Paging method, paging device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a paging method, a paging device, electronic equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method comprises the following steps: first relay user equipment UE receives a radio network temporary identifier I-RNTI of a far-end UE in an inactive state sent by the far-end UE through second relay UE, and forwards the I-RNTI to a radio access network node; the method comprises the following steps: when remote UE (User Equipment) is in a radio resource control inactive RRCINACTIVE state, receiving a paging message carrying I-RNTI (Identity-Radio Network Temporary Identity) sent by a radio access network node; and forwarding the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI. According to the method, the paging process of the remote UE in a multi-hop relay scene is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and in particular to a paging method, a paging device, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project) introduced NR (New Radio) sidelink (direct link) technology in R16 version, mainly to realize V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) related services. On this basis, in order to further expand the coverage of the network and sidelink and improve power efficiency, 3GPP conducted research on relay technology based on NR sidelink in R17, and introduced U2N Relay (UE-to-Network Relay) technology. The remote UE (User Equipment) can communicate with the base station through the relay UE. In order to further expand network coverage, 3GPP will discuss the technical solutions involved in multi-hop U2N in R19.

[0003] Paging of end users has always been a research focus of wireless access networks. The research of existing technologies is still limited to the design of paging processes in single-hop U2N scenarios. Considering the future evolution of 3GPP standardization and the commercial value and market application prospects of multi-hop scenarios, it is very necessary to design paging processes in multi-hop U2N scenarios.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a paging method, a paging device, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium, and design a paging process of a remote UE in a multi-hop relay scenario.

[0006] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a paging method is provided, which is applied to a first relay user equipment UE, and the method includes: receiving an inactive radio network temporary identifier I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE via a second relay UE, and forwarding the I-RNTI to a radio access network node; when the remote UE is in a radio resource control inactive RRC_INACTIVE state, receiving a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node; and forwarding the paging message to the remote UE via the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of the second relay UEs is one or more; wherein the I-RNTI is forwarded to the first relay UE hop by hop by one or more second relay UEs in an order from lower level to higher level of the one or more second relay UEs; and the paging message is forwarded to the remote UE hop by hop by one or more second relay UEs in an order from upper level to lower level of the one or more second relay UEs.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the remote UE is in a radio resource control inactive RRC_INACTIVE state, receiving a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node includes: when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state, monitoring the paging initiated by the wireless access network node to the remote UE; if monitoring the paging initiated by the wireless access network node to the remote UE, receiving the paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first relay UE is in a radio resource control connection RRC_CONNECTED state, and the method further includes: receiving a first RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node; wherein the first RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging of the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, forwarding the paging message to the remote UE via the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI includes: forwarding the first RRC dedicated signaling to the remote UE hop by hop via the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method also includes: if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, obtaining a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI; and suspending paging monitoring of the remote UE based on the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, obtaining a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI includes: if the link between the remote UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, receiving the link failure message sent hop by hop by the second relay UE with the disconnected link; if the link between the first relay UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, generating a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after receiving the inactive wireless network temporary identifier I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE via the second relay UE, the method further includes: saving the relationship between the I-RNTI and the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE; wherein the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE is the second relay UE that forwards the I-RNTI to the first relay UE.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target relay UE among the one or more second relay UEs is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, and the target relay UE can receive the second RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node, and the second RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging of the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a paging method is provided, which is applied to a remote UE, and the method includes: sending the I-RNTI of the remote UE to a first relay UE through a second relay UE, so that the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to a wireless access network node; when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state, receiving a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the first relay UE through the second relay UE; wherein the paging message is sent by the wireless access network node to the first relay UE.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method also includes: if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, receiving a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI; and discovering and selecting the relay UE based on the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a paging method is provided, which is applied to a wireless access network node, and the method includes: receiving an I-RNTI of a remote UE sent by the remote UE via a second relay UE and a first relay UE; when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state, sending a paging message carrying the I-RNTI to the first relay UE, so that the first relay UE sends the paging message to the remote UE via the second relay UE.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a paging device is provided, which is applied to a first relay UE, and the device includes: a first identification receiving unit, configured to receive the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE; an identification forwarding unit, configured to forward the I-RNTI to a wireless access network node; a first message receiving unit, configured to receive a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state; and a message forwarding unit, configured to forward the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a paging device is provided, which is applied to a remote UE, and the device includes: an identification sending unit, configured to send the I-RNTI of the remote UE to a first relay UE through a second relay UE, so that the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to a wireless access network node; a second message receiving unit, configured to receive a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the first relay UE through the second relay UE when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state; wherein the paging message is sent by the wireless access network node to the first relay UE.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a paging device is provided, which is applied to a wireless access network node, and the device includes: a second identification receiving unit, configured to receive the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through a second relay UE and a first relay UE; a message sending unit, configured to send a paging message carrying the I-RNTI to the first relay UE when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state, so that the first relay UE sends the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a storage device configured to store one or more programs, wherein when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the paging method as described in the above embodiments.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the paging method as described in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0024] In the paging method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first relay UE and the second relay UE can help the remote UE access the wireless access network node to obtain services, the remote UE sends its own I-RNTI to the second relay UE, and the second relay UE and the first relay UE forward the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node, and then when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the wireless access network node sends a paging message carrying the I-RNTI to the first relay UE, and the first relay UE and the second relay UE forward the paging message to the remote UE according to the I-RNTI, and finally the remote UE responds to the paging message to complete the paging process. It can be seen that the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a paging process for the remote UE in a multi-hop relay scenario.

[0025] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The drawings herein are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the description are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure, and do not constitute improper limitations on the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 2 A flow chart of a paging method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 3 A flow chart of a paging method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 4 A flow chart of a paging method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 5 A RAN paging flow chart when a remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 6 A RAN paging cancellation flow chart when a remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a paging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0034] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a paging device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0035] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a paging device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0036] Fig.10 A structural block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0038] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar parts, and their repeated description will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0039] It should be noted that the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects, and the descriptions of "first" and "second" do not limit the objects to be different.

[0040] The research of the prior art is still limited to the design of the paging process of the single-hop U2N scenario. Considering the future evolution of 3GPP standardization and the commercial value and market application prospects of the multi-hop scenario, it is very necessary to design the paging process of the multi-hop U2N scenario. To this end, the present disclosure designs the process of the base station paging the remote UE through the multi-relay UE and the process of paging cancellation for the multi-hop U2N scenario.

[0041] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a network architecture of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture includes a remote UE 101 , a relay UE1 102 , a relay UE2 103 , a relay UE3 104 , a base station 105 and a network 106 .

[0042] Figure 1 In the network architecture shown, the remote UE 101 can access the base station 105 for communication through the relay UE1 102, the relay UE2 103 and the relay UE3 104, and then access the network 106 through the base station 105. Among them, the last hop relay UE3 104 connected to the base station 105 can be called a gateway relay UE, and the relay UE1 102 and the relay UE2 103 are called intermediate relay UEs.

[0043] The remote UE 101 and the relay UE1 102 communicate via the PC5 interface (direct communication interface), the relay UE1 102 and the relay UE2 103 communicate via the PC5 interface, and the relay UE2 103 and the relay UE3 104 communicate via the PC5 interface; the wireless communication link between the remote UE 101 and the relay UE1 102, the wireless communication link between the relay UE1 102 and the relay UE2 103, and the wireless communication link between the relay UE2 103 and the relay UE3 104 are called PC5 links.

[0044] The relay UE3 104 and the base station 105 perform wireless communication via a Uu interface (cellular network communication interface), and the wireless communication link between the relay UE3 104 and the base station 105 may be referred to as a Uu link.

[0045] Among them, the remote UE 101, relay UE1 102, relay UE2 103 and relay UE3 104 in the system architecture can be various electronic devices, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed in the air, etc. Optionally, the client of the application installed in different UEs is the same, or the client of the same type of application based on different operating systems. Based on different terminal platforms, the specific form of the client of the application can also be different, for example, the application client can be a mobile client, a computer client, etc.

[0046] The base station 105 can provide wireless communication functions for the UE, such as a 4G base station, a 5G base station (gNB) or a base station of a later version of 5G. The network 106 includes various network entities of the access network or the core network, including but not limited to AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element, SMF (Session Management Function) network element, UDM (Unified Data Management) network element, UPF (User Plane Function) network element and PCF (Policy Control Function) network element, etc. It should be noted that the specific types of various network entities included in the network 106 are not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of remote UEs, the number of relay UEs, and the data of base stations are only illustrative, and any number of remote UEs, relay UEs, and base stations may be provided according to implementation requirements.

[0048] The paging method of the embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0049] Figure 2 A flow chart of a paging method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The paging method provided in the embodiment may be executed by the first relay UE. The first relay UE is the last hop relay UE connected to the wireless access network node (eg, base station), for example Figure 1 Relay UE3 104 is shown.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the paging method specifically includes the following steps S210 to S230.

[0051] Step S210: receiving an I-RNTI (Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier) ​​of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE, and forwarding the I-RNTI to the radio access network node.

[0052] The first relay UE and the second relay UE can help the remote UE access the wireless access network node to obtain services. The first relay UE is the last hop relay UE connected to the wireless access network node, and the first relay UE can be called a gateway relay UE; the second relay UE is a relay UE other than the first relay UE, and the second relay UE can be called an intermediate relay UE.

[0053] A radio access network node can be considered as a node device that provides wireless communication functions for UE. It can be called a network device or a radio access device, such as a 4G base station, a 5G base station (gNB) or a base station of a later version of 5G, such as a base station controller, a base station transceiver, a mobile switching center, etc.

[0054] I-RNTI can be used to mark the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state (i.e., radio resource control inactive state). The paging of the terminal user is divided into RAN (radio access network) Paging (i.e., paging initiated by RAN) and CN (core network) Paging (i.e., paging initiated by CN). RAN Paging has a smaller signaling overhead than CN Paging, so the design of the RAN Paging process is very important. Based on this, the paging method in the embodiment of the present disclosure is aimed at the RAN paging scenario, so the parameter I-RNTI is used for paging.

[0055] In step S210, the remote UE may send its own I-RNTI to the first relay UE, which forwards the remote UE's I-RNTI to the second relay UE, and further forwards the remote UE's I-RNTI to the wireless access network node through the second relay UE.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of the second relay UE is one or more, and the I-RNTI is forwarded to the first relay UE hop by hop by the one or more second relay UEs in the order of the one or more second relay UEs from lower level to higher level. Further, after receiving the I-RNTI of the remote UE, the second relay UE can record the I-RNTI of the remote UE in the UE context.

[0057] The first relay UE and the second relay UE can help the remote UE to connect to the wireless access network node to obtain services. The number of the second relay UE is one or more, and the first relay UE and the second relay UE are in a superior-subordinate order.

[0058] Specifically, the first relay UE directly connected to the wireless access network node can be set as the highest relay UE, and the second relay UE directly connected to the remote UE can be set as the lowest relay UE. Among other second relay UEs, the more hops the second relay UE needs to connect to the remote UE, the higher the level of the second relay UE. After receiving the I-RNTI of the remote UE, each second relay UE can forward the I-RNTI to its upper relay UE, and after receiving the I-RNTI of the remote UE, the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node.

[0059] by Figure 1 The architecture is used as an example for explanation, relay UE1 102 and relay UE2 103 are the second relay UE, and relay UE3 104 is the first relay UE. Relay UE1 102 is a relay UE directly connected to the remote UE, so relay UE1 102 is the lowest relay UE, and relay UE3 104 is a relay UE directly connected to the base station 105, so relay UE3 104 is the highest relay UE, so the order of relay UEs from lower to upper is: relay UE1 102, relay UE2 103, relay UE3 104.

[0060] The remote UE 101 sends its I-RNTI to the relay UE1 102, the relay UE1 102 records the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 in the context, and sends the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 to the relay UE2 103; then, the relay UE2 103 records the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 in the context, and sends the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 to the relay UE3 104; finally, the relay UE3 104 sends the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 to the base station 105.

[0061] In the disclosed embodiment, the first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs can help the remote UE access the wireless network access point to provide services. There is a superior-subordinate relationship between the first relay UE and the one or more second relay UEs. The remote UE can first send its own I-RNTI to the second relay UE at the lowest level, and then forward the I-RNTI hop by hop to the first relay UE according to the superior-subordinate relationship, and the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node. In this way, the remote UE can transmit the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node through the first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs, so that the wireless access network node can initiate paging to the remote UE through the I-RNTI.

[0062] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after receiving the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE via the second relay UE, the relationship between the I-RNTI and the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE is saved, wherein the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE is the second relay UE that forwards the I-RNTI to the first relay UE.

[0063] After the first relay UE receives the I-RNTI of the remote UE, it records the relationship between the I-RNTI and the second relay UE to which it forwards the I-RNTI. In this way, after receiving the paging message carrying the I-RNTI, the paging message can be forwarded to the corresponding second relay UE for hop-by-hop transmission to the remote UE.

[0064] by Figure 1 Taking the architecture as an example, after the relay UE3 104 receives the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 forwarded by the relay UE2 103, it can record the relationship between the I-RNTI and the relay UE2 103, so that after receiving the paging message carrying the I-RNTI, the paging message can be forwarded to the relay UE2 103, and then transmitted to the remote UE 101 hop by hop.

[0065] Step S220: When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node is received.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, receiving a paging message carrying I-RNTI sent by a wireless access network node may include: when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, monitoring paging initiated by the wireless access network node to the remote UE; if paging initiated by the wireless access network node to the remote UE is monitored, receiving a paging message carrying I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node.

[0067] When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the first relay UE continuously monitors the PO (paging occasion) message. When downlink data arrives, the wireless access network node is triggered to perform RAN Paging on the remote UE. The first relay UE receives the paging message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the wireless access network node.

[0068] by Figure 1Taking the architecture as an example, when the remote UE 101 is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the relay UE3 104 continuously monitors the PO message. When downlink data arrives, the base station 105 is triggered to perform RAN Paging for the remote UE 101. The relay UE3 104 receives the paging message sent by the base station 105 and carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101.

[0069] Step S230: forwarding the paging message to the remote UE via the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0070] After receiving the paging message carrying the I-RNTI, the first relay UE forwards the paging message to the second relay UE, and the second relay UE forwards the paging message to the remote UE, so that the remote UE responds to the paging message and completes the paging process.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the paging message is forwarded to the remote UE hop by hop by one or more second relay UEs in the order of the one or more second relay UEs from upper level to lower level.

[0072] As described above, the number of second relay UEs is one or more, and there is a superior-subordinate relationship between the first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs. Specifically, the first relay UE directly connected to the wireless access network node can be set as the highest relay UE, and the second relay UE directly connected to the remote UE can be set as the lowest relay UE. Among other second relay UEs, the more hops the second relay UE needs to connect to the remote UE, the higher the level of the second relay UE.

[0073] After receiving the paging message carrying I-RNTI, the first relay UE can forward the paging message to its next-level relay UE, that is, the second relay UE directly connected to the first relay UE. The second relay UE then forwards the paging message to its next-level second relay UE, and continues to forward the paging message in the order of relay UE from superior to subordinate until the paging message is forwarded to the lowest-level second relay UE, that is, the second relay UE directly connected to the remote UE. The lowest-level second relay UE forwards the paging message to the remote UE, and the remote UE responds to the paging message to complete the paging process.

[0074] by Figure 1Taking the architecture as an example, the order of relay UEs from the upper level to the lower level is: relay UE3 104, relay UE2 103, relay UE1 102. After relay UE3 104 receives the paging message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 sent by the base station 105, it forwards the paging message to its next-level relay UE, that is, relay UE2 103, and then relay UE2 103 forwards the paging message to its next-level relay UE, that is, relay UE1 102, and then relay UE1 102 forwards the paging message to the remote UE 101, and the remote UE 101 responds to the paging message.

[0075] In the disclosed embodiment, the first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs can help the remote UE access the wireless network access point to provide services. There is a superior-subordinate relationship between the first relay UE and the one or more second relay UEs. The wireless access network node can first send a paging message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE at the top level, and then forward the paging message hop by hop to the second relay UE at the bottom level according to the superior-subordinate relationship, that is, the second relay UE directly connected to the remote UE, and the second relay UE at the bottom level forwards the paging message to the remote UE. In this way, the wireless access network node can transmit the paging message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the remote UE through the first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs, so that the remote UE can respond to the paging message and complete the paging process.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state (i.e., the radio resource control connected state), the first relay UE receives the first RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node; wherein the first RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging of the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0077] As explained above, the paging process can be completed by monitoring the PO message. When the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, in addition to completing the paging process by monitoring the PO message, the paging process can also be completed through RRC dedicated signaling. Specifically, when the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the first relay UE receives the first RRC dedicated signaling sent by the wireless access network node and carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE. The first RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0078] Further, forwarding the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI may include: forwarding the first RRC dedicated signaling to the remote UE hop by hop through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0079] When the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, after receiving the first RRC dedicated signaling from the wireless access network node, the first relay UE can forward the first RRC dedicated signaling to the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI carried in the signaling, and then forward the first RRC dedicated signaling to the remote UE hop by hop through the second relay UE, and then the remote UE responds to the first RRC dedicated signaling to complete the paging process.

[0080] by Figure 1 Taking the architecture as an example, when the relay UE3 104 is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the relay UE3 104 receives the first RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 from the base station 105, wherein the first RRC dedicated signaling is used to page the remote UE 101. The relay UE3 104 forwards the first RRC dedicated signaling to its next-level relay UE, i.e., the relay UE2 103, and then the relay UE2 103 forwards the first RRC dedicated signaling to its next-level relay UE, i.e., the relay UE1 102, and then the relay UE1 102 forwards the first RRC dedicated signaling to the remote UE 101, and the remote UE 101 responds to the first RRC dedicated signaling to complete the paging process.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the first relay UE is triggered to page the remote UE in the following manner: the first relay UE monitors the PO message from the wireless access network node; the first relay UE receives the RRC dedicated signaling from the wireless access network node, and the RRC dedicated signaling is used to inform the first relay UE to page the remote UE. Further, when the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, it can select PO message monitoring or complete the paging process through RRC dedicated signaling according to the network configuration.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a target relay UE among one or more second relay UEs is in an RRC_CONNECTED state, and the target relay UE can receive a second RRC dedicated signaling carrying an I-RNTI sent by a wireless access network node, and the second RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging of a remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0083] The target relay UE is a relay UE in one or more second relay UEs. When the target relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the target relay UE can receive a second RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE from the wireless access network node, and page the remote UE through the second RRC dedicated signaling. In this case, the target relay UE can be regarded as a new first relay UE, that is, a new gateway relay UE.

[0084] Specifically, after the target relay UE receives the second RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE from the wireless access network node, it can forward the second RRC dedicated signaling to its next-level second relay UE according to the I-RNTI, and then the next-level second relay UE continues to forward the second RRC dedicated signaling to its next-level second relay UE according to the I-RNTI until the second RRC dedicated signaling is forwarded to the remote UE, and the remote UE responds to the second RRC dedicated signaling to complete the paging process.

[0085] by Figure 1 Taking the architecture as an example, when the relay UE2 103 is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the relay UE2 103 receives the second RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE 101 from the base station 105, wherein the second RRC dedicated signaling is used to paging the remote UE 101. The relay UE2 103 forwards the second RRC dedicated signaling to its next-level relay UE, that is, the relay UE1 102, and then the relay UE1 102 forwards the second RRC dedicated signaling to the remote UE 101, and the remote UE 101 responds to the second RRC dedicated signaling to complete the paging process.

[0086] In the disclosed embodiment, when the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, in addition to completing the paging process by monitoring the PO message, the paging process can also be completed through RRC dedicated signaling, providing a variety of feasible and practical RAN paging implementation methods; and, when the target relay UE in one or more second relay UEs is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, RRC dedicated signaling can be sent directly to the target relay UE. In this case, the target relay UE can be regarded as a new first relay UE, and the remote UE is subsequently paged through the received RRC dedicated signaling.

[0087] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, a link failure message carrying I-RNTI is obtained; and according to the link failure message carrying I-RNTI, paging monitoring of the remote UE is suspended.

[0088] In the disclosed embodiment, a remote UE may access a wireless access network node through a first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs for communication. The first relay UE is a relay UE of the last hop connected to the wireless access network node, and the first relay UE may be referred to as a gateway relay UE; the second relay UE is a relay UE other than the first relay UE, and the second relay UE may be referred to as an intermediate relay UE.

[0089] Among them, the first relay UE and the wireless access network node communicate wirelessly through the Uu interface, and the wireless communication link between the first relay UE and the wireless access network node can be called a Uu link; the remote UE, one or more second relay UEs, and the first relay communicate through the PC5 interface, and the link between the remote UE, one or more second relay UEs, and the first relay is called a PC5 link.

[0090] If any one or more links between the remote UE and the first relay UE are disconnected, the first relay UE may receive a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI, and then suspend paging monitoring of the remote UE according to the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

[0091] Furthermore, if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, obtaining a link failure message carrying I-RNTI may include: if the link between the remote UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, receiving a link failure message sent hop by hop by the second relay UE whose link is disconnected; if the link between the first relay UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, generating a link failure message carrying I-RNTI.

[0092] Among them, the link disconnection between the remote UE and the second relay UE refers to the disconnection of any one or more links between the remote UE and the second relay UE at the highest level. The first relay UE can receive the link failure message sent hop by hop by the second relay UE at the highest level where the link disconnection occurs.

[0093] by Figure 1 Taking the architecture as an example, if the link between the remote UE 101 and the relay UE1 102 is disconnected, the second relay UE at the highest level that sends the link disconnection is the relay UE1 102, so the relay UE1 102 sends a link failure message to the relay UE2 103, and then the relay UE2 103 sends the link failure message to the relay UE3 104, so that the relay UE3 104 can suspend the paging monitoring of the remote UE 101. If the link between the remote UE 101 and the relay UE1 102 is disconnected, and the link between the relay UE1 102 and the relay UE2 103 is disconnected, the second relay UE at the highest level that has the link disconnection is the relay UE2 103, so the relay UE2 103 sends a link failure message to the relay UE3 104.

[0094] If the link between the first relay UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, the first relay UE may generate a link failure message, and then suspend paging monitoring of the remote UE according to the link failure message.

[0095] by Figure 1Taking the architecture as an example, if the link between relay UE2 103 and relay UE3 104 is disconnected, relay UE3 104 can generate a link failure message and suspend paging monitoring of remote UE 101 according to the link failure message.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, the first relay UE can obtain a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE, and then suspend paging monitoring of the remote UE based on the link failure message, thereby proposing a paging cancellation process for the remote UE.

[0097] Figure 3 A flow chart of a paging method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 The paging method provided in the embodiment may be executed by a remote UE, for example Figure 1 The remote UE 101 in Figure 3 As shown, the paging method specifically includes the following steps S310 to S320.

[0098] Step S310: sending the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE through the second relay UE, so that the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to the radio access network node.

[0099] Step S320: When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI is received from the first relay UE via the second relay UE, wherein the paging message is sent by the radio access network node to the first relay UE.

[0100] In the disclosed embodiment, a remote UE may access a wireless access network node through a first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs for communication. The first relay UE is a relay UE of the last hop connected to the wireless access network node, and the first relay UE may be referred to as a gateway relay UE; the second relay UE is a relay UE other than the first relay UE, and the second relay UE may be referred to as an intermediate relay UE.

[0101] The remote UE can send its own I-RNTI to the second relay UE, and then the second relay UE forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE, and then the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the radio access network node. Based on this, when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the radio access network node can send a paging message carrying I-RNTI to the first relay UE, and then the first relay UE forwards the paging message to the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI, and then the second relay UE forwards the paging message to the remote UE according to the I-RNTI, and then the remote UE can respond to the paging message to complete the paging process.

[0102] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, a link failure message carrying I-RNTI is received; and the relay UE is discovered and selected based on the link failure message carrying I-RNTI.

[0103] If any one or more links between the remote UE and the first relay UE are disconnected, the remote UE may receive a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI, and then discover and select the relay UE based on the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

[0104] If the UE whose link is disconnected includes a remote UE, the remote UE may directly generate a link failure message. Figure 1 Taking the architecture as an example, if the link between the remote UE 101 and the relay UE1 102 is disconnected, the remote UE 101 can directly generate a link failure message and then rediscover and select the relay UE.

[0105] If the UE whose link is disconnected does not include the remote UE, the second relay UE at the lowest level where the link is disconnected generates a link failure message and forwards the link failure message to the remote UE hop by hop. Figure 1 Taking the architecture as an example, if the link between relay UE2 103 and relay UE3 104 is disconnected, relay UE2 103 can generate a link failure message and forward the link failure message to relay UE1 102, which forwards the link failure message to remote UE 101, and then remote UE 101 rediscovers and selects the relay UE.

[0106] It should be noted that the above text has detailed the hop-by-hop forwarding of I-RNTI and paging messages. When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the first relay UE implements paging of the remote UE by monitoring the PO message. When the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the paging of the remote UE can be implemented through RRC dedicated signaling. When the target relay UE in one or more second relay UEs is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the paging of the remote UE can be implemented through RRC dedicated signaling, and the paging cancellation when the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected will not be repeated here.

[0107] Figure 4 A flow chart of a paging method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 The paging method provided in the embodiment may be executed by a wireless access network node, for example Figure 1 The base station 105 in FIG. Figure 4As shown, the paging method specifically includes the following steps S410 to S420.

[0108] Step S410: receiving an I-RNTI of a remote UE sent by the remote UE via a second relay UE and a first relay UE.

[0109] Step S420: When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI is sent to the first relay UE, so that the first relay UE sends the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

[0110] In the disclosed embodiment, a remote UE may access a wireless access network node through a first relay UE and one or more second relay UEs for communication. The first relay UE is a relay UE of the last hop connected to the wireless access network node, and the first relay UE may be referred to as a gateway relay UE; the second relay UE is a relay UE other than the first relay UE, and the second relay UE may be referred to as an intermediate relay UE.

[0111] The remote UE can send its own I-RNTI to the second relay UE, and then the second relay UE forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE, and then the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the radio access network node. Based on this, when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the radio access network node can send a paging message carrying I-RNTI to the first relay UE, and then the first relay UE forwards the paging message to the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI, and then the second relay UE forwards the paging message to the remote UE according to the I-RNTI, and then the remote UE can respond to the paging message to complete the paging process.

[0112] It should be noted that the above text has detailed the hop-by-hop forwarding of I-RNTI and paging messages. When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the first relay UE implements paging of the remote UE by monitoring the PO message. When the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the paging of the remote UE can be implemented through RRC dedicated signaling. When the target relay UE in one or more second relay UEs is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the paging of the remote UE can be implemented through RRC dedicated signaling, and the paging cancellation when the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected will not be repeated here.

[0113] Specific embodiments are listed below to illustrate the paging method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5 A RAN paging flow chart when a remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6A flowchart of RAN paging cancellation when a remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0114] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The interactive process between the remote UE, relay UE 1, relay UE 2, relay UE 3 and the base station is shown. Among them, relay UE 1 and relay UE 2 are the second relay UE, that is, the intermediate relay UE; relay UE 3 is the first relay UE, that is, the gateway relay UE; the base station is a wireless access network node; and relay UE 1 is the lowest level relay UE, and relay UE 3 is the highest level relay UE. It should be noted that Figure 5 and Figure 6 The number of relay UEs in the embodiment is only exemplary.

[0115] like Figure 5 As shown, the RAN paging process when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state may include the following steps.

[0116] Step S501: The remote UE sends its own I-RNTI to the relay UE1.

[0117] Step S502: the relay UE1 records the I-RNTI of the remote UE in the context.

[0118] Step S503, relay UE1 forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the upper-level relay UE, ie, relay UE2.

[0119] Step S504: Relay UE2 records the I-RNTI of the remote UE in the context.

[0120] Step S505, relay UE2 forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the upper-level relay UE, ie, relay UE3.

[0121] Step S506, relay UE3 is a gateway relay UE, so relay UE3 records the relationship between the I-RNTI of the remote UE and relay UE2 (ie, the relay UE at the next level).

[0122] Step S507: Relay UE3 forwards the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the base station.

[0123] Step S508: When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the relay UE3 continuously monitors the PO message, and when downlink data arrives, the base station is triggered to perform RAN Paging.

[0124] Step S509, the base station sends a paging message carrying the remote I-RNTI to the relay UE3, that is, the base station carries the remote I-RNTI for Paging;

[0125] Step S510: the relay UE3 monitors the PO message to the remote UE and triggers the return of the paging message.

[0126] Step S511, the relay UE3 transmits the paging message hop by hop to the remote UE according to the I-RNTI, and the remote UE responds to the paging message.

[0127] Specifically, relay UE3 forwards the paging message to relay UE2 according to I-RNTI, and then relay UE2 forwards the paging message to relay UE1 according to I-RNTI, and then relay UE1 forwards the paging message to the remote UE according to I-RNTI, and the remote UE responds to the paging message to complete the paging process.

[0128] In the paging method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the remote UE can be helped by the first relay UE and the second relay UE to access the wireless access network node to obtain services, the remote UE sends its own I-RNTI to the second relay UE, and the second relay UE and the first relay UE forward the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node, and then when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the wireless access network node sends a paging message carrying the I-RNTI to the first relay UE, and the first relay UE and the second relay UE forward the paging message to the remote UE according to the I-RNTI, and finally the remote UE responds to the paging message to complete the paging process. It can be seen that the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a paging process for the remote UE in a multi-hop relay scenario.

[0129] like Figure 6 As shown, the RAN paging cancellation process when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state may include the following steps.

[0130] Step S601: when any one or more links between the remote UE and the relay UE3 are disconnected, the relay UE3 may obtain a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE.

[0131] Specifically, when any one or more links between the remote UE and the relay UE3 are disconnected, the top-level relay UE where the link is disconnected can generate a link failure message. If the top-level relay UE where the link is disconnected is the relay UE3, then the relay UE3 can generate a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE. If the top-level relay UE where the link is disconnected is not the relay UE3, then the relay UE can generate a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE, and send the link failure message to the relay UE3 hop by hop.

[0132] Step S602: After the relay UE3 obtains the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE, it suspends monitoring of the PO message of this I-RNTI.

[0133] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, the first relay UE can obtain a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI of the remote UE, and then suspend paging monitoring of the remote UE based on the link failure message, thereby proposing a paging cancellation process for the remote UE.

[0134] Figure 7 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a paging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 As shown, the paging device 700 is applied to a first relay UE and may include a first identification receiving unit 710 , an identification forwarding unit 720 , a first message receiving unit 730 and a message forwarding unit 740 .

[0135] Among them, the first identification receiving unit 710 is configured to receive the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE; the identification forwarding unit 720 is configured to forward the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node; the first message receiving unit 730 is configured to receive the paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; the message forwarding unit 740 is configured to forward the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0136] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of the second relay UE is one or more. The I-RNTI is forwarded to the first relay UE hop by hop by one or more second relay UEs in the order of one or more second relay UEs from lower level to higher level; the paging message is forwarded to the remote UE hop by hop by one or more second relay UEs in the order of one or more second relay UEs from higher level to lower level.

[0137] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first message receiving unit 730 is further configured to: when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, monitor the paging initiated by the wireless access network node to the remote UE; if the paging initiated by the wireless access network node to the remote UE is monitored, receive the paging message carrying I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node.

[0138] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first relay UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, and the first message receiving unit 730 is further configured to: receive a first RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node; wherein the first RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging of the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0139] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the message forwarding unit 740 is further configured to: forward the first RRC dedicated signaling to the remote UE hop by hop through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0140] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the paging device 700 also includes a paging cancellation unit 750, which is configured to: if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, obtain a link failure message carrying I-RNTI; and suspend paging monitoring of the remote UE based on the link failure message carrying I-RNTI.

[0141] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the paging cancellation unit 750 is also configured to: if the link between the remote UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, receive a link failure message sent hop by hop by the second relay UE whose link is disconnected; if the link between the first relay UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, generate a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

[0142] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first identification receiving unit 710 is further configured to: save the relationship between the I-RNTI and the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE; wherein the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE is the second relay UE that forwards the I-RNTI to the first relay UE.

[0143] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a target relay UE among one or more second relay UEs is in an RRC_CONNECTED state, and the target relay UE can receive a second RRC dedicated signaling carrying an I-RNTI sent by a wireless access network node, and the second RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging of a remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

[0144] Figure 8 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a paging device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, the paging device 800 is applied to a remote UE and may include an identification sending unit 810 and a second message receiving unit 820 .

[0145] Among them, the identification sending unit 810 is configured to: send the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE through the second relay UE, so that the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to the wireless access network node; the second message receiving unit 820 is configured to: when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, receive the paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the first relay UE through the second relay UE; wherein the paging message is sent by the wireless access network node to the first relay UE.

[0146] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the paging device 800 also includes a relay UE discovery selection unit 830, which is configured to: if the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, receive a link failure message carrying I-RNTI; and discover and select the relay UE based on the link failure message carrying I-RNTI.

[0147] Fig. 9 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a paging device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown, the paging device 900 is applied to a wireless access network node and may include a second identification receiving unit 910 and a message sending unit 920 .

[0148] Among them, the second identification receiving unit 910 is configured to: receive the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE and the first relay UE; the message sending unit 920 is configured to: when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, send a paging message carrying the I-RNTI to the first relay UE, so that the first relay UE sends a paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

[0149] Since the principle of solving the problem in the paging device embodiment is similar to that in the above method embodiment, the implementation of the paging device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiment, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0150] Fig.10 FIG. 1 shows a structural block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that: Fig.10 The electronic device shown is only an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0151] like Fig.10 As shown, the electronic device 1000 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1002 or a program loaded from a storage part 1008 into a random access memory (RAM) 1003. In the RAM 1003, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 1000 are also stored. The CPU 1001, the ROM 1002, and the RAM 1003 are connected to each other via a bus 1004. An input / output (I / O) interface 1005 is also connected to the bus 1004.

[0152] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 1005: an input section 1006 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 1007 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 1008 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 1009 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 109 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 1010 is also connected to the I / O interface 1005 as needed. A removable medium 1011, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 1010 as needed, so that a computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 1008 as needed.

[0153] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program contains a program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through a communication part 1009, and / or installed from a removable medium 1011. When the computer program is executed by a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, the above-mentioned functions defined in the system of the present disclosure are executed.

[0154] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the present disclosure may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium or any combination of the above two. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, terminal device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, a terminal device or a device. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, in which a computer-readable program code is carried. This propagated data signal may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which may send, propagate or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, a terminal device or a device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0155] The flow charts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or a part of a code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0156] The units involved in the embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented by software or by hardware. The described units may also be arranged in a processor, for example, may be described as: a processor includes a first identification receiving unit, an identification forwarding unit, a message receiving unit and a message forwarding unit. Among them, the names of these units do not constitute a limitation on the units themselves under certain circumstances. For example, the first identification receiving unit may also be described as "a unit for receiving the I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE".

[0157] As another aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be included in the electronic device described in the above embodiments; or may exist independently without being assembled into the electronic device. The above computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed by an electronic device, the electronic device implements the method described in the following embodiments. For example, the electronic device may implement the following Figure 2 The steps shown.

[0158] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product or a computer program is provided, the computer program product or the computer program including computer instructions, the computer instructions being stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the methods provided in various optional implementations of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0159] It should be understood that any number of elements in the drawings of the present disclosure is for illustration rather than limitation, and any naming is only for distinction rather than having any limiting meaning.

[0160] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0161] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A paging method, characterized in that: Applied to a first relay user equipment UE, the method includes: receiving an inactive radio network temporary identifier I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE, and forwarding the I-RNTI to a radio access network node; When the remote UE is in a radio resource control inactive RRC_INACTIVE state, receiving a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node; According to the I-RNTI, the paging message is forwarded to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of the second relay UE is one or more; The I-RNTI is forwarded to the first relay UE hop by hop by one or more second relay UEs in an order from a lower level to a higher level of the one or more second relay UEs; The paging message is forwarded to the remote UE hop by hop by the one or more second relay UEs in the order of the one or more second relay UEs from upper level to lower level.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The receiving, when the remote UE is in a radio resource control inactive RRC_INACTIVE state, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node comprises: When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, monitoring the paging initiated by the radio access network node to the remote UE; If the paging initiated by the radio access network node to the remote UE is monitored, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node is received.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first relay UE is in a radio resource control connected RRC_CONNECTED state, and the method further includes: Receive a first RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node; wherein the first RRC dedicated signaling is used to instruct paging the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The forwarding the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI includes: According to the I-RNTI, the first RRC dedicated signaling is forwarded hop by hop to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, obtaining a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI; According to the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI, paging monitoring of the remote UE is suspended.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that If the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, obtaining a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI includes: If the link between the remote UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, receiving the link failure message sent hop by hop by the second relay UE with the disconnected link; If the link between the first relay UE and the second relay UE is disconnected, a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI is generated.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After receiving the inactive radio network temporary identifier I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE through the second relay UE, the method further includes: The relationship between the I-RNTI and the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE is saved; wherein the next-hop relay UE of the first relay UE is a second relay UE that forwards the I-RNTI to the first relay UE.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The target relay UE among the one or more second relay UEs is in RRC_CONNECTED state, and the target relay UE can receive the second RRC dedicated signaling carrying the I-RNTI sent by the wireless access network node, and the second RRC dedicated signaling is used to indicate paging the remote UE according to the I-RNTI.

10. A paging method, characterized in that: Applied to a remote UE, the method includes: Sending the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE through the second relay UE, so that the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to the radio access network node; When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI is received and sent by the first relay UE through the second relay UE; wherein the paging message is sent by the radio access network node to the first relay UE.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the link between the remote UE and the first relay UE is disconnected, receiving a link failure message carrying the I-RNTI; The relay UE is discovered and selected according to the link failure message carrying the I-RNTI.

12. A paging method, characterized in that: Applied to a wireless access network node, the method comprises: receiving an I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE via the second relay UE and the first relay UE; When the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a paging message carrying the I-RNTI is sent to the first relay UE, so that the first relay UE sends the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

13. A paging device, characterized in that: Applied to a first relay UE, the device includes: A first identification receiving unit is configured to receive an I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE via the second relay UE; An identification forwarding unit, configured to forward the I-RNTI to a radio access network node; A first message receiving unit, configured to receive a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the radio access network node when the remote UE is in an RRC_INACTIVE state; The message forwarding unit is configured to forward the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE according to the I-RNTI.

14. A paging device, characterized in that: Applied to a remote UE, the device comprises: an identification sending unit, configured to send the I-RNTI of the remote UE to the first relay UE through the second relay UE, so that the first relay UE forwards the I-RNTI to the radio access network node; The second message receiving unit is configured to receive a paging message carrying the I-RNTI sent by the first relay UE through the second relay UE when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state; wherein the paging message is sent by the radio access network node to the first relay UE.

15. A paging device, characterized in that: Applied to a wireless access network node, the device comprises: A second identification receiving unit is configured to receive an I-RNTI of the remote UE sent by the remote UE via the second relay UE and the first relay UE; The message sending unit is configured to send a paging message carrying the I-RNTI to the first relay UE when the remote UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, so that the first relay UE sends the paging message to the remote UE through the second relay UE.

16. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; A storage device configured to store one or more programs, which, when executed by the one or more processors, enables the one or more processors to implement the paging method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, or implement the paging method as described in any one of claims 10 to 11, or implement the paging method as described in claim 12.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the paging method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented, or the paging method according to any one of claims 10 to 11 is implemented, or the paging method according to claim 12 is implemented.

Images