Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, and the method comprises the steps: transmitting a first data packet to a next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at a network node Ni under the condition that the address information of the network node Ni is matched with the first address information and the first data packet is used for multicast. The forwarding information indicates at least one next-hop node of the network node Ni, the first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet comprises first address information, the first address information is address information of a target network node, and the target network node is any one-hop node of non-first-hop nodes of a coincident routing path; the overlapped routing path is an overlapped part of a plurality of routing paths for transmitting the first data packet to a plurality of target terminal devices through the relay network, or a plurality of target network nodes are provided, and the target network nodes are service nodes of the terminal devices. The first data packet for multicast can be transmitted only once before the target network node, so that the multicast efficiency of the data packet in the relay network is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method, a communication device, a communication equipment, a chip module, and a readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] A relay network is a communication network topology. For example, through relay devices in the communication network, the communication network is divided into several smaller subnets to improve network performance and stability. In the case of packet multicast in relay networks such as Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) networks, due to the end-to-end transmission mechanism, there is a phenomenon that the same packet is transmitted multiple times on the same routing path, and the efficiency of packets used for multicast in the relay network is low. How to improve the multicast efficiency of the relay network has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method, a communication device, a communication equipment, a chip module, a communication system, a readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application relates to a communication method applied to a network node N of a relay network i , including: when the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first packet is for multicast, the first packet is sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first packet at network node Ni.

[0005] The forwarding information indicates at least one next-hop node of network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node other than the first hop node on the overlapping routing path. The overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Alternatively, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are the service nodes of the terminal devices.

[0006] The first relay network protocol header information of the first packet can be understood as a header information of the relay network protocol. Taking the IAB network as an example, the relay network protocol can be the BAP protocol, and the relay network protocol header information can be, for example, the header information of the BAP protocol layer.

[0007] When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information, it indicates that this network node N i is the target network node.

[0008] According to the communication method of the present application, network node N i When it matches the first address information, if the target network node is any hop node other than the first-hop node of the overlapping routing path, that is, when the first data packet is for multicast, until the target network node on the overlapping routing path, the first data packet is only transmitted once. Compared with transmitting the first data packet multiple times on the overlapping routing path, the multicast efficiency of the first data packet can be improved.

[0009] In addition, compared with the case where there is only one next-hop node at each node in the end-to-end transmission mode, when the first data packet for multicast transmission may need to be forwarded to multiple next-hop nodes at a certain node, according to the communication method of the present application, it is supported to send the first data packet to multiple next-hop nodes at the target network node (it is also supported to send the first data packet to multiple next-hop nodes at the downstream nodes of the target network node), thereby improving the multicast efficiency of the first data packet.

[0010] When there are multiple target network nodes and the target network node is the service node of the terminal device, for each node of the relay network, after the first data packet is transmitted to this node, it will match the first address information. If the address information of the target network node indicated by the first address information does not match the address information of this node, the first data packet will continue to be transmitted to the next-hop node. This makes the first data packet for multicast only transmitted once at any node before the first target network node appears, and the multicast efficiency of the first data packet can be improved.

[0011] Exemplarily, the forwarding information further indicates the wireless backhaul link channel used by network node N i to forward the first data packet. Sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i includes: according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i using the wireless backhaul link channel to send the first data packet to the next-hop node.

[0012] The routing path for transmitting the first data packet can be at the network node granularity, such as a relay network like an IAB network. The routing path for transmitting the first data packet can also be at a finer granularity of the wireless backhaul link channel. According to the communication method of the present application, by indicating the wireless backhaul link channel used by network node N i to forward the first data packet, routing at a finer granularity of the wireless backhaul link channel for transmitting the first data packet can be achieved.

[0013] Exemplarily, the forwarding information further indicates the identification information of the destination terminal device of the first data packet, network node N iLocated on the routing path of the first data packet.

[0014] According to the communication method of the present application, by using the forwarding information to indicate the identification information of the destination terminal device of the first data packet, the destination terminal device reached by the first data packet via the service node can be distinguished, so as to achieve accurate multicast transmission of the first data packet.

[0015] Exemplarily, according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i Sending the first data packet to the next-hop node includes: sending the updated first data packet to at least one next-hop node.

[0016] The second address information of the updated first data packet is the address information of at least one next-hop node indicated by the forwarding information, and the second relay network protocol header information of the updated first data packet includes the second address information.

[0017] Network node N i When the address information of the network node N matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the first address information of the first data packet has indicated that the first data packet is transmitted to the target network node.

[0018] For example, at the first-hop node along the routing path, for example, the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first data packet can continue to be transmitted along the routing path until the first data packet is transmitted to the target network node indicated by the first address information. If the target network node where the first data packet is located is not the destination terminal device of the first data packet, the first data packet still needs to continue to be transmitted to the downstream relay node on the routing path. At this time, the first data packet can be updated. Specifically, the second address information indicated by the first data packet is updated. The update method can be, for example, deleting the first relay network protocol header information indicating the first address information and adding the second relay network protocol header information indicating the second address information. Through the updated first data packet, the second address information of the updated first data packet can indicate the address information of at least one next-hop node, realizing accurate forwarding of the first data packet at the target network node.

[0019] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: when the address information of the network node Ni does not match the first address information, the address information of the network node Ni matches the second address information, and the first data packet is for multicast, updating the second address information according to the forwarding information at the network node Ni. The second address information is the address information of the next-hop node indicated by the forwarding information of the upstream node of the network node Ni. The second relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the second address information. Sending the first data packet with the updated second address information to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node Ni.

[0020] Network node Ni The address information of is not matched with the first address information, and the network node N i The address information of is matched with the second address information, indicating that the network node N i is a downstream network node of the target network node, that is, the first data packet is transmitted to the downstream network node of the target network node.

[0021] The downstream network node of the target network node is still not the destination terminal device of the first data packet. Therefore, when the first data packet is transmitted to the downstream node of the target network node, it needs to be forwarded to the next-hop network node. According to the communication method of the present application, the first data packet with the updated second address information enables the first data packet to be accurately forwarded continuously at any downstream network node of the target network node.

[0022] Exemplarily, the first data packet further includes tunnel protocol address information related to the tunnel, and the tunnel protocol address information is the address information of the target network node.

[0023] The tunnel can be understood as: a tunnel header is wrapped outside the data packet, and only the nodes at the tunnel endpoints will parse the tunnel header, while the intermediate-hop nodes do not parse it, so as to achieve the effect of end-to-end data protection.

[0024] Transmitting the first data packet through the tunnel is an end-to-end transmission method. The relevant protocols that support transmitting the first data packet through the tunnel, for example, define the tunnel protocol address information related to the tunnel, such as the path where the tunnel is located and the tunnel endpoint of the first data packet. According to the communication method of the present application, for example, some embodiments are equivalent to terminating the F1 tunnel in advance. The terminating node of the F1 tunnel is the target network node, and the tunnel protocol address information is the address information of the target network node, so as to adapt to the existing protocol stack, and thus multicast transmission can be realized at low cost and high efficiency.

[0025] Exemplarily, the tunnel protocol address information is the IP address information indicating the target network node and / or the tunnel endpoint information.

[0026] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: receiving path configuration information, where the path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the tunnel protocol address information and the routing path.

[0027] Exemplarily, when the target network node is the service node of the terminal device, the communication method further includes: when the network node N i The address information of does not match any of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i send the first data packet to the next-hop node.

[0028] For the second case where there are multiple target network nodes and the target network nodes are service nodes of terminal devices, since the first address information indicates the address information of multiple target network nodes, for each network node N i , the corresponding address information can only match one of the multiple target network nodes. Therefore, during the transmission of the first data packet along the routing path, the network device N i 's address information can be matched with the address information of each of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information. When the address information of the network node N i does not match any of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, the network device N i is not a target network device, that is, the network device N i is not a service node of the destination terminal device. The first data packet can be sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i . And when the address information of the network node N i matches one of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, the network device N i is a target network device, that is, the network device N i is a service node of the destination terminal device. The first data packet can be sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i . Thus, multicast transmission of the first data packet can be achieved.

[0029] Exemplarily, in the case where the target network nodes are service nodes of terminal devices, sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i includes: when the address information of the network node N i matches one of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, deleting the address information of the network node N i in the first address information to obtain the updated first address information; sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the updated first address information.

[0030] For the second case where there are multiple target network nodes and the target network nodes are service nodes of terminal devices, since the first address information indicates the address information of multiple target network nodes, for each network node N i , the corresponding address information can only match one of the multiple target network nodes. Therefore, if the network node N iIf the address information matches one of multiple target network nodes, it indicates that the network node N i is one of multiple target network nodes. Also, since the transmission process of the first data packet requires the address information to be matched with the address information of the target network node indicated by the first address information at each network node, if the network node N i has address information that matches the address information of one of the target network nodes indicated by the first address information, the first data packet only needs to be forwarded to the destination terminal device it serves at this target network node. At this time, the address information of the matched target network node needs to be deleted so that the first data packet can be accurately forwarded to the next-hop node.

[0031] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: receiving forwarding information configuration information.

[0032] The forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the forwarding information of the network node N i for forwarding information.

[0033] For example, the centralized unit of a relay host node knows the destination terminal device of any data packet. Therefore, for example, the centralized unit of the relay host node can configure the forwarding information (the forwarding information can be in the form of a routing table, for example) of the network nodes including the relay network, that is, the forwarding information configuration information, and send the forwarding information configuration information to the network nodes of the relay network so that the network nodes of the relay network can accurately send the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information and accurately complete the multicast transmission of the first data packet. Here, the multicast transmission includes multicast transmission and broadcast transmission.

[0034] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: receiving multicast configuration information.

[0035] The multicast configuration information is used to identify the first data packet for broadcast or for multicast.

[0036] It should be noted that the relay network is used to support various forms of transmission of data packets, such as unicast, multicast, or broadcast. The transmission forms of multicast or broadcast are different from unicast. For example, the first data packet for broadcast or for multicast can be identified by identifying the first data packet for broadcast or for multicast, so that each network device on the routing path of the data packet can identify each first data packet for multicast or for broadcast according to the corresponding identifier to improve the transmission efficiency of multicast or broadcast.

[0037] Exemplarily, the multicast configuration information includes broadcast information indicating that the first data packet is for broadcast. The communication method further includes: receiving the first data packet through the broadcast information.

[0038] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: broadcasting and sending the first data packet.

[0039] In a second aspect, the present application relates to a communication method, including: sending forwarding information configuration information.

[0040] The forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the forwarding information of network node N i When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the forwarding information at network node N i indicates that the first data packet is sent to at least one next-hop node of network node N i The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path. The overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Or, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are the service nodes of the terminal devices.

[0041] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: sending multicast configuration information, where the multicast configuration information is used to identify the first data packet for broadcast or for multicast.

[0042] Exemplarily, the communication method further includes: sending path configuration information, and the path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the tunnel protocol address information and the routing path.

[0043] In a third aspect, the present application relates to a communication device, including a transceiver module for executing the communication method of the first aspect.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, the present application relates to a communication device, including a transceiver module for executing the communication method of the second aspect.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application relates to a communication system, including the communication device of the third aspect and the communication device of the fourth aspect.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, the present application relates to a communication device, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is used to implement the communication methods of the first aspect and / or the second aspect through logic circuits or by executing code instructions.

[0047] Exemplarily, the communication device is a chip.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, the present application relates to a chip module, including a transceiver component and a chip. The chip is used to execute the communication methods of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, the present application relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, including: computer instructions, wherein when the computer instructions are executed, the computer is caused to execute the communication method of the first aspect and / or the second aspect.

[0050] Exemplarily, the computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory storage medium.

[0051] In a ninth aspect, the present application relates to a computer program product, including a computer program stored on a readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed, the computer is caused to implement the communication method of the first aspect and / or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] The drawings used in the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below.

[0053] Figure 1A Schematically shows an example of an IAB network;

[0054] Figure 1B Schematically shows the architecture diagram of a 5G core network;

[0055] Figure 1C Schematically shows the control plane protocol stack in an IAB network;

[0056] Figure 1D Schematically shows the user plane protocol stack in an IAB network;

[0057] Figure 1E Schematically shows the format of the header information of the BAP protocol;

[0058] Figure 1F Schematically shows the schematic diagram of multicast through an F1 tunnel;

[0059] Figure 2 Schematically shows the schematic diagram of the system architecture of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0060] Figure 3 Schematically shows the flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0061] Figure 4A Schematically shows the schematic diagram of the IAB donor-CU sending the same content multicast message such as the first data packet to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6 by using the end-to-end F1 tunnel implementation;

[0062] Figure 4BSchematically shows a schematic diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure being executed by an IAB node of an IAB network, and using the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure to execute the IAB donor-CU to send a first data packet for multicast to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6;

[0063] Figure 4C Schematically shows a schematic diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure being executed by an IAB host node of an IAB network, and using the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure to execute the IAB donor-CU to send a first data packet for multicast to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6;

[0064] Figure 4D Schematically shows another schematic diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure being executed by an IAB node of an IAB network, and using the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure to execute the IAB donor-CU to send a first data packet for multicast to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6;

[0065] Figure 5A Schematically shows an interaction schematic diagram of the configuration information in Case 1;

[0066] Figure 5B Schematically shows another interaction schematic diagram of the configuration information in Case 1;

[0067] Figure 5C Schematically shows an interaction schematic diagram of the configuration information in Case 2;

[0068] Figure 5D Schematically shows an interaction schematic diagram of configuring broadcast information in a broadcast scenario;

[0069] Figure 5E Schematically shows in Figure 5D A schematic diagram of the transmission stage after the configuration broadcast information shown;

[0070] Figure 6 Schematically shows a flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0071] Figure 7 Schematically shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 8 Schematically shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0073] Figure 9 Schematically shows a block diagram of a communication device that can implement the resource allocation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0074] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0075] The term "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0076] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order of the objects. For example, the first target object and the second target object are used to distinguish different target objects, rather than to describe a specific order of the target objects.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific manner.

[0078] It should be understood that in the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" may represent: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist simultaneously. Among them, A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after. "At least one (one) of the following" or its similar expression refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (one) or plural items (ones). For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c may represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c may be single or multiple.

[0079] The following explains the background technology that the embodiments of the present disclosure may involve.

[0080] A relay network is a communication network topology. For example, through relay devices in the communication network, the communication network is divided into several smaller subnets to improve network performance and stability. The network devices of the relay network can be divided into relay nodes and relay host nodes. Hereinafter, the relay network will be taken as an example of an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) network for illustration.

[0081] Compared with the fourth-generation mobile communication technology, the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G) has put forward more stringent requirements for various network performance indicators. For example: a 1000-fold increase in capacity, a wider coverage requirement, ultra-high reliability and ultra-low latency, etc. On the one hand, considering the rich high-frequency carrier frequency resources, in hot spots, to meet the ultra-high capacity requirements of 5G, it is becoming increasingly popular to use high-frequency small cells to form a network. Since the propagation characteristics of high-frequency carriers are poor, they are severely attenuated by occlusion, and the coverage range is not wide, a large number of small cells need to be densely deployed. Correspondingly, the cost of providing fiber backhaul for these densely deployed small cells is very high, and the construction difficulty is great. Therefore, an economical and convenient backhaul solution is needed; on the other hand, from the perspective of wide coverage requirements, when providing network coverage in some remote areas, the deployment of optical fibers is difficult and costly, and a flexible and convenient access and backhaul solution also needs to be designed. The IAB network provides an idea for solving the above two problems: both its access link and backhaul link adopt wireless transmission solutions, reducing fiber deployment.

[0082] In an IAB network, a relay node, or an IAB node (hereinafter also referred to as an IAB node), can provide wireless access services for a terminal device (user equipment, UE). The service data of the terminal device is transmitted by the IAB node through a wireless backhaul link connected to an IAB host node (hereinafter also referred to as an IAB donor). The IAB node consists of an MT (mobile termination) part and a DU (distributed unit) part. Among them, when the IAB node faces its parent node, it can act as a terminal device, that is, the role of the MT; when the IAB node faces its child nodes (the child nodes may be another IAB node or a terminal device), the IAB node is regarded as a network device, that is, the role of the distributed unit. The IAB host node can be understood as an access network element with the complete functions of a base station (gNB), including a centralized unit (centralized unit, CU) and a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU). The IAB host node is connected to the core network serving the terminal device (for example, connected to the 5G core network). Hereinafter, the mobile terminal part of the IAB node is called IABMT, the distributed unit of the IAB node is called IAB DU, the centralized unit of the IAB host node is called IAB donor-CU, and the distributed unit of the IAB host node is called IAB donor-DU.

[0083] In an IAB network, on a transmission path between a terminal device and an IAB host node, one or more IAB nodes may be included. Each IAB node needs to maintain a wireless backhaul link facing the parent node and also needs to maintain a wireless link facing the child nodes. If the child node of the IAB node is a terminal, the link between the IAB node and the child node (the child node is the terminal device) is a wireless access link. If the child node of the IAB node is another IAB node, the link between the IAB node and the child node (the child node is the other IAB node) is a wireless backhaul link.

[0084] Figure 1A Schematically shows an example of an IAB network. In Figure 1AIn the example, a total of five IAB nodes, namely the IAB donor and IAB nodes 1 to 5, are schematically shown, and two terminal devices, namely UE1 and UE2, are also schematically shown. In the path "UE1 → IAB node4 → IAB node3 → IAB node1 → IAB donor", UE1 accesses IAB node4 through a radio access link, IAB node4 is connected to IAB node3 through a radio backhaul link, IAB node3 is connected to IAB node1 through a radio backhaul link, and IAB node1 is connected to the IAB donor through a radio backhaul link.

[0085] Figure 1B A schematic diagram of the 5G core network architecture is schematically shown. As Figure 1B shown, the IAB node-DU (subsequently simply referred to as IAB DU) is logically connected to the IAB donor CU (subsequently simply referred to as CU) through the F1 interface, that is, Figure 1B the F1 connection in is not a direct physical connection but a logical connection. In fact, the F1 connection between the IAB DU and the CU is physically implemented through the NR air interface, that is, the NR Uu interface, between each hop of the IAB node MT and the parent node DU. However, since the IAB DU can finally communicate with the CU, it can be considered that there is an F1 interface logically. The F1 interface supports the user plane protocol (F1-U) and the control plane protocol (F1-C). Among them, the user plane protocol includes one or more of the following protocol layers: General Packet Radio Service tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U), UDP (user datagram protocol), IP (internet protocol), etc.; the control plane protocol includes one or more of the following: F1AP (F1 application protocol), SCTP (stream control transport protocol), IP, etc.

[0086] Figure 1C A schematic diagram of the control plane protocol stack in the IAB network is schematically shown, Figure 1DThe user plane protocol stack in the IAB network is schematically shown. Through F1-C, interface management, management of the IAB DU, and execution of UE context-related configurations, etc. can be carried out between the IAB donor and the IAB node. Through F1-U, functions such as transmission of user plane data and downlink transmission status feedback can be executed between the IAB donor and the IAB node.

[0087] The wireless backhaul link in the IAB network further includes a BAP (Backhaul Adaptation Protocol) layer. The BAP layer is located above the RLC layer and can be used to implement functions such as routing of data packets in the wireless backhaul link and bearer mapping. As Figure 1D shown, the start and end points of the BAP layer are located at the access IAB DU connected to the UE and the IAB donor-DU. The IAB donor-CU assigns unique BAP address information to each IAB node and IAB donor-DU it controls, so that each IAB node and IAB donor-DU in the network can be uniquely identified. In the case of multiple paths, each BAP address information can be associated with multiple path IDs (PATH ID).

[0088] Figure 1E The format of the header information of the BAP protocol is schematically shown, as Figure 1EAs shown, the header information of the BAP protocol, also known as the BAP routing ID, includes two items: BAP address (represented as "DESTINATION" in the figure) and PATH ID (represented as "PATH" in the figure), each occupying 10 bits. The BAP address represents the BAP address information of the destination node of this data packet, and the PATH ID represents the path ID. The IAB donor-CU configures a routing table for each IAB node, and the content of the routing table is the mapping relationship between the BAP routing ID and the next-hop BAP address information. Through the routing table, it can be indicated to which child node (in the case of downlink transmission) or parent node (in the case of uplink transmission) the data packet should be forwarded. In addition to the routing function, the BAP protocol also performs the mapping between the default backhaul radio link control channels (BH RLC channels) of the ingress and egress. The mapping rule can also be configured by the IAB donor-CU, for example. Its essence can be understood as a more fine-grained routing. On the basis of determining the next-hop target BAP address information (i.e., determining the next-hop link), a further RLC channel is selected. According to the BAP protocol, after the BAP layer of the IAB node or IAB donor-DU receives a data packet (for the case where the BAP layer of the IAB node receives a data packet, it is downlink transmission; for the case where the BAP layer of the IAB donor-DU receives a data packet, it is uplink transmission), it determines whether the BAP address information in the header information of this first data packet is itself. If so, it means that this data packet is a data packet sent to the UE served by this IAB node (in the case of downlink transmission) or the IAB donor-CU (in the case of uplink transmission), and then it is handed over to the upper layer (the upper layer of the BAP layer is the IP layer) for processing. If not, it queries the routing table and sends it to the next-hop node.

[0089] In some embodiments, the IAB node only supports unicast and does not support multicast or broadcast. The data transmission between the IAB donor-CU and the UE is encapsulated in the F1 tunnel between the IAB donor-CU and the IAB DU, and the F1 tunnel is end-to-end.

[0090] Figure 1F A schematic diagram of multicast through the F1 tunnel is schematically shown. In the multicast scenario, since the F1 tunnel is end-to-end, as Figure 1FAs shown, when the IAB donor-CU sends multicast data packets with the same content to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6, it is necessary to transmit the repeated information multiple times on the F1 tunnel for UE3 on IAB DU2, the F1 tunnel for UE4 on IAB DU4, the F1 tunnel for UE5 on IAB DU3, and the F1 tunnel for UE6 on IAB DU3 respectively. On the link between the IAB donor-CU and IAB DU2, the same information is transmitted multiple times, resulting in reduced transmission efficiency and wasted resources.

[0091] To improve the multicast efficiency of multicast through a relay network, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method.

[0092] Hereinafter, the above-mentioned IAB network will still be used as an example for illustration, but the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to being applied only to the IAB network, and can also be applied to other types of relay networks.

[0093] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the system architecture of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, which can be understood as a schematic diagram of the communication system of the embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that Figure 2 It is only an example of the system architecture to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied, to help those skilled in the art understand the technical content of the present disclosure, but it does not mean that the embodiment of the present disclosure cannot be applied to other devices, systems, environments or scenarios.

[0094] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a system architecture of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0095] As Figure 2 shown, a system architecture of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure may include: network nodes of a relay network.

[0096] The network nodes of the relay network may include relay nodes and relay host nodes.

[0097] Figure 2 A specific example showing that the relay nodes include a total of 4 relay nodes from relay node1 to relay node4 is schematically shown, and the relay host node relay donor is also schematically shown.

[0098] The relay nodes may include, for example, base stations, vehicle-mounted relays, and the above-mentioned IAB nodes. Corresponding to the relay nodes, the relay host nodes may include, for example: the host nodes of the Relay nodes, the above-mentioned IAB host nodes, etc.

[0099] Hereinafter, taking the relay network as an example of the IAB network, for example Figure 2 in the example of Figure 2 , the relay node can be an IAB node, and the relay host node can be an IAB donor.

[0100] Exemplarily, for example, it can be executed by the IAB node and the IAB donor-DU of the IAB network: When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the first data packet is sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i .

[0101] The forwarding information indicates at least one next-hop node of network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path, and the overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of the multiple routing paths for the first data packet to be transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Alternatively, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are the service nodes of the terminal devices.

[0102] Exemplarily, for example, it can be executed by the IAB donor-CU of the IAB network: Send forwarding information configuration information.

[0103] The forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the forwarding information of network node N i . When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the forwarding information at network node N i indicates that the first data packet is sent to at least one next-hop node of network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path, and the overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of the multiple routing paths for the first data packet to be transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Alternatively, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are the service nodes of the terminal devices.

[0104] Exemplarily, as Figure 2 shown, according to the system architecture of the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal device can also access the relay network through the relay node.

[0105] The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, smart helmets, smart glasses, etc.), and other communication devices with wireless access capabilities, such as various Internet of Things devices, including smart home devices (such as smart meters, smart home appliances, etc.), smart vehicles, etc.

[0106] It should be noted that, for example Figure 2 The system architecture shown is only an example, and any number of relay nodes, the connection relationships of the relay nodes, and the accessed terminal devices can be set as needed.

[0107] Figure 3 Schematically shows a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 The shown communication method can be performed by a network node N i of the relay network.

[0108] As Figure 3 shown, the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes operation S310.

[0109] In operation S310, when the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the first data packet is sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of network node N i .

[0110] The forwarding information indicates at least one next-hop node of network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node.

[0111] The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet can be understood as a header information of the relay network protocol. Taking the IAB network as an example, the relay network protocol can be the BAP protocol, and the relay network protocol header information can be, for example, the header information of the BAP protocol layer.

[0112] When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information, it indicates that this network node N i is the target network node.

[0113] There are the following two cases:

[0114] Case 1: The target network node is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path, and the overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of the multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network.

[0115] Case 2: There are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are service nodes of the terminal device.

[0116] It should be noted that the communication method in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed by any network node N of the relay network. The nodes of the relay network can be divided into relay nodes and relay host nodes. The communication method in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed by relay nodes or relay host nodes. To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following still takes the relay network as an IAB network as an example and combines i the system architecture shown in Figure 2 and the example of the IAB donor-CU sending the first data packet for multicast to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6 along with Figure 1F is described. Among them, Figure 2 the system architecture shown in Figure 1F is consistent with the architecture of the IAB network shown.

[0117] Figure 4A Schematically shows a schematic diagram of the IAB donor-CU sending a multicast message such as the first data packet to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6 using the end-to-end F1 tunnel implementation method.

[0118] The routing path for the IAB donor to send the first data packet to UE3 is P1, that is, sequentially passing through IAB donor → IABnode1 → IAB node2 → UE3. The routing path for the IAB donor to send the first data packet to UE4 is P2, that is, sequentially passing through IABdonor → IAB node1 → IAB node2 → IAB node4 → UE4. The routing path for the IAB donor to send the first data packet to UE5 or UE6 is P3, that is, sequentially passing through IAB donor → IAB node1 → IAB node2 → IAB node3 → UE5 or sequentially passing through IAB donor → IAB node1 → IAB node2 → IAB node3 → UE6.

[0119] For example, when the IAB donor-CU in the implementation manner using an end-to-end F1 tunnel sends a first data packet to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6, the first data packet needs to be transmitted to UE3, UE4, and UE5 or UE6 via the above routing paths P1, P2, and P3 of the IAB network respectively. Due to the end-to-end transmission mode of the F1 tunnel, the next-hop node of the first data packet at each node is one, which causes the first data packet to be transmitted via the above three paths, and the first data packet is repeatedly transmitted multiple times on the path from the IAB donor to the IAB node2, resulting in the problem of low utilization rate of F1 tunnel resources.

[0120] Figure 4B Schematically shows that the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is executed by an IAB node of an IAB network, and a schematic diagram of the IAB donor-CU using the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to send a first data packet for multicast to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6. Corresponding to Case 1, the target network node is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path, and the overlapping routing path is a schematic diagram of the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via a relay network.

[0121] In Figure 4B the example, the overlapping routing path P-co is the overlapping part of the first data packet transmitted via the above routing paths P1, P2, and P3 of the IAB network, that is, the part of IAB donor → IAB node1 → IAB node2.

[0122] Figure 4B Also schematically shows a specific example where the target network node is the last hop node of the overlapping routing path P-co, that is, IAB node2.

[0123] Combined with Figure 4B shown, according to the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network node N i matches the first address information, it represents that the network node is the target network node, which is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path. Then, when the first data packet is for multicast, until the target network node on the overlapping routing path, the first data packet is only transmitted once. Compared with transmitting the first data packet multiple times on the overlapping routing path, the multicast efficiency of the first data packet can be improved.

[0124] In addition, compared with the case where there is only one next-hop node at each node in the end-to-end transmission mode, when the first data packet in multicast transmission may need to be forwarded to multiple next-hop nodes at a certain node, according to the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is supported to send the first data packet to multiple next-hop nodes at the target network node (it is also supported to send the first data packet to multiple next-hop nodes at the downstream nodes of the target network node), thereby improving the multicast efficiency of the first data packet.

[0125] Figure 4C Schematically shows that the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure is executed by the IAB host node of the IAB network, and shows a schematic diagram of using the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure to execute the IAB donor-CU to send the first data packet for multicast to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6. Corresponding to Case 1, the target network node is any hop node of the non-first-hop node of the overlapping routing path, and the overlapping routing path is a schematic diagram of the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network.

[0126] In Figure 4C the example of, the overlapping routing path P-co is the part from the IAB donor-CU to the IAB donor-DU of the IAB network for the first data packet. Figure 4C Schematically shows a specific example where the target network node is the IAB donor-DU, which can be understood as the second-hop node of the overlapping routing path, where the first-hop node of the overlapping routing path is the IAB donor-CU.

[0127] Combined with Figure 4C shown, according to the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the network node N i matches the first address information, it indicates that the network node N i is the target network node of the IAB donor-DU. Then, when the first data packet is for multicast, at least at the target network node where the first data packet is transmitted from the IAB donor-CU to the IAB donor-DU, the first data packet is transmitted only once. Compared with transmitting the first data packet multiple times on this part of the overlapping routing path from the IAB donor-CU to the IAB donor-DU, the multicast efficiency of the first data packet can be improved.

[0128] Figure 4DSchematically shown is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure being executed by an IAB node of an IAB network, and using the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to execute the transmission of a first data packet for multicast from an IAB donor-CU to terminal devices such as UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6. Corresponding to Case 2, the target network nodes are multiple, and the target network nodes are the serving nodes of the terminal devices.

[0129] In Figure 4D the example of, the target network nodes include: the serving node IAB node2 of UE3, the serving node IAB node4 of UE4, and the serving node IAB node3 of UE5 and UE6. For each node of the IAB network, after the first data packet is transmitted to this node, it will match the first address information. If the address information of the target network node indicated by the first address information does not match the address information of this node, the first data packet will continue to be transmitted to the next-hop node. This makes the first data packet for multicast transmitted only once at any node before the first target network node appears. Compared with transmitting the first data packet multiple times on this part of the overlapping routing path from the IAB donor-CU to IAB 2, the multicast efficiency of the first data packet can be improved.

[0130] Taking Figure 4D the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure shown as an example of using an end-to-end F1 tunnel for multicast, the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can also be understood as sharing an end-to-end F1 tunnel during the transmission process of the first data packet, except that the tunnel termination points of the F1 tunnel are different and there are multiple.

[0131] According to the communication method of another embodiment of the present disclosure, the forwarding information further indicates the radio backhaul link channel used by network node N i to forward the first data packet. For example, the following embodiments can be used to implement a specific example of sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i : According to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i , use the radio backhaul link channel to send the first data packet to the next-hop node.

[0132] The routing path for transmitting the first data packet can be at the network node granularity, such as a relay network like an IAB network, and the routing path for transmitting the first data packet can also be at a finer granularity of the radio backhaul link channel. According to the communication method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, by indicating the radio backhaul link channel used by network node N i to forward the first data packet, a finer-grained routing of the radio backhaul link channel for transmitting the first data packet can be achieved.

[0133] According to a communication method of another embodiment of the present disclosure, the forwarding information further indicates the identification information of the destination terminal device of the first data packet, and the network node N i is located on the routing path of the first data packet.

[0134] The IAB node of the IAB network can serve multiple terminal devices accessing the IAB network through this IAB node. According to the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, by indicating the identification information of the destination terminal device of the first data packet through the forwarding information, the destination terminal device reached by the first data packet via the serving node can be distinguished, so as to achieve accurate multicast transmission of the first data packet.

[0135] According to a communication method of another embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, the following embodiment can be used to implement a specific example of sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i : When the address information of the network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the updated first data packet is sent to at least one next-hop node.

[0136] The second address information of the updated first data packet is the address information of at least one next-hop node indicated by the forwarding information, and the second relay network protocol header information of the updated first data packet includes the second address information.

[0137] Taking Figure 4B the schematic diagram of the communication method shown as an example, when the address information of the network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the first address information of the first data packet already indicates that the first data packet is transmitted to the target network node.

[0138] Exemplarily, at the first-hop node along the routing path, for example, the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first data packet can continue to be transmitted along the routing path until the first data packet is transmitted to the target network node indicated by the first address information. If the target network node where the first data packet is located is not the destination terminal device of the first data packet, the first data packet still needs to be transmitted to the downstream IAB node on the routing path. At this time, the first data packet can be updated. Specifically, the second address information indicated by the first data packet is updated. The update method can be, for example, deleting the first relay network protocol header information indicating the first address information and adding the second relay network protocol header information indicating the second address information. Through the updated first data packet, the second address information of the updated first data packet can indicate the address information of at least one next-hop node, realizing accurate forwarding of the first data packet at the target network node.

[0139] Exemplarily, for example, it can also be based on the first data packet at the network node Ni Forwarding information at i , and send the updated first data packet to at least one next-hop node using the wireless backhaul link channel.

[0140] According to a communication method of another embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, it may further include: network node N i whose address information does not match the first address information, and network node N i whose address information matches the second address information, and when the first data packet is for multicast, update the second address information according to the forwarding information at network node N i where the second address information is the address information of the next-hop node indicated by the forwarding information of the upstream node of network node N i and the second relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the second address information. Send the first data packet with the updated second address information to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node Ni.

[0141] Network node N i whose address information does not match the first address information, and network node N i whose address information matches the second address information indicates that network node N i is a downstream network node of the target network node, that is, the first data packet is transmitted to a downstream network node of the target network node.

[0142] For example, the network node N of the embodiment of the present disclosure i may be Figure 4B the IAB node3 or IAB node4 shown, or may also be Figure 4C the IAB node1 or IAB node2 or IAB node3 or IAB node4 shown.

[0143] The downstream network node of the target network node is still not the destination terminal device of the first data packet. Therefore, when the first data packet is transmitted to the downstream node of the target network node, it needs to be forwarded to the next-hop network node. According to the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first data packet with the updated second address information enables the first data packet to be accurately forwarded continuously when it is transmitted to any downstream network node of the target network node.

[0144] According to a communication method of another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first data packet further includes tunnel protocol address information related to a tunnel, and the tunnel protocol address information is the address information of the target network node.

[0145] The tunnel can be understood as: wrapping a tunnel header outside the data packet, and only the nodes at the tunnel endpoints will parse the tunnel header, and the intermediate hop nodes do not parse it, so as to achieve the effect of end-to-end data protection.

[0146] Transmitting the first data packet through a tunnel is an end-to-end transmission method. Related protocols that support transmitting the first data packet through a tunnel, such as tunnel protocols that define tunnel protocol address information related to the tunnel, like the path where the tunnel is located and tunnel endpoint information, carried in the first data packet.

[0147] For example, taking the IAB network as an example, Figure 1D In the user plane protocol stack shown, the protocols related to the F1 tunnel include the GTP-U protocol, UDP protocol, and IP protocol. For example, the IP header information specified by the IP protocol includes the IP address information at the tunnel endpoint. According to the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, in case one, it is equivalent to terminating the F1 tunnel in advance. The termination node of the F1 tunnel is the target network node, and the tunnel protocol address information is the address information of the target network node, to adapt to, for example, Figure 1D the protocol stack shown, so that multicast transmission can be achieved at low cost and efficiently.

[0148] Exemplarily, the tunnel protocol address information can be, for example, the IP address information indicating the target network node and / or tunnel endpoint information (tunnel endpoint ID, TEID).

[0149] According to another embodiment of the communication method of the present disclosure, it may further include: receiving path configuration information.

[0150] The path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the tunnel protocol address information and the routing path.

[0151] Exemplarily, the path configuration information can be sent by the IAB donor-CU to network nodes such as the IAB donor-DU or each IAB node.

[0152] According to another embodiment of the communication method of the present disclosure, when the target network node is the service node of the terminal device, the communication method may further include: when the address information of network node N i does not match any of the target network nodes indicated by the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i .

[0153] For case two where there are multiple target network nodes and the target network node is the service node of the terminal device, since the first address information indicates the address information of multiple target network nodes, for each network node N i , the corresponding address information can only match one of the multiple target network nodes. Therefore, during the transmission of the first data packet along the routing path, network device N iThe address information is matched with the address information of each of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information. At network node N i When the address information of N does not match the address information of any one of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, network device N i is not a target network device, that is, network device N i is not a service node of the destination terminal device. The first data packet can be sent to the next-hop node (the next-hop node here is the IAB node on the routing path) according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i . While when the address information of network node N i matches the address information of one of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, network device N i is a target network device, that is, network device N i is a service node of the destination terminal device. The first data packet can be sent to the next-hop node (the next-hop node here is the destination terminal device) according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i . Thus, multicast transmission of the first data packet can be achieved.

[0154] According to the communication method of another embodiment of the present disclosure, when the target network node is a service node of the terminal device, for example, the following embodiment can be used to implement a specific example of sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i : When the address information of network node N i matches the address information of one of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, the address information of network node N i in the first address information is deleted to obtain the updated first address information. The first data packet is sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the updated first address information.

[0155] For the case where there are multiple target network nodes and the target network node is a service node of the terminal device in the second case, since the first address information indicates the address information of multiple target network nodes, for each network node N i , the corresponding address information can only match one of the multiple target network nodes. Therefore, if the address information of network node N i matches one of the multiple target network nodes, it indicates that this network node N iis one of multiple target network nodes. Also, since the transmission process of the first data packet requires the address information to be matched with the address information of the target network node indicated by the first address information at each network node, if the network node N i 's address information matches the address information of one of the target network nodes indicated by the first address information, the first data packet only needs to be forwarded to the destination terminal device it serves at this target network node. At this time, the address information of the matched target network node needs to be deleted so that the first data packet can be accurately forwarded to the next-hop node.

[0156] The following will take the communication method of the present disclosure embodiment for transmitting downlink user plane data in the IAB network and adopting the Figure 1D shown user plane protocol stack as an example for illustration.

[0157] For the case of end-to-end transmission of the first data packet through the F1 tunnel, the BAP protocol header information of the first data packet (corresponding to the first relay network protocol header information above) indicates the address information of the tunnel endpoint of the F1 tunnel for transmitting the first data packet. After receiving the first data packet at any network node on the routing path from the IAB donor CU to the tunnel endpoint of the downlink user plane data, the network node matches its own address information with the address information of the tunnel endpoint of the F1 tunnel indicated by the BAP protocol header information of the first data packet. If the address information of the network node upstream of the tunnel endpoint does not match the address information of the tunnel endpoint of the F1 tunnel, the first data packet is continued to be sent to the next-hop node. At the tunnel endpoint, if the address information of the tunnel endpoint matches the address information of the tunnel endpoint of the F1 tunnel, upper-layer protocol processing of the BAP protocol layer is performed on the first data packet, such as parsing the first data packet and deleting the GTP-U protocol header information, UDP protocol header information, and IP protocol header information of the first data packet.

[0158] In some embodiments, the BAP protocol header information of the first data packet indicates a tunnel endpoint, which is a service node of the first data packet. At the tunnel endpoint, the first data packet that has undergone upper-layer protocol processing is sent to the destination terminal device served by the service node.

[0159] In the first case of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is equivalent to terminating the F1 tunnel in advance. When the first data packet is transmitted to the tunnel termination point, the upper-layer protocol processing is still performed on the first data packet. However, at this time, the first data packet has not been transmitted to the destination terminal device or the service node of the destination terminal device and needs to be further transmitted to the downstream node. For example, the BAP protocol header information (i.e., the second relay protocol header information above) indicating the address information of at least one next-hop node can be added to the first data packet that has undergone the upper-layer protocol processing. For example, the BAP protocol header information (i.e., the first relay protocol header information above) indicating the address information of the tunnel termination point can also be deleted. Since the BAP protocol supports multicast, the BAP protocol header information (i.e., the second relay protocol header information above) indicating the address information of at least one next-hop node is added to the first data packet that has undergone the upper-layer protocol processing to update the first data packet. The updated first data packet can continue to be multicast-transmitted to the downstream node, with higher multicast transmission efficiency.

[0160] In the second case of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is equivalent to that the first data packet for multicast shares a common F1 tunnel. The BAP protocol header information (i.e., the first relay protocol header information above) of the first data packet indicates the address information of multiple tunnel termination points. The transmission of the first data packet to the tunnel termination point can be understood as the transmission of the first data packet to one of the tunnel termination points of the multiple tunnel termination points. At this tunnel termination point, the first data packet is processed by the upper-layer protocol to terminate the F1 tunnel of the service node with this tunnel termination point as the destination terminal device. At this time, the address information of the multiple tunnel termination points indicated in the BAP protocol header information of the first data packet can be updated. For example, the address information of the tunnel termination point corresponding to the terminated F1 tunnel is deleted, and the first data packet is continued to be sent to the downstream node, and operations such as matching the address information of the multiple tunnel termination points indicated by the BAP protocol header information and, in the case of matching, performing the upper-layer protocol processing as described above to terminate the corresponding F1 tunnel are performed. Details are not described here again. The first data packet for multicast in the second case shares a common F1 tunnel, and the multicast transmission of the first data packet can still be realized and only transmitted once on the same path, with higher multicast transmission efficiency.

[0161] The above are all related descriptions of the first data packet in the transmission stage.

[0162] According to the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it may further include: receiving configuration information.

[0163] Exemplarily, the configuration information may be sent by the IAB donor-CU to network nodes such as the IAB donor-DU or each IAB node.

[0164] The configuration information may include forwarding information configuration information. The forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the network node Ni Forwarding information.

[0165] The configuration information may further include received multicast configuration information. The multicast configuration information is used to identify a first data packet for broadcasting or for multicasting.

[0166] It should be noted that the IAB network is used to support various forms of transmission of data packets in unicast, multicast or broadcast. The transmission forms of multicast or broadcast are different from unicast. For example, the identification of multicast or broadcast data packets can be achieved by identifying a first data packet for broadcasting or for multicasting, so that each network device on the routing path of the data packet can identify each first data packet for multicasting or for multicasting according to the corresponding identification, so as to improve the transmission efficiency of multicast or broadcast.

[0167] Exemplarily, the multicast configuration information includes broadcast information indicating that the first data packet is for broadcasting, and the communication method may further include: receiving the first data packet through the broadcast information.

[0168] Hereinafter, the sending of configuration information by the IAB donor-CU to these network nodes such as the IAB donor-DU or each IAB node will be referred to as the configuration phase, and the transmission of the first data packet by the network node N i after receiving the configuration information will be referred to as the transmission phase.

[0169] Figure 5A Schematically shows an interaction diagram of the configuration information in Case 1.

[0170] Figure 5A The shown scenario corresponds to Figure 4B In the configuration phase, for example, the IAB donor-CU can perform the following operations 1 to 3. It should be noted that operations 1 to 3 are only used to distinguish different operations and do not limit the order of the operations.

[0171] Operation 1: The donor-CU can send configuration information to the target network node via an F1AP or RRC (Radio Resource Control) message. The configuration information can be in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION or RRCReconfiguration. The configuration information can indicate the first data packet that needs to be multicast or broadcast (the broadcast scenario will be described in detail below. At this time, the configuration information can include the multicast configuration information below. The multicast configuration information can indicate, for example, the service identifier of the first data packet), and to which next-hop nodes the first data packet needs to be forwarded. At this time, the configuration information can include forwarding information configuration information, which can be characterized by, for example, BAP path identifier information, BAP address information, IP address information, and TEID information. When the forwarding information includes a radio backhaul link channel, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the radio backhaul link channel used for the first data packet to be forwarded to the next-hop node. For example Figure 5A The table showing the {BAP address information of the next-hop node and the radio backhaul link channel} indicates that there may be multiple BAP address information and radio backhaul links of the next-hop node, so it can be in the form of a table (for example Figure 5B , Figure 5C The meaning of the table in is similar), when the forwarding information includes the destination terminal device, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the identification information of the destination terminal device to which the first data packet is forwarded.

[0172] Operation 2: The donor-CU sends configuration information to the downstream node of the target network node via an F1AP or RRC (Radio Resource Control) message. The configuration information can be in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION or RRCReconfiguration. The configuration information can indicate the first data packet that needs to be multicast or broadcast (the broadcast scenario will be described in detail below. At this time, the configuration information can include the multicast configuration information below. The multicast configuration information can indicate, for example, the service identifier of the first data packet), and to which next-hop nodes the first data packet needs to be forwarded (at this time, the configuration information can include forwarding information configuration information, which can be characterized by, for example, BAP path identifier information, BAP address information, IP address information, and TEID information. When the forwarding information includes a radio backhaul link channel, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the radio backhaul link channel used for the first data packet to be forwarded to the next-hop node. When the forwarding information includes the destination terminal device, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the identification information of the destination terminal device to which the first data packet is forwarded.

[0173] Operation 3: The donor-CU sends configuration information to the donor-DU via an F1AP or RRC (Radio Resource Control) message. The configuration information can be in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION or RRCReconfiguration. The configuration information can indicate to which next-hop nodes the first data packet needs to be sent and the address information of the target network node (in this case, the configuration information can include forwarding information configuration information, which can characterize the address information of the next-hop node and the target network node using, for example, BAP path identification information, BAP address information, IP address information, and TEID information. When the forwarding information includes a wireless backhaul link channel, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the wireless backhaul link channel used for forwarding the first data packet to the next-hop node).

[0174] It should be noted that in Operation 1, the target network node receives the configuration information. The first data packet for multicast or broadcast can be identified using BAP path identification information, BAP address information, IP address information, TEID information, and the identification information of higher-layer protocols such as the application layer. The F1 tunnel terminates at the target network node, and the target network node can parse the first data packet to obtain the information of each protocol layer of the first data packet. In Operation 2, the downstream node of the target network node receives the configuration information. The first data packet for multicast or broadcast cannot be identified using IP address information and TEID information because the F1 tunnel has terminated at the target network node (terminating the F1 tunnel will process the upper-layer protocol of the BAP protocol layer, such as deleting the header information of upper-layer protocols such as the IP protocol header information, UDP protocol header information, and GTP-U protocol header information in the BAP protocol layer). At the target network node, the header information of the BAP protocol layer can include the header information of the PDCU protocol layer, and at this time, there is no IP protocol layer header information. In Operation 3, the donor-DU receives the configuration information. The first data packet for multicast or broadcast cannot be identified using BAP path identification information and BAP address information because the donor-DU is the starting point of the BAP protocol layer, and the BAP protocol layer identifier is added only after the donor-DU processes it.

[0175] In the transmission phase, the donor-CU sets the IP address information and / or TEID information to the address information of the target network node. The donor-DU may add BAP protocol header information outside the IP packet. The donor-DU sets the BAP address information indicated by the BAP protocol header information to the BAP address information at the target network node according to the configuration information of operation 3, and then sends out the first packet at the BAP protocol layer. After the first packet arrives at the target network node, if the BAP address information of the target network node indicated by the first packet matches its own address information, the first packet can be delivered to the upper layer protocol for processing, terminating the F1 tunnel and exposing the header information of the PDCP PDU protocol. The target network node may also, based on the configuration information of operation 1, add RLC protocol header information, MAC protocol header information, and PHY protocol header information outside the header information of the PDCP PDU protocol according to the identifier of the destination terminal device, and send it to the corresponding destination terminal device. It may also determine the next-hop node for sending the first packet according to the {BAP address, wireless backhaul link channel} table mapped to the next-hop node, copy the packet, add BAP protocol header information, RLC protocol header information, MAC protocol header information, and PHY protocol header information outside the header information of the PDCP PDU protocol, set the destination BAP address information in the BAP protocol header information to the BAP address information corresponding to the {BAP address, wireless backhaul link channel} table mapped to the next-hop node, and then send it out through the BAP protocol layer on the corresponding routing path and wireless backhaul link channel. After arriving at the downstream node of the target network node, the downstream node of the target network node will, based on the configuration information of operation 2, if the configuration information includes the identifier of the destination terminal device, send the first packet to the destination terminal device. If there is a {BAP address, wireless backhaul link channel} table mapped to the next-hop node, modify the BAP address information in the header information of the BAP protocol layer to the BAP address information corresponding to the {BAP address, wireless backhaul link channel} table mapped to the next-hop node, and then continue to send it to the next-hop node, and so on.

[0176] Still taking Figure 4BAn example of the transmission of the first data packet will be described. The donor-CU multicasts the first data packet group to UE3, UE4, UE5, and UE6. The BAP address of the donor-DU is BAP address 0, and the BAP address information of IAB-node 1 to IAB-node 4 is BAP address1 to BAP address 4 respectively. The IP address and TEID associated with the donor-DU are IPaddress 0 and TEID 0; the IP addresses and TEIDs of IAB-node 1 to IAB-node 4 are IP address 1 to 4 and TEID 1 to 4 respectively.

[0177] The donor-CU sets the IP address information and TEID information of the first data packet to {IP address 2, TEID 2} and sends it to the donor-DU. The donor-DU wraps the header information of the BAP protocol layer and sets the BAP address information in the BAP protocol header information to {BAP address 2}, and then sends it to IAB-node1.

[0178] The BAP address information of IAB-node1 is BAP address 1, which is different from BAP address 2. However, in the routing table configured on IAB-node1, the next-hop address corresponding to BAP address 2 is BAP address 2. Therefore, IAB-node1 sends the first data packet to IAB-node2.

[0179] After receiving the packet, IAB-node2 checks that the BAP address2 in the BAP protocol header information is the same as its own BAP address information. Then, it delivers the first data packet to the upper-layer protocol for processing, exposing the PDCP PDU. The upper-layer protocol sends the first data packet to UE3 according to the UEID of UE3. In addition, a mapping relationship between {BAP address 2} and {BAPaddress 3, BAP address 4} is also configured on IAB-node2. Therefore, the first data packet with the exposed PDCP PDU is copied twice, and the BAP protocol header information of BAP address 3 and BAP address 4 is added respectively, and then sent to IAB-node3 and IAB-node4.

[0180] After IAB-node3 receives it, it queries that the BAP address3 in the BAP protocol header information is the same as its own BAP address information, so it delivers the first data packet to the upper-layer protocol. After being processed by the upper-layer protocol, it is sent to UE5 and UE6. In addition, there is no mapping relationship between {BAP address 3} and other BAP address information on IAB-node3, so no further forwarding will be performed. Similarly, after IAB-node 4 receives it, it queries that the BAP address 4 in the BAP protocol header information is the same as its own BAP address information, so it delivers the first data packet to the upper-layer protocol. After being processed by the upper-layer protocol, it is sent to UE4. In addition, there is no mapping relationship between {BAP address 4} and other BAP address information on IAB-node 4, so no further forwarding will be performed.

[0181] So far, UE3 to UE6 have all received the first data packet for multicast.

[0182] Figure 5B Another interaction diagram schematically showing the configuration information in Case 1 is shown.

[0183] Figure 5B The shown scenario corresponds to Figure 4C During the configuration phase, for example, the IAB donor-CU can perform the following Operations 1 to 2. It should be noted that Operations 1 to 2 are only for distinguishing different operations and do not limit the order of operations.

[0184] Operation 1: The donor-CU sends configuration information to the donor-DU through an F1AP message in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION. The configuration information can indicate the first data packet to be multicast or broadcast (the broadcast scenario will be described in detail below. At this time, the configuration information can include the multicast configuration information below. The multicast configuration information can, for example, indicate the service identifier of the first data packet), and to which next-hop nodes the first data packet needs to be forwarded. At this time, the configuration information can include forwarding information configuration information. The forwarding information configuration information can be characterized by, for example, BAP path identification information, BAP address information, IP address information, and TEID information. When the forwarding information includes the radio backhaul link channel, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the radio backhaul link channel used for the first data packet to be forwarded to the next-hop node. When the forwarding information includes the destination terminal device, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the identification information of the destination terminal device to which the first data packet is forwarded.

[0185] Operation 2: The donor-CU sends configuration information to each node downstream of the donor-DU via an F1AP or RRC (Radio Resource Control, RRC) message. The configuration information can be in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION or RRCReconfiguration. The configuration information can indicate the first data packet to be multicast or broadcast (the broadcast scenario will be described in detail below. At this time, the configuration information can include the multicast configuration information below. The multicast configuration information can indicate, for example, the service identifier of the first data packet), and to which next-hop nodes the first data packet needs to be forwarded (at this time, the configuration information can include forwarding information configuration information. The forwarding information configuration information can be characterized by, for example, BAP path identifier information, BAP address information, IP address information, and TEID information. When the forwarding information includes the radio backhaul link channel, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the radio backhaul link channel used by the first data packet to be forwarded to the next-hop node. When the forwarding information includes the destination terminal device, the forwarding information configuration information can also indicate the identifier information of the destination terminal device to which the first data packet is forwarded).

[0186] It should be noted that in Operation 1, the donor-DU receives the configuration information, and the first data packet for multicast or broadcast can be identified by using IP address information, TEID information, or identifier information of a higher-layer protocol such as the application layer. In Operation 2, the downstream nodes of the donor-DU receive the configuration information, and the first data packet for multicast or broadcast can be identified by using BAP path identifier information, BAP address information, and identifier information of a higher-layer protocol such as the application layer.

[0187] Figure 5C Schematically shows the interaction schematic diagram of the configuration information in Case 2.

[0188] Figure 5C The shown scenario corresponds to Figure 4D In the configuration phase, for example, the IAB donor-CU can perform the following Operation 1.

[0189] Operation 1: The donor-CU sends configuration information to the donor-DU via an F1AP message in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION. The configuration information can indicate the correspondence between the IP address information or TEID information corresponding to the common tunnel and at least one BAP path identifier information, and for each BAP path identifier information, indicate the BAP address information of the next-hop node and the radio backhaul link channel.

[0190] In the transmission phase, the donor-DU adds BAP protocol header information outside the IP protocol header information of the first data packet. In the BAP protocol header information, according to the configuration information received in the configuration phase, it contains at least one BAP address information. The donor-DU sends out the first data packet according to the configuration information received in the configuration phase. After receiving it, the IAB-node performs the following two steps: 1) Determine whether at least one BAP address information in the BAP protocol header information includes its own BAP address information. If it does, it receives and submits it to the upper-layer protocol for processing. The upper layer sends the data packet to the destination terminal device according to the IP address information and / or TEID information of the common tunnel. 2) Query the routing table. If there is other BAP address information in the BAP protocol header information except its own BAP address information in the routing table, the data packet is copied and sent to the corresponding next-hop node at the BAP protocol layer. For example, in the case where one of the multiple BAP address information included in the BAP protocol header information matches its own BAP address information, the own BAP address information in the BAP protocol header information can also be deleted.

[0191] Still taking Figure 4D the transmission example of the first data packet as an illustration, the donor-CU multicasts the data packet to UE3, UE4, UE5, UE6. The BAP address of the donor-DU is BAP address 0, and the BAP address information of IAB-node 1 to IAB-node 4 are BAP address1 to BAP address 4 respectively. The IP address and TEID associated with the donor-DU are IP address0 and TEID 0; the IP addresses and TEIDs of IAB-node 1 to IAB-node 4 are IP address 1 to 4 and TEID 1 to 4 respectively.

[0192] The donor-CU sets the IP address information and TEID information of the first data packet to {IP address 1, TEID 1}, and sends it to the donor-DU. The donor-DU wraps the header information of the BAP protocol, sets the BAP address information in the BAP protocol header information to {BAP address 2, BAP address 3, BAP address 4}, and then sends it to IAB-node1.

[0193] The BAP address information of IAB-node1 is BAP address 1, which does not belong to any of BAP address 2, BAP address 3, and BAP address 4. However, in the routing table configured on IAB-node1, the address information of the next-hop nodes corresponding to BAP address 2, BAP address 3, and BAP address 4 all indicates BAP address 2. Therefore, IAB-node1 sends the first data packet to IAB-node2.

[0194] After receiving it, IAB-node2 checks that the BAP address 2 in the BAP protocol header information is the same as its own BAP address information, and then delivers the first data packet to the upper-layer protocol. After the upper-layer protocol processes it, it is sent to UE3. In addition, IAB-node2 checks the routing table and also finds that the next-hop address corresponding to BAP address 3 is BAP address 3, and the next-hop address corresponding to BAP address 4 is BAP address 4. Therefore, it duplicates the first data packet twice and sends them to IAB-node3 and IAB-node4 respectively. For example, the item of BAP address 2 in the BAP protocol header information can also be deleted because this hop has been processed.

[0195] After receiving it, IAB-node3 checks that the BAP address 3 in the BAP protocol header information is the same as its own BAP address information, and then delivers the first data packet to the upper-layer protocol. After the upper-layer protocol processes it, it is sent to UE5 and UE6. In addition, IAB-node3 checks the routing table and finds that there are no corresponding next-hop nodes for BAP address 2 and BAP address 4, so it will not perform further forwarding. Similarly, after receiving it, IAB-node4 checks that the BAP address 4 in the BAP protocol header information is the same as its own BAP address information, and then delivers the data packet to the upper-layer protocol. After the upper-layer protocol processes it, it is sent to UE4. In addition, IAB-node4 checks the routing table and finds that there are no corresponding next-hop nodes for BAP address 2 and BAP address 3, so it will not perform further forwarding.

[0196] At this point, UE3 to UE6 have all received the first multicast data packet.

[0197] Figure 5D Schematically shows an interaction diagram for configuring broadcast information in a broadcast scenario.

[0198] As Figure 5DAs shown, in the configuration phase, the donor-CU sends configuration information to the IAB node via F1AP or RRC (Radio Resource Control) messages. The configuration information can be in the form of, for example, BAP MAPPING CONFIGURATION or RRCReconfiguration. The configuration information can indicate broadcast information. The first data packet for broadcasting can carry a service identifier indicating the broadcast. The service identifier can include, for example, the specific cell name in the system message to be broadcast, or a certain type of system message to be broadcast. Additionally, the first data packet for broadcasting may not carry the service identifier indicating the broadcast. In this case, the protocol needs to clearly define the service identifier to be forwarded. This message only serves to enable the broadcast function and does not need to indicate the specific service identifier in the message.

[0199] Figure 5E Schematically shows in Figure 5D The schematic diagram of the transmission phase after the configuration broadcast information shown.

[0200] In the transmission phase, the IAB-MT can be understood as playing the role of a UE. The IAB-MT can parse the broadcast message (e.g., SIB message) of the serving cell. If it is found that the service identifier in the broadcast message is the one indicated in the configuration phase or specified in the protocol, the PDCP layer and RRC layer of the first data packet received for broadcasting are re-encapsulated back to the received state and delivered to the IAB-DU (the IAB-DU does not have an RRC layer. Therefore, after the IAB-MT opens and views the RRC message, it needs to re-encapsulate it back to the original state before delivering it to the IAB-DU. The IAB-DU does not need to parse it and directly adds the header information of the underlying protocol). The IAB-DU directly adds the RLC protocol header information, MAC protocol header information, and PHY protocol header information (in Figure 5E the example, for example, the header information of the three underlying protocols of RLC, MAC, and PHY added are RLC-u, MAC-u, and PHY-u respectively), and it is sent out via a broadcast message (e.g., SIB message) in the cell generated by the IAB-DU (the cell generated by the IAB-DU is the served cell).

[0201] In summary, according to the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the IAB donor-CU, as the centralized unit of the IAB host node, knows the destination terminal device of any data packet. Therefore, for example, the IAB donor-CU can configure the forwarding information of each network node including the IAB network (the forwarding information can be in the form of a routing table, etc.), that is, configuration information such as forwarding information configuration information, and send the configuration information such as forwarding information configuration information to these network nodes such as the IAB donor-DU or each IAB node, so that each network node of the IAB network can accurately send the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information, and accurately complete the multicast transmission of the first data packet. The multicast transmission here includes multicast transmission and broadcast transmission.

[0202] In the above embodiment, network node N i may also receive path configuration information. The configuration information may include path configuration information.

[0203] The path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the tunnel protocol address information and the routing path. For example, the path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the IP address information and / or TEID information of the target network node and at least one BAP path identification information.

[0204] Figure 6 Schematically shows a flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0205] Taking Figure 3 the shown communication method being executed by the IAB node or the IAB donor-DU as an example, Figure 6 the shown communication method may be executed by the IAB donor-CU.

[0206] As Figure 6 shown, the communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes operation S610.

[0207] In operation S610, send the forwarding information configuration information.

[0208] The forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the forwarding information of network node N i When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the forwarding information at network node N i indicates that the first data packet is sent to network node N iIt is sent to at least one next-hop node. The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node among the non-first-hop nodes of the overlapping routing path. The overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Alternatively, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network node is the service node of the terminal device.

[0209] As Figure 6 shown, the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure is corresponding to the communication method of the above embodiment executed by the IAB node or the IAB donor-DU. For example, the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure executed by the IAB donor-CU sends forwarding information configuration information to the IAB node or the IAB donor-DU. After receiving the forwarding information configuration information, the IAB node or the IAB donor-DU can send the first data packet to at least one next-hop node according to the forwarding information indicated by the forwarding information configuration information.

[0210] The configuration phase and the transmission phase after the configuration phase have also been described in detail in the above embodiments and will not be elaborated here. Figures 5A to 5D In the above embodiments, it has been described in detail and will not be repeated here.

[0211] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication method may further include, for example: sending multicast configuration information.

[0212] The multicast configuration information is used to identify the first data packet for broadcasting or for multicasting.

[0213] According to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication method may further include, for example: sending path configuration information, and the path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the tunnel protocol address information and the routing path.

[0214] Figure 7 Schematically shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0215] As Figure 7 shown, the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a transceiver module 710.

[0216] The transceiver module 710 is used to perform the operations executed by the network node N in the above embodiments i For example, the transceiver module is used to perform the operations executed by the IAB node-DU and the IAB node in the above embodiments.

[0217] Figure 8 Schematically shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0218] AsFigure 8 As shown, the communication device of the embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a transceiver module 810.

[0219] The transceiver module 810 is used to perform the operations executed by the IAB node-CU in the above embodiments.

[0220] It should be understood that Figure 7 the embodiments of the device part of the present disclosure shown are the same or similar to the embodiments executed by the network node N in the method part of the present disclosure i and the embodiments of the device part of the present disclosure shown are the same or similar to the embodiments executed by the IAB node-CU in the method part of the present disclosure. The technical problems solved and the technical effects achieved are also the same or similar, and the present disclosure will not elaborate herein. Figure 8

[0221] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides a communication device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

[0222] A communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is used to perform the above communication method through logic circuits or by executing code instructions.

[0223] In some embodiments, the instructions are stored in a memory. The memory is communicatively connected or coupled to the processor.

[0224] In some embodiments, the communication device is a chip.

[0225] Figure 9 FIG. shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 that can be used to implement the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication device includes various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The communication device may also include various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processors, cellular phones, smart phones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present disclosure described and / or claimed herein.

[0226] Figure 9 As Figure 9As shown, the communication device 900 includes a computing unit 901, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a computer program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 902 or a computer program loaded from a storage unit 908 into a random access memory (RAM) 903. In the RAM 903, various programs and data required for the operation of the communication device 900 can also be stored. The computing unit 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 are connected to each other via a bus 904. An input / output (I / O) interface 905 is also connected to the bus 904.

[0227] A plurality of components in the communication device 900 are connected to the I / O interface 905, including: an input unit 906, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output unit 907, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 908, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disc, etc.; and a communication unit 909, such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 909 allows the device 900 to exchange information / data with other devices via a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0228] The computing unit 901 can be various general-purpose and / or special-purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the computing unit 901 include but are not limited to a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various computing units running machine learning model algorithms, a digital signal processor (DSP), and any appropriate processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. The computing unit 901 executes the various methods and processes described above, such as the communication method. For example, in some embodiments, the foregoing method can be implemented as a computer software program, which is tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium, such as the storage unit 908. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed onto the communication device 900 via the ROM 902 and / or the communication unit 909. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 903 and executed by the computing unit 901, one or more steps of the communication method described above can be executed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the computing unit 901 can be configured to execute the communication method by any other appropriate means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0229] The various embodiments of the systems and techniques described above in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuit systems, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system on a chip (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments can include: being implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be a special-purpose or general-purpose programmable processor that receives data and instructions from, and transmits data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0230] The program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0231] In the context of the present disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection based on one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a flash memory, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0232] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on a computer having: a display device for displaying information to the user (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor); and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including acoustic input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0233] The systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in a computing system that includes backend components (e.g., as a data server), or a computing system that includes middleware components (e.g., an application server), or a computing system that includes frontend components (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which the user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described herein), or a computing system that includes any combination of such backend components, middleware components, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected to each other by digital data communication in any form or medium (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include: a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet.

[0234] A computer system can include a client and a server. The client and the server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship between the client and the server is generated by computer programs that run on the respective computers and have a client-server relationship with each other.

[0235] It should be understood that various forms of the processes shown above can be used, with steps reordered, added, or deleted. For example, the steps recited in this disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solutions disclosed in this disclosure can be achieved, and no limitations are imposed herein.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Network node N applied to a relay network i , comprising: The network node N i When the address information of the network node N matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the first data packet is sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i , where the forwarding information indicates at least one next-hop node of the network node N i . The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node that is not the first-hop node of the overlapping routing path. The overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Alternatively, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are the service nodes of the terminal devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Among them, The forwarding information further indicates the network node N i of the wireless backhaul link channel used to forward the first data packet, and sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i includes: Based on the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i send the first data packet to the next-hop node using the wireless backhaul link channel.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Among them, The forwarded information further indicates the identification information of the destination terminal device of the first data packet, and the network node N i is located on the routing path of the first data packet.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Among them, Forwarding the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i includes: Send the updated first data packet to the at least one next-hop node, where the second address information of the updated first data packet is the address information of the at least one next-hop node indicated by the forwarding information, and the second relay network protocol header information of the updated first data packet includes the second address information.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further included: When the address information of the network node Ni does not match the first address information, the address information of the network node Ni matches the second address information, and the first data packet is for multicast, update the second address information according to the forwarding information at the network node N i The second address information is the address information of the next-hop node indicated by the forwarding information of the previous-hop node of the network node N i The second relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the second address information; Send the first data packet after updating the second address information to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i ​ 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first data packet further includes tunnel protocol address information related to the tunnel, and the tunnel protocol address information is the address information of the target network node.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The tunnel protocol address information is the IP address information and / or tunnel endpoint information indicating the target network node.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein Further included: Receive path configuration information, where the path configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the tunnel protocol address information and the routing path.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the target network node is the service node of the terminal device, the method further includes: The network node N i When the address information of the network node does not match any of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the first data packet is sent to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i .

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the target network node is the serving node of the terminal device, sending the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i includes: The network node N i When the address information of matches one of the multiple target network nodes indicated by the first address information, delete the address information of the network node N in the first address information i to obtain the updated first address information; Send the first data packet to the next-hop node according to the forwarding information of the first data packet at the network node N i The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the updated first address information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Further included: Receive the forwarding information configuration information, where the forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the forwarding information of the network node N i of the network node N 12. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Further included: Receive multicast configuration information, where the multicast configuration information is used to identify the first data packet for broadcasting or for multicasting.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The multicast configuration information includes broadcast information indicating that the first data packet is for broadcasting, and the method further includes: Receive the first data packet through the broadcast information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein Further included: Broadcast and send the first data packet.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Send forwarding information configuration information, where the forwarding information configuration information is used to configure the forwarding information of network node N i When the address information of network node N i matches the first address information and the first data packet is for multicast, the forwarding information at network node N i indicates that the first data packet is sent to at least one next-hop node of network node N i The first relay network protocol header information of the first data packet includes the first address information, and the first address information is the address information of the target network node. The target network node is any hop node of the non-first hop node of the overlapping routing path. The overlapping routing path is the overlapping part of multiple routing paths through which the first data packet is transmitted to multiple destination terminal devices via the relay network. Alternatively, there are multiple target network nodes, and the target network nodes are the service nodes of the terminal devices.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Further included: Send multicast configuration information, where the multicast configuration information is used to identify the first data packet for broadcasting or for multicasting.

17. A communication device, comprising: A transceiver module for performing the communication method according to any one of claims 1-14.

18. A communication device, comprising: A transceiver module for performing the communication method according to claim 15 or 16.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a processor and an interface circuit, where the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-16 through logic circuits or by executing code instructions.

20. The communication device according to claim 19, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip.

21. A chip module, characterized in that, Including a transceiver component and a chip, where the chip is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-16.

22. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, characterized in that, Including: Computer instructions, where when the computer instructions are executed, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-16.

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