Method and apparatus for multi-path transmission

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for multi-path transmission. Embodiments of the present application provide a user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver configured to receive one or more information reports regarding one or more relay nodes from a base station (BS) or one or more relay nodes; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission based at least in part on the obtained one or more information reports, wherein the two or more paths comprise one or more indirect paths corresponding to the one or more relay nodes and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to multipath (also referred to as multiple paths or MP) transmissions. Background Art

[0002] When multipath relay is configured, user data traffic to and from a user equipment (UE) can select one or the other of the two paths for data transmission, for example based on link quality, without requiring radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration. In addition, multipath split bearers can be supported in the network, i.e., bearers can be mapped to two paths based on the existing split bearer framework.

[0003] Traditionally, the amount of data is specified to trigger the path selection for data transmission. The reference signal received power (RSRP) of the primary radio link control (RLC) entity and the split secondary RLC entity can be used to select the path for transmitting the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU) from the implementation perspective. The primary RLC entity and the split secondary RLC entity are all direct paths, and the UE obtains the channel quality by itself. However, when configuring multipath in the scenario of sidelink relay, the UE does not know the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the base station (BS). Therefore, a new design is expected to implement the path selection in this scenario. Summary of the invention

[0004] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a UE, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes from a BS or the one or more relay nodes; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: select at least one path for data transmission from two or more paths between the UE and the BS based at least in part on the obtained one or more information reports, wherein the two or more paths include one or more indirect paths corresponding to the one or more relay nodes and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0005] In some embodiments, the processor is configured to select the at least one path for data transmission when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than a selection trigger threshold; the amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than an information request threshold; the channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than a first channel quality threshold; or the channel quality degradation of the currently activated path is greater than a channel quality change threshold.

[0006] In some embodiments, the selection triggering threshold, the information requesting threshold, the first channel quality threshold, or the channel quality change threshold is configured by the BS or the one or more relay nodes.

[0007] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to: transmit an information request to the BS or the one or more relay nodes when the first condition is met, wherein the one or more information reports are received in response to the information request.

[0008] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to receive the one or more information reports periodically and / or at predefined or preconfigured times in response to the information request.

[0009] In some embodiments, the information request is transmitted via an RRC message, an information element (IE), a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or uplink control information (UCI).

[0010] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit a report end indication to the BS or to the one or more relay nodes, for indicating to stop transmitting the one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the reporting end indication is transmitted via an RRC message, IE, MAC CE or UCI.

[0012] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit at least one of the following thresholds to each of the one or more relay nodes for triggering the relay node to transmit an information report about the relay node when a second condition is met: a second channel quality threshold; one or more load thresholds; or one or more power consumption thresholds.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second condition includes at least one of the following: the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS is lower than or higher than the second channel quality threshold; the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than at least one of the one or more load thresholds; or the power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than at least one of the one or more power consumption thresholds.

[0014] In some embodiments, each of the one or more information reports includes at least one of: a channel quality of a Uu link between an associated relay node and the BS; a channel quality indication indicating whether the channel quality of the Uu link is lower than or higher than a second channel quality threshold; a load on the Uu link; a load indication indicating whether the load on the Uu link is lower than, equal to or higher than at least one load threshold; power consumption of the associated relay node; or a power consumption indication indicating whether the power consumption of the associated relay node is lower than, equal to or higher than at least one power consumption threshold.

[0015] In some embodiments, in order to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: for each of the one or more relay nodes, determine the minimum channel quality of the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS and the channel quality of the side link between the relay node and the UE as the channel quality of the indirect path corresponding to the relay node; and select the at least one path from the two or more paths based on at least one of the following: the channel quality of the at least one direct path and one or more minimum channel qualities of the one or more relay nodes; one or more loads of the one or more relay nodes; or one or more power consumptions of the one or more relay nodes.

[0016] In some embodiments, the processor is configured to select at least one path having the best channel quality.

[0017] In some embodiments, in order to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: select a relay node from the one or more relay nodes, wherein for each of the selected relay nodes, the side link channel quality of the selected relay node is higher than a side link channel quality threshold, and the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node is higher than a Uu channel quality threshold; determine the channel quality of the selected indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node based on the side link channel quality and the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node; and select the at least one path from the two or more paths according to at least one of the following: the channel quality of the selected indirect path and the channel quality of the at least one direct path; the load of the selected relay node; or the power consumption of the selected relay node.

[0018] In some embodiments, the sidelink channel quality threshold and the Uu channel quality threshold are configured or predefined.

[0019] In some embodiments, in order to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: select a relay node from the one or more relay nodes, wherein for each of the selected relay nodes, the side link channel quality of the selected relay node is higher than a side link channel quality threshold; determine the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node as the channel quality of the selected indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node; and select the at least one path from the two or more paths based on at least one of the following: the channel quality of the selected indirect path and the channel quality of the at least one direct path; the load of the selected relay node; or the power consumption of the selected relay node.

[0020] In some embodiments, in order to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: for each of the one or more relay nodes, determine the channel quality average of the channel quality of the side link between the relay node and the UE and the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS; select the at least one path from the two or more paths based on at least one of the following: one or more channel quality averages of the one or more relay nodes and the channel quality of the at least one direct path; one or more loads of the one or more relays; or one or more power consumptions of the one or more relay nodes.

[0021] In some embodiments, the channel quality average is a moving average or an arithmetic mean.

[0022] In some embodiments, the number of the at least one path selected for data transmission is configured, indicated by the network, or predefined.

[0023] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a BS, comprising: a transceiver, which is configured to: transmit an information report about a relay node to a UE for the UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission; and a processor, which is coupled to the transceiver, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0024] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit at least one of the following thresholds to the UE for triggering the UE to select the at least one path from the two or more paths for data transmission when a first condition is met: a selection trigger threshold; an information request threshold; a first channel quality threshold; or a channel quality change threshold.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following: the amount of data to be transmitted at the UE is equal to or greater than the selection trigger threshold; the amount of data to be transmitted at the UE is equal to or greater than the information request threshold; the channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than the first channel quality threshold; or the channel quality degradation of the currently activated path is greater than the channel quality change threshold.

[0026] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to: receive an information request from the UE; and transmit the information report to the UE in response to the information request.

[0027] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit the information report to the UE periodically and / or at predefined or preconfigured times after receiving the information request.

[0028] In some embodiments, the information request is received via an RRC message, an IE, a MAC CE, or a UCI.

[0029] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to receive an end-of-report indication from the UE indicating to stop transmission of the information report regarding the relay node.

[0030] In some embodiments, the reporting end indication is received via an RRC message, an IE, a MAC CE or a UCI.

[0031] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit at least one of the following thresholds to the relay node when a second condition is met to trigger the relay node to transmit an information report about the relay node: a second channel quality threshold; one or more load thresholds; or one or more power consumption thresholds.

[0032] In some embodiments, the second condition includes at least one of the following: the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS is lower than or higher than the second channel quality threshold; the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than at least one of the one or more load thresholds; or the power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than at least one of the one or more power consumption thresholds.

[0033] In some embodiments, the information report includes at least one of the following: channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS; a channel quality indication indicating whether the channel quality of the Uu link is lower than or higher than a second channel quality threshold; load on the Uu link; a load indication indicating whether the load on the Uu link is lower than, equal to or higher than at least one load threshold; power consumption of the relay node; or a power consumption indication indicating whether the power consumption of the relay node is lower than, equal to or higher than at least one power consumption threshold.

[0034] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit the information report when a second condition is met, wherein the second condition includes at least one of the following: the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS is lower than or higher than a second channel quality threshold; the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than at least one load threshold; or the power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than at least one power consumption threshold.

[0035] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit the information report to the UE periodically and / or at a predefined or preconfigured number of times after the second condition is met.

[0036] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to receive the information report from the relay node.

[0037] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit at least one of a sidelink channel quality threshold or a Uu channel quality threshold to the UE for selecting at least one path from the two or more paths.

[0038] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to transmit to the UE a number of the at least one path selected for data transmission.

[0039] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a relay node, comprising: a transceiver configured to: transmit an information report about the relay node for a UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and a BS for data transmission; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0040] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to: receive an information request from the UE; and transmit the information report to the UE in response to the information request.

[0041] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit the information report to the UE periodically and / or at predefined or preconfigured times after receiving the information request.

[0042] In some embodiments, the information request is received via an RRC message, an IE, a MAC CE, or a UCI.

[0043] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to receive an end-of-report indication from the UE to indicate stopping transmission of the information report.

[0044] In some embodiments, the reporting end indication is received via an RRC message, an IE, a MAC CE or a UCI.

[0045] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit the information report when a condition is met, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS is lower than or higher than a channel quality threshold; the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than at least one load threshold; or the power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than at least one power consumption threshold.

[0046] In some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to receive at least one of the channel quality threshold, the at least one load threshold, or the at least power consumption threshold from the BS or the UE.

[0047] In some embodiments, the transceiver is configured to transmit the information report periodically or at a predefined or preconfigured number of times after the condition is met.

[0048] In some embodiments, the information report includes at least one of the following: channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS; a channel quality indication indicating whether the channel quality of the Uu link is lower than or higher than a second channel quality threshold; load on the Uu link; a load indication indicating whether the load on the Uu link is lower than, equal to or higher than at least one load threshold; power consumption of the relay node; or a power consumption indication indicating whether the power consumption of the relay node is lower than, equal to or higher than at least one power consumption threshold.

[0049] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a UE. The method includes: receiving one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes from a BS or the one or more relay nodes; and selecting at least one path for data transmission from two or more paths between the UE and the BS based at least in part on the one or more information reports obtained, wherein the two or more paths include one or more indirect paths corresponding to the one or more relay nodes and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0050] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a BS. The method includes: transmitting an information report about a relay node to a UE for the UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0051] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a relay node. The method includes: transmitting an information report about the relay node for a UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and a BS for data transmission, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented with reference to specific embodiments of the present application, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope thereof.

[0053] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary method performed by a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 3 A simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0057] Although the operations are depicted in a particular order in the drawings, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order as shown or in a sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations need to be performed to achieve the desired result; one or more operations may sometimes be skipped. In addition, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0058] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE, 5G New Air (NR), Advanced 5G, 6G, etc.). It is considered that with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms cited in the present disclosure may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] like Figure 1 , the wireless communication system 100 includes at least one BS 101, at least one UE 102, and at least one relay node 103. Figure 1 One BS, one UE, and one relay node are depicted in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that any number of BSs, UEs, and relay nodes may be included in the wireless communication system 100 .

[0061] The wireless communication system 100 is compatible with any type of network that supports MP split bearer. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a network based on time division multiple access (TDMA), a network based on code division multiple access (CDMA), a network based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), an LTE network, a network based on 3GPP, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform network, and / or other communication networks.

[0062] BS 101 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a macro cell, a radio access network (RAN) node, a next generation (NG) RAN node, a Node-B, an enhanced Node B (eNB), a gNB, a home Node-B or a device, or described using other terms used in the art. BS 101 is typically part of a RAN that may include a controller communicatively coupled to BS 101.

[0063] According to some embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may be a vehicle UE (VUE) and / or an energy-saving UE (also called a power-sensitive UE). Energy-saving UEs may include vulnerable road users (VRUs) that are sensitive to power consumption, public safety UEs (PS-UEs), and / or commercial sidelink UEs (CS-UEs). In an embodiment of the present application, a VRU may be a pedestrian UE (P-UE), a cyclist UE, a wheelchair UE, or any UE that needs to save energy compared to a VUE.

[0064] According to some other embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may be a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (or a security camera), a vehicle-mounted computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), or the like.

[0065] According to some other embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may be a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network.

[0066] According to some other embodiments of the present application, UE 102 may be a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head-mounted display, or the like.

[0067] Furthermore, UE 102 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art.

[0068] exist Figure 1 In the example shown in , UE 102 can communicate directly with BS 101 via a Uu link. UE 102 can also communicate with BS 101 via a relay node 103 (e.g., another UE within the coverage of BS 101). That is, there are two paths between UE 102 and BS 101. The first path is a direct path that includes a Uu link between UE 102 and BS 101. The second path is an indirect path that includes part 1 and part 2, where part 1 is the Uu link between BS 101 and relay node 103, and part 2 is a side link (SL) link (also called PC-5 or PC5 link) between relay node 103 and UE 102. UE 102 that communicates with BS 101 via relay node 103 may be referred to as a remote UE. Although for illustrative purposes, in Figure 1 1, but it is contemplated that any number of indirect paths or any number of direct paths may be included in the wireless communication system 100, and each indirect path may include or correspond to one or more relay nodes. UE 102 may select one or more of the direct path and the indirect path for data transmission between UE 102 and BS 101.

[0069] The current design for path selection for multi-path split bearers does not consider indirect paths associated with or corresponding to relay nodes. If the path selection involves indirect paths associated with relay nodes, then the UE needs to know the channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS. In addition, it is not optimal to always enable the relay node to send its UuRSRP to the UE.

[0070] In addition, the indirect path involves both the channel quality of the Uu link and the channel quality of the PC-5 link, while the direct path involves only the Uu link. It is also necessary to consider how to compare the channel quality of the indirect path with the channel quality of the direct path to select a path for data transmission.

[0071] The present disclosure at least provides various solutions for transmission with split bearer in a multipath scenario, including but not limited to triggering the acquisition of information (e.g., channel quality, load, power consumption) of one or more relay nodes (or one or more indirect paths, or one or more Uu links of one or more indirect paths), selecting at least one path from one or more indirect paths and at least one direct path for data transmission based at least in part on the obtained information, etc.

[0072] Figure 2 The following describes a method for executing a command by a UE (eg, Figure 1 The exemplary method 200 is performed by a UE 102 in the embodiment of the present invention. The UE may support multipath split bearer. In the case where the UE and the BS (e.g., Figure 1 There are two or more paths between BS101 in the BS101. The two or more paths may include corresponding to one or more relay nodes (e.g., Figure 1 One or more indirect paths between the relay node 103 in the UE and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS. It is considered that the method 200 can also be performed by other devices with similar functions. Figure 2 The embodiments of the UE may involve some operations performed at other devices (eg, a BS or a relay node), which is for illustration purposes only and is not intended to limit the operations performed by the UE.

[0073] In step 210, the UE may receive one or more information reports about one or more relay nodes. The one or more information reports may be received from the BS (e.g., via a Uu link between the UE and the BS) or one or more relay nodes (e.g., via a side link between the UE and the relay nodes). In some embodiments, the one or more relay nodes may transmit their information reports to the BS, and then the BS may transmit these information reports to the UE.

[0074] In some embodiments, each of the one or more information reports about one or more relay nodes is associated with one of the relay nodes and includes at least one of the following:

[0075] ● Channel quality of the Uu link between the associated relay node and the BS: For example, the channel quality may include RSRP or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement results;

[0076] A channel quality indication for indicating whether the channel quality of the Uu link is lower than or higher than a channel quality threshold Q1, or whether the channel quality of the Uu link is good (e.g., the channel quality is higher than Q1) or bad (e.g., the channel quality is lower than Q1):

[0077] For example, the channel quality indication may be a 1-bit indication, wherein an indication of "1" may indicate that the channel quality of the Uu link is higher than or equal to Q1 or that the channel quality of the Uu link is good, and an indication of "0" may indicate that the channel quality of the Uu link is lower than Q1 or that the channel quality of the Uu link is poor, or vice versa;

[0078] ● Load on the Uu link;

[0079] A load indication for indicating whether the load on the Uu link is below, equal to or above one or more load thresholds, or whether the load on the Uu link is low, medium or high:

[0080] For example, assuming that there is only one load threshold L, the load indication may be a 1-bit indication, wherein an indication of "1" may indicate that the load on the Uu link is higher than or equal to L or that the load on the Uu link is high, and an indication of "0" may indicate that the load on the Uu link is lower than L or that the load on the Uu link is low, or vice versa;

[0081] Assuming that there are two load thresholds L1 and L2 (L2>L1), the load indication may be a 2-bit indication, wherein an indication of "00" may indicate that the load on the Uu link is lower than L1 or the load on the Uu link is low, and an indication of "01" may indicate that the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than L1 but lower than L2 or the load on the Uu link is medium, and

[0082] An indication of "10" may indicate that the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than L2 or that the load on the Uu link is high;

[0083] ● the power consumption of the associated relay node; or

[0084] ● A power consumption indication for indicating whether the power consumption of the associated relay node is below, equal to or above one or more power consumption thresholds, or whether the power consumption of the associated relay node is low, medium or high:

[0085] For example, assuming that there is only one power consumption threshold value P, the power consumption indication may be a 1-bit indication, wherein an indication of "1" may indicate that the power consumption of the associated relay node is higher than or equal to P or that the power consumption of the associated relay node is high, and an indication of "0" may indicate that the power consumption of the associated relay node is lower than P or that the power consumption of the associated relay node is low, or vice versa; assuming that there are power consumption threshold values ​​P1 and P2 (P2>P1), the power consumption indication may be a 2-bit indication, wherein an indication of "00" may indicate that the power consumption of the relay node is lower than P1 or that the power consumption of the relay node is low,

[0086] An indication of “01” may indicate that the power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than P1 but lower than P2 or the power consumption of the relay node is medium, and an indication of “10” may indicate that the power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than P2 or the power consumption of the relay node is high.

[0087] In some embodiments, at least one of the above-mentioned channel quality threshold Q1, one or more load thresholds or one or more power consumption thresholds may be configured by the UE to the relay node via a side link between the relay node and the UE, or by the BS to the relay node via a Uu link between the relay node and the BS. Different relay nodes may be configured with the same or different thresholds.

[0088] The present application provides various methods for a UE to obtain information about one or more relay nodes (eg, channel quality (especially channel quality of a Uu link), load, power consumption, etc.).

[0089] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit an information request to the BS (e.g., via a Uu link between the UE and the BS) or to one or more relay nodes (e.g., via a side link between the UE and the relay nodes) for obtaining one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes.

[0090] In some embodiments, when the first condition is met on the UE, the UE may transmit an information request to the BS or one or more relay nodes. In some embodiments, the first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0091] ● The amount of data to be transmitted (e.g., the amount of PDCP data and / or the amount of RLC data) is equal to or greater than the selection trigger threshold;

[0092] The amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the information request threshold: For example, if both are configured, the information request threshold may be less than the selection trigger threshold;

[0093] ● The channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than the channel quality threshold Q2: For example, the channel quality may include RSRP or RSRQ measurement results; or

[0094] ●The channel quality degradation of the currently activated path is greater than the channel quality change threshold.

[0095] In some embodiments, at least one of the selection trigger threshold, information request threshold, channel quality threshold Q2, or channel quality change threshold may be configured by the BS or by one or more relay nodes to the UE (e.g., the BS may transmit the threshold to the relay node, and then the relay node may transmit the threshold to the UE).

[0096] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit the information request via an RRC message, IE, MAC CE, or UCI.

[0097] In some embodiments, following receipt of the information request, the BS or one or more relay nodes may transmit one or more information reports regarding the one or more relay nodes to the UE.

[0098] In some embodiments, the BS or one or more relay nodes may transmit one or more information reports regarding one or more relay nodes to the UE periodically and / or at predefined or preconfigured times in response to the information request.

[0099] In some embodiments, the BS or one or more relay nodes may transmit one or more information reports about one or more relay nodes to the UE without receiving an information request from the UE. For example, the BS may transmit one or more information reports to the UE according to its implementation. As another example, when the second condition is met on the relay node, the BS or relay node may transmit the information report about the relay node to the UE. In some embodiments, the second condition includes at least one of the following:

[0100] ● The channel quality of the Uu link between the relay node and the BS is lower than or higher than a channel quality threshold (for example, the above-mentioned channel quality threshold Q1);

[0101] ● the load on the Uu link is equal to or higher than at least one of one or more load thresholds (eg, the one or more load thresholds described above); or

[0102] ● The power consumption of the relay node is equal to or higher than at least one of one or more power consumption thresholds (eg, the one or more load thresholds mentioned above).

[0103] In some embodiments, when the second condition is met on the relay node, the BS or the relay node may transmit an information report on the relay node to the UE periodically and / or at a predefined or preconfigured number of times.

[0104] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit a report end indication to the BS (e.g., via a Uu link between the UE and the BS) or to one or more relay nodes (e.g., via a side link between the UE and the relay node) to instruct the BS or the one or more relay nodes to stop transmitting one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit the report end indication via an RRC message, IE, MAC CE, or UCI.

[0105] like Figure 2 2 , after receiving the one or more information reports in step 210, the UE may select at least one path for data transmission from two or more paths between the UE and the BS based at least in part on the obtained one or more information reports in step 220. In some embodiments, the number of the at least one path selected for data transmission may be configured, indicated by the network, or predefined.

[0106] In some embodiments, when the above-mentioned first condition is met, the UE may be triggered to select at least one path for data transmission.

[0107] For example, in some embodiments, path selection may be triggered when the amount of data to be transmitted from the UE is equal to or greater than a selection trigger threshold. In some other embodiments, when the amount of data to be transmitted from the UE is equal to or greater than an information request threshold, the UE may transmit an information request to the BS or one or more relay nodes for obtaining one or more information reports about one or more relay nodes; then, when the amount of data to be transmitted from the UE increases to the selection trigger threshold, path selection may be triggered. In some other embodiments, path selection may be triggered when the channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than a channel quality threshold and / or the channel quality degradation of the currently activated path is greater than a channel quality change threshold. In some other embodiments, path selection may be triggered when the amount of data to be transmitted from the UE is equal to or greater than the selection trigger threshold and the channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than a channel quality threshold.

[0108] The present application provides various methods for a UE to select at least one path from two or more paths based at least on information acquired about one or more relay nodes (e.g., channel quality (especially channel quality of a Uu link), load, power consumption, etc.).

[0109] In some embodiments, the UE may perform the following operations to select at least one path from two or more paths:

[0110] ● for each relay node among the one or more relay nodes, determining a minimum channel quality among a channel quality of a Uu link between the relay node and the BS and a channel quality of a side link between the relay node and the UE as a channel quality of an indirect path corresponding to the relay node; and

[0111] The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of:

[0112] ◆ the channel quality of the at least one direct path and one or more minimum channel qualities of the one or more relay nodes;

[0113] ◆ one or more loads of the one or more relay nodes; or

[0114] ◆One or more power consumptions of the one or more relay nodes.

[0115] In some embodiments, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among two or more paths for data transmission.

[0116] In some embodiments, the UE may perform the following operations to select at least one path from two or more paths:

[0117] ● selecting a relay node from the one or more relay nodes, wherein for each of the selected relay nodes, a sidelink channel quality of the selected relay node is above a sidelink channel quality threshold and a Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node is above a Uu channel quality threshold;

[0118] ●determine the channel quality of the selected indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node based on the side link channel quality and the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node (e.g., the channel quality of the indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node may be the minimum or average value of the side link channel quality and the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node); and

[0119] The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of:

[0120] ◆the channel quality of the selected indirect path and the channel quality of the at least one direct path;

[0121] ◆The load of the selected relay node; or

[0122] ◆The power consumption of the selected relay nodes.

[0123] In some embodiments, the sidelink channel quality threshold and the Uu channel quality threshold may be configured or predefined.

[0124] In some embodiments, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the selected indirect paths and at least one direct path for data transmission. In some embodiments, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the selected indirect paths for data transmission. In some embodiments, when the selected relay node has a low load and / or low power consumption, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the selected indirect paths.

[0125] In some embodiments, the UE may perform the following operations to select at least one path from two or more paths:

[0126] ● selecting a relay node from the one or more relay nodes, wherein for each of the selected relay nodes, a sidelink channel quality of the selected relay node is above a sidelink channel quality threshold;

[0127] ● determining the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node as the channel quality of the selected indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node; and

[0128] The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of:

[0129] ◆the channel quality of the selected indirect path and the channel quality of the at least one direct path;

[0130] ◆The load of the selected relay node; or

[0131] ◆The power consumption of the selected relay nodes.

[0132] In some embodiments, the sidelink channel quality threshold may be configured or predefined.

[0133] In some embodiments, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the selected indirect paths and at least one direct path for data transmission. In some embodiments, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the selected indirect paths for data transmission. In some embodiments, when the selected relay node has a low load and / or low power consumption, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the selected indirect paths.

[0134] In some embodiments, the UE may perform the following operations to select at least one path from two or more paths:

[0135] ● for each relay node of the one or more relay nodes, determining a channel quality average of a channel quality of a side link between the relay node and the UE and a channel quality of a Uu link between the relay node and the BS;

[0136] The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of:

[0137] ◆ one or more channel quality averages of the one or more relay nodes and the channel quality of the at least one direct path;

[0138] ◆ one or more loads of the one or more repeaters; or

[0139] ◆One or more power consumptions of the one or more relay nodes.

[0140] In some embodiments, the channel quality average may be a moving average or an arithmetic mean.

[0141] In some embodiments, the UE may use one or more channel quality averages of one or more relay nodes as the channel quality of the corresponding indirect path, and select at least one path with the best channel quality among the indirect path and the at least one direct path for data transmission. In some embodiments, when the corresponding relay node has a low load and / or low power consumption, the UE may select at least one path with the best channel quality among the indirect path and the at least one direct path.

[0142] It is contemplated that in addition to channel quality, load and / or power consumption, there may be other criteria that may be considered for the UE to select at least one path for data transmission.

[0143] In some embodiments, the UE may assume that, for each relay node (or indirect path), the channel quality, load, power consumption and / or other information report related content has not changed, has changed slightly, or has changed no more than a certain threshold before the UE receives a new information report about the relay node from the relay node or from the BS.

[0144] For example, the UE receives information report A about the relay node in time slot a, and receives information report B about the relay node in time slot b. There are one or more occasions between time slot a and time slot b, where the UE expects to receive information reports about the relay node, and the UE does not receive any expected information reports about the relay node between time slot a and time slot b. This may be due to some transmission failures, or because the relay node or BS does not transmit any information report, for example, because the channel quality, load, power consumption or other report-related content does not change, changes slightly or changes no more than a certain threshold between time slot a and time slot b. In either case, the UE may consider information report A to be valid until information report B is received in time slot b.

[0145] It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the selected at least one path may include at least one direct path; and in some other embodiments, the selected at least one path does not include any direct paths.

[0146] Although only one BS is considered in the above embodiments, it is considered that all embodiments in the present disclosure may also be applied to a UE supporting a multi-path split bearer, which may be configured with two or more paths between the UE and one or more BSs.

[0147] Figure 3 A simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary apparatus 300 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0148] In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may be or include at least a portion of a UE capable of performing the above-described method (eg, method 200 ) performed by a UE supporting a multi-path split bearer for data transmission.

[0149] In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may be or include at least a portion of a BS capable of performing the above-described method performed by a BS supporting multi-path split bearer for data transmission.

[0150] In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may be or include at least a portion of a relay node capable of performing the above-described method performed by a relay node supporting multi-path split bearer for data transmission.

[0151] like Figure 3 , the apparatus 300 may include at least a transceiver 310 and a processor 320 coupled to the transceiver 310. In some embodiments, the transceiver 310 may include a transmitter and a receiver integrated together. In some embodiments, the transceiver 310 may include a transmitter and a receiver separated from each other. In some embodiments, the transceiver 310 may be a wireless transceiver.

[0152] In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium 330 having stored thereon computer-executable instructions 340. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 330 may be coupled to the processor 320 and the transceiver 310, and the computer-executable instructions 340 may be configured to be executable by the processor 320. In some embodiments, the transceiver 310, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 330, and the processor 320 may be coupled to each other via one or more local buses.

[0153] Despite Figure 3 , elements such as transceiver 310, non-transitory computer-readable medium 330, and processor 320 are described in the singular, but unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular, the plural is contemplated. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, device 300 may further include other components for practical use.

[0154] In various example embodiments, processor 320 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor (e.g., a CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special-purpose processor, such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, processor 320 may also include Figure 3 At least one other circuit system or element not shown.

[0155] In various example embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 330 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. In addition, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 330 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, apparatuses or devices, or any combination thereof.

[0156] Furthermore, in various example embodiments, apparatus 300 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, such as an antenna element and the like.

[0157] According to some embodiments, the apparatus 300 is a UE. The transceiver 310 and the processor 320 may be configured to perform operations according to any of the above methods performed by the UE. For example, the transceiver 310 may be configured to receive one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes from a BS or one or more relay nodes, and the processor 320 may be configured to select at least one path for data transmission from two or more paths between the UE and the BS based at least in part on the obtained one or more information reports, wherein the two or more paths include one or more indirect paths corresponding to the one or more relay nodes and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0158] According to some embodiments, the apparatus 300 is a BS. The transceiver 310 and the processor 320 may be configured to perform operations according to any of the above methods performed by the BS. For example, the transceiver 310 may be configured to transmit an information report about a relay node to a UE for the UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0159] According to some embodiments, the apparatus 300 is a relay node. The transceiver 310 and the processor 320 may be configured to perform operations according to any of the above methods performed by the BS. For example, the transceiver 310 may be configured to transmit an information report about the relay node for the UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

[0160] In various example embodiments, the circuit systems, components, elements, and interfaces (including processors and non-transitory computer-readable media) in the exemplary apparatus may be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like) via any suitable connections, including but not limited to buses, crossbar switches, wires, and / or wireless links.

[0161] The methods of the present disclosure may be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow charts, and modules may also be implemented on a general or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit components, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (e.g., a discrete component circuit), a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device having a finite state machine capable of implementing the flow charts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processing functions of the present disclosure.

[0162] Although the present disclosure has been described with its specific embodiments, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added or replaced in other embodiments. Moreover, all elements shown in each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, a person skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0163] The term "includes, includes, including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements not only comprises those elements, but may also comprise other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of more constraints, an element beginning with "a, an" or the like does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the element. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, the terms "comprising", "having" and the like are defined as "comprising".

[0164] In this disclosure, relational terms (such as "first," "second," and the like) may be used merely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.

Claims

1. A user equipment UE, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive from a base station BS or one or more relay nodes one or more information reports on the one or more relay nodes; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: At least one path is selected from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission based at least in part on the obtained one or more information reports, wherein the two or more paths include one or more indirect paths corresponding to the one or more relay nodes and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to select the at least one path for data transmission when a first condition is satisfied, wherein the first condition comprises at least one of: The amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the selected trigger threshold; The amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or greater than the information request threshold; The channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than the first channel quality threshold; or The channel quality degradation of the currently activated path is greater than a channel quality change threshold.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the receiver is further configured to: When the first condition is met, an information request is transmitted to the BS or the one or more relay nodes, wherein the one or more information reports are received in response to the information request.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a report end indication to the BS or to the one or more relay nodes, for indicating to stop transmitting the one or more information reports about the one or more relay nodes.

5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit at least one of the following thresholds to each relay node of the one or more relay nodes for triggering the relay node to transmit an information report about the relay node when a second condition is met: a second channel quality threshold; one or more load thresholds; or One or more power consumption thresholds.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more information reports comprises at least one of: a channel quality of a Uu link between an associated relay node and the BS; a channel quality indication for indicating whether the channel quality of the Uu link is lower than or higher than a second channel quality threshold; The load on the Uu link; a load indication for indicating whether the load on the Uu link is below, equal to or above at least one load threshold; the power consumption of the associated relay node; or A power consumption indication for indicating whether the power consumption of the associated relay node is below, equal to, or above at least one power consumption threshold.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: For each relay node among the one or more relay nodes, determining a minimum channel quality among a channel quality of a Uu link between the relay node and the BS and a channel quality of a side link between the relay node and the UE as a channel quality of an indirect path corresponding to the relay node; and The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of: a channel quality of the at least one direct path and one or more minimum channel qualities of the one or more relay nodes; one or more loads of the one or more relay nodes; or One or more power consumptions of the one or more relay nodes.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: selecting a relay node from the one or more relay nodes, wherein for each of the selected relay nodes, a sidelink channel quality of the selected relay node is above a sidelink channel quality threshold and a Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node is above a Uu channel quality threshold; determining a channel quality of a selected indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node based on the sidelink channel quality of the selected relay node and the Uu link channel quality; and The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of: a channel quality of the selected indirect path and a channel quality of the at least one direct path; the load of the selected relay node; or The power consumption of the selected relay nodes.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: selecting a relay node from the one or more relay nodes, wherein for each of the selected relay nodes, a sidelink channel quality of the selected relay node is above a sidelink channel quality threshold; determining the Uu link channel quality of the selected relay node as a channel quality of a selected indirect path corresponding to the selected relay node; and The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of: a channel quality of the selected indirect path and a channel quality of the at least one direct path; the load of the selected relay node; or The power consumption of the selected relay nodes.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein to select the at least one path from the two or more paths, the processor is further configured to: For each relay node of the one or more relay nodes, determining a channel quality average of a channel quality of a side link between the relay node and the UE and a channel quality of a Uu link between the relay node and the BS; The at least one path is selected from the two or more paths according to at least one of: one or more channel quality averages of the one or more relay nodes and the channel quality of the at least one direct path; one or more loads of the one or more repeaters; or One or more power consumptions of the one or more relay nodes.

11. A base station BS, comprising: A transceiver configured to: transmitting an information report about a relay node to a user equipment UE for the UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and the BS for data transmission; and A processor is coupled to the transceiver, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

12. The BS of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit at least one of the following thresholds to the UE for triggering the UE to select the at least one path from the two or more paths for data transmission when a first condition is met: Select the trigger threshold; Information request thresholds; a first channel quality threshold; or Channel quality change threshold.

13. The BS according to claim 12, wherein the first condition comprises at least one of the following: The amount of data to be transmitted at the UE is equal to or greater than the selection trigger threshold; The amount of data to be transmitted at the UE is equal to or greater than the information request threshold; The channel quality of the currently activated path is equal to or lower than the first channel quality threshold; or The channel quality degradation of the currently activated path is greater than the channel quality change threshold.

14. A relay node, comprising: A transceiver configured to: transmitting an information report about the relay node for a user equipment UE to select at least one path from two or more paths between the UE and a BS for data transmission; and A processor is coupled to the transceiver, wherein the two or more paths include an indirect path corresponding to the relay node and at least one direct path between the UE and the BS.

15. The relay node of claim 14, wherein the transceiver is further configured to: receiving an information request from the UE; and The information report is transmitted to the UE in response to the information request.

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