801 is used to indicate the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device through the first service type.

[0258] Optionally, the first information is one of the following: the terminal type of the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the second access technology, the service type of the second access technology, the service identifier of the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

[0259] Optionally, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0260] When the communication device is applied to the first network device:

[0261] The transceiver 1805 can complete the sending action in S1001, the receiving action in S1002, the sending action in S1003, and the receiving action in S1004 in the above embodiment.

[0262] Transceiver 1805 is used to receive first data from a terminal device; transceiver 1805 is also used to send a second message to a second network device using the first access technology when the first data is received using the second access technology, the second message including the first data and first information, and the first information indicating the second access technology.

[0263] Optionally, before receiving the first data from the terminal device, the transceiver 1805 is further used to send a first message using the second access technology, where the first message is used to configure parameters for random access of the terminal device.

[0264] Optionally, the transceiver 1805 is further used to receive a response message from the second network device using the first access technology, where the response message includes the first information.

[0265] Optionally, the first information is one of the following: the terminal type of the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the second access technology, the service type of the second access technology, the service identifier of the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

[0266] Optionally, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0267] When the communication device is applied to the second network device:

[0268] The transceiver 1805 can complete the receiving action in S1003 and the sending action in S1004 of the above embodiment. The processor 1801 can complete the processing action in S1003.

[0269] The transceiver 1805 is used to receive a second message from the first network device using the first access technology, where the second message includes first data and first information, and the first information indicates the second access technology; the processor 1801 is used to process the first data using the second access technology.

[0270] Optionally, the transceiver 1805 is further used to send a response message to the first network device using the first access technology, and the response message includes the first information.

[0271] Optionally, the first information is one of the following: the terminal type of the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the second access technology, the service type of the second access technology, the service identifier of the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

[0272] Optionally, the first access technology is the new radio NR technology; the second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

[0273] In another possible design, the processor 1801 may include a transceiver for implementing the receiving and sending functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and sending functions may be separate or integrated. The above-mentioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the above-mentioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0274] In another possible design, optionally, the processor 1801 may store an instruction 1803, and the instruction 1803 runs on the processor 1801, so that the communication device 1800 can execute the method described in the above method embodiment. The instruction 1803 may be solidified in the processor 1801, in which case the processor 1801 may be implemented by hardware.

[0275] In another possible design, the communication device 1800 may include a circuit that can implement the function of sending or receiving or communicating the first network device or the second network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processor and transceiver described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an integrated circuit (integrated circuit, IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC, a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a printed circuit board (printed circuit board, PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (complementary metal oxide semiconductor, CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMetal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (Bipolar Junction Transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0276] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a first network device or a first terminal device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited thereto. Fig.13 The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0277] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0278] (2) having a set of one or more ICs, and optionally, the IC set may also include a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0279] (3) ASIC, such as modem (MSM);

[0280] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0281] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

[0282] (6)Others

[0283] For the case where the communication device may be a chip or a chip system, see Fig.14 Schematic diagram of the chip structure shown. Fig.14 The chip 1900 shown includes a processor 1901 and an interface 1902. Optionally, it may also include a memory 1903. The number of the processors 1901 may be one or more, and the number of the interfaces 1902 may be multiple.

[0284] For the case where the chip is used to implement the functions of the first network device or the second network device in the embodiment of the present application:

[0285] The interface 1902 is used to receive or output signals;

[0286] The processor 1901 is used to execute data processing operations of the first network device or the second network device.

[0287] It is understandable that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects, or may be combined with other features according to needs in certain scenarios. Accordingly, the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0288] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0289] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0290] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the functions of any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0291] The present application also provides a computer program product including instructions, and when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the computer implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0292] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0293] The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the specification, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0294] In the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0295] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network device or a device in the first network device, and the method includes: Receiving a first message from a second network device using a first access technology, where the first message is used for paging and includes first information, where the first information indicates a second access technology; The second access technology is used to send a second message, where the second message is used to page the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second message indicates N random access opportunities, where the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N; The method further comprises: In a first random access opportunity among the N random access opportunities, using the second access technology to receive first data from a first terminal device, where the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; Sending a third message to the second network device using the first access technology, where the third message includes the first data and the first information; A fourth message is sent using the second access technology, where the fourth message is used to trigger a next random access opportunity.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second message indicates N random access opportunities, where the N random access opportunities are used for access of M terminal devices, where N and M are positive integers, and M is less than or equal to N; The method further comprises: In a first random access opportunity among the N random access opportunities, using the second access technology to receive first data from a first terminal device, where the first terminal device is one of the M terminal devices; Using the second access technology to send a fourth message, where the fourth message is used to trigger a next random access opportunity; In a second random access opportunity after the first random access opportunity, using the second access technology to receive second data from a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is one of the M terminal devices, and the second random access opportunity is one of the N random access opportunities; A third message is sent to the second network device using the first access technology, wherein the third message includes the first data and / or the second data, and the third message also includes the first information.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first message further includes second information, where the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology, and the method further includes: Determining the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device according to the first service type; The sending of the fourth message by using the second access technology includes: sending the fourth message after completing the data transmission of the number of interactions.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first information is one of the following: The terminal type of the terminal using the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the terminal using the second access technology, the service type of the service using the second access technology, the service identifier of the service using the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that include: The first access technology is the new radio NR technology; The second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second network device or a device in the second network device, and the method includes: Sending a first message to a first network device using a first access technology, where the first message is used to page a first terminal device, the first message includes first information, and the first information indicates a second access technology; The first information is used to instruct the first network device to send a second message using the second access technology, and the second message is used to page the first terminal device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving a third message from the first network device using the first access technology, wherein the third message includes first data and the first information; The first data is processed using the second access technology.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first message further includes second information, where the second information indicates a first service type among service types of services using the second access technology, and the method further includes: The first service type indicates the number of interactions for data interaction with the terminal device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The first information is one of the following: The terminal type of the terminal using the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the terminal using the second access technology, the service type of the service using the second access technology, the service identifier of the service using the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that: include: The first access technology is the new radio NR technology; The second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network device or a device in the first network device, and the method includes: receiving first data from a terminal device; In the case where the first data is received using a second access technology, a second message is sent to a second network device using the first access technology, the second message includes the first data and first information, and the first information indicates the second access technology.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that Before receiving the first data from the terminal device, the method further includes: The first message is sent using the second access technology, and the first message is used to configure parameters for random access of the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: A response message from the second network device is received using the first access technology, where the response message includes the first information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: The first information is one of the following: The terminal type of the terminal using the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the terminal using the second access technology, the service type of the service using the second access technology, the service identifier of the service using the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that: include: The first access technology is the new radio NR technology; The second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second network device or a device in the second network device, and the method includes: Receiving a second message from a first network device using a first access technology, wherein the second message includes first data and first information, and the first information indicates a second access technology; The first data is processed using the second access technology.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: A response message is sent to the first network device using the first access technology, where the response message includes the first information.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first information is one of the following: The terminal type of the terminal using the second access technology, the terminal identifier of the terminal using the second access technology, the service type of the service using the second access technology, the service identifier of the service using the second access technology, and the identifier of the second access technology.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that include: The first access technology is the new radio NR technology; The second access technology is an access technology used for the Internet of Things.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or comprises a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 16.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, or a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 17 to 20.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a processor, the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, or the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, or the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 17 to 20.

24. A chip, characterized in that: The invention comprises a processor and an interface, wherein the processor and the interface are coupled; the interface is used to receive or output signals, and the processor is used to execute code instructions so that the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 12 to 16 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 7 to 11 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 17 to 20 is executed.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when called by the computer, enable the computer to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method described in any one of claims 12 to 16, or the method described in any one of claims 7 to 11, or the method described in any one of claims 17 to 20.

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