Relay communication method, terminal, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system and a storage medium, and the relay communication method comprises the following steps: determining a first number corresponding to a second terminal, the first number is the number of links required by the second terminal to access the network equipment or the number of relay terminals required by the second terminal to access the network equipment; and determining a relay terminal of the first terminal in the at least one second terminal based on the first number. Therefore, when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network equipment, the link can meet the service quality requirement of the first terminal for communication, communication interruption is avoided, and the communication reliability is improved.

Description

Relay communication method, terminal, communication system and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] A terminal (also called user equipment (UE)) can communicate with the base station not directly but through another UE acting as a relay. A UE not connected to the base station is called a remote UE, while a UE providing relay functionality is called a relay UE. A remote UE can select a relay UE based on channel quality, but the selected relay UE may not meet actual communication needs.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system, and a storage medium to solve the technical problem in related technologies that the relay UE selected by the remote UE cannot meet the communication requirements.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a relay communication method is provided, which is executed by a terminal. The method includes:

[0006] Determine a first number corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device;

[0007] A relay terminal of the first terminal is determined in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a relay communication method is proposed, which is executed by a network device. The method includes: indicating a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal to a first terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0009] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a relay communication device is provided, the device comprising:

[0010] a transceiver module, configured to determine a first number corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device;

[0011] An execution module is configured to determine a relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a relay communication device is provided, the device comprising:

[0013] An execution module, configured to determine a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access a network device;

[0014] The transceiver module is configured to indicate a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device to the first terminal.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the network device executes the relay communication method described in the first aspect above.

[0016] According to the sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a second terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the network device executes the relay communication method described in the second aspect above.

[0017] According to the seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, comprising a first terminal, a second terminal, and a network device, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the first aspect, and the second terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the second aspect.

[0018] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the relay communication method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal can determine its relay terminal based on the number of links corresponding to at least one second terminal. This helps ensure that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access a network device, the link can meet the first terminal's communication quality of service requirements, avoid communication interruptions, and improve communication reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG2 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart of a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram showing the device structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram showing the apparatus structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0030] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a relay communication method, which is executed by a terminal, and the method includes: determining a first number corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; and determining a relay terminal of the first terminal in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the first terminal can determine the relay terminal of the first terminal based on the number of links corresponding to at least one second terminal. This helps ensure that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network device, the link can meet the first terminal's communication quality of service requirements, avoid communication interruptions, and improve communication reliability.

[0032] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal includes: receiving a first message from the second terminal, where the first message is used to indicate the first quantity.

[0033] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0034] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method also includes: determining a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0035] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal.

[0036] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest quantity among multiple third quantities; or the smallest quantity among multiple fourth quantities.

[0037] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second corresponding relationship between the service quality of the service of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0038] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following methods: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0039] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the relay terminal of the first terminal in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number includes: determining in at least one second terminal that the corresponding first number of second terminals is less than or equal to the second number as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method also includes: the number of relay terminals of the first terminal is multiple, and one relay terminal is selected from the multiple relay terminals as a service relay terminal, wherein the first terminal accesses the network device through the service relay terminal.

[0041] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining that the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed, and the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity, and re-determining the service relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0042] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device.

[0043] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a relay communication method, which is executed by a network device, and the method includes: indicating a first number corresponding to the second terminal to a first terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0044] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, indicating to the first terminal the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal includes: sending a first message to the first terminal, where the first message is used to indicate the first quantity.

[0045] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0046] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: establishing a connection with the first terminal, serving as a service relay terminal for the first terminal to enable the first terminal to access a network device.

[0047] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal serving as the service relay terminal of the first terminal is less than or equal to the second number corresponding to the second terminal, where the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0048] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest quantity among multiple third quantities; or the smallest quantity among multiple fourth quantities.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second corresponding relationship between the service quality of the service of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following methods: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a change in the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device.

[0054] In a third aspect, a relay communication device is proposed, which includes: a transceiver module for determining a first number corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; and an execution module for determining a relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

[0055] In a fourth aspect, a relay communication device is proposed, which includes: an execution module for determining a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access a network device; and a transceiver module for indicating the first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device to the first terminal.

[0056] In the fifth aspect, a terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the network device executes the relay communication method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect.

[0057] In the sixth aspect, a terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal executes the relay communication method described in the above-mentioned second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0058] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, which includes: one or more processors; one or more memories for storing instructions; wherein the processor is used to call the instructions so that the communication device executes the xx method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0059] In the eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which includes: a first terminal, a second terminal and a network device; wherein the first terminal is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and the second terminal device is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0060] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0062] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0063] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminals, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0064] The present disclosure provides a relay communication method, terminal, communication system, and storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms relay communication method, information receiving method, information processing method, and communication method are interchangeable; the terms terminal, network device, information processing device, and communication device are interchangeable; and the terms information processing system and communication system are interchangeable.

[0065] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional embodiments in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional embodiments of other embodiments.

[0066] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0067] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0068] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "aforementioned", "this", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc.

[0069] For example, when using articles such as “a”, “an”, and “the” in English in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0070] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0072] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0073] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0074] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restrictions should be constituted due to the use of prefixes.

[0075] For example, if the description object is "field," the ordinal number preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" does not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the modified "fields" are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of the "first field" and "second field." For another example, if the description object is "level," the ordinal number preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" does not restrict the priority of the "levels." For another example, the number of description objects is not restricted by the ordinal number and can be one or more. For example, in the case of "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device," "first device" and "second device" can be the same or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. For another example, if the description object is "information," "first information" and "second information" can be the same or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0076] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0077] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0078] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0079] In some embodiments, devices and the like can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those in the embodiments.

[0080] The recorded names, "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject" and other terms can be used interchangeably.

[0081] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0082] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station" "fixed station", "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)" "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0083] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0084] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0085] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0086] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0087] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0088] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0089] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0090] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a first terminal 101 , a second terminal 102 , and a network device 103 , wherein the network device includes at least one of the following: an access network device and a core network device.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 include, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but are not limited thereto.

[0092] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a 5G communication system, a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0093] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a device including one or more network elements, or may be multiple devices or device groups, each including all or part of the one or more network elements. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0094] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0095] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0096] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0097] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0098] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0099] FIG2 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] As shown in FIG2 , the relay communication method includes:

[0101] In step S201, the second terminal 102 sends first information to the first terminal 101. The first information includes a first number of second terminals 102, which is the number of links or relay terminals required for the second terminals to access a network device.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 receives first information and determines a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal 102 to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal 102 to access the network device.

[0103] In some embodiments, the second terminal 102 may send a first message to the first terminal 101 , where the first message is used to indicate a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102 .

[0104] In some embodiments, the first message comprises a discovery signal.

[0105] In some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device.

[0106] Step S202: The first terminal 101 determines a relay terminal.

[0107] In some embodiments, when determining a first number corresponding to at least one second terminal 102 , the first terminal 101 may determine a relay terminal of the first terminal in at least one second terminal based on the first number.

[0108] In some embodiments, step 202 also includes the first terminal 101 determining a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0109] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal.

[0110] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services. The first terminal 101 may determine the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal by at least one of the following: the smallest quantity among the plurality of the third quantities; or the smallest quantity among the plurality of the fourth quantities.

[0111] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, and the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101 may be the smallest quantity among the third quantities corresponding to the multiple services.

[0112] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, and the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101 may be the smallest quantity among the fourth quantities corresponding to the multiple services.

[0113] In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on at least one of: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and a third number; or a second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the first terminal and a fourth number.

[0114] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services. The first terminal can determine the third quantity corresponding to each service based on the first corresponding relationship, and the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal can be the smallest quantity among the third quantities corresponding to each service.

[0115] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services. The first terminal can determine the fourth quantity corresponding to the service quality of each service based on the second corresponding relationship. The second quantity corresponding to the first terminal can be the smallest quantity among the fourth quantities corresponding to each service.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following ways: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 determines, among at least one second terminal, a first number of second terminals that is less than or equal to the second number as relay terminals of the first terminal.

[0118] In some embodiments, when the first terminal has multiple relay terminals, the first terminal 101 may select one relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a service relay terminal, wherein the first terminal accesses the network device through the service relay terminal.

[0119] In step S203 , the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 transmit second information.

[0120] In some embodiments, when the first terminal 101 determines that the second terminal 102 is a service relay terminal, it can establish a connection with the second terminal 102 so that the first terminal 101 can access the network device. At this time, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 can transmit second information.

[0121] In some embodiments, the second information transmitted between the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 may include a change in the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102, so that the first terminal 101 re-determines the service relay terminal of the first terminal when determining that the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed and the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity.

[0122] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S201 to S203. For example, step S201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S201+S202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S202+S203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S201-S203 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0123] In some embodiments, steps S201 , S202 , and S203 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0124] In some embodiments, step S201 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0125] In some embodiments, step S202 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0126] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional embodiments described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2 .

[0127] In some embodiments, a terminal may not be directly connected to a network device but may communicate with the network device through the relay of another terminal. The terminal that is not connected to the network device is called a remote terminal, and the terminal that provides a relay function is called a relay terminal. The remote terminal and the relay terminal can communicate with each other through a sidelink (Sidelink) unicast. This architecture can be called a multi-hop terminal to network relay link (Multi-hop UE to Network Relay, Multi-hop U2N Relay).

[0128] In some embodiments, in order to support direct communication between terminals, a secondary link communication mode may be adopted between the terminals, and the interface between the terminals may include a PC-5 interface.

[0129] In some embodiments, the remote terminal and the relay terminal may discover each other through a discovery process. During the discovery process, the terminals may send or receive discovery signals, which may carry information such as the terminal's serving cell identifier and terminal identifier. For example, the discovery signal may be sent in a broadcast manner.

[0130] In some embodiments, the remote terminal can select at least one relay terminal among other terminals based on the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and other terminals. For example, when the quality of the wireless channel between the terminal T1 and the terminal T2 among other terminals is higher than a preset threshold, the terminal T1 and the terminal T2 can be determined as the relay terminals of the remote terminal.

[0131] In some embodiments, the relay terminal determined by the remote terminal may also be referred to as a candidate relay terminal. The remote terminal may select one from at least one relay terminal as a serving relay terminal to access the network device through the serving relay terminal.

[0132] In some embodiments, the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and other terminals may be characterized by at least one of the following:

[0133] Sidelink Discovery Reference Signal Received Power (SD-RSRP); or Sidelink Reference Signal Received Power (SL-RSRP).

[0134] SD-RSRP is the RSRP of the sidelink discovery signal, and SL-RSRP is the RSRP of the sidelink communication signal. SD-RSRP measurement does not require a sidelink connection between terminals, while SL-RSRP measurement requires a sidelink connection between terminals.

[0135] In some embodiments, the remote terminal cannot access the network device through one relay terminal, but needs to access the network device through multiple relay terminals.

[0136] For example, terminal T0 needs to go through terminals T1 and T2 to access the network device. There's a sidelink connection between terminals T0 and T1, a sidelink connection between terminals T1 and T2, and a connection between terminal T2 and the network device. In this case, terminal T0 accesses the network device via three links, which can also be said to be three hops. Alternatively, terminal T0 can be considered to access the network via two relay terminals.

[0137] In some embodiments, the number of relay devices required for a remote terminal to access a network device may affect the communication between the terminal and the network device. For example, the more relay devices required, the worse the service quality of the communication between the terminal and the network device.

[0138] Therefore, if the remote terminal only considers the channel quality between other terminals when selecting a relay terminal from other terminals, without considering the number of links required for other terminals to access the network or the number of relay terminals required, then the selected relay terminal may be difficult to meet the terminal's requirements for communication service quality.

[0139] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a relay communication method. Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The relay communication method illustrated in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be executed by a first terminal.

[0140] As shown in FIG3 , the relay communication method may include the following steps:

[0141] In step S301, a first number corresponding to second terminals is determined, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminals to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminals to access a network device.

[0142] It should be noted that the first terminal may be a remote terminal, and the second terminal may be a relay terminal.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal may be the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device; wherein the number of links may be the number of links required to access the network device, or the number of relay terminals required to access the network device, or the number of hops required to access the network device.

[0144] It should be noted that the number of links required for the access network device can be the number of relay terminals required for the access network device plus 1. The number of hops required for the access network device can be used to represent the number of links required for the access network device, and can also be used to represent the number of relay terminals required for the access network device. For example, if it is determined that the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device is A1, or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device is A2, or the number of hops required for the second terminal to access the network device is A3, then A1=A2+1, A3=A1 or A2, and the first number A corresponding to the determined second terminal can be A1 or A2. For simplicity, in the following embodiments, only the first number corresponding to the second terminal is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device as an example for illustration.

[0145] It should be noted that the number of links required for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second device to access the network device can be the number of links through which the second device currently accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals through which the second device currently accesses the network device; or it can also be the number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device; or it can also be the maximum number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the maximum number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device.

[0146] In step S302, a relay terminal of the first terminal is determined in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

[0147] In some embodiments, after determining the first number corresponding to the second terminal, the first terminal may determine, based on the first number, whether the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal. If the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, the first terminal may access the network device by using the second terminal as a service relay terminal.

[0148] In some embodiments, a first terminal may determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For example, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, the corresponding first quantities are determined to be A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. Based on A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, a determination is made as to whether there is a relay terminal among the four second terminals that can serve as the first terminal. If A_1 and A_3 meet the requirements (e.g., greater than a preset first quantity threshold), while A_2 and A_4 do not, then it is determined that the second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal, and the first terminal can then access the network device by using any one of T1 and T3 as a service relay terminal.

[0149] For example, the first terminal determines the number of links required by at least one second terminal. The first terminal may determine a relay terminal for the first terminal among the at least one second terminal based on the number of links required by the at least one second terminal.

[0150] For example, the first terminal determines the number of relay terminals required by at least one second terminal. The first terminal may determine a relay terminal for the first terminal in at least one second terminal based on the number of relay terminals required by the at least one second terminal.

[0151] For example, when receiving a discovery signal from another terminal, the first terminal may determine the terminal sending the discovery signal as the second terminal, determine the first number corresponding to the second terminal, and then determine whether the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal based on the first number.

[0152] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0153] In some embodiments, if a first terminal discovers only one second terminal, the first terminal may directly use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal in order to access the network device; alternatively, the first terminal may first determine whether the channel quality between the first terminal and the second terminal meets the requirements, and if so, use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal; alternatively, the first terminal may determine whether the first number of second terminals meets the requirements, and if so, use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal. If the first terminal does not send a second terminal, or if none of the discovered second terminals can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal, a corresponding prompt message may be generated.

[0154] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal can determine a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the number of links corresponding to at least one second terminal. This helps ensure that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access a network device, the link can meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, thereby avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability.

[0155] In step S301, the first terminal may determine the first number corresponding to the second terminal in various ways. For example, the first number may be provided by the second terminal, provided by a network device, or predefined by a protocol.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first terminal receives a first message from the second terminal, the first message being used to indicate a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal. The first terminal may determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal from the first message, and determine a relay terminal of the first terminal based on the first message.

[0157] The first message received by the first terminal from the second terminal for indicating the first quantity can be various. In some embodiments, the first message can include a discovery signal, and the discovery signal is used to indicate or carry the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal. For example, during the process of measuring the quality of a wireless channel between the first terminal and the second terminal, a sub-link discovery signal can be received from the second terminal. The sub-link discovery signal can be used to measure the SD-RSRP between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the sub-link discovery signal can indicate or carry the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal.

[0158] For example, when a first terminal and a second terminal are measuring wireless channel quality, the first terminal receives a secondary link discovery signal from the second terminal. The secondary link discovery signal may carry information such as a serving cell identifier of the second terminal, a terminal identifier of the second terminal, and a first number corresponding to the second terminal. The first terminal may determine whether the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the first number obtained from the secondary link discovery signal.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first message may further include a side-link communication signal, the side-link communication signal being used to measure the SL-RSRP between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the side-link communication signal being used to indicate or carry the first number corresponding to the second terminal.

[0160] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal can determine a first number corresponding to a second terminal by receiving a first message from the second terminal, and then determine whether the second terminal is a relay terminal based on the first number. This facilitates the first terminal obtaining the first number corresponding to the second terminal and establishing a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access a network device, thereby enabling the link to meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability.

[0161] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a second number corresponding to the first terminal, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0162] In some embodiments, the second number corresponding to the first terminal may be the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; wherein the number of links may be the number of links allowed when accessing the network device, or the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device, or the number of hops allowed when accessing the network device.

[0163] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when accessing the network device can be the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device plus 1. The number of hops allowed when accessing the network device can be used to indicate the number of links allowed when accessing the network device, or can be used to indicate the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device. For example, if it is determined that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B1, or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B2, or the number of hops allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B3, then B1=B2+1, B3=B1 or B2, and the second number B corresponding to the determined first terminal can be B1 or B2. For simplicity, in the following embodiments, only the second number is taken as the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device as an example for illustration.

[0164] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device may be the maximum number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device may be the maximum number of relay devices allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0165] For example, the number B1 of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device and the number B2 of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network device are determined, and the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be B1 or B2.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminals and the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, and the first terminal can determine the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first quantity A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and the second quantity B of the first terminal.

[0167] Based on the first number A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and the second number B of the first terminal, various methods can be used to determine the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal. In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine, from the at least one second terminal, that the corresponding first number of second terminals is less than or equal to the second number as relay terminals for the first terminal.

[0168] When determining the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, the first terminal can compare the first quantity A of each second terminal with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the first quantity A is less than or equal to the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal meets the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal, and if the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption can be avoided; if the first quantity A is greater than the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal cannot serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal does not meet the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal, and if the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption is likely to occur.

[0169] For example, a first terminal may determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For example, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, the corresponding first quantities are determined to be A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. Furthermore, the second quantity corresponding to the first terminals is determined to be B. A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4 are then compared with B to determine whether any of the four second terminals can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal. If A_1 and A_3 are less than or equal to B, and A_2 and A_4 are greater than B, then it is determined that second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal. The first terminal can then access the network device by using either T1 or T3 as a service relay terminal.

[0170] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the second number, which can be used as one of the judgment conditions for the first terminal to determine that the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal. The judgment condition can also include at least one of the following: the quality of the wireless channel between the second terminal and the first terminal is greater than a preset threshold; the quality of the wireless channel between the second terminal and the network device is greater than a preset threshold, etc.

[0171] In the disclosed embodiments, a first terminal can determine a second number corresponding to the first terminal, and then, based on the second number and the first number corresponding to at least one second terminal, determine a relay terminal for the first terminal from at least one second terminal. Thus, the relay terminal determined for the first terminal can better meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, thereby avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability when accessing a network device through the relay terminal.

[0172] The first terminal may determine the second number in various ways. In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on a third number and / or a fourth number corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein the third number is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth number is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal.

[0173] In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal based on the third quantity and / or fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal, compare the second quantity B with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one determined second terminal, and determine in at least one second terminal that the corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to the second quantity B as a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0174] The service of the first terminal may be a service provided or received by the first terminal.

[0175] The service quality may be measured through a variety of service quality indicator data, such as 5QI, latency, and the like.

[0176] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. A service of the first terminal can be determined, and the number C1 of links required for the service can be determined. Therefore, the third number C corresponding to the service can be determined to be C1, and accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be C1. The first terminal can compare C1 with the first number A corresponding to at least one determined second terminal, and can determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal for which the first number A is less than or equal to C1 is a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0177] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. The service of the first terminal and the quality of service of the service can be determined, and the number C2 of relay terminals required for the service and the number D2 of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service can be determined. Therefore, the third number C corresponding to the service can be determined to be C2, and the fourth number D corresponding to the service can be determined to be D2. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be the third number C2 or the fourth number D2. The second number B can be the minimum of the third number C2 and the fourth number D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum of C2 and D2 with the first number A corresponding to at least one second terminal determined, and can determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal whose first number A is less than or equal to the minimum number is a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0178] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal and the quality of service of the service, and determining the number C1 of links required for the service or the number C2 of relay terminals required for the service, as well as the number D1 of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service or the number D2 of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service, it can be determined that the number B1 of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the minimum of C1 and D1, and the number B2 of relay terminals required when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the minimum of C2 and D2. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be B1 or B2, that is, the second number B can be the minimum of C1 and D1, or the minimum of C2 and D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum of C1 and D1, or the minimum of C2 and D2, with the first number A corresponding to at least one second terminal, and can determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal whose corresponding first number A is less than or equal to the minimum number is a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0179] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest number among multiple third numbers; or the smallest number among multiple fourth numbers.

[0180] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. Multiple services of the first terminal can be determined, and the number C1 of links required for each service can be determined. Therefore, the third number C corresponding to each service can be determined to be the C1 corresponding to each service. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be the minimum number among multiple third numbers C corresponding to multiple services, i.e., the minimum C1 among multiple C1s. The first terminal can compare the minimum C1 with the first number A corresponding to at least one second terminal determined, and can determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal whose first number A is less than or equal to the minimum C1 is a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0181] For example, the second number B of the first terminals is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. Multiple services of the first terminal and the quality of service of each service can be determined, as well as the number C2 of relay terminals required for each service and the number D2 of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of each service. The third number C corresponding to each service can be determined to be the corresponding C2, and the fourth number D2 corresponding to each service can be determined to be the corresponding D2. Accordingly, the second number B of the first terminals can be the minimum number among the third numbers C corresponding to each service, i.e., the minimum C2 among multiple C2s, or the second number B can be the minimum number among the fourth numbers C corresponding to the services, i.e., the minimum D2 among multiple D2s. The second number B can be the minimum of the minimum C2 and the minimum D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum of the minimum C1 and the minimum D2 with the first number A of at least one second terminal determined, and can determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal whose first number A is less than or equal to the minimum number is a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0182] In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on at least one of: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and a third number; or a second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the first terminal and a fourth number.

[0183] The first corresponding relationship may include services Si of multiple first terminals and a third quantity corresponding to each service Si.

[0184] The second correspondence may include a second correspondence corresponding to multiple service qualities, for example, it may include a second correspondence corresponding to 5QI, and the second correspondence may include fourth quantities corresponding to different 5QI values; or it may include a second correspondence corresponding to delay, and the second correspondence may include fourth quantities corresponding to different delay value ranges.

[0185] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal and a first correspondence between the service of the first terminal and the third quantity, a third quantity C corresponding to the service of the first terminal may be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal may be the third quantity C. The first terminal may compare C with the determined first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, and may determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal corresponding to the first quantity A is less than or equal to C as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0186] For example, a service of the first terminal, the quality of service of the service, and a second correspondence between the quality of service and a fourth quantity are determined. Based on the quality of service of the service and the second correspondence, a fourth quantity D corresponding to the quality of service of the service may be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal may be the fourth quantity D. The first terminal may compare D with the determined first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, and may determine, among the at least one second terminal, that the second terminal corresponding to the first quantity A is less than or equal to D as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0187] In some implementations, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following ways: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0188] For example, the first terminal obtains the first corresponding relationship and / or the second corresponding relationship from a high layer, and the high layer may include a PC5-S layer, an application layer, or a non-access layer (NAS).

[0189] For example, the first terminal may obtain the first corresponding relationship and / or the second corresponding relationship through broadcast signaling sent by a network device, and the broadcast signaling may include: a radio resource control (RRC) message, a secondary link radio resource control message, etc.

[0190] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal may determine a second number corresponding to the first terminal based on a third number of services of the first terminal or a fourth number corresponding to the quality of service of the services, and then determine a relay terminal for the first terminal from at least one second terminal based on the second number. Accordingly, the relay terminal determined for the first terminal can more closely meet the quality of service requirements of the first terminal's services for communication. Thus, after accessing a network device through the relay terminal, when performing communications corresponding to the services, communication interruptions can be avoided, thereby improving communication reliability.

[0191] In some embodiments, when determining a relay terminal for the first terminal from at least one of the second terminals, if the first terminal determines that there is only one relay terminal serving as the first terminal, the first terminal may directly use the relay terminal as a serving relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link between the serving relay terminal and the network device to access the network device. Alternatively, the first terminal may further determine whether the relay terminal meets other requirements of the first terminal, such as whether the channel quality reaches a certain threshold. If the other requirements of the first terminal are met, the relay terminal may be used as a serving relay terminal and a multi-hop relay link may be established between the serving relay terminal and the network device to access the network device. If the other requirements of the first terminal are not met, relevant prompt information may be generated.

[0192] In some embodiments, when determining the relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one of the second terminals, the first terminal determines that the number of relay terminals as the first terminal can be multiple, then the first terminal can select a relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a service relay terminal, and establish a multi-hop relay link between the service relay terminal and the network device to access the network device.

[0193] There are various ways to select a relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal. In some embodiments, the first terminal can select a relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal, and then establish a multi-hop relay link between the serving relay terminal and the network device to access the network device.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first terminal can select a relay terminal as a serving relay terminal from multiple relay terminals based on at least one of the following: the relay terminal with the smallest corresponding first number; the relay terminal with the best wireless channel quality; the relay terminal with the best service quality, etc.

[0195] For example, the first terminal determines a first number corresponding to multiple second terminals, and then compares the first number with the second number corresponding to the first terminal. According to the comparison result, multiple second terminals (terminal T1, terminal T2) that can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal are determined from the multiple second terminals, that is, multiple relay terminals of the first terminal are determined, and the multiple relay terminals are sorted based on the first number A_1 corresponding to terminal T1 and the first number A_2 corresponding to terminal T2. If A_2 is less than A_1, the terminal T2 with the least first number can be used as the service relay terminal for the first terminal, and then the first terminal can access the network device through the terminal T2 to realize relay communication with the network device.

[0196] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when multiple relay terminals for a first terminal are determined, one of the multiple relay terminals can be selected as the first terminal's service relay terminal, allowing the first terminal to access the network device through the service relay terminal. Accordingly, the service relay terminal determined can better meet the service quality requirements of the first terminal's service. Furthermore, based on a specific optimization method, the best service relay terminal can be selected from the multiple service terminals, so that after the first terminal accesses the network device through the service relay terminal, it can obtain a more reliable communication link and avoid communication interruptions.

[0197] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining that a first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminals has changed, and the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity, and re-determining the service relay terminals for the first terminal.

[0198] In some embodiments, after the first terminal accesses the network device through the selected service relay terminal, the first terminal may further obtain update status of the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal to determine whether the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed.

[0199] Among them, there are various ways to determine the change of the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal. For example, a new first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal can be received from the service relay terminal or the network device, or an indication information of a change in the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal can be received from the service relay terminal or the network device, which is used to indicate a change in the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal or a new first quantity.

[0200] When the first terminal determines that the first number corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed, it may further determine whether the changed first number still meets the first terminal's communication quality of service requirement. In some embodiments, the determination may be made in at least one of the following ways: whether the changed first number is greater than the second number corresponding to the first terminal; or whether the quality of the wireless channel between the service relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0201] For example, if the first terminal determines that the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed from the original first quantity A_1 to the first quantity A_2, and compares the changed first quantity A_2 with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, if the changed first quantity A_2 is greater than the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, then the first terminal can determine that the service relay terminal can no longer meet the service quality requirements of the corresponding communication of the first terminal, and it is necessary to re-determine the service relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0202] The first terminal may re-determine the serving relay terminal of the first terminal in a manner that the first terminal re-selects another relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals determined in the above embodiment as the new serving relay terminal, or the first terminal may re-acquire the first number of at least one second terminal, re-determine at least one relay terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first number, and then select one of the at least one re-determined relay terminals as the new serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0203] In some embodiments, after the first terminal accesses the network device through the selected service relay terminal, the first terminal may further obtain update status of the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal to determine whether the second quantity has changed.

[0204] Among them, there are many ways to determine whether the second quantity has changed, for example, the service of the first terminal can be changed; the third quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal can be changed; the fourth quantity corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal can be changed.

[0205] When the first terminal determines that the second number corresponding to the first terminal has changed, the first terminal may further determine whether the service relay terminal still meets the service quality requirements of the first terminal for communication after the change. In some embodiments, the determination may be made in at least one of the following ways: whether the first number of service relay terminals is greater than the second number after the change; or whether the quality of the wireless channel between the service relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0206] For example, if the first terminal determines the corresponding second quantity variable, and the first quantity of the serving relay terminals is greater than the changed second quantity, the first terminal may re-determine the serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0207] In some embodiments, during the process of the first terminal re-determining the service relay terminal of the first terminal, the first terminal may first disconnect from the service relay terminal, and then determine the new service relay terminal of the first terminal, so that the first terminal can access the network device through the new service relay terminal; or the first terminal may first determine the service relay terminal of the first terminal, and then disconnect from the service relay terminal, and access the network device through the new service relay terminal.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the first terminal accesses a network device through a service relay terminal, it can reselect a new service relay terminal when the second number corresponding to the service relay terminal changes and is less than the first number, so that the communication between the first terminal and the network device can continue to meet the first terminal's requirements for the service quality of communication and maintain the reliability of the communication.

[0209] In some embodiments, the second terminal as a relay terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device, for example, a terminal that has established a direct connection with the network device or a terminal that has established a relay connection with the network device.

[0210] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a relay communication method. Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The relay communication method illustrated in this embodiment can be executed by a second device.

[0211] As shown in FIG4 , the relay communication method may include the following steps:

[0212] In step S401, a first number corresponding to the second terminal is indicated to the first terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access a network device.

[0213] It should be noted that the first terminal may be a remote terminal, and the second terminal may be a relay terminal.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal may be the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device; wherein the number of links may be the number of links required to access the network device, or the number of relay terminals required to access the network device.

[0215] It should be noted that the number of links required for the access network device may be the number of relay terminals required for the access network device plus 1. For example, if the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device is A1, and the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device is A2, and A1=A2+1, then the determined first number A corresponding to the second terminals may be A1 or A2.

[0216] It should be noted that the number of links required for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second device to access the network device can be the number of links through which the second device currently accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals through which the second device currently accesses the network device; or it can also be the number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device; or it can also be the maximum number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the maximum number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device.

[0217] In some embodiments, after determining the first number corresponding to the second terminal, the first terminal may determine, based on the first number, whether the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal. If the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, the first terminal may access the network device by using the second terminal as a service relay terminal.

[0218] In some embodiments, a first terminal may determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For example, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, the corresponding first quantities are determined to be A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. Based on A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, a determination is made as to whether there is a relay terminal among the four second terminals that can serve as the first terminal. If A_1 and A_3 meet the requirements (e.g., greater than a preset first quantity threshold), while A_2 and A_4 do not, then it is determined that the second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal, and the first terminal can then access the network device by using any one of T1 and T3 as a service relay terminal.

[0219] For example, the first terminal determines the number of links required by at least one second terminal. The first terminal may determine a relay terminal for the first terminal among the at least one second terminal based on the number of links required by the at least one second terminal.

[0220] For example, the first terminal determines the number of relay terminals required by at least one second terminal. The first terminal may determine a relay terminal for the first terminal in at least one second terminal based on the number of relay terminals required by the at least one second terminal.

[0221] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0222] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a second terminal can indicate a first number corresponding to the second terminal to a first terminal, so that the first terminal determines a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the first number corresponding to at least one second terminal. Accordingly, the first terminal can establish a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access a network device, and ensure that the link can meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, thereby avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability.

[0223] In some embodiments, the second terminal sends a first message to the first terminal, where the first message is used to indicate a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, so that the first terminal can determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal from the first message and determine the relay terminal of the first terminal based on the first message.

[0224] The first message sent by the second terminal to the first terminal can be diverse. In some embodiments, the first message may include a discovery signal, which is used to indicate or carry the first number corresponding to the second terminal. For example, during the process of measuring the quality of a wireless channel between the first terminal and the second terminal, the second terminal may send a sub-link discovery signal to the first terminal, which may be used to measure the SD-RSRP between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the sub-link discovery signal may indicate or carry the first number corresponding to the second terminal.

[0225] For example, a first terminal and a second terminal measure the quality of a wireless channel, and the second terminal sends a secondary link discovery signal to the first terminal. The secondary link discovery signal may carry information such as a serving cell identifier of the second terminal, a terminal identifier of the second terminal, and a first number of corresponding second terminals. The second terminal may indicate the first number of corresponding second terminals to the first terminal through the secondary link discovery signal, so that the first terminal determines whether the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the first number.

[0226] In some embodiments, the first message may further include a side-link communication signal, the side-link communication signal being used to measure the SL-RSRP between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the side-link communication signal being used to indicate or carry the first number corresponding to the second terminal.

[0227] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second terminal can send a first message to the first terminal to indicate a first number corresponding to the second terminal, so that the first terminal can determine whether the second terminal is a relay terminal based on the first number. Accordingly, the second terminal can conveniently indicate the first number to the first terminal, so that the first terminal can determine the relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network device, thereby meeting the first terminal's requirements for communication quality of service, avoiding communication interruptions, and improving communication reliability.

[0228] In some embodiments, when the first terminal determines that the second terminal is a relay terminal, the method further includes: the second terminal establishing a connection with the first terminal to serve as a serving relay terminal for the first terminal to enable the first terminal to access the network device. The serving relay terminal for the first terminal can be determined by the first terminal based on the first number corresponding to the second terminal.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal serving as a service relay terminal for the first terminal is less than or equal to the second number corresponding to the second terminal, where the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0230] In some embodiments, the second number corresponding to the first terminal may be the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; wherein the number of links may be the number of links allowed when accessing the network device, or the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device.

[0231] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when accessing the network device may be the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device plus 1. For example, the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B1, and the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B2, and B1=B2+1, then the second number B corresponding to the first terminal may be determined to be B1 or B2.

[0232] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device may be the maximum number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device may be the maximum number of relay devices allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0233] For example, the number B1 of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device and the number B2 of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network device are determined, and the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be B1 or B2.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminals and the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, and the first terminal can determine the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first quantity A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and the second quantity B of the first terminal.

[0235] Based on the first number A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and the second number B of the first terminal, various methods can be used to determine the relay terminal for the first terminal from the at least one second terminal. In some embodiments, if the first number corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the second number corresponding to the first terminal, the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, and the first terminal can then establish a connection with the second terminal as a serving relay terminal to access the network device.

[0236] When determining the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, the first terminal can compare the first quantity A of each second terminal with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the first quantity A is less than or equal to the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal meets the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal, and if the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption can be avoided; if the first quantity A is greater than the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal cannot serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal does not meet the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal, and if the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption is likely to occur.

[0237] For example, a first terminal may determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For example, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, the corresponding first quantities are determined to be A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. Furthermore, the second quantity corresponding to the first terminals is determined to be B. A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4 are then compared with B to determine whether any of the four second terminals can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal. If A_1 and A_3 are less than or equal to B, and A_2 and A_4 are greater than B, then it is determined that second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal. The first terminal can then access the network device by using either T1 or T3 as a service relay terminal.

[0238] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the second number, which can be used as one of the judgment conditions for the first terminal to determine that the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal. The judgment condition can also include at least one of the following: the quality of the wireless channel between the second terminal and the first terminal is greater than a preset threshold; the quality of the wireless channel between the second terminal and the network device is greater than a preset threshold, etc.

[0239] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the first number corresponding to the second terminal meets the service quality requirement of the first terminal for communication, the second terminal can be used as a service relay terminal of the first terminal to establish a connection so that the first terminal can access the network device, thereby avoiding communication interruption and improving communication reliability.

[0240] The first terminal may determine the second number in various ways. In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on a third number and / or a fourth number corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein the third number is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth number is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal based on the third quantity and / or fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal, and compare the second quantity B with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the second quantity B, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0242] The service of the first terminal may be a service provided or received by the first terminal.

[0243] The service quality may be measured through a variety of service quality indicator data, such as 5QI, latency, and the like.

[0244] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. A service of the first terminal can be determined, and the number C1 of links required for the service can be determined. Therefore, the third number C corresponding to the service can be determined to be C1. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be C1. The first terminal can compare C1 with the first number A corresponding to the second terminal and, if the first number A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to C1, use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0245] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. The service of the first terminal and the quality of service of the service can be determined, and the number C2 of relay terminals required for the service and the number D2 of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service can be determined. Therefore, the third number C corresponding to the service can be determined to be C2, and the fourth number D corresponding to the service can be determined to be D2. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be the third number C2 or the fourth number D2. The second number B can be the minimum of the third number C2 and the fourth number D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum of C2 and D2 with the first number A corresponding to the second terminal and, if the first number A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the minimum, use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0246] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal and the quality of service of the service, and determining the number C1 of links required for the service or the number C2 of relay terminals required for the service, as well as the number D1 of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service or the number D2 of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service, it can be determined that the number B1 of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the minimum of C1 and D1, and the number B2 of relay terminals required when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the minimum of C2 and D2. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be B1 or B2, that is, the second number B can be the minimum of C1 and D1, or the minimum of C2 and D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum of C1 and D1, or the minimum of C2 and D2, with the first number A corresponding to the second terminal, and can use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal if the first number A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the minimum number.

[0247] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest number among multiple third numbers; or the smallest number among multiple fourth numbers.

[0248] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. Multiple services of the first terminal can be determined, and the number C1 of links required for each service can be determined. Therefore, the third number C corresponding to each service can be determined to be the C1 corresponding to each service. Accordingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be the minimum number among multiple third numbers C corresponding to multiple services, i.e., the minimum C1 among multiple C1s. The first terminal can compare the minimum C1 with the first number A corresponding to the second terminal, and if the first number A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the minimum C1, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0249] For example, the second number B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. Multiple services of the first terminal and the quality of service of each service can be determined, as well as the number C2 of relay terminals required for each service and the number D2 of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of each service. The third number C corresponding to each service can be determined to be the corresponding C2, and the fourth number D2 corresponding to each service can be determined to be the corresponding D2. Accordingly, the second number B of the first terminal can be the minimum number among the third numbers C corresponding to each service, i.e., the minimum C2 among multiple C2s, or the second number B can be the minimum number among the fourth numbers C corresponding to the services, i.e., the minimum D2 among multiple D2s. The second number B can be the minimum of the minimum C2 and the minimum D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum of the minimum C1 and the minimum D2 with the first number A of the second terminal and, if the first number A of the second terminal is less than or equal to the minimum number, use the second terminal as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0250] In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on at least one of: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and a third number; or a second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the first terminal and a fourth number.

[0251] The first corresponding relationship may include services Si of multiple first terminals and a third quantity corresponding to each service Si.

[0252] The second correspondence may include a second correspondence corresponding to multiple service qualities, for example, it may include a second correspondence corresponding to 5QI, and the second correspondence may include fourth quantities corresponding to different 5QI values; or it may include a second correspondence corresponding to delay, and the second correspondence may include fourth quantities corresponding to different delay value ranges.

[0253] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal and the first correspondence between the service of the first terminal and the third quantity, a third quantity C corresponding to the service of the first terminal may be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal may be the third quantity C. The first terminal may compare C with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal, and when the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to C, the second terminal may be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0254] For example, a service of the first terminal, the quality of service of the service, and a second correspondence between the quality of service and the fourth quantity are determined. Based on the quality of service of the service and the second correspondence, a fourth quantity D corresponding to the quality of service of the service may be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal may be the fourth quantity D. The first terminal may compare D with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal, and when the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to D, the second terminal may be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0255] In some implementations, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following ways: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0256] For example, the first terminal obtains the first corresponding relationship and / or the second corresponding relationship from a high layer, and the high layer may include a PC5-S layer, an application layer, or a non-access layer (NAS).

[0257] For example, the first terminal may obtain the first corresponding relationship and / or the second corresponding relationship through broadcast signaling sent by a network device, and the broadcast signaling may include: a radio resource control (RRC) message, a secondary link radio resource control message, etc.

[0258] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal may determine a second number corresponding to the first terminal based on a third number of services of the first terminal or a fourth number corresponding to the quality of service of the services, and then determine a relay terminal for the first terminal from at least one second terminal based on the second number. Accordingly, the relay terminal determined for the first terminal can more closely meet the quality of service requirements of the first terminal's services for communication. Thus, after accessing a network device through the relay terminal, when performing communications corresponding to the services, communication interruptions can be avoided, thereby improving communication reliability.

[0259] In some embodiments, when determining a relay terminal for the first terminal from at least one of the second terminals, if the first terminal determines that there is only one relay terminal serving as the first terminal, the first terminal may directly use the relay terminal as a serving relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link between the serving relay terminal and the network device to access the network device. Alternatively, the first terminal may further determine whether the relay terminal meets other requirements of the first terminal, such as whether the channel quality reaches a certain threshold. If the other requirements of the first terminal are met, the relay terminal may be used as a serving relay terminal and a multi-hop relay link may be established between the serving relay terminal and the network device to access the network device. If the other requirements of the first terminal are not met, relevant prompt information may be generated.

[0260] In some embodiments, when determining the relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one of the second terminals, the first terminal determines that the number of relay terminals as the first terminal can be multiple, then the first terminal can select a relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a service relay terminal, and establish a multi-hop relay link between the service relay terminal and the network device to access the network device.

[0261] There are various ways to select a relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal. In some embodiments, the first terminal can select a relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal, and then establish a multi-hop relay link between the serving relay terminal and the network device to access the network device.

[0262] In some embodiments, the first terminal can select a relay terminal as a serving relay terminal from multiple relay terminals based on at least one of the following: the relay terminal with the smallest corresponding first number; the relay terminal with the best wireless channel quality; the relay terminal with the best service quality, etc.

[0263] For example, the first terminal determines a first number corresponding to multiple second terminals, and then compares the first number with the second number corresponding to the first terminal. According to the comparison result, multiple second terminals (terminal T1, terminal T2) that can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal are determined from the multiple second terminals, that is, multiple relay terminals of the first terminal are determined, and the multiple relay terminals are sorted based on the first number A_1 corresponding to terminal T1 and the first number A_2 corresponding to terminal T2. If A_2 is less than A_1, the terminal T2 with the least first number can be used as the service relay terminal for the first terminal, and then the first terminal can access the network device through the terminal T2 to realize relay communication with the network device.

[0264] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when multiple relay terminals for a first terminal are determined, one of the multiple relay terminals can be selected as the first terminal's service relay terminal, allowing the first terminal to access the network device through the service relay terminal. Accordingly, the service relay terminal determined can better meet the service quality requirements of the first terminal's service. Furthermore, based on a specific optimization method, the best service relay terminal can be selected from the multiple service terminals, so that after the first terminal accesses the network device through the service relay terminal, it can obtain a more reliable communication link and avoid communication interruptions.

[0265] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a change in the first number corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal, so that the first terminal can determine that the first number corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed.

[0266] In some embodiments, when the first terminal determines that the first number corresponding to the service relay terminals has changed and the changed first number is greater than the second number, the first terminal may re-determine the service relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0267] Among them, the first terminal can determine the change of the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal in various ways. For example, it can receive a new first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal from the service relay terminal or the network device, or it can also receive an indication information of a change in the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal from the service relay terminal or the network device, which is used to indicate a change in the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal or a new first quantity.

[0268] When the first terminal determines that the first number corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed, it may further determine whether the changed first number still meets the first terminal's communication quality of service requirement. In some embodiments, the determination may be made in at least one of the following ways: whether the changed first number is greater than the second number corresponding to the first terminal; or whether the quality of the wireless channel between the service relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0269] For example, if the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal T1, which serves as a service relay terminal for the first terminal, changes from the original first quantity A_1 to the first quantity A_2, the second terminal T1 can send the changed first quantity A_2 to the first terminal. After the first terminal determines that the first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal has changed, the first terminal compares the changed first quantity A_2 with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the changed first quantity A_2 is greater than the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, the first terminal can determine that the service relay terminal can no longer meet the service quality requirements of the corresponding communication of the first terminal, and it is necessary to re-determine the service relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0270] The first terminal may re-determine the serving relay terminal of the first terminal in a manner that the first terminal re-selects another relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals determined in the above embodiment as the new serving relay terminal, or the first terminal may re-acquire the first number of at least one second terminal, re-determine at least one relay terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first number, and then select one of the at least one re-determined relay terminals as the new serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0271] In some embodiments, after the first terminal accesses the network device through the selected service relay terminal, the first terminal may further obtain update status of the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal to determine whether the second quantity has changed.

[0272] Among them, there are many ways to determine whether the second quantity has changed, for example, the service of the first terminal can be changed; the third quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal can be changed; the fourth quantity corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal can be changed.

[0273] When the first terminal determines that the second number corresponding to the first terminal has changed, the first terminal may further determine whether the service relay terminal still meets the service quality requirements of the first terminal for communication after the change. In some embodiments, the determination may be made in at least one of the following ways: whether the first number of service relay terminals is greater than the second number after the change; or whether the quality of the wireless channel between the service relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0274] For example, if the first terminal determines the corresponding second quantity variable, and the first quantity of the serving relay terminals is greater than the changed second quantity, the first terminal may re-determine the serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0275] In some embodiments, during the process of the first terminal re-determining the service relay terminal of the first terminal, the first terminal may first disconnect from the service relay terminal, and then determine the new service relay terminal of the first terminal, so that the first terminal can access the network device through the new service relay terminal; or the first terminal may first determine the service relay terminal of the first terminal, and then disconnect from the service relay terminal, and access the network device through the new service relay terminal.

[0276] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second terminal accesses the network device as a service relay terminal of the first terminal, it can send a change in the second quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal to the first terminal, so that the first terminal can reselect a new service relay terminal when it determines the second quantity variable corresponding to the service relay terminal and the changed second quantity is less than the first quantity. This allows the communication between the first terminal and the network device to continue to meet the first terminal's requirements for the service quality of communication and maintain the reliability of the communication.

[0277] In some embodiments, the second terminal as a relay terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device, for example, a terminal that has established a direct connection with the network device or a terminal that has established a relay connection with the network device.

[0278] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codeword", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0279] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be replaced with each other.

[0280] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)", "cell", "frequency carrier", "carrier frequency" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0281] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0282] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0283] Corresponding to the aforementioned relay communication method and embodiments of the relay communication method, the present disclosure also provides embodiments of a terminal and a network device.

[0284] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal executes the relay communication method executed by the first terminal described in the above embodiment.

[0285] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , the terminal may be a relay communication device, and the device includes a transceiver module 501 and an execution module 502 .

[0286] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 501 is used to determine a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; the execution module 502 is used to determine the relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one of the second terminals based on the first quantity.

[0287] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 501 is used to receive a first message from the second terminal, where the first message is used to indicate the first quantity.

[0288] In some embodiments, the first message comprises a discovery signal.

[0289] In some embodiments, the execution module 502 is used to determine a second quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the relay communication device accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the relay communication device accesses the network device.

[0290] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the relay communication device; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the relay communication device or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the relay communication device; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the relay communication device or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the relay communication device.

[0291] In some embodiments, the service of the relay communication device includes multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest number among multiple third numbers; or the smallest number among multiple fourth numbers.

[0292] In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on at least one of: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the relay communication device and a third number; or a second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the service of the relay communication device and a fourth number.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following ways: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0294] In some embodiments, the execution module 502 is configured to determine, among at least one second terminal, second terminals whose corresponding first number is less than or equal to the second number as relay terminals of the relay communication device.

[0295] In some embodiments, the relay communication device has multiple relay terminals, and the execution module 502 is used to select one relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a service relay terminal, wherein the relay communication device accesses the network device through the service relay terminal.

[0296] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 501 is used to determine a change in the first number corresponding to the service relay terminal, and the changed first number is greater than the second number; the execution module 502 is used to re-determine the service relay terminal of the relay communication device.

[0297] In some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device.

[0298] It should be noted that the modules included in the terminal are not limited to the modules described in the above embodiments, and may also include other modules, such as a storage module, a display module, etc.

[0299] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal executes the relay communication method executed by the second terminal described in the above embodiment.

[0300] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the terminal may be a relay communication device, and the device includes a transceiver module 601 and an execution module 602 .

[0301] In some embodiments, the execution module 602 is used to determine the first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access the network device; the transceiver module 601 is used to indicate the first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device to the first terminal.

[0302] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 601 is used to send a first message to the first terminal, where the first message is used to indicate the first quantity.

[0303] In some embodiments, the first message comprises a discovery signal.

[0304] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 601 is configured to establish a connection with the first terminal, so as to serve as a service relay terminal for the first terminal to enable the first terminal to access a network device.

[0305] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the relay communication device serving as the service relay terminal of the first terminal is less than or equal to the second number corresponding to the relay communication device, where the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0306] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal.

[0307] In some embodiments, the service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest number among multiple third numbers; or the smallest number among multiple fourth numbers.

[0308] In some embodiments, the second number is determined based on at least one of: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and a third number; or a second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the first terminal and a fourth number.

[0309] In some embodiments, the first correspondence relationship and / or the second correspondence relationship is obtained through at least one of the following ways: high-level configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0310] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 601 is configured to send a change in the first number of relay communication devices to the first terminal.

[0311] In some embodiments, the relay communication device includes a terminal that has access to the network device.

[0312] It should be noted that the modules included in the terminal are not limited to the modules described in the above embodiments, and may also include other modules, such as a storage module, a display module, etc.

[0313] For the device embodiment, since it basically corresponds to the method embodiment, the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment. The device embodiment described above is merely illustrative, wherein the modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without paying any creative work.

[0314] An embodiment of the present disclosure further proposes a communication device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the relay communication method described in the above optional embodiment.

[0315] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a communication system, including a first terminal, a second terminal, and a network device, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the above optional embodiment, and the second terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the above optional embodiment.

[0316] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the relay communication method described in the above optional embodiment.

[0317] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0318] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0319] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0320] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 7100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 7100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment, etc.), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above methods. Communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0321] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The processor 7101 is used to call instructions to enable the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0322] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 7102 may be located outside the communication device 7100.

[0323] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7103. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7103, the communication steps such as sending and receiving in the above method are performed by the transceiver 7103, and the other steps are performed by the processor 7101.

[0324] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0325] Optionally, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more interface circuits 7104, which are connected to the memory 7102. The interface circuits 7104 may be configured to receive signals from the memory 7102 or other devices, and may be configured to send signals to the memory 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 7104 may read instructions stored in the memory 7102 and send the instructions to the processor 7101.

[0326] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiment may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 may not be limited by FIG. 7 . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0327] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 8200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 8200 shown in FIG8 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0328] The chip 8200 includes one or more processors 8201, and the processor 8201 is used to call instructions so that the chip 8200 executes any of the above methods.

[0329] In some embodiments, the chip 8200 further includes one or more interface circuits 8202, which are connected to the memory 8203. The interface circuit 8202 can be used to receive signals from the memory 8203 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory.

[0330] 8203 or other devices to send signals. For example, the interface circuit 8202 can read the instructions stored in the memory 8203 and send the instructions to the processor 8201. Optionally, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0331] In some embodiments, the chip 8200 further includes one or more memories 8203 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 8203 may be outside the chip 8200.

[0332] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 7100, the communication device 7100 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0333] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 7100, enables the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0334] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A relay communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the first terminal, comprising: Determine a first number corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; A relay terminal of the first terminal is determined in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining the first number corresponding to the second terminal includes: A first message is received from the second terminal, where the first message is used to indicate the first quantity.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first message includes a discovery signal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine a second number corresponding to the first terminal, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The second number is determined based on a third number and / or a fourth number corresponding to the service of the first terminal; The third number is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; The fourth number is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest number among a plurality of said third numbers; or A smallest number among a plurality of said fourth numbers.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The second amount is determined based on at least one of the following: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and the third quantity; or A second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the service of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first corresponding relationship and / or the second corresponding relationship is obtained by at least one of the following methods: High-level configuration; Protocol pre-configuration; Broadcast signalling configuration; or Dedicated signaling configuration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that: The determining, based on the first number, a relay terminal of the first terminal in at least one of the second terminals includes: Determine among at least one second terminal that a corresponding first number of second terminals that is less than or equal to the second number is a relay terminal for the first terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: There are multiple relay terminals for the first terminal, and one relay terminal is selected from the multiple relay terminals as a service relay terminal, wherein the first terminal accesses the network device through the service relay terminal.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: It is determined that a first quantity corresponding to the service relay terminal is changed, and the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity, and the service relay terminal of the first terminal is re-determined.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The second terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device.

13. A relay communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the second terminal, including: Indicate a first number corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access a network device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The indicating to the first terminal the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal includes: A first message is sent to the first terminal, where the first message is used to indicate the first quantity.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first message includes a discovery signal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A connection is established with the first terminal to serve as a service relay terminal for the first terminal so that the first terminal can access a network device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first number corresponding to the second terminal serving as the service relay terminal of the first terminal is less than or equal to the second number corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The second number is determined based on a third number and / or a fourth number corresponding to the service of the first terminal; The third number is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; The fourth number is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the service of the first terminal.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The service of the first terminal includes multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest number among a plurality of said third numbers; or A smallest number among a plurality of said fourth numbers.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that: The second amount is determined based on at least one of the following: a first corresponding relationship between the service of the first terminal and the third quantity; or A second corresponding relationship between the quality of service of the service of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The first corresponding relationship and / or the second corresponding relationship is obtained by at least one of the following methods: High-level configuration; Protocol pre-configuration; Broadcast signalling configuration; or Dedicated signaling configuration.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending a change in the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that: The second terminal includes a terminal that has accessed the network device.

24. A relay communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, configured to determine a first number corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access a network device; An execution module is used to determine a relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one of the second terminals based on the first number.

25. A relay communication device, characterized in that: include: An execution module, configured to determine a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access a network device; The transceiver module is used to indicate a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device to the first terminal.

26. A terminal, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; A memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal is used to execute the relay communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

27. A terminal, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; A memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the network device is used to execute the relay communication method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

28. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a network device, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and the second terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

29. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the relay communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and / or the relay communication method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

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