Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device. The method comprises the steps that a host base station can receive a first network slice identifier sent by a relay node managed by the host base station; the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by a terminal device accessing the relay node; a radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; and determining a first core network device providing service for the terminal device, the first core network device supporting a first network slice, and the first network slice being at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier. Through the method, under the condition that the NR L3 relay technology is introduced into the network slice, the host base station can determine the first core network equipment providing service for the terminal equipment based on the first network slice identifier.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] The long term evolution (LTE) R10 introduced the relay technology. In LTE R10, a relay node (RN) can be understood as being composed of a terminal device and a base station. There is an air interface connection between the terminal device part of the RN (referred to as the RN-mobile terminal (MT)) and the donor eNB (DeNB). This part of the air interface is called the Un interface (the connection between a general terminal device and the eNB is called the Uu interface). There are an X2 interface and an S1 interface between the base station part of the RN (referred to as the RN-eNB) and the DeNB. Among them, the control plane and user plane data on the X2 interface and the S1 interface are transmitted by means of the data radio bearer (DRB) on the Un interface between the RN-MT and the DeNB. LTE relay is a layer 3 (L3) relay, and the RN has complete base station functions. With the development of communication technologies, it has been proposed that the L3 relay technology of LTE can be extended to the new radio (NR) to implement the NR L3 relay technology.

[0003] The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) introduced network slices in the next-generation wireless communication network architecture (such as the 5th-generation (5G) mobile communication). In the case where the NR L3 relay technology introduces network slices, it is an urgent technical problem that the host base station cannot determine the core network device that provides the corresponding network slice service for the terminal device based on the network slice service requested by the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application disclose a communication method and apparatus. In the case where the NR L3 relay technology introduces network slices, the host base station can determine the first core network device that provides services for the terminal device based on the first network slice identifier, which can improve the accuracy of the host base station in selecting the core network device of the terminal device and the success rate of the network slice request of the terminal device.

[0005] The following introduces this application from different aspects. It should be understood that the implementation manners and beneficial effects of the following different aspects can be referred to each other.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application discloses a communication method, which can be executed by a host base station or a module (e.g., a chip) in the host base station. The method may include: receiving a first network slice identifier sent by a relay node managed by the host base station; the first network slice identifier being an identifier of a network slice requested by a terminal device accessing the relay node; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminating at the relay node; determining a first core network device that provides services to the terminal device, the first core network device supporting a first network slice, and the first network slice being at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

[0007] In the present application, the host base station can receive the first network slice identifier sent by the relay node managed by the host base station; furthermore, based on the first network slice identifier, determine the first core network device that provides services to the terminal device. Through this method, the problem that the host base station in the NR L3 Relay architecture cannot select the core network device of the terminal device based on the network slice service requested by the terminal device can be solved, and the accuracy of the host base station in selecting the core network device of the terminal device and the success rate of the network slice request of the terminal device can be improved.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first network slice identifier is transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB) or a signaling radio bearer (SRB) between the relay node and the host base station.

[0009] In the embodiments of the present application, the radio interface configuration between the relay node and the host base station has been completed, that is, there is a DRB / SRB as the backhaul link of the NG interface or the Xn interface. Then, the first network slice identifier can be transmitted between the relay node and the host base station through the radio bearer DRB or the signaling radio bearer SRB.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first core network device provides services to the relay node.

[0011] In the embodiments of the present application, the first core network device can provide services to the relay node and the terminal device, which is beneficial for the host base station to more conveniently and quickly obtain the rate associated with the first network slice of the relay node and improve the efficiency of the access control of the host base station.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a first rate corresponding to the relay node sent by the first core network device; the first rate being determined based on the rates associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node including the terminal device; and performing rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the first rate.

[0013] In the embodiments of the present application, the first core network device provides services for the relay node and the terminal device. The first core network device may determine the rate at which the relay node is associated with the first network slice (i.e., the first rate corresponding to the above-mentioned relay node) based on the rate at which one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice. Furthermore, based on the first rate, rate control is performed on the data transmission in which the relay node is associated with the first network slice. In this method, the host base station can implement uplink and downlink rate control of the relay node according to the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice, and can also ensure that the policies formulated by the operator for network slice services are met.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first rate is determined based on the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice, or is determined based on the sum of the rates at which multiple terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second core network device provides services for the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices.

[0017] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network devices providing services for the relay node and the terminal device may be different core network devices, which can improve the flexibility of selecting the core network device serving the terminal.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending the identifier of the second core network device to the first core network device; the identifier of the second core network device is used for the first core network device to send the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice to the second core network device.

[0019] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network devices providing services for the relay node and the terminal device are different core network devices (i.e., the first core network device provides services for the terminal device, and the second core network device provides services for the relay node). The rate at which the second core network device obtains the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device may be: after receiving the identifier of the second core network device sent by the host base station by the first core network device, the first core network device actively sends it to the second core network device. Furthermore, the second core network device may determine the rate associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device and the rates associated with the first network slice of other terminal devices accessing the relay node, and send the rate associated with the first network slice of the relay node to the host base station, so that the host base station can perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a first request sent by the relay node, where the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice; when transparently transmitting the first request to the second core network device, sending the identifier of the first core network device to the second core network device, where the identifier of the first core network device is used for the second core network device to obtain the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device from the first core network device.

[0021] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network devices providing services for the relay node and the terminal device are different core network devices (i.e., the first core network device provides services for the terminal device, and the second core network device provides services for the relay node). The rate at which the second core network device obtains the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device may be: the second core network device receives the identifier of the first core network device sent by the host base station and obtains the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device from the first core network device based on the identifier of the first core network device. Furthermore, the second core network device may determine the rate associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device and the rates associated with the first network slice of other terminal devices accessing the relay node, and send the rate associated with the first network slice of the relay node to the host base station, so that the host base station can perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a second rate corresponding to the relay node sent by the second core network device; the second rate is determined based on the rates associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; based on the second rate, performing rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0024] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network devices providing services for the relay node and the terminal device are different core network devices (that is, the first core network device provides services for the terminal device, and the second core network device provides services for the relay node). The host base station can obtain the rate associated with the first network slice of the relay node (that is, the second rate corresponding to the above relay node) from the second core network device. Furthermore, based on the second rate, rate control is performed on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node. In this method, the host base station can implement uplink and downlink rate control of the relay node according to the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device, and can also ensure that the policies formulated by the operator for network slice services are met.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a third rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device sent by the first core network device; and performing rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the third rate.

[0026] In the embodiments of the present application, regardless of whether the core network devices providing services for the relay node and the terminal device are the same, the host base station can perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the rates associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node received. In this method, the host base station can implement uplink and downlink rate control of the relay node according to the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device, and can also ensure that the policies formulated by the operator for network slice services are met.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present application discloses a communication method. The method can be executed by a relay node managed by a host base station or a module (such as a chip) in the relay node. The method can include: receiving a first network slice identifier, where the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by an accessed terminal device; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; sending the first network slice identifier to the host base station; and the first network slice identifier is used for the host base station to determine a first core network device providing services for the terminal device, the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first network slice identifier is transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB) or a signaling radio bearer (SRB) between the relay node and the host base station.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a first request to a host base station, where the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by a relay node and associated with a first network slice.

[0030] In a third aspect, the present application discloses a communication method. This method can be executed by a first core network device or a module (such as a chip) in the first core network device. The method may include: receiving a second request, where the second request is a registration request initiated by a terminal device accessing a relay node managed by a host base station and associated with a first network slice identifier; the second request includes the first network slice identifier, and the first network slice identifier is an identifier of the network slice requested by the terminal device; sending a network slice rate, where the network slice rate is used for the host base station to perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice between the relay node and the first network slice; where the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier; the first network slice identifier is sent by the relay node to the host base station; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; and the first network slice identifier is used for the host base station to determine the first core network device that provides services to the terminal device.

[0031] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, a second core network device provides services to the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices; the method further includes: receiving an identifier of the second core network device sent by the host base station, where the identifier of the second core network device is used for the first core network device to send the network slice rate to the second core network device.

[0032] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, a second core network device provides services to the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices; the method further includes: receiving a third request sent by the second core network device, where the third request is used to request to obtain the network slice rate.

[0033] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the network slice rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node, and the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; or, the network slice rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0034] Fourth aspect, the present application discloses a communication method, which can be executed by a second core network device or a module (e.g., a chip) in the second core network device. The method may include: determining a network slice rate corresponding to a relay node; the network slice rate is used for a host base station to perform rate control on data transmission associated with the first network slice by the relay node; sending the network slice rate to the host base station; wherein, the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to a first network slice identifier sent from the relay node to the host base station; the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by a terminal device accessing the relay node; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; the first network slice identifier is used for the host base station to determine a first core network device that provides services for the terminal device, the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices, and the first core network device supports the first network slice.

[0035] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, determining the network slice rate corresponding to the relay node includes: receiving the network slice rate sent by the first core network device, the network slice rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node, and the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; or, the network slice rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0036] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a first request sent by the relay node; the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice; in response to the first request, sending the network slice rate to the host base station.

[0037] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving an identifier of the first core network device sent by the host base station; sending a third request to the first core network device, the third request is used to request to obtain the network slice rate.

[0038] Fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which can be a network device or a chip / circuit therein. The communication device is used to execute the method in any aspect or any possible implementation manner of any aspect. The communication device includes units for executing the method in any aspect or any possible implementation manner of any aspect.

[0039] In the fifth aspect, the above-mentioned communication device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. For the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit and the processing unit, reference may also be made to the device embodiments shown below. The beneficial effects of the above fourth aspect to the fifth aspect may refer to the relevant descriptions of the foregoing first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0040] Sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may include a processor and an interface circuit, and the processor is connected to the interface circuit. Among them, the interface circuit is used for interacting (or transmitting and receiving or inputting and outputting) information or data, and the processor is used for running program instructions so that the communication device executes the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation manner of any one of them. Among them, the interface circuit may be a communication interface or a transceiver. The transceiver may be a radio frequency module in the communication device, or a combination of a radio frequency module and an antenna, or an input / output interface of a chip or a circuit.

[0041] Seventh aspect, the present application provides a readable storage medium, on which program instructions are stored, and when it runs on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation manner of any one of them.

[0042] Eighth aspect, the present application provides a program product containing program instructions, and when it runs, it causes the method described in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation manner of any one of them to be executed.

[0043] Ninth aspect, the present application provides a device, which may be implemented in the form of a chip or in the form of a device, and the device includes a processor. The processor is used for reading and executing the program stored in the memory to execute one or more of the above aspects, or the information interaction method provided by one or more of any possible implementation manners of any one of them. Optionally, the device further includes a memory, and the memory is connected to the processor through a circuit. Further optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is connected to the communication interface. The communication interface is used for receiving the information to be processed, the processor obtains the information from the communication interface, processes the information, and outputs the processing result through the communication interface. The communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner, the above-mentioned processor and memory may be physically independent units, or the memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0045] Tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a host base station, a relay node, and a first core network device and / or a second core network device; the host base station is used for executing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the relay node is used for executing the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first core network device is used for executing the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect, and the second core network device is used for executing the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect.

[0046] The technical effects achieved by the above aspects can refer to each other or refer to the beneficial effects in the method embodiments shown below, and will not be elaborated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an LTE Relay architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of yet another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0055] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] In the description of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish different objects, and do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second", etc. do not necessarily mean different. For example, the first information and the second information, the first PDC type and the second PDC type, etc. are only used to distinguish different information, and do not limit their order. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device, etc. that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices, etc.

[0057] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. The "and / or" in this text is merely an associative relationship describing associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, "at least one (item)", "one (or more) of the following items" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or multiple items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0058] In the description of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to give examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary", "for example", or "such as" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary", "for example", or "such as" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0059] It can be understood that in the description of this application, "when", "if", and "in case" all refer to the device making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, which does not limit time, and it is not required that the device must have a judgment action when implemented, nor does it mean there are other limitations. Among them, the device making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances includes: meeting this objective circumstance, that is, being able to perform this corresponding processing; or meeting this objective circumstance and other circumstances before being able to perform this corresponding processing.

[0060] The "simultaneously" in this application can be understood as at the same time point, can also be understood as within a period of time, and can also be understood as within the same cycle. Specifically, it can be understood in combination with the context.

[0061] In this application, elements represented in the singular are intended to mean "one or more", rather than "one and only one", unless otherwise specified.

[0062] In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this text.

[0063] It can be understood that in the embodiments of this application, expressions such as "A corresponds to B", "A is corresponding to B", "B corresponding to A" or similar ones mean that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. Determining B according to A does not mean determining B only according to A. B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0064] To facilitate the understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies and terms of the present application is first given.

[0065] I. LTE Relay

[0066] (1) LTE Relay Architecture

[0067] Relay technology was introduced in LTE R10, and the LTE Relay architecture is as Figure 1 shown. The relay node (RN) can be understood as being composed of a UE + eNB. There is an air interface connection between the UE part of the RN (referred to as RN-MT) and the donor eNB (DeNB). This part of the air interface is called the Un interface (the ordinary UE accessing the eNB is called the Uu interface). The eNB part of the RN (referred to as RN-eNB) has an X2 interface and an S1 interface with the DeNB. The control plane and user plane data on this X2 and S1 interfaces are both transmitted through the DRB on the Un interface between the RN-MT and the DeNB. Taking the above behavior as an example, all the control plane and user plane data on the RN are encapsulated in the user plane data of the RN-MT and sent to the DeNB. At this time, the mission of the RN-MT has been completed, and the DeNB will maintain a bearer mapping relationship (which will be introduced later), and remap the DRB of the RN-MT to the GTP-U tunnel of the UE (for the user plane) or the S1AP tunnel of the RN-eNB (for the control plane). LTE Relay is a layer 3 Relay (L3 Relay) because there is a complete eNB on the RN with a complete protocol stack.

[0068] (2) Control Plane Protocol Stack Architecture and User Plane Protocol Stack Architecture

[0069] Based on the control plane protocol stack architecture, it can be obtained that for L3 Relay, the RRC message of the UE terminates at the Relay. For the UE, the DeNB is regarded as the mobility management entity (MME).

[0070] Based on the user plane protocol stack architecture, it can be obtained that for L3 Relay, data forwarding is based on the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU). On the Uu interface, a per UE per bearer dedicated radio bearer (DRB) is established; on the Un interface, the per UE per bearer GTP tunnel is carried on the per RN per bearer DRB, supporting the aggregation of services with the same quality of service (QoS) for different UEs; on the S1 interface, a per UE per bearer GTP tunnel is established. For the UE, there is no distinction between the RN and a normal eNB. When the UE accesses the RN, it is considered to have accessed the network. For the core network, the eNB on the RN cannot be seen. When the RN accesses the network through the DeNB, the DeNB will send a configuration update message to the MME. In the view of the core network, it only knows that some new cells have been added under the DeNB and does not know the RN information under the DeNB. For the S1 messages at the interface level on the RN, the RN directly interacts with the DeNB, and the DeNB acts as the MME for the RN; for the S1 messages related to the UE on the RN, the core network interacts with the DeNB (the core network can only see the DeNB and not the RN), and then the DeNB forwards the S1 messages related to the UE to the RN again.

[0071] (3) S1 / X2 proxy function of the DeNB

[0072] The RN selects a DeNB cell from the list of allowed DeNB cells (obtained from operation, administration and maintenance (OAM)) to access in Relay mode. The RN OAM configures the E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI) of the RN cell. The RN establishes an S1 / X2 connection for the backhaul link with the DeNB. Here, E-UTRAN is the evolved universal terrestrial radio access network. According to the previous introduction, the S1 / X2 connection of the RN needs to rely on the DRB of the RN-MT to achieve the transmission between the RN and the DeNB. In LTE, the DRB of the RN-MT is established by the DeNB. When the RN accesses the network, one or more default DRBs are established between the RN-MT and the DeNB. Subsequently, the DeNB can trigger the establishment of more DRBs of the RN-MT according to the QoS requirements needed by the served UE. The RN accessing the network under the DeNB seems to the outside world that there are some more cells under the DeNB.

[0073] II. Network Slicing

[0074] With the development of mobile communication technology, various new services and application scenarios have emerged continuously. The requirements of these services for network functions, connection performance, security, etc. vary greatly. If a single network is used to carry these services, it will be very difficult to meet the requirements such as high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability at the same time. In addition, building a separate network for each service will bring huge costs. This requires that 5G be flexible and scalable while being able to meet different service requirements. For this reason, 5G provides customized network services for users through end-to-end network slicing. By flexibly allocating network resources and networking on demand, 5G virtualizes multiple logical subnets with different characteristics and isolated from each other on the same set of physical facilities to provide services for users specifically.

[0075] (1) Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI)

[0076] Different logical subnets are identified and distinguished by the S-NSSAI. Each S-NSSAI may include the following content:

[0077] 1. Slice / Service Type (SST), which points to the specific characteristics and service types of the network slice;

[0078] 2. Slice Differentiator (SD), as a supplement to SST, can further distinguish multiple network slice instances that meet the same SST and is optional.

[0079] For NSSAI, there are the following specific classifications:

[0080] 1. Subscribed NSSAI: The subscribed NSSAI, which belongs to the user's subscription data;

[0081] 2. Default NSSAI: The default NSSAI. According to the operator's policy, one or more of the NSSAIs subscribed by the user may be set as the default NSSAI; if the UE does not carry the Allowed NSSAI in the registration request message, the network will use the default NSSAI to provide services to the UE if the default NSSAI exists.

[0082] 3. Requested NSSAI: The requested NSSAI, that is, the Allowed NSSAI or Configured NSSAI carried by the UE in the registration request message;

[0083] 4. Allowed NSSAI: The allowed NSSAI, indicating which S-NSSAI(s) in the NSSAI requested by the UE are allowed by the network. The network will bring it to the UE in the "Allowed NSSAI" cell of the Registration Accept message.

[0084] 5. Rejected NSSAI: The rejected NSSAI, indicating which S-NSSAI(s) in the NSSAI requested by the UE are rejected by the network. The network will bring it to the UE in the "Rejected NSSAI" cell of the Registration Accept message.

[0085] 6. Configured NSSAI: The configured NSSAI, which is the NSSAI configured by the network for the UE to use. After receiving this configuration parameter, the UE will know which S-NSSAI(s) are available under the network; the network will bring it to the UE in the "Configured NSSAI" cell of the Registration Accept message.

[0086] The network slice list supported by the base station (i.e., the slice list) is pre-configured by the OAM at the TA granularity, that is, all cells within a specific TA support the same network slice, and then it can be reported to the core network when establishing the NG interface with the core network. If the base station can also support CU / DU separation, further, the DU needs to first send the slice list supported per TA to the CU, and then the CU reports it to the core network.

[0087] (2) Introduction to PDU session management associated with a specific network slice

[0088] When a UE subscribed to a network slice service initializes network access, it can initiate a registration request for a specific network slice by carrying the Requested NSSAI in the RRC establishment complete (RRCSetupComplete) message. The base station can select the core network (specifically, select the AMF) to provide services for the UE based on the Requested NSSAI, and then transparently transmit the registration request (the base station does not parse it) to the core network side. The core network combines the subscribed information of the UE in the UDM, that is, the SubscribedNSSAI, to determine whether the network side (including the RAN side and the core network side) can provide services for this network slice service. If the core network confirms that the current network can support the service corresponding to the Requested NSSAI, it will return the Allowed NSSAI and the RA range of the UE's registration area (represented by the Tracking Area Identity (TAI) list) to the UE through the registration acceptance message; if the core network confirms that the current network cannot support some or all of the S-NSSAI(s) in the Requested NSSAI, it will return the Allowed NSSAI and / or Rejected NSSAI and the RA range of the UE's registration area (Registration Area, RA) to the UE through the registration acceptance message. When the UE moves within the RA range, it cannot initiate a new registration request for the RejectedNSSAI.

[0089] The UE can initiate a PDU session establishment request to the core network based on the Allowed NSSAI (also by transparently transmitting NAS messages through the base station). After the core network determines that it can support this PDU session, it will send a PDU session resource establishment request to the base station, that is, one PDU session is associated with one S-NSSAI. After the base station determines that it can allocate resources for the current PDU session, it will create at least one corresponding DRB on the air interface.

[0090] (3) Network slice access layer group (NSAG)

[0091] The RAN can make the UE aware of the cell reselection priority for network slices and specific random access parameters through broadcasting. The above information is included in SIB16 and SIB1 respectively. Considering that broadcasting based on network slice granularity may bring relatively large overhead to the SIB and there are security risks, the concept of NSAG is proposed, that is, grouping and identifying one or more network slices. Specifically, one or more S-NSSAI(s) can be mapped to obtain a specific NSAG ID, and the mapping relationship between the NSAG ID and the S-NSSAI(s) is unique within a specific area. The characteristics of this mapping relationship are as follows:

[0092] 1. Bidirectional mapping, including the mapping values of the NSAG ID and the related S-NSSAI;

[0093] 2. Configured by the OAM for the gNB, and the gNB sends it to the core network through the NG interface, and then the core network provides it to the UE through the NAS message;

[0094] 3. The granularity of the area validity is TA (tracking area). When the core network sends the mapping relationship of the NSAG to the UE through the NAS message, it can carry the TAI corresponding to the mapping relationship that comes into effect at the same time;

[0095] 4. Allowing network slices not to be associated with any NSAG;

[0096] 5. A network slice can be associated with NSAGs belonging to different purposes, that is, different purposes can each independently have the mapping relationship between the NSAG and the network slice. For example, network slice #1 can be associated with NSAG #1 for cell reselection and can also be associated with NSAG #2 for random access at the same time; however, for the same purpose, a network slice is not allowed to be associated with multiple NSAGs. For example, when used for cell reselection, network slice #1 can be associated with at most NSAG #1, and similarly, when used for random access, network slice #1 can be associated with at most NSAG #2;

[0097] 6. The corresponding NSAG priority can be configured for each NSAG.

[0098] (4) UE-Slice - Maximum Bit Rate (MBR)

[0099] The subscribed information of the UE can include UE-Slice-MBR. When the gNB receives the UE-Slice-MBR associated with the AllowedNSSAI from the AMF, the gNB can perform aggregation rate limitation on one or more user plane activated PDU sessions associated with the same network slice of the same UE based on this value:

[0100] 1. Whenever receiving a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) QoS flow establishment or modification request, the NG-RAN admission control shall ensure that the sum of the GFBR values of the admitted GBR QoS flows does not exceed the UE-Slice-MBR; if the QoS flow cannot be admitted, the NG-RAN shall reject the establishment / modification of the QoS flow.

[0101] 2. The NG-RAN shall ensure that the aggregated bit rate of all GBR and non-GBR QoS flows belonging to these PDU sessions does not exceed the UE-Slice-MBR, while always ensuring the guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR) of each GBR QoS flow of these PDU sessions.

[0102] In this application, in the NR L3 relay technology, the radio interface configuration between the Relay and the Donor has been completed, that is, there are DRBs / SRBs as the backhaul links of the NG interface or the Xn interface. That is to say, the adaptation problem of the new network element NR Relay based on the LTE Relay architecture has been solved, including the access of the mobile terminal part (Relay-MT) of the relay node, and considering how to enable the Relay and the Donor to establish the NG and Xn interfaces based on the PDU session of the Relay-MT, that is, the proxy functions of the NG interface and the Xn interface. Because in LTE Relay, the DeNB is allowed to trigger the establishment of the DRB of the RN-MT, while in NR, the establishment of the DRB is triggered by the PDU session of the UE. Only when the UE wants to initiate a service, the base station will establish the DRB corresponding to the QoS, and the base station is not supported to trigger the establishment of the DRB. Among them, the content of the radio interface resource configuration between the Relay and the Donor may include:

[0103] (1) The Relay-MT sends a request to establish a PDU session to the AMF, where the carried network slice identifier (S-NSSAI) and / or request type indicate that this PDU session is related to NGAP and / or XnAP, or rather, this PDU session is established for the transmission of NGAP and / or XnAP.

[0104] (2) The AMF serving the Relay-MT sends a PDU session resource setup request message to the Donor, requesting to establish the resources serving the PDU session of the MT, where the carried S-NSSAI is related to NGAP and / or XnAP, and optionally, an indication information may also be carried separately to indicate that the type of this PDU session is related to NGAP and / or XnAP.

[0105] (3) The Donor-gNB will send RRC messages (such as: RRCReconfiguration) to the Relay-MT to indicate the establishment of DRBs or SRBs. If the Donor-gNB supports CU / DU separation, then the Donor-CU will further instruct the Donor-DU to establish DRBs or SRBs. For DRBs, the associated S-NSSAI is related to NGAP and / or XnAP, and optionally, it may also carry an indication information alone to indicate that the type of this DRB is related to NGAP and / or XnAP. For the case of SRBs, there is no need to carry the network slice identifier. Optionally, it can carry indication information to indicate that the type of this SRB is related to NGAP and / or XnAP.

[0106] (4) It is allowed that the Relay-MT directly requests the Donor-gNB to establish DRBs / SRBs and then the Donor-gNB directly configures DRBs / SRBs for the Relay-MT; or without the request of the Relay-MT, the Donor-gNB directly configures DRBs / SRBs for the Relay-MT, or directly uses the initial DRBs / SRBs when the Relay-MT accesses the network and establishes an RRC connection to transmit NG / Xn messages.

[0107] The architecture of the above NR L3 relay technology refers to the design of LTE, that is, the UE RRC terminates at the Relay-gNB, and the Donor-gNB cannot obtain the UE's RRC messages (such as the RRCSetupComplete message). Since network slicing is a mandatory feature in NR, considering that the RAN side needs to select the supported AMF based on the UE's Requested NSSAI to serve the UE, in the NR L3 Relay architecture, the Donor-gNB cannot select a suitable AMF based on the Requested NSSAI included in the UE's RRC message to serve the UE, which will cause the network slice service requested by the UE to be not supported by the core network, thereby reducing the success rate of the UE's request for network slice services.

[0108] In view of this, in this application, the host base station can receive the first network slice identifier sent by the relay node managed by the host base station; the first network slice identifier is the identifier of the network slice requested by the terminal device accessing the relay node; determine the first core network device that serves the terminal device, and the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier. Through this method, the problem that the host base station in the NR L3 Relay architecture cannot select the core network device of the terminal device can be solved, and the accuracy of the host base station in selecting the core network device of the terminal device and the success rate of the terminal device's network slice request can be improved.

[0109] Furthermore, the host base station can control the uplink and downlink rates of the relay node according to the network slice rate of the terminal device associated with the first network slice, and can also ensure that the policies formulated by the operator for the network slice service are met.

[0110] Based on the above, in order to better understand a communication method and related devices proposed in this application, the network architecture applied in the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0111] Figure 2 FIG. shows the architecture of a possible communication system to which the communication method provided in this application is applicable. The communication system may include a network management, a core network element, a relay node, a host base station, a first base station, a terminal device, etc. Among them:

[0112] The network management can be responsible for the management and maintenance of the relay node. Exemplarily, the network management can be an OAM network element or a server, etc.; Relay OAM is an OAM server responsible for the management and maintenance of the Relay node.

[0113] The relay node can be used to provide access and wireless backhaul services for the terminal device. The relay node can provide terminal device functions and base station functions, and can also be understood that the relay node can include a relay-MT (module) and a relay-base station (gNB) (module). Among them, the relay-MT can be expressed as Relay-MT, and the relay-base station can be expressed as Relay-gNB.

[0114] The host base station can serve as the host node of the relay node. Optionally, the host base station can be a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a remote radio unit (RRU), or a wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), or a base band pool (BBU pool) and RRU in a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or also a base station in a future communication system (such as 6G), etc., which is not limited herein. Optionally, the host base station can also be a module or unit including some functions of the base station. For example, the host base station can include a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), that is, the host base station can include a host-CU and a host-DU. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the host base station. Among them, in the O-RAN system, the CU can also be called O-CU, and the DU can also be called O-DU.

[0115] The first base station can be the same base station as the host base station, or can also be a base station different from the host base station. The identifier of the first base station can include the gNB ID and / or the IP address. The description of the first base station can refer to the host base station, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0116] The core network elements may include mobility management network elements and user plane function (UPF) network elements, etc. Among them, the mobility management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, and the identifier of the mobility management network element may include the AMF ID and / or IP address. The AMF is responsible for access and mobility management functions, including user registration, reachability, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, etc. The UPF is responsible for the user plane function of the core network, including providing user packet forwarding, processing, connection to the DN, session anchor point, quality of service (QoS) policy execution and other user plane functions. It should be understood that the above core network elements may be network elements with AMF or UPF network element functions in various communication systems, such as network elements with AMF or UPF network element functions in 5G systems or NR and future communication systems (such as 6G systems), etc., which are not limited here.

[0117] A terminal device, also known as a user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal devices can include handheld devices with wireless connection capabilities, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can be: cellular phones, smart phones, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, palmtop computers, wireless modems, laptop computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, extended reality (XR) devices, mixed reality (MR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. Terminal devices can also be terminal devices in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication terminal devices, intelligent vehicles, telematics boxes (or vehicle networking systems), machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal devices, Internet of Things (IoT) terminal devices. For example, terminal devices can be vehicles, ships, or aircraft, etc., or terminal-type roadside units, or communication modules or chips built into vehicles or roadside units. For example, a terminal device can be an in-vehicle module.The various terminal devices introduced above, if located on a vehicle, such as placed in a vehicle or installed in a vehicle, can be considered as vehicle-mounted terminal devices, which are also called on-board units (OBU). The terminal device can also be an amusement device, smart appliance or other smart device, or a drone. In this application, the terminal device can also be a functional module, a chip or a chip system. Optionally, the functional module, the chip or the chip system can be set in the terminal device.

[0118] Exemplarily, a first interface and / or a second interface needs to be established between the relay node and the donor base station, for example, Figure 2 The first interface in the example can be shown as an NG interface, and the second interface can be shown as an Xn interface. Optionally, if it is assumed that the AMF can sense the relay node, the relay node can also directly establish a logical first interface with the AMF, and the information between the AMF and the relay node can be forwarded through the host base station. Similarly, if it is assumed that the first base station can sense the relay node, the relay node can also establish a logical second interface with the first base station, and the information between the first base station and the relay node can be forwarded through the host base station.

[0119] The terminal device and the relay node can communicate through the Uu interface, and the relay node and the host base station can carry the UE's control plane / user plane data through DRB / SRB. The host base station and the first base station can communicate through the Xn interface, and the host base stations and the core network elements can communicate through the NG interface. The core network elements and the network management can communicate through the Internet protocol (IP).

[0120] It should be understood that Figure 2 The architecture of the communication system shown is not limited to the devices shown in the figure, but may also include other devices not shown in the figure, which will not be listed here.

[0121] In addition, Figure 2 The distribution form shown is only exemplary and not limiting.

[0122] In combination with the above network architecture, a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is described below.

[0123] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The functions performed by the terminal device in this embodiment can also be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) in the terminal device, and the functions performed by the network device in this application can also be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) in the network device.

[0124] If Figure 3As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0125] S301: A relay node managed by a host base station sends a first network slice identifier to the host base station; the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by a terminal device accessing the relay node; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node.

[0126] Correspondingly, the host base station receives the first network slice identifier sent from the relay node.

[0127] Exemplarily, the first network slice identifier may be Requested NSSAI.

[0128] Exemplarily, the first network slice identifier is transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB) or a signaling radio bearer (SRB) between the relay node and the host base station.

[0129] S302: The host base station determines a first core network device that provides services to the terminal device. The first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

[0130] Wherein, the first network slice identifier may correspond to one or more network slices.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first core network device provides services to the relay node. Exemplarily, when the core network device that provides services to the relay node supports the first network slice, the host base station may determine the core network device that provides services to the relay node as the above-mentioned first core network device, that is, the core network device that provides services to the relay node provides services to the terminal device.

[0132] In other embodiments of the present application, a second core network device provides services to the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices.

[0133] S303: The host base station performs rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice by the relay node.

[0134] It should be understood that step S303 is an optional step, which is Figure 3 schematically shown by a dashed box.

[0135] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned first core network device provides services to the relay node, that is, the core network device that provides services to the relay node and the core network device that provides services to the terminal device are the same core network device (i.e., both are the first core network device).

[0136] In a possible implementation, after the host base station determines the core network device that provides services for the relay node as the above-mentioned first core network device, the host base station may receive the rate at which the relay node is associated with the first network slice sent by the first core network device (which may be referred to as the first rate corresponding to the relay node); the first rate is determined based on the rate at which one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; based on the first rate, rate control is performed on the data transmission in which the relay node is associated with the first network slice.

[0137] Exemplarily, the first rate is determined based on the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice, or is determined based on the sum of the rates at which multiple terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice.

[0138] Exemplarily, the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice may be referred to as the SMBR information of the UE for the AllowedNSSAI in the following text (abbreviated as the SMBR information of the UE or UE Slice-MBR); the first rate corresponding to the relay node may be referred to as the SMBR information of Relay-MT.

[0139] In another possible implementation, when the core network device that provides services for the relay node and the core network device that provides services for the terminal device are both the first core network device, the first rate may be determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0140] In yet another possible implementation, after the host base station determines the core network device that provides services for the relay node as the above-mentioned first core network device, the relay node may trigger the first core network device to send the first rate to the host base station through the registration process. Then, the host base station may perform rate control on the data transmission in which the relay node is associated with the first network slice based on the first rate.

[0141] In some other embodiments of the present application, the second core network device provides services for the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices. Furthermore, the second core network device may obtain the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice through the following two possible implementations.

[0142] In a possible implementation, after the host base station determines the above-mentioned first core network device, it sends the identifier of the second core network device to the first core network device; the identifier of the second core network device is used for the first core network device to send the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice to the second core network device. That is to say, the second core network device may obtain the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice by: after the first core network device receives the identifier of the second core network device sent by the host base station, the first core network device actively sends it to the second core network device.

[0143] In another possible implementation, the host base station may receive a first request sent by the relay node, where the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by the relay node and associated with a first network slice; when the host base station transparently forwards the first request to the second core network device, it sends the identifier of the first core network device to the second core network device, and the identifier of the first core network device is used for the second core network device to obtain the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice from the first core network device. That is to say, the way for the second core network device to obtain the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice can be: the second core network device receives the identifier of the first core network device sent by the host base station and obtains the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice from the second core network device based on the identifier of the first core network device.

[0144] Exemplarily, the first request may be a registration request message of the relay node. It should be understood that the first request may be a registration request in the NAS message or other messages, as long as the message contains the uplink NAS request message of the first network slice. For example, the first request may also be a PDU session establishment request message.

[0145] Further, after the second core network device can obtain the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice through the above two possible implementations, it may determine the rate at which the relay node is associated with the first network slice (which may be referred to as the second rate corresponding to the relay node) based on the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice and / or the rate at which other terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice, or based on the subscription information of the relay node, and send the rate at which the relay node is associated with the first network slice to the host base station, so that the host base station can perform rate control on the data transmission in which the relay node is associated with the first network slice. In this method, the host base station can implement uplink and downlink rate control of the relay node according to the rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice, and can also ensure that the policies formulated by the operator for network slice services are met.

[0146] Optionally, whether or not the first core network device provides services to the relay node, the host base station may receive a third rate at which the terminal device is associated with the first network slice sent by the first core network device; and based on the third rate, perform rate control on the data transmission in which the relay node is associated with the first network slice. Exemplarily, the host base station may receive the rate(s) (including the above-mentioned third rate) at which one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice sent by the first core network device, save the received rate(s); then, based on the saved rate(s), determine the rate at which the relay node is associated with the first network slice; and then, based on the determined rate, perform rate control on the data transmission in which the relay node is associated with the first network slice.

[0147] Optionally, whether or not the first core network device serves the relay node, the first core network device may receive a second request, which is a registration request associated with a first network slice identifier initiated by a terminal device accessing a relay node managed by a host base station. Further, the first core network device may determine a network slice rate based on the rate at which one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node are associated with the first network slice, where the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device that initiated the above registration request. The network slice rate is used by the host base station to perform rate control on data transmission associated with the first network slice by the relay node, and the network slice rate is determined based on the first network slice.

[0148] The above Figure 3 The method embodiments shown above include many possible implementation solutions. The following will illustrate some of the implementation solutions in combination with Figures 4 to 5 For illustration, it should be noted that Figures 4 to 5 For related concepts, operations, or logical relationships not explained, reference may be made to Figure 3 The corresponding descriptions in the illustrated embodiments.

[0149] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0150] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication method provided by the present application will be introduced in detail by taking the first core network device serving both the terminal device and the relay node as an example. In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device is a UE, the relay node Relay includes Relay-gNB and Relay-MT, the host base station is Donor-gNB, and the first core network device is AMF.

[0151] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions performed by the UE may also be performed by modules (e.g., chips) in the UE. The functions performed by the base station in the present application may also be performed by modules (e.g., chips) in the base station. For example, the functions performed by Donor-gNB may also be performed by modules (e.g., chips) in Donor-gNB.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, the radio interface configuration between the Relay and the Donor-gNB has been completed, that is, there is a DRB / SRB as the backhaul link of the NG interface or the Xn interface.

[0153] As Figure 4 shown, the communication method may include the following steps, in whole or in part:

[0154] S401: The Donor-gNB and the AMF exchange lists of network slices supported by each other through the NG interface.

[0155] Exemplarily, the Donor-gNB and the AMF may exchange the list of network slices supported by each other through the NG Setup / NG-RAN Node Configuration Update message. It should be understood that there is no obvious chronological order between this step and the subsequent steps, as long as the exchange has occurred before the AMF determines the Allowed NSSAI.

[0156] S402: The UE initiates a registration request message associated with the Requested NSSAI and sends an RRC message to the Relay-gNB. The RRC message carries the Requested NSSAI and the NAS message, and the NAS message includes the registration request message.

[0157] In some embodiments, the UE sends a NAS message of a registration request associated with the Requested NSSAI to the core network and carries the NAS message in the UE's RRC message and sends it to the Relay-gNB. Among them, the RRC message also includes the Requested NSSAI.

[0158] Exemplarily, the RRC message may be RRC Setup Complete, i.e., MSG5.

[0159] S403: After receiving the UE's RRC message, the Relay-gNB further transparently transmits the NAS message through the DRB / SRB between the Relay-MT and the Donor-gNB in the NGAP message to the Donor-gNB.

[0160] Among them, the Relay-gNB does not parse the NAS message carried in the RRC message, such as the registration request message.

[0161] Exemplarily, the NGAP message may be an Initial UE Message.

[0162] Exemplarily, for the two different backhaul link methods of DRB / SRB, the content carried on the backhaul link may be as follows:

[0163] Based on DBR backhaul: The bearer content may include the NGAP message carrying the UE registration request and MSG5 carrying the Requested NSSAI. Optionally, other information elements in MSG5 may be empty. The S-NSSAI associated with this DRB may be the UE's Requested NSSAI, or a network slice identifier dedicated to Relay-MT / backhaul / relay, used for the AMF to send some relay-specific network parameters. Optionally, when the Requested NSSAI includes multiple S-NSSAIs, this DRB may represent the associated network slice through the NSAG ID, which may be the NSAG identifier corresponding to the NSAG with the largest intersection between the list of network slices associated in the NSAG supported by Relay-gNB / Donor-gNB and the UE's Requested NSSAI.

[0164] Based on SRB backhaul: The bearer content may include the above-mentioned NGAP message carrying the UE registration request and Requested NSSAI. When the Requested NSSAI includes multiple S-NSSAIs, optionally, it may also be represented by the NSAG ID. For specific details, please refer to the relevant description in the DBR backhaul.

[0165] S404: The Donor-gNB selects an AMF that can support the Requested NSSAI received from the Relay-MT to serve the UE.

[0166] Optionally, if the AMF serving the Relay-MT can support the Requested NSSAI, then the Donor-gNB may preferentially select this AMF as the AMF serving the UE (i.e., the above-mentioned first core network device).

[0167] S405: The Donor-gNB continues to transparently transmit the UE's registration request message to the selected AMF serving the UE through the NGAP message.

[0168] Exemplarily, this NGAP message may be an Initial UE Message.

[0169] Exemplarily, the Donor-gNB may use the Initial UE Message, which, in addition to the registration request message, may also carry Additional ULI (UE location information) to indicate the location of the Relay-MT (such as the TAI information of the TA where it is located and the serving cell identifier information of the parent node).

[0170] Furthermore, there are the following two possible interactions for AMF subsequently, namely S406 and S407. These two interaction methods can be independent of each other or coexist, and they are not in a relationship of either - or.

[0171] S406: Relay - gNB performs per - UE per - slice rate control for the UE based on the UE's SMBR.

[0172] Exemplarily, step S406 may include the following steps S4061 to S4063.

[0173] S4061: AMF sends the UE's Allowed NSSAI and its associated SMBR information to Donor - gNB. This NGAP message carries the NAS message of registration acceptance to be relayed to the UE through Donor - gNB and Relay - gNB.

[0174] In some embodiments, AMF may determine the UE's Allowed NSSAI based on the Requested NSSAI in the registration request message, the network slice list supported by Relay - gNB, the network slice list supported by itself, and the UE's subscription information for network slices. Among them, Requested NSSAI may be a RequestedNSSAI including one or more network slices.

[0175] Optionally, if the UE's subscription information for network slices also includes the UE's SMBR information, then AMF may also determine the SMBR information associated with Allowed NSSAI and send it to Donor - gNB together with Allowed NSSAI.

[0176] Exemplarily, AMF may send the UE's Allowed NSSAI and its associated SMBR information to Donor - gNB through the Initial UE Context Setup message. At the same time, this NGAP message also carries the NAS message of registration acceptance to be relayed to the UE through Donor - gNB and Relay - gNB.

[0177] S4062: Donor - gNB sends the NGAP message related to the UE back to Relay - MT through DRB / SRB.

[0178] Exemplarily, this NGAP message is consistent with the content included in S4061's Initial UE Context Setup, which includes the UE's Allowed NSSAI and its associated SMBR information

[0179] S4063: The Relay-gNB performs rate control on the PDU sessions activated by the UE.

[0180] Optionally, if the Relay-gNB supports SMBR, it can perform uplink and downlink rate control per UE per slice on the PDU sessions activated by the UE based on the SMBR information associated with the Allowed NSSAI in the NGAP message relayed by the Donor-gNB.

[0181] S407: The Donor-gNB performs rate control per Relay-MT per slice for the Relay-MT.

[0182] Exemplarily, step S407 may include the following steps S4071 to S4072.

[0183] S4071: The specific implementation for the Donor-gNB to obtain the SMBR information for the Relay-MT can be: the AMF indicates it to the Donor-gNB (see S4071-1 in detail) or the Donor-gNB implements it by itself (see S4071-2 in detail).

[0184] S4071-1: The AMF serves the UE and the Relay-MT, and the AMF indicates the SMBR information for the Relay-MT and associated with the UE's Allowed NSSAI to the Donor-gNB.

[0185] In some embodiments, if the serving AMF of the UE determines that it is also the serving AMF of the Relay-MT and can further determine based on the Additional ULI in S405 that the UE accesses from the Relay-MT, it will send the SMBR information for the Relay-MT and associated with the UE's Allowed NSSAI to the Donor-gNB.

[0186] Exemplarily, if the UE's Allowed NSSAI includes a first network slice (for convenience of description, hereinafter referred to as Slice#1), and the value of the SMBR for Slice#1 of this UE is SMBR#1, the AMF can indicate to the Donor-gNB through the UE context modification request message associated with the Relay-MT that the value of the SMBR associated with Slice#1 of the Relay-MT is SMBR#2. Optionally, this SMBR#2 is greater than or equal to SMBR#1. Further optionally, this SMBR#2 can also be greater than or equal to the sum of the SMBRs aggregated from different UEs associated with the same Allowed NSSAI (such as Slice#1).

[0187] It should be noted that in some other embodiments of the present application, SMBR#2 may also come from the subscription information of Relay-MT. Exemplarily, the Donor-gNB may obtain the subscription information of Relay-MT from the serving AMF of Relay-MT, including the SMBR information of the Allowed NSSAI for the UE.

[0188] S4071-2: The Donor-gNB saves the Allowed NSSAI of the UE and its associated SMBR received from the AMF for rate control for Relay-MT.

[0189] In some embodiments, when the Donor-gNB determines that the UE accesses through Relay-MT, it saves the Allowed NSSAI of the UE and its associated SMBR received from the AMF for rate control for Relay-MT.

[0190] Exemplarily, if the Allowed NSSAI of the UE includes Slice#1 and the value of the SMBR for Slice#1 for this UE is SMBR#1, then the Donor-gNB will save this SMBR#1

[0191] S4072: The Donor-gNB implements per Relay-MT per slice rate control for Relay-MT.

[0192] Optionally, if the Donor-gNB supports SMBR, it can implement per MT per slice rate control for Relay-MT.

[0193] Exemplarily, after performing the above S4071-1, the Donor-gNB may control the speed of Relay-MT according to the maximum value of the SMBRs received multiple times for Relay-MT associated with Slice#1; or control the speed of Relay-MT according to the latest received SMBR for Relay-MT; or control the speed of Relay-MT according to the sum of the SMBRs received multiple times for Relay-MT associated with Slice#1.

[0194] Exemplarily, after performing the above S4071-2, the Donor-gNB may throttle the Relay-MT according to the maximum value in the SMBR associated with the UE for Slice#1 received; or throttle the Relay-MT according to the latest received SMBR for the UE; or throttle the Relay-MT according to the sum of the SMBRs for the UE received multiple times.

[0195] In the above embodiment, optionally, the AMF / Donor-gNB may also send the SMBR information of the Relay-MT to the Relay-MT, so that the AMF / Donor-gNB / Relay-MT can perform access control on the UE based on the SMBR of the Relay-MT. Exemplarily, assume that the SMBR value for the Relay-MT associated with Slice#1 is 10, UE#1 and UE#2 have accessed from the Relay-MT and requested services for Slice#1, and the SMBRs for UE#1 and UE#2 are 4 and 5 respectively. When UE#3 accesses the Relay-MT and the SMBR indicated by the AMF for UE#3 is 3, since 4 + 5 + 3 > 10, the AMF / Donor-gNB / Relay-MT should reject the Slice#1 service requested by UE#3.

[0196] In the above embodiment, optionally, when the control plane / user plane data of the UE is backhauled through the DRB / SRB for S403 and S4062, the Relay-MT / Donor-gNB may aggregate the data of multiple UEs associated with the same S-NSSAI and transmit them together to reduce redundant signaling overhead.

[0197] In some other embodiments of the present application, after selecting the AMF as the serving AMF of the UE in the above step S404, the rate control of the Relay-MT may be implemented in the manner of the second method in the corresponding embodiment below. Figure 5 Corresponding to the second method in the embodiment.

[0198] The embodiments of the present application carry the RequestedNSSAI of the UE on the backhaul link between the Relay-MT and the Donor-gNB, so as to enable the Donor-gNB to select a suitable AMF as the serving AMF of the UE based on the Requested NSSAI of the UE, improving the accuracy of the Donor-gNB in selecting the serving AMF of the UE, and thus improving the success rate of the UE's network slice request. Further, the Donor-gNB can implement the uplink / downlink rate control of the Relay-MT according to the SMBR information of the UE for the Allowed NSSAI or the subscribed SMBR information of the Relay-MT itself, ensuring compliance with the policies formulated by the operator for network slice services.

[0199] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 which is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0200] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication method provided by the present application is introduced in detail by taking the example that the core network devices serving the terminal device and the relay node are different. In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device is a UE, the relay node Relay includes Relay-gNB and Relay-MT, the host base station is Donor-gNB, the first core network device is the AMF serving the UE, and the second core network device is the AMF serving the Relay-MT.

[0201] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions performed by the UE can also be performed by modules (e.g., chips) in the UE, and the functions performed by the base station in the present application can also be performed by modules (e.g., chips) in the base station. For example, the functions performed by the Donor-gNB can also be performed by modules (e.g., chips) in the Donor-gNB.

[0202] In the embodiments of the present application, the radio interface configuration between the Relay and the Donor-gNB has been completed, that is, there is a DRB / SRB as the backhaul link of the NG interface or the Xn interface. As Figure 5 shown, the communication method may include the following partial or all steps:

[0203] S501: The Donor-gNB and the AMF serving the UE exchange the list of network slices supported by each other through the NG interface, and the Donor-gNB and the AMF serving the Relay-MT exchange the list of network slices supported by each other through the NG interface.

[0204] For the specific implementation of step S501, please refer to step S401 above; compared with step S401, step S501 adds the NG interaction between the Donor-gNB and the serving AMF of the Relay-MT (i.e., the AMF serving the Relay-MT).

[0205] S502: The UE initiates a registration request message associated with the Requested NSSAI and sends an RRC message to the Relay-gNB. The RRC message carries the Requested NSSAI and the NAS message, and the NAS message includes the registration request message.

[0206] For the specific implementation of step S502, please refer to step S402 above and will not be elaborated here.

[0207] There may be the following two ways when the Relay-MT receives the RRC message of the UE:

[0208] Method 1: Relay-MT only processes the registration request of the UE. For details, see steps S503 to S507.

[0209] S503: After receiving the RRC message of the UE, Relay-gNB further transparently transmits the NAS message to Donor-gNB through the DRB / SRB between Relay-MT and Donor-gNB while carrying the NAS message in the NGAP message.

[0210] For the specific implementation of step S503, refer to step S403 above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0211] S504: Donor-gNB selects an AMF that can support the Requested NSSAI based on the Requested NSSAI received from Relay-MT to serve the UE.

[0212] In the embodiment of the present application, the AMF (i.e., the above-mentioned first core network device) determined by Donor-gNB to serve the UE is different from the AMF (i.e., the above-mentioned second core network device) that serves Relay-MT.

[0213] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, it is not necessary to prefer the AMF of Relay-MT as the service AMF of the UE.

[0214] S505: Donor-gNB continues to transparently transmit the registration request message of the UE to the selected AMF serving the UE (i.e., the AMF serving the UE) through the NGAP message.

[0215] For the specific implementation of step S505, refer to step S405 above; compared with step S405, step S505 adds: Donor-gNB also needs to indicate the identifier of the AMF serving Relay-MT to the AMF serving the UE through this NGAP message. Exemplarily, this identifier can be a globally unique AMF ID (globally unique AMF identifier, GUAMI).

[0216] Furthermore, there are the following two possible interactions in S506 and S507 subsequently for the AMF. These two interaction methods can be independent of each other or coexist, and they are not in a relationship of either-or.

[0217] S506: Relay-gNB performs per UE per slice rate control for the UE based on the SMBR of the UE.

[0218] Exemplarily, step S506 can refer to steps S4061 to S4063 above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0219] S507: The donor gNB performs rate control for each Relay-MT per slice.

[0220] Exemplarily, step S507 may include the following steps S5071 to S5072.

[0221] S5071: The AMF serving the UE sends the SMBR information associated with the first network slice (for convenience of description, referred to as Slice#1 for short) for the UE to the AMF serving the Relay-MT.

[0222] The specific implementation for the donor gNB to obtain the SMBR information for the Relay-MT may be S5072-1 or S5072-2.

[0223] S5072-1: The AMF serving the Relay-MT indicates the SMBR information associated with the Allowed NSSAI of the Relay-MT and the UE to the donor gNB.

[0224] Exemplarily, if the Allowed NSSAI of the UE includes Slice#1 and the value of the SMBR of Slice#1 for this UE is SMBR#1, the AMF serving the Relay-MT may indicate to the donor gNB through the UE Context ModifiactionRequest message associated with the Relay-MT that the value of the SMBR associated with Slice#1 of the Relay-MT is SMBR#2. Optionally, this SMBR#2 is greater than or equal to SMBR#1. Further optionally, this SMBR#2 may also be greater than or equal to the sum of the SMBRs associated with the same Allowed NSSAI (such as Slice#1) of different UEs.

[0225] In some other embodiments of the present application, SMBR#2 may also come from the subscription information of the Relay-MT. Exemplarily, the donor gNB may obtain the subscription information of the Relay-MT from the serving AMF of the Relay-MT, including the SMBR information associated with the Allowed NSSAI of the UE.

[0226] S5072-2: The donor gNB saves the Allowed NSSAI of the UE and its associated SMBR received from the AMF serving the UE for rate control of the Relay-MT.

[0227] In some embodiments, when the Donor-gNB determines that the UE accesses through the Relay-MT, it may save the Allowed NSSAI of the UE and its associated SMBR received from the AMF serving the UE for rate control of the Relay-MT.

[0228] Exemplarily, if the Allowed NSSAI of the UE includes Slice#1 and the value of the SMBR for the UE for Slice#1 is SMBR#1, then the Donor-gNB will save the SMBR#1

[0229] Among them, the Donor-gNB can control the speed of the Relay-MT according to the maximum value of the SMBR received for the UE associated with Slice#1; or control the speed of the Relay-MT according to the latest received SMBR for the UE; or control the speed of the Relay-MT according to the sum of the SMBRs received for the UE multiple times

[0230] S5073: The Donor-gNB can implement per Relay-MT per slice rate control for the Relay-MT.

[0231] Optionally, if the Donor-gNB supports the SMBR, it can implement per MT per slice rate control for the Relay-MT.

[0232] Method 2: The Relay-MT uses the Requested NSSAI of the UE as the Requested / Allowed NSSAI of the Relay-MT and initiates a NAS request for the Relay-MT. See steps S603 to S607 for details.

[0233] S603: After receiving the RRC message of the UE, the Relay-gNB continues to carry the NAS message in the NGAP message and further transparently transmits it to the Donor-gNB through the DRB / SRB between the Relay-MT and the Donor-gNB. The DRB / SRB feedback also carries the NAS request for the Relay-MT.

[0234] Exemplarily, the NAS request may be a registration request for the Relay-MT, and the Requested NSSAI carried in the registration request is the same as the Requested NSSAI of the UE; or the NAS request may also be a PDU session establishment request for the Relay-MT, where the network slice associated with the PDU session (i.e., the Allowed NSSAI of the Relay-MT) is the Requested NSSAI of the UE. When the Requested NSSAI of the UE includes multiple S-NSSAIs, multiple PDU sessions may also be requested to be established. Among them, the Relay-gNB does not parse the NAS message carried in the RRC message, such as the registration request message.

[0235] Exemplarily, for other content in step S603 except for the NAS request initiated by the Relay-MT, reference may be made to the above step S403, which will not be elaborated here.

[0236] S604: The Donor-gNB selects an AMF that can support the Requested NSSAI received from the Relay-MT to serve the UE based on the Requested NSSAI.

[0237] In the embodiment of the present application, the AMF determined by the Donor-gNB to serve the UE is different from the AMF serving the Relay-MT.

[0238] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, it is not necessary to prefer the AMF of the Relay-MT as the service AMF of the UE.

[0239] S605: The Donor-gNB continues to transparently transmit the registration request message of the UE to the selected AMF serving the UE (i.e., the AMF serving the UE) through the NGAP message.

[0240] Exemplarily, step S605 may refer to the above step S405, which will not be elaborated here.

[0241] S606: The Donor-gNB transparently transmits the NAS request for the Relay-MT to the AMF serving the Relay-MT through the NGAP message for the Relay-MT.

[0242] It should be understood that there is no obvious sequence between step S606 and step S605 in transparently transmitting the UE's registration request to the UE's serving AMF. In addition to sending the identifier of the Relay-MT's serving AMF to the serving AMF of the UE in the first method so that the serving AMF of the UE can actively send the SMBR information associated with the UE's first network slice to the Relay-MT's serving AMF based on the identifier of the Relay-MT's serving AMF, the Donor-gNB can also indicate the identifier of the UE's serving AMF to the Relay-MT's serving AMF through this NGAP message. For example, when the Donor-gNB transparently transmits the NAS request to the Relay-MT's serving AMF, it can send the identifier of the AMF serving the UE to the Relay-MT's serving AMF, and the identifier of the AMF serving the UE is used for the second core network device to obtain the SMBR information associated with the UE's first network slice from the AMF serving the UE. Furthermore, there are the following two possible interactions for the AMF subsequently, namely S607 and S608. These two interaction methods can be independent of each other or coexist, and they are not in a relationship of either-or.

[0243] S607: The Relay-gNB performs per UE per slice rate control for the UE based on the UE's SMBR.

[0244] Exemplarily, step S607 can refer to the above steps S4061 to S4063, which will not be elaborated here.

[0245] S608: The Donor-gNB performs per Relay-MT per slice rate control for the Relay-MT.

[0246] Exemplarily, step S608 can include the following steps S6081 to S6083.

[0247] S6081: The AMF serving the Relay-MT obtains the SMBR information associated with Slice #1 of the UE from the AMF serving the UE.

[0248] In the first implementation, the AMF serving the UE receives the identifier of the Relay-MT's serving AMF sent by the host base station, and the AMF serving the UE can actively send the SMBR information associated with the UE's first network slice to the Relay-MT's serving AMF based on the identifier of the Relay-MT's serving AMF.

[0249] In the second implementation, the AMF serving the UE receives the third request sent by the serving AMF of the Relay-MT, and the third request is used to request to obtain the SMBR information associated with the first network slice of the UE, and then the AMF serving the UE sends the SMBR information associated with the first network slice of the UE to the serving AMF of the Relay-MT.

[0250] It should be noted that the above two implementations are possible implementation methods for obtaining the SMBR information associated with the first network slice of the UE in the embodiments of the present application. In other embodiments of the present application, the SMBR information associated with the first network slice of the UE may also come from the subscription information of the MT. Exemplarily, the Donor-gNB may obtain the subscription information of the Relay-MT from the serving AMF of the Relay-MT, including the SMBR information of the Allowed NSSAI for the UE.

[0251] S6082: The specific implementation of Donor-gNB obtaining SMBR information for Relay-MT can be S6082-1 ​​or S6082-2.

[0252] S6082-1: The AMF serving the Relay-MT indicates the SMBR information of the Allowed NSSAI for the Relay-MT and associated UE to the Donor-gNB.

[0253] Exemplarily, step S607 can refer to the above step S5072-1, which will not be described in detail here.

[0254] S6082-2: Donor-gNB saves the UE's Allowed NSSAI and its associated SMBR received from the AMF serving the UE for rate control for the Relay-MT.

[0255] Exemplarily, step S607 can refer to the above step S5072-2, which will not be described in detail here.

[0256] S6083: Donor-gNB implements rate control per Relay-MT per slice for Relay-MT.

[0257] Exemplarily, step S607 can refer to the above step S5073, which will not be described here in detail.

[0258] In the above embodiments, when the control plane / user plane data of the UE's uplink / downlink is transmitted back and forth through the DRB in steps such as S503, S506, and S603, the Relay-MT / Donor-gNB can aggregate the data of multiple UEs associated with the same S-NSSAI and transmit them together to reduce redundant signaling overhead.

[0259] In the above embodiments, optionally, the AMF / Donor-gNB serving the Relay-MT can also send the SMBR information of the Relay-MT to the Relay-MT, so that the AMF / Donor-gNB / Relay-MT serving the Relay-MT can perform access control on the UE based on the SMBR of the Relay-MT. Exemplarily, assume that the SMBR value for the Relay-MT associated with Slice#1 is 10, UE#1 and UE#2 have accessed from the Relay-MT and requested services for Slice#1, and the SMBRs for UE#1 and UE#2 are 4 and 5 respectively. When UE#3 accesses the Relay-MT, the SMBR indicated by the AMF for MT for UE#3 is 3. Since 4 + 5 + 3 > 10, the AMF for MT / Donor-gNB / Relay-MT should reject the Slice#1 service requested by UE#3.

[0260] The embodiments of the present application can implement the uplink / downlink rate control of the Relay-MT by the Donor-gNB according to the SMBR information of the UE for the Allowed NSSAI or the subscribed SMBR information of the Relay-MT itself when the serving AMF of the UE and the serving AMF of the Relay-MT are not the same, so as to ensure that the policies formulated by the operator for the network slice service are met.

[0261] The above content elaborates in detail the method provided by the present application. To facilitate the implementation of the above solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application also provide corresponding devices or equipment.

[0262] The present application divides the functional modules of network devices (such as host base stations, relay nodes, first core network devices, and second core network devices) according to the above method embodiments. For example, each functional module can be corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation. The following will be combined with Figures 6 to 8 Describe the communication device of the embodiments of the present application in detail.

[0263] See Figure 6, Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 6 shown, the communication device may include a transceiver unit 10 and a processing unit 20.

[0264] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be the host base station shown above, or a chip or circuit disposed in the host base station. That is, the communication device may be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the host base station in the above method embodiments.

[0265] In one design, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a first network slice identifier sent by a relay node managed by a host base station; the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by a terminal device accessing the relay node; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; the processing unit 20 is configured to: determine a first core network device that provides services to the terminal device, the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

[0266] In a possible implementation manner, the first network slice identifier is transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB) or a signaling radio bearer (SRB) between the relay node and the host base station.

[0267] In a possible implementation manner, the first core network device provides services to the relay node.

[0268] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a first rate corresponding to the relay node sent by the first core network device; the first rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; the processing unit 20 is configured to: perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the first rate.

[0269] In a possible implementation manner, the first rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device, or is determined based on the sum of the rates associated with the first network slice of multiple terminal devices accessing the relay node.

[0270] In a possible implementation manner, the first rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0271] In a possible implementation manner, a second core network device provides services to the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices.

[0272] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: send the identifier of the second core network device to the first core network device; the identifier of the second core network device is used for the first core network device to send the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device to the second core network device.

[0273] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a first request sent by a relay node, where the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice; when the transceiver unit 10 is configured to transparently transmit the first request to the second core network device, the transceiver unit 10 is further configured to send the identifier of the first core network device to the second core network device, and the identifier of the first core network device is used for the second core network device to obtain the rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device from the first core network device.

[0274] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a second rate corresponding to the relay node sent by the second core network device; the second rate is determined based on the rates associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; the processing unit 20 is configured to: perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the second rate.

[0275] In a possible implementation manner, the second rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0276] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a third rate associated with the first network slice of the terminal device sent by the first core network device; the processing unit 20 is configured to: perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice of the relay node based on the third rate.

[0277] In the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions of the first network slice identifier, the first rate, etc. may refer to the introductions in the method embodiment shown above, and will not be elaborated herein one by one. Figures 3 to 5 As shown in the method embodiment, the details will not be described herein one by one.

[0278] It should be understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20 shown in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. For the specific functions or steps executed by the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20, reference may be made to the method embodiment shown above. Figures 3 to 5 The details will not be described herein. In addition, for the technical effects of the embodiments of the present application, reference may be made to the technical effects in the method embodiment shown above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated herein. Figures 3 to 5 As shown in the method embodiment, for the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated herein.

[0279] Reuse Figure 6, in some other embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be the relay node shown above, or a chip or circuit disposed in the relay node. That is, the communication device may be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the relay node in the above method embodiments.

[0280] In one design, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a first network slice identifier, where the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by an accessed terminal device; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: send the first network slice identifier to the host base station; the first network slice identifier is used for the host base station to determine a first core network device that provides services to the terminal device, the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

[0281] In a possible implementation manner, the first network slice identifier is transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB) or a signaling radio bearer (SRB) between the relay node and the host base station.

[0282] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: send a first request to the host base station, where the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice.

[0283] In a possible implementation manner, the processing unit 20 is configured to: generate the first request.

[0284] It can be understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20 shown in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. For the specific functions or steps executed by the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20, reference may be made to the above Figures 3 to 5 shown method embodiments, which will not be elaborated here. In addition, for the technical effects of the embodiments of the present application, refer to the technical effects in the Figures 3 to 5 shown method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0285] Multiplexing Figure 6 , in some other embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be the first core network device shown above, or a chip or circuit disposed in the first core network device. That is, the communication device may be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the first core network device in the above method embodiments.

[0286] In a design, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a second request, where the second request is a registration request initiated by a terminal device accessing a relay node managed by a host base station and associated with a first network slice identifier; the second request includes the first network slice identifier, and the first network slice identifier is an identifier of the network slice requested by the terminal device; the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: send a network slice rate, where the network slice rate is used by the host base station to control the rate of data transmission associated with the first network slice by the relay node; wherein, the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier; the first network slice identifier is sent from the relay node to the host base station; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; the first network slice identifier is used by the host base station to determine the first core network device that provides services to the terminal device.

[0287] In a possible implementation, a second core network device provides services to the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices; the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive an identifier of the second core network device sent by the host base station, and the identifier of the second core network device is used by the first core network device to send the network slice rate to the second core network device.

[0288] In a possible implementation, a second core network device provides services to the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices; the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive a third request sent by the second core network device, and the third request is used to request to obtain the network slice rate.

[0289] In a possible implementation, the network slice rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node, and the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; alternatively, the network slice rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0290] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 20 is configured to: parse the second request.

[0291] It can be understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20 shown in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. For the specific functions or steps executed by the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20, reference can be made to the Figures 3 to 5 method embodiments shown above, which will not be elaborated here. In addition, for the technical effects of the embodiments of the present application, refer to the technical effects in the Figures 3 to 5 method embodiments shown above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0292] Multiplexing Figure 6, in some other embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be the second core network device shown above, or a chip or circuit disposed in the second core network device. That is, the communication device may be used to execute the steps or functions, etc., performed by the second core network device in the above method embodiments.

[0293] In a design, the processing unit 20 is configured to: determine the network slice rate corresponding to the relay node; the network slice rate is used for the host base station to perform rate control on the data transmission associated with the first network slice by the relay node; the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: send the network slice rate to the host base station; wherein, the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier sent from the relay node to the host base station; the first network slice identifier is the identifier of the network slice requested by the terminal device accessing the relay node; the radio resource control (RRC) connection of the terminal device terminates at the relay node; the first network slice identifier is used for the host base station to determine the first core network device that provides services for the terminal device, the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices, and the first core network device supports the first network slice.

[0294] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive the network slice rate sent by the first core network device, the network slice rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice of one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node, and the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; or, the network slice rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

[0295] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive the first request sent by the relay node; the first request is a non-access stratum (NAS) request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice; in response to the first request, send the network slice rate to the host base station.

[0296] In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: receive the identifier of the first core network device sent by the host base station; the transceiver unit 10 is configured to: send a third request to the first core network device, and the third request is used to request to obtain the network slice rate.

[0297] It can be understood that the specific descriptions of the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20 shown in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. For the specific functions or steps performed by the transceiver unit 10 and the processing unit 20, reference may be made to the Figures 3 to 5 method embodiments shown above, which will not be elaborated here. In addition, for the technical effects of the embodiments of the present application, refer to the technical effects in the Figures 3 to 5 method embodiments shown above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0298] The network devices (such as host base stations, relay nodes, first core network devices, and second core network devices) of the embodiments of the present application are introduced above. The following introduces the possible product forms of the network devices (such as host base stations, relay nodes, first core network devices, and second core network devices). It should be understood that any product form that has the functions of the network device described above Figure 6 falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. It should also be understood that the following introduction is only for illustration and does not limit the product forms of the communication devices in the embodiments of the present application to this.

[0299] In a possible implementation manner, Figure 6 in the communication device shown, a processing unit may further be included. The processing unit may be one or more processors; the transceiver unit 10 is integrated into one device, such as a transceiver, or the transceiver unit 10 includes a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor and the transceiver may be coupled, etc. The connection manner between the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. During the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information in the above method may be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After the above information is output by the processor, other processing may be required before it reaches the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method may be understood as the process of the processor receiving the input above information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it to the processor. Further, after the transceiver receives the above information, other processing may be required before it is input to the processor.

[0300] Refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 7 shown, the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments, and reference can be made to the description in the above method embodiments. The communication device may be a network device or a chip therein. Exemplarily, the communication device includes one or more processors 1001 and a transceiver 1002. The communication device may further include a memory 1003. In one implementation manner, the communication device further includes an input / output device ( Figure 7 not shown).

[0301] The processor 1001 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of software programs. The memory 1003 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1002 may include a control circuit and an antenna. The control circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user.

[0302] After the communication device is powered on, the processor 1001 can read the software program in the memory 1003, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be wirelessly transmitted, after the processor 1001 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, it outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0303] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be set independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be independent of the communication device and arranged in a remote manner.

[0304] Among them, the processor 1001, the transceiver 1002, and the memory 1003 can be connected through a communication bus.

[0305] Exemplarily, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the host base station in the above Figure 3 shown embodiments, the processor 1001 can be used to execute Figure 3 step S302 in Figure 3 ; the transceiver 1002 can be used to execute

[0306] step S301 in Figure 3 and / or be used for other processes of the technologies described herein. Figure 3 ; the transceiver 1002 can be used to execute

[0307] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and sending functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and sending functions may be separate or integrated. The above transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the above transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0308] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1001 may store instructions, which may be computer programs. The computer programs run on the processor 1001, which may enable the communication device to execute the method described in the above method embodiment. The computer program may be fixed in the processor 1001, in which case the processor 1001 may be implemented by hardware.

[0309] In one implementation, the communication device may include a circuit, which may implement the functions of sending or receiving or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processor and transceiver described in the present application may be implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver may also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMetal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-channel metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (bipolar junction transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0310] It can be understood that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application can also have more than Figure 7 More components, etc., are not limited in the embodiments of this application. The methods performed by the processor and transceiver shown above are only examples. For the specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver, please refer to the introduction of the method embodiment above.

[0311] In another possible implementation, Figure 7 in the communication device shown, the processing unit 20 may be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver unit 10 may be an input / output interface, or also referred to as a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Or the transceiver unit 10 may also be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be an output interface, and the receiving unit may be an input interface. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface.

[0312] See Figure 8 , Figure 8 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 8 shown, Figure 8 the communication device shown includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902. That is, the above-mentioned processing unit 20 can be implemented by the logic circuit 901, and the transceiver unit 10 can be implemented by the interface 902. Among them, the logic circuit 901 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 902 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. Exemplarily, Figure 8 is shown taking the above communication device as a chip as an example. The chip includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902.

[0313] In the embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. For the specific connection manner between the logic circuit and the interface, the embodiments of the present application do not make limitations.

[0314] Exemplarily, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the host base station in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 , the logic circuit 901 is used to determine the first core network device that provides services for the terminal device; the interface 902 is used to receive the first network slice identifier.

[0315] In the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions of the first indication information, the second indication information, etc. can refer to the introductions in the method embodiments shown in the above Figure 3 , and will not be elaborated here one by one. It can be understood that the specific descriptions of the logic circuit 901 and the interface 902 can also refer to the introductions of the processing unit and the transceiver unit shown in Figure 6 , and will not be repeated here.

[0316] It can be understood that the communication device shown in the embodiments of the present application can implement the method provided by the embodiments of the present application in the form of hardware, or can also implement the method provided by the embodiments of the present application in the form of software, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make limitations on this.

[0317] For Figure 8For the specific implementation manners of the various embodiments shown, reference may also be made to the foregoing various embodiments, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0318] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes network devices (such as a host base station, a relay node, a first core network device, and a second core network device), and the network devices can be used to execute the method in any of the foregoing method embodiments ( Figures 3 to 5 ).

[0319] In addition, the present application provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processes executed by the network device in the method provided by the present application.

[0320] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer code is stored. When the computer code runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the operations and / or processes executed by the network device in the method provided by the present application.

[0321] The present application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program. When the computer code or the computer program runs on a computer, the operations and / or processes executed by the network device in the method provided by the present application are caused to be executed.

[0322] In several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices, or units, and can also be electrical, mechanical, or other forms of connections.

[0323] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0324] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, the functional units can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0325] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0326] The above is only the specific implementation manner of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claimed rights.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a donor base station, the method includes: Receive a first network slice identifier sent by a relay node managed by the host base station; the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by a terminal device accessing the relay node; a radio resource control RRC connection of the terminal device is terminated at the relay node; Determine a first core network device that provides services for the terminal device, the first core network device supports a first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first network slice identifier is transmitted via a data radio bearer DRB or a signaling radio bearer SRB between the relay node and the host base station.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first core network device provides services for the relay node.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a first rate corresponding to the relay node sent by the first core network device; the first rate is determined based on a rate associated with one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node and the first network slice; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; Based on the first rate, rate control is performed on data transmission associated with the relay node and the first network slice.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first rate is determined based on the rate associated with the first network slice by the terminal device; or, the first rate is determined based on the sum of rates associated with multiple terminal devices accessing the relay node and the first network slice; or, the first rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second core network device provides services for the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending an identifier of a second core network device to the first core network device; the identifier of the second core network device is used by the first core network device to send the rate associated with the terminal device and the first network slice to the second core network device.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving a first request sent by the relay node, where the first request is a non-access stratum NAS request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice; When transparently transmitting the first request to the second core network device, the identifier of the first core network device is sent to the second core network device, and the identifier of the first core network device is used by the second core network device to obtain the rate associated with the terminal device and the first network slice from the first core network device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a second rate corresponding to the relay node sent by the second core network device; the second rate is determined based on a rate associated with the first network slice by one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node or subscription information of the relay node; the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; Based on the second rate, rate control is performed on data transmission associated with the relay node and the first network slice.

10. The method according to claim 3 or 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receiving a third rate associated with the first network slice and sent by the first core network device; Based on the third rate, rate control is performed on data transmission associated with the relay node and the first network slice.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: A relay node applied to a donor base station management, the method comprising: Receive a first network slice identifier, where the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by an accessed terminal device; a radio resource control RRC connection of the terminal device is terminated at the relay node; The first network slice identifier is sent to the host base station; the first network slice identifier is used by the host base station to determine the first core network device providing service to the terminal device, the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first network slice identifier is transmitted via a data radio bearer DRB or a signaling radio bearer SRB between the relay node and the host base station.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first request is sent to the host base station, where the first request is a non-access layer NAS request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first core network device, the method includes: Receive a second request, where the second request is a registration request associated with a first network slice identifier initiated by a terminal device accessing a relay node managed by a host base station; the second request includes the first network slice identifier, where the first network slice identifier is an identifier of a network slice requested by the terminal device; Sending a network slice rate, where the network slice rate is used by the donor base station to control the rate of data transmission associated with the relay node and the first network slice; Among them, the first core network device supports the first network slice, and the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier; the first network slice identifier is sent by the relay node to the host base station; the wireless resource control RRC connection of the terminal device is terminated at the relay node; the first network slice identifier is used by the host base station to determine the first core network device that provides services for the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that A second core network device provides services for the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices; The method further comprises: Receive the identifier of the second core network device sent by the host base station, and the identifier of the second core network device is used by the first core network device to send the network slice rate to the second core network device.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The second core network device provides services for the relay node, and the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices; The method further comprises: Receive a third request sent by the second core network device, where the third request is used to request to obtain the network slice rate.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that: The network slice rate is determined based on a rate associated with the first network slice by one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node, wherein the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; Alternatively, the network slicing rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a second core network device, the second core network device providing services for a relay node managed by a donor base station, the method comprising: Determine a network slice rate corresponding to the relay node; the network slice rate is used by the donor base station to control the rate of data transmission associated with the relay node and the first network slice; Sending the network slice rate to the donor base station; Among them, the first network slice is at least one network slice corresponding to the first network slice identifier sent by the relay node to the host base station; the first network slice identifier is the identifier of the network slice requested by the terminal device accessing the relay node; the radio resource control RRC connection of the terminal device is terminated at the relay node; the first network slice identifier is used by the host base station to determine the first core network device providing services for the terminal device, the first core network device and the second core network device are different core network devices, and the first core network device supports the first network slice.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The determining the network slice rate corresponding to the relay node includes: receiving the network slice rate sent by the first core network device, where the network slice rate is determined based on a rate associated with the first network slice by one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node, where the one or more terminal devices accessing the relay node include the terminal device; Alternatively, the network slicing rate is determined based on the subscription information of the relay node.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving a first request sent by the relay node; the first request is a non-access layer NAS request initiated by the relay node and associated with the first network slice; In response to the first request, the network slice rate is sent to the host base station.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: The method further comprises: Receiving an identifier of the first core network device sent by the donor base station; A third request is sent to the first core network device, where the third request is used to request the network slice rate.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules or units for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

24. A readable storage medium, characterized in that: Used to store a program, the program is executed by one or more processors, so that a device including the one or more processors performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

25. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A host base station for executing the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, a relay node for executing the method described in any one of claims 11 to 13, and a first core network device for executing the method described in any one of claims 14 to 17 and / or a second core network device for executing the method described in claims 18 to 21.

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