Communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a communication method and device. The method comprises the following steps: a first terminal determines a sending carrier; the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrying out carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal; and the first terminal sends configuration information to the second terminal, wherein the configuration information comprises carrier indication information of the sending carrier. According to the embodiment of the invention, after the first terminal determines the sending carrier, the sending carrier is configured to the second terminal, so that the second terminal can know which carriers are aggregated together for unicast communication between the second terminal and the first terminal, and the second terminal only needs to monitor the sidelink SL data sent by the first terminal on the sending carrier. Therefore, resources can be saved, resource waste is avoided, and data transmission efficiency can be improved.

Description

A communication method and device thereof Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus thereof. Background Art

[0002] In communication systems, sidelinks (also called SLs) are introduced to support direct communication between terminal devices and improve communication efficiency. In existing communication systems, terminals can aggregate multiple carriers using carrier aggregation (CA) to achieve larger transmission bandwidth and increase uplink and downlink transmission rates.

[0003] In related technologies, New Radio (NR) sidelink systems can support sidelink carrier aggregation technology. However, in NR sidelink carrier aggregation scenarios, how a terminal determines which carriers to aggregate for unicast communication with other terminals has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and a device thereof.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, including:

[0007] The first terminal determines a transmitting carrier; the transmitting carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal;

[0008] The first terminal sends configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the transmitting carrier.

[0009] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, including:

[0010] The second terminal receives configuration information sent by the first terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0011] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal is provided, including:

[0012] a processing module, configured to determine a transmitting carrier; the transmitting carrier being a carrier used for performing carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal;

[0013] The transceiver module is configured to send configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the sending carrier.

[0014] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a second terminal is provided, including:

[0015] The transceiver module is used to receive configuration information sent by the first terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0016] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including:

[0017] A first terminal is configured to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect;

[0018] The second terminal is configured to execute an optional implementation of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0019] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including: one or more processors;

[0020] The processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the optional implementation of the first and second aspects mentioned above.

[0021] According to a seventh 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 optional implementation methods of the aforementioned first and second aspects.

[0022] According to the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, after the first terminal determines the sending carrier, the sending carrier is configured to the second terminal, so that the second terminal can understand which carriers are aggregated together for unicast communication between the second terminal and the first terminal, so that the second terminal only needs to monitor the side link SL data sent by the first terminal on the sending carrier, thereby saving resources and avoiding resource waste, and improving data transmission efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG2B is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG3A is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG3B is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG3C is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG4A is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG4B is a flow chart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG5 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG6A is a schematic structural diagram of a first terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG6B is a schematic structural diagram of a second terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG7A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 7100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG7B is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 7200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and a device thereof.

[0038] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, including:

[0039] The first terminal determines a transmitting carrier; the transmitting carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal;

[0040] The first terminal sends configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the transmitting carrier.

[0041] In the above embodiment, after the first terminal determines the sending carrier, the sending carrier is configured to the second terminal, so that the second terminal can understand which carriers are aggregated together for unicast communication between the second terminal and the first terminal, so that the second terminal only needs to monitor the side link SL data sent by the first terminal on the sending carrier, thereby saving resources and avoiding resource waste, and improving data transmission efficiency.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal determines the transmission carrier, including:

[0043] According to the first information, the sending carrier is determined; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: first configuration information configured by a high-level layer, the first configuration information is used to determine the carrier configured by the high-level layer; second configuration information configured by a network device, the second configuration information is used to determine the carrier configured by the network device; the carrier supported by the first terminal for side link SL data reception and / or transmission; the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the transmitting carrier of the first terminal can be determined in combination with the first configuration information configured by the high layer, the second configuration information configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal, and at least one of the carriers supported by the second terminal, thereby solving the problem of how the transmitting terminal determines the transmitting carrier in the NR sidelink carrier aggregation scenario.

[0045] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the transmitting carrier according to the first information includes: determining the transmitting carrier based on an intersection of carriers in the first information.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the sending carrier of the first terminal can be determined in combination with the first configuration information of the high-level configuration, the second configuration information of the network device configuration, the carrier supported by the first terminal, and at least one of the carriers supported by the second terminal. This can make the determined sending carrier more consistent with the unicast communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, thereby improving data transmission efficiency and transmission performance.

[0047] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the sending carrier based on the first information includes: determining the intersection of the carrier configured by the high layer, the carrier configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal for side link SL data reception and / or transmission, and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission as the sending carrier.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the sending carrier of the first terminal can be determined in combination with the first configuration information of the high-level configuration, the second configuration information of the network device configuration, the carrier supported by the first terminal, and the carrier supported by the second terminal. This can make the determined sending carrier more consistent with the unicast communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, thereby further improving data transmission efficiency and transmission performance.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method also includes: the first terminal determines the side link radio bearer SLRB associated with the second terminal; the first terminal determines the carrier configured by the high-level configuration based on the first configuration information configured by the high-level configuration and the SLRB associated with the second terminal.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first configuration information based on the high-level configuration and the SLRB associated with the second terminal determines the carrier configured by the high-level configuration, including: the first terminal determines the mapping relationship between the quality of service QoS flow and the carrier based on the first configuration information; the first terminal determines the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal; the first terminal determines the carrier configured by the high-level configuration based on the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the carrier, and the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal, and the carrier configured by the high-level configuration includes the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method also includes: the first terminal obtains second configuration information configured by the network device, the second configuration information includes the carrier supported by the network device; the first terminal determines the carrier configured by the network device based on the second configuration information.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the obtaining of the second configuration information of the network device configuration includes any one of the following: obtaining the second configuration information of the network device configuration through dedicated signaling; obtaining the second configuration information of the network device configuration through the system information block SIB; obtaining the second configuration information of the network device configuration through pre-configuration.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the first terminal receives capability information sent by the second terminal; and determines, based on the capability information, a carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the first terminal is facilitated to determine the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission by the terminal capability interaction.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the first terminal sending SL data to the second terminal on the sending carrier.

[0056] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication method, comprising: a second terminal receives configuration information sent by a first terminal, the configuration information including carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0057] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the second terminal sends capability information to the first terminal, and the capability information includes a carrier that supports sidelink SL data reception and / or transmission.

[0058] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the second terminal receives SL data sent by the first terminal on the sending carrier.

[0059] In the third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a first terminal, comprising: a processing module for determining a sending carrier; the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal; a transceiver module for sending configuration information to the second terminal, the configuration information including carrier indication information of the sending carrier.

[0060] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is specifically used to: determine the sending carrier based on first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: first configuration information of high-level configuration, the first configuration information is used to determine the carrier configured by the high-level configuration; second configuration information of the network device configuration, the second configuration information is used to determine the carrier configured by the network device; the carrier supported by the first terminal for side link SL data reception and / or transmission; the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is specifically used to: determine the sending carrier based on the intersection of the carriers in the first information.

[0062] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is specifically used to: determine the intersection of the carrier configured by the high layer, the carrier configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal for side link SL data reception and / or transmission, and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission as the sending carrier.

[0063] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is also used to: determine the side link radio bearer SLRB associated with the second terminal; determine the carrier configured by the higher layer based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and the SLRB associated with the second terminal.

[0064] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the processing module is specifically used to: determine the mapping relationship of the quality of service QoS flow to the carrier based on the first configuration information; determine the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB associated with the second terminal; determine the high-level configured carrier according to the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the carrier and the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB associated with the second terminal, and the high-level configured carrier includes the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal.

[0065] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to obtain second configuration information of the network device configuration, where the second configuration information includes the carrier supported by the network device; the processing module is also used to determine the carrier configured for the network device based on the second configuration information.

[0066] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module is specifically used to: obtain the second configuration information of the network device configuration through dedicated signaling; obtain the second configuration information of the network device configuration through the system information block SIB; obtain the second configuration information of the network device configuration through pre-configuration.

[0067] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module is also used to receive capability information sent by the second terminal; the processing module is also used to determine the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission based on the capability information.

[0068] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module is further used to: send SL data to the second terminal on the sending carrier.

[0069] In the fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a second terminal, including: a transceiver module, used to receive configuration information sent by the first terminal, the configuration information including carrier indication information of the sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0070] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module is further used to send capability information to the first terminal, where the capability information includes a carrier supporting sidelink SL data reception and / or transmission.

[0071] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver module is further used to receive SL data sent by the first terminal on the sending carrier.

[0072] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, including:

[0073] A first terminal is configured as an optional implementation of the first aspect;

[0074] The second terminal is configured to execute an optional implementation of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0075] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure 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 optional implementation method of the aforementioned first aspect.

[0076] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure 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 optional implementation method of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0077] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes optional implementation methods of the aforementioned first and second aspects.

[0078] In a ninth 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 optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0079] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0080] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects above.

[0081] It is understandable that the first terminal, the second terminal, the communication system, the storage medium, the program product, the computer program, the chip, or the chip system are all used to perform the method proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding method and will not be repeated here.

[0082] The present disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus thereof. In some embodiments, the terms information processing method, communication method, etc. are interchangeable, the terms information processing apparatus, communication apparatus, etc. are interchangeable, and the terms information processing system, communication system, etc. are interchangeable.

[0083] 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 implementation methods 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 implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0087] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0088] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0089] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; “and / or” in this article is only a way to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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 restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0093] 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.

[0094] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time / frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or the frequency domain.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0098] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.

[0099] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments may also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or 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)", etc.

[0100] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "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.

[0101] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0102] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0103] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system may include, but is not limited to, a first terminal and a second terminal. The number and configuration of devices shown in Figure 1 are for example purposes only and do not limit the present disclosure. In actual applications, two or more first terminals and two or more second terminals may be included. The communication system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes, for example, a first terminal 101 and a second terminal 102.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 are used to distinguish different description objects. The terminal herein can be an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a mobile phone. It can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal can be at least one of a car with communication functions, a smart car, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver functions, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0105] In some embodiments, the network device may be an access network device. In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a NodeB (NB), a home nodeB (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 RAN, a cloud RAN, a base station in other communication systems, and an access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 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.

[0109] 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.

[0110] 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, LTE or LTE-A combined with 5G) for application.

[0111] To support direct communication between terminals, a direct link (also called sidelink, SL) communication mode is introduced. The interface between terminals is PC-5 (also called PC5). Three transmission modes are supported on the sidelink: unicast, multicast, and broadcast, depending on the correspondence between the transmitting and receiving terminals. The transmitting terminal sends sidelink control information (SCI) on the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and second-stage SCI on the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH). These SCIs carry information such as the resource location of the transmitted data and the source and destination identifiers. For packets with Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback enabled, the receiving terminal sends a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request-Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) on the physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0112] In some embodiments, sidelink communication has two transmission resource allocation modes: one is the network dynamic scheduling mode (mode 1, also called the first resource allocation mode), and the other is the terminal autonomous selection mode from the network configured or pre-configured resource pool (mode 2, also called the second resource allocation mode). Dynamic scheduling means that the network dynamically allocates transmission resources on the sidelink to the terminal based on the terminal's cached data report, while autonomous selection means that the terminal randomly selects transmission resources from the network configured or pre-configured resource pool. The network can configure multiple resource pools for the terminal on a BWP (Bandwidth Part). The specific allocation mode to be used is configured by the network side through RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling.

[0113] New Radio (NR) systems support sidelink SL V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communications. Unlike LTE V2X, NR SL V2X can support unicast services. However, in NR sidelink carrier aggregation scenarios, how terminals determine which carriers to aggregate for unicast communication with other terminals has become a pressing issue.

[0114] To this end, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus thereof, which can configure a sending carrier to a second terminal after the first terminal determines the sending carrier, so that the second terminal can understand which carriers are aggregated together for unicast communication between the second terminal and the first terminal, so that the second terminal only needs to monitor the side link SL data sent by the first terminal on the sending carrier, thereby saving resources and avoiding resource waste, and improving data transmission efficiency.

[0115] Figure 2A is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A, the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0116] In step S2101 , the first terminal 101 determines a sidelink radio bearer (SLRB) associated with the second terminal 102 .

[0117] In some embodiments, the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102 may include but is not limited to SL SRB (signalling radio bearer) and / or SL DRB (Data Radio Bearer).

[0118] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 may be a transmitting terminal (TX UE), and the second terminal 102 may be a receiving terminal (RX UE).

[0119] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 perform carrier aggregation communication.

[0120] In some embodiments, terms such as "carrier," "frequency band," "frequency band," and "frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 has a unicast service, and the address associated with the unicast service (such as the target address, also called the destination address) can be the layer 2 ID (also called the layer 2 address, or L2 address) of the second terminal 102. Optionally, the unicast service can also be associated with a source address, and the source address associated with the unicast service can be the layer 2 ID (also called the layer 2 address, or L2 address) of the first terminal 101. The first terminal 101 can determine the QoS (Quality of Service) flow of the unicast service and determine the SLRB established by the AS layer (Access Stratum) for the QoS flow. The SLRB established by the AS layer (Access Stratum) for the QoS flow is the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102. That is to say, when the first terminal 101 has a unicast service, the address associated with the unicast service (such as the target address, also called the destination address) can be the layer 2 ID (also called layer 2 address, or L2 address) of the second terminal 102. The AS layer can establish an SLRB for the QoS flow of the unicast service, and the first terminal 101 can determine the established SLRB as the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102.

[0122] In step S2102 , the first terminal 101 determines the carrier configured by the higher layer based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and / or the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102 .

[0123] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 determines the carrier configured by the higher layer based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer or the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102 .

[0124] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 determines the carrier configured by the higher layer based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102 .

[0125] In some embodiments, the first configuration information of the high-level configuration may be used to determine a carrier configured by the high-level configuration. For example, the high-level configuration may be a V2X layer.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first configuration information of the above-mentioned high-level configuration may include a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and a carrier, and the QoS flow is a QoS flow of the above-mentioned unicast service. In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 may determine the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the carrier based on the first configuration information of the high-level configuration. The first terminal 101 determines the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102, and the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102 may be the SLRB established by the AS layer for the QoS flow. The first terminal 101 determines the carrier configured by the high-level configuration based on the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the carrier, and the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102. Among them, the carrier configured by the high-level configuration may include the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102.

[0127] For example, the first terminal 101 has a unicast service, and the address associated with the unicast service is layer 2 address A (such as the layer 2 address of the second terminal 102). For address A, three QoS flows are transmitted from the upper layer (such as the QoS flow of the unicast service, such as flow1, flow2 and flow3). The first configuration information of the high-level configuration includes the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the frequency (frequency / band / carrier). For example, the mapping relationship is as follows: (flow1, f1, f2, f3) (flow2, f1, f2, f3, f4) (flow3, f2, f3, f4), that is, flow1 is mapped to carriers f1, f2 and f3, flow2 is mapped to carriers f1, f2, f3 and f4, and flow3 is mapped to carriers f2, f3 and f4. Determine the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102, for example: the AS layer establishes three SLRBs (such as SLRB1, SLRB2 and SLRB3) for the flow1, flow2 and flow3, SLRB1 can be mapped to carriers f1, f2, f3, SLRB2 can be mapped to carriers f1, f2, f3, f4, and SLRB3 can be mapped to carriers f2, f3, f4. For example, since flow1, flow2 and flow3 are associated with address A (such as the layer 2 address of the second terminal 102), for address A, the carrier / frequency band that can be mapped is the set of the above three SLRBs, that is, for address A, the carrier / frequency band that can be mapped can be f1, f2, f3, f4, so that the carriers corresponding to the SLRBs associated with the second terminal 102 are f1, f2, f3, f4, and the carriers corresponding to the SLRBs associated with the second terminal 102 are the carriers configured by the high layer.

[0128] For another example, the first terminal 101 has a unicast service, and the address associated with the unicast service is layer 2 address A (such as the layer 2 address of the second terminal 102). For address A, three QoS flows are transmitted from the upper layer (such as the QoS flow of the unicast service, such as flow1, flow2 and flow3). The first configuration information of the high-level configuration includes the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the frequency (frequency / band / carrier). For example, the mapping relationship is as follows: (flow1, f1, f2, f3) (flow2, f1, f2, f3, f4) (flow3, f2, f3, f4), that is, flow1 is mapped to carriers f1, f2 and f3, flow2 is mapped to carriers f1, f2, f3 and f4, and flow3 is mapped to carriers f2, f3 and f4. Determine the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102. For example, the AS layer establishes an SLRB for flow1, flow2 and flow3. The SLRB corresponds to the above three QoS flows, and the carrier / frequency band corresponding to the SLRB is the intersection of the above three QoS flows, that is, the carrier / frequency band corresponding to the SLRB is f2 and f3. Then the carrier that address A can map is the carrier mapped by the SLRB, that is, f2 and f3. The f2 and f3 can be understood as carriers configured by the high-level layer.

[0129] In some embodiments, the carrier / frequency band configured by the high-level layer may refer to: the first terminal 101 determines the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102, and then determines the collection of carriers / frequency bands corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102. Specifically, the first terminal 101 determines the carrier / frequency band corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102 based on the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the carrier / frequency band configured by the high-level layer and / or the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB. Specifically, the first terminal 101 determines the carrier configured by the high-level layer based on the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the carrier / frequency band configured by the high-level layer and / or the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB, wherein the carrier configured by the high-level layer may include the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102.

[0130] Step S2103: The first terminal 101 obtains second configuration information of the network device configuration.

[0131] In some embodiments, the second configuration information configured by the network device is used to determine a carrier configured by the network device.

[0132] In some embodiments, the second configuration information configured by the network device may be obtained by the first terminal 101 from the network device through dedicated signaling (such as dedicated RRC signaling). Exemplarily, the first terminal 101 is in an RRC connected state, and the first terminal 101 may obtain the second configuration information configured by the network device through dedicated signaling (such as dedicated RRC signaling). The sidelink transmission resource allocation mode of the first terminal 101 may be a network dynamic scheduling allocation mode (such as the above-mentioned mode 1), or it may be a terminal autonomously selected allocation mode (such as the above-mentioned mode 2).

[0133] In some embodiments, the second configuration information is included in a SIB (System Information Block). Exemplarily, the second configuration information may be included in SIB12, and the first terminal 101 may obtain the second configuration information configured by the network device through the SIB (system information block). Exemplarily, the first terminal 101 is in an RRC connected state (RRC_CONNECTED) / RRC idle state (RRC_IDLE) / RRC inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE), and the first terminal 101 may obtain the second configuration information configured by the network device through the SIB. Optionally, the sidelink transmission resource allocation mode of the first terminal 101 may be a terminal-autonomous selection allocation mode (such as the above-mentioned mode 2).

[0134] In some embodiments, the second configuration information is included in pre-configuration information, and the first terminal 101 can obtain the second configuration information configured by the network device through the pre-configuration information. Exemplarily, when the first terminal 101 is in an OOC (Out of Coverage) state, the first terminal 101 obtains the second configuration information configured by the network device through the pre-configuration information. Optionally, the sidelink transmission resource allocation mode of the first terminal 101 can be a terminal-autonomous selection allocation mode (such as the above-mentioned mode 2).

[0135] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned second configuration information includes a frequency band / carrier list, which includes at least one frequency band / carrier. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned second configuration information is used by the first terminal 101 to determine the frequency band / carrier used for sidelink communication (that is, for determining the carrier / frequency band configured by the network device). Exemplarily, the above-mentioned second configuration information is used by the first terminal 101 to determine the frequency band / carrier for sending and / or receiving sidelink communication.

[0136] In some embodiments, terms such as "carrier," "frequency band," "frequency band," and "frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0137] In some embodiments, the above carrier list may also be referred to as a carrier set. Exemplarily, the network device is configured to support one or more carriers, and the multiple carriers can be said to be a list or a set.

[0138] Step S2104: The first terminal 101 determines the carrier configured by the network device based on the second configuration information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the second configuration information includes a frequency band / carrier list, which includes at least one frequency band / carrier. In some embodiments, the second configuration information is used by the first terminal 101 to determine the frequency band / carrier used for sidelink communication (that is, for determining the carrier / frequency band configured by the network device). Exemplarily, the second configuration information is used by the first terminal 101 to determine the frequency band / carrier supported by the network device for sidelink communication transmission and / or reception, that is, for determining the carrier configured by the network. In this embodiment, after obtaining the second configuration information configured by the network device, the first terminal 101 can determine the carrier configured by the network device according to the second configuration information.

[0140] Exemplarily, the carrier configured by the network device may be the carrier / frequency band indicated by the sl-FreqInfoList (frequency-related information for NR Sidelink communication) parameter / sl-FreqInfoListSizeExt (sidelink frequency band list) parameter.

[0141] Step S2105 : The second terminal 102 sends capability information to the first terminal 101 .

[0142] In some embodiments, the capability information may be acquired by the first terminal 101 from the second terminal 102. For example, the second terminal 102 sends the capability information to the first terminal 101, and correspondingly, the first terminal 101 may receive the capability information sent by the second terminal 102.

[0143] In some embodiments, the capability information sent by the second terminal 102 may include but is not limited to indicating the carriers / frequency bands supported by the second terminal 102, exemplarily, the carriers supported by the second terminal 102 for receiving and / or sending SL data. Exemplarily, the capability information sent by the second terminal 102 may include but is not limited to indicating the carriers / frequency bands supported by the second terminal 102, exemplarily, the carriers / frequency bands supported by the second terminal 102 for receiving and / or sending SL data.

[0144] In some embodiments, the capability information may be sent to the first terminal 101 by the second terminal 102 when it receives information sent by the first terminal 101 (such as the information can be used to request capability interaction). Exemplarily, when the first terminal 101 triggers the determination of sending a carrier, it requests the second terminal 102 to exchange capability information through PC5-RRC signaling. Optionally, the PC5-RRC signaling can be UECapabilityEnquirySidelink signaling. The first terminal 101 may request the second terminal 102 for interaction capability information at other times, which is not limited in this disclosure and will not be described in detail. Exemplarily, when the second terminal 102 receives information sent by the first terminal 101 (such as the information can be used to request capability interaction), it sends the capability information to the first terminal 101. The capability information may also be sent by the second terminal 102 to the first terminal 101 at other times, which is not limited in this disclosure and will not be described in detail.

[0145] In step S2106 , the first terminal 101 determines the carrier / frequency band supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission based on the capability information.

[0146] In step S2107, the first terminal 101 determines the intersection of the carrier configured by the high layer, the carrier configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal 101 for SL data reception and / or transmission, and the carrier supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission as the transmitting carrier.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 determines a carrier supported by the first terminal 101. For example, the first terminal 101 determines a carrier supported by the first terminal 101 for receiving and / or sending SL data.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 can determine the intersection of the carrier configured by the higher layer, the carrier configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal 101 for SL data reception and / or transmission, and the carrier supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission as the transmitting carrier.

[0149] For example, assuming that the carriers configured by the high layer are f1, f2, f3 and f4, the carriers configured by the network device are f2, f3 and f4, the carriers supported by the first terminal 101 for SL data reception and / or transmission are f1, f2, f3, and the carriers supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission are f1, f2, f3 and f4, then carriers f2 and f3 can be determined as transmission carriers.

[0150] Step S2108 : The first terminal 101 sends configuration information to the second terminal 102 .

[0151] In some embodiments, the configuration information may be sent by the first terminal 101 to the second terminal 102. Accordingly, the second terminal 102 may receive the configuration information sent by the first terminal 101.

[0152] In some embodiments, the configuration information may include carrier indication information of a transmission carrier. The transmission carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102. For example, after determining the transmission carrier, the first terminal 101 may configure the transmission carrier to the second terminal 102. Thus, the first terminal 101 configures the transmission carrier to the second terminal, facilitating the second terminal to receive SL data sent by the first terminal on the transmission carrier.

[0153] In some embodiments, the configuration information may be configured to the second terminal 102 via PC5-RRC signaling. Exemplarily, the first terminal 101 may configure the determined transmission carrier to the second terminal 102 via PC5-RRC signaling. For example, the configuration information may be included in the PC5-RRC signaling, or the configuration information may be PC5-RRC signaling.

[0154] In step S2109 , the first terminal 101 sends SL data to the second terminal 102 on the transmitting carrier.

[0155] In some embodiments, after determining a transmission carrier, the first terminal 101 may send SL data to the second terminal 102 on the transmission carrier. Accordingly, the second terminal 102 may receive the SL data sent by the first terminal 101 on the transmission carrier. The transmission carrier may be configured by the first terminal 101 to the second terminal 102 through PC5-RRC signaling. Exemplarily, the second terminal 102 may receive the SL data sent by the first terminal 101 on the carrier indicated by the first terminal 101 through PC5-RRC signaling. Exemplarily, the SL data may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: SSB (Synchronization Signal), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSFCH (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel), etc.

[0156] 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.

[0157] In some embodiments, terms such as "uplink", "uplink", "physical uplink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "downlink", "downlink", "physical downlink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "side", "sidelink", "side communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", "direct link communication" can be interchangeable with each other.

[0158] 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.

[0159] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0160] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0161] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparing numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0162] The method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2109. For example, steps S2101 to S2107 may be implemented as independent embodiments, steps S2101 to S2108 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps S2101 to S2109 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0163] In some embodiments, step S2108 and step S2109 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0164] In some embodiments, step S2109 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0165] In some embodiments, steps S2101, S2102 and S2103, S2104 can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously, and steps S2103, S2104 and S2105, S2106 can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously. Exemplarily, the above steps related to determining the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the steps related to determining the carrier configured by the network device can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously. For example, the carrier configured by the high-level layer can be determined first and then the carrier configured by the network device, or the carrier configured by the network device can be determined first and then the carrier configured by the high-level layer, or the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the carrier configured by the network device can be determined simultaneously. Exemplarily, the above steps related to determining the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the steps related to determining the carrier supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously.

[0166] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2A .

[0167] Figure 2B is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0168] Step S2201: The first terminal 101 determines a transmitting carrier according to first information.

[0169] In some embodiments, the transmitting carrier determined by the first terminal 101 may be a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 .

[0170] In some embodiments, terms such as "carrier," "frequency band," "frequency band," and "frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0171] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of carriers in the first information. In some embodiments, the first information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: first configuration information configured by a higher layer, the first configuration information being used to determine the carrier configured by the higher layer; second configuration information configured by a network device, the second configuration information being used to determine the carrier configured by the network device; a carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or transmitting SL data; and a carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or transmitting SL data.

[0172] It should be noted that, if the content of the first information is different, the manner in which the first terminal 101 determines the carrier to be transmitted based on the first information will also be different.

[0173] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include first configuration information configured by a high-level layer; or, the above-mentioned first information may include second configuration information configured by a network device; or, the above-mentioned first information may include carriers supported by the first terminal 101 (such as carriers supported for SL data reception and / or transmission); or, the above-mentioned first information may include carriers supported by the second terminal 102 (such as carriers supported for SL data reception and / or transmission). The first terminal 101 may determine the carrier included in the first information as a transmitting carrier. For example, the first information includes first configuration information configured by a high-level layer, and the first configuration information configured by the high-level layer may determine the carrier configured by the high-level layer, and the first terminal 101 may determine the determined carrier configured by the high-level layer as a transmitting carrier. For another example, the first information includes second configuration information configured by a network device, and the second configuration information includes carriers supported by the network device, and the first terminal 101 may determine the carrier supported by the network device as a transmitting carrier. For another example, the first information includes a carrier supported by the first terminal 101 (such as a carrier supported for SL data reception and / or transmission), and the first terminal 101 may determine the carrier supported by the first terminal 101 (such as a carrier supported for SL data reception and / or transmission) as a transmission carrier. For another example, the first information includes a carrier supported by the second terminal 102 (such as a carrier supported for SL data reception and / or transmission), and the first terminal 101 may determine the carrier supported by the second terminal 102 (such as a carrier supported for SL data reception and / or transmission) as a transmission carrier.

[0174] Exemplarily, the first information may include first configuration information configured by a higher layer and second configuration information configured by a network device. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and the second configuration information configured by the network device. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier configured by the higher layer and the carrier supported by the network device as the transmission carrier.

[0175] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include the first configuration information of the high-level configuration and the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the first configuration information of the high-level configuration and the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier configured by the high-level configuration and the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission as the transmission carrier.

[0176] Exemplarily, the first information may include the first configuration information configured by the high-level layer and the carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the first configuration information configured by the high-level layer and the carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data as the transmission carrier.

[0177] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include the second configuration information configured by the network device and the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the second configuration information configured by the network device and the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier supported by the network device and the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission as the transmission carrier.

[0178] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include the second configuration information configured by the network device and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the second configuration information configured by the network device and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier supported by the network device and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission as the transmission carrier.

[0179] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include a carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission and a carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmitting carrier based on the intersection of the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the transmitting carrier as the intersection of the carrier supported by the first terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission.

[0180] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include first configuration information configured by a high-level layer, second configuration information configured by a network device, and a carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmitting carrier based on the intersection of the first configuration information configured by a high-level layer, the second configuration information configured by a network device, and the carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier configured by a high-level layer, the carrier supported by the network device, and the carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data as the transmitting carrier.

[0181] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned first information may include first configuration information configured by a high-level layer, second configuration information configured by a network device, and a carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmitting carrier based on the intersection of the first configuration information configured by a high-level layer, the second configuration information configured by a network device, and the carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carrier configured by a high-level layer, the carrier supported by the network device, and the carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or sending SL data as the transmitting carrier.

[0182] Exemplarily, the first information may include second configuration information configured by the network device, carriers supported by the first terminal, and carriers supported by the second terminal. The first terminal 101 may determine the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the second configuration information configured by the network device, the carriers supported by the first terminal, and the carriers supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or transmitting SL data. For example, the first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carriers supported by the network device, the carriers supported by the first terminal, and the carriers supported by the second terminal as the transmission carrier.

[0183] Exemplarily, the first information may include first configuration information configured by a higher layer, second configuration information configured by a network device, carriers supported by the first terminal, and carriers supported by the second terminal. The first terminal 101 may determine the intersection of the carriers configured by the higher layer, the carriers supported by the network device, the carriers supported by the first terminal, and the carriers supported by the second terminal as the transmitting carrier.

[0184] In some embodiments, the carrier configured in the above-mentioned high-level configuration can be determined in the following manner: the first terminal determines the side link radio bearer SLRB associated with the second terminal; the first terminal determines the carrier configured in the high-level configuration based on the first configuration information of the high-level configuration and / or the SLRB associated with the second terminal. Exemplarily, the first terminal determines the mapping relationship between the quality of service QoS flow and the carrier based on the first configuration information; the first terminal determines the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal; the first terminal determines the carrier configured in the high-level configuration based on the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the carrier, and the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal, and the carrier configured in the high-level configuration includes the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal. Optional implementation methods can refer to the optional implementation methods of step S2101 and step S2102 of Figure 2A, and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0185] In some embodiments, the carrier configured by the above-mentioned network device (which can also be understood as the carrier supported by the network device) can be determined in the following manner: the first terminal obtains the second configuration information configured by the network device, and the second configuration information includes the carrier supported by the network device; the first terminal determines the carrier configured by the network device based on the second configuration information. Exemplarily, the first terminal obtains the second configuration information configured by the network device through dedicated signaling; or, the first terminal obtains the second configuration information configured by the network device through SIB; or, the first terminal obtains the second configuration information configured by the network device through pre-configuration. Optional implementation methods can refer to the optional implementation methods of step S2103 and step S2104 of Figure 2A, and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0186] In some embodiments, the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission may be determined by: the first terminal receiving capability information sent by the second terminal; and determining, based on the capability information, the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission. For optional implementations, see the optional implementations of steps S2105 and S2106 of FIG. 2A , as well as other related portions of the embodiment involved in FIG. 2A , which will not be further described here.

[0187] In step S2202 , the first terminal 101 sends configuration information to the second terminal 102 , where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier.

[0188] The optional implementation of step S2202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0189] In step S2203 , the first terminal 101 sends SL data to the second terminal 102 on the transmitting carrier.

[0190] The optional implementation of step S2203 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2109 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0191] The method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2201 to S2203. For example, step S2201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2201 + S2202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps S2201 to S2203 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0192] In some embodiments, step S2202 and step S2203 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0193] In some embodiments, step S2203 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0194] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2B .

[0195] FIG3A is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the first terminal 101 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0196] Step S3101: determine the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102.

[0197] The optional implementation of step S3101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0198] Step S3102: Determine the carrier configured by the higher layer based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and / or the SLRB associated with the second terminal 102.

[0199] The optional implementation of step S3102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0200] Step S3103: Acquire second configuration information of the network device configuration.

[0201] The optional implementation of step S3103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] Step S3104: Determine the carrier configured by the network device based on the second configuration information.

[0203] The optional implementation of step S3104 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2104 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0204] Step S3105 : receiving capability information sent by the second terminal 102 .

[0205] In some embodiments, the capability information may be acquired by the first terminal 101 from the second terminal 102. For example, the second terminal 102 sends the capability information to the first terminal 101, and correspondingly, the first terminal 101 may receive the capability information sent by the second terminal 102.

[0206] The optional implementation of step S3105 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2105 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0207] Step S3106: Determine the carrier / frequency band supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission based on the capability information.

[0208] The optional implementation of step S3106 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2106 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0209] Step S3107, the intersection of the carrier configured by the high layer, the carrier configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal 101 for SL data reception and / or transmission, and the carrier supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission is determined as the transmission carrier.

[0210] The optional implementation of step S3107 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2107 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0211] Step S3108: Send configuration information to the second terminal 102.

[0212] The optional implementation of step S3108 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] Step S3109: Send SL data to the second terminal 102 on the transmitting carrier.

[0214] The optional implementation of step S3109 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2109 in Figure 2A and other related parts of the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0215] The method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3101 to S3109. For example, steps S3101 to S3107 may be implemented as independent embodiments, steps S3101 to S3108 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps S3101 to S3109 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0216] In some embodiments, step S3108 and step S3109 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0217] In some embodiments, step S3109 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0218] In some embodiments, steps S3101, S3102 and steps S3103 and S3104 can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously, and steps S3103 and S3104 and steps S3105 and S3106 can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously. Exemplarily, the above steps related to determining the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the steps related to determining the carrier configured by the network device can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously. For example, the carrier configured by the high-level layer can be determined first and then the carrier configured by the network device, or the carrier configured by the network device can be determined first and then the carrier configured by the high-level layer, or the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the carrier configured by the network device can be determined simultaneously. Exemplarily, the above steps related to determining the carrier configured by the high-level layer and the steps related to determining the carrier supported by the second terminal 102 for SL data reception and / or transmission can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously.

[0219] FIG3B is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the first terminal 101 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0220] Step S3201: Determine a transmitting carrier according to first information.

[0221] The optional implementation of step S3201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2201 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0222] Step S3202: Send configuration information to the second terminal 102, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the sending carrier.

[0223] The optional implementation of step S3202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2202 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0224] Step S3203: Send SL data to the second terminal 102 on the transmitting carrier.

[0225] The optional implementation of step S3203 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2203 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0226] The method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3201 to S3203. For example, step S3201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S3201 + step S3202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S3201 to S3203 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0227] In some embodiments, step S3202 and step S3203 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0228] In some embodiments, step S3203 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0229] FIG3C is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3C , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the first terminal 101 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0230] Step S3301, determine the transmitting carrier.

[0231] In some embodiments, the transmitting carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0232] In some embodiments, a transmission carrier is determined based on first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: first configuration information configured by a higher layer, the first configuration information being used to determine the carrier configured by the higher layer; second configuration information configured by a network device, the second configuration information being used to determine the carrier configured by the network device; a carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or transmitting sidelink (SL) data; and a carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or transmitting SL data. Optional implementations can be found in the optional implementation of step S2201 in FIG. 2B and other related portions of the embodiment involved in FIG. 2B , which will not be described in detail here.

[0233] In some embodiments, determining the transmission carrier based on the first information includes: determining the transmission carrier based on the intersection of the carriers in the first information. Optional implementations can be found in the optional implementation of step S2201 in FIG. 2B and other related parts of the embodiment involved in FIG. 2B , which will not be repeated here.

[0234] In some embodiments, determining the transmission carrier based on the first information includes: determining the intersection of a carrier configured by a higher layer, a carrier configured by a network device, a carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or transmitting sidelink (SL) data, and a carrier supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or transmitting SL data as the transmission carrier. Optional implementations can be found in the optional implementation of step S2107 of FIG. 2A and other related portions of the embodiment involved in FIG. 2A , which are not further described here.

[0235] In some embodiments, the first terminal determines the side link radio bearer SLRB associated with the second terminal; the first terminal determines the carrier configured by the higher layer based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and / or the SLRB associated with the second terminal. In some embodiments, the carrier configured by the higher layer is determined based on the first configuration information configured by the higher layer and the SLRB associated with the second terminal, including: the first terminal determines the mapping relationship of the quality of service QoS flow to the carrier based on the first configuration information; the first terminal determines the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB associated with the second terminal; the first terminal determines the carrier configured by the higher layer according to the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the carrier and the mapping relationship of the QoS flow to the SLRB associated with the second terminal, and the carrier configured by the higher layer includes the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal. Optional implementation methods can be found in the optional implementation methods of step S2101 and step S2102 of Figure 2A, and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] In some embodiments, the first terminal obtains second configuration information configured for the network device, the second configuration information including carriers supported by the network device; and the first terminal determines the carrier configured for the network device based on the second configuration information. In some embodiments, obtaining the second configuration information configured for the network device includes any of the following: obtaining the second configuration information configured for the network device via dedicated signaling; obtaining the second configuration information configured for the network device via a system information block (SIB); or obtaining the second configuration information configured for the network device via pre-configuration. Optional implementations can be found in the optional implementations of steps S2103 and S2104 of FIG. 2A , as well as other related portions of the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A , which will not be further described here.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first terminal receives capability information sent by the second terminal and, based on the capability information, determines a carrier / frequency band supported by the second terminal for receiving and / or transmitting SL data. For optional implementations, see the optional implementations of steps S2105 and S2106 in FIG. 2A , as well as other related portions of the embodiment described in FIG. 2A , which are not further described here.

[0238] Step S3302: Send configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the sending carrier.

[0239] The optional implementation of step S3302 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0240] In some embodiments, the first terminal sends SL data to the second terminal on the transmission carrier. Optional implementations can refer to the optional implementations of step S2109 in FIG2A and other related parts of the embodiment involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] FIG4A is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the second terminal 102 and can include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0242] Step S4101: Send capability information to the first terminal 101.

[0243] In some embodiments, the capability information may be acquired by the first terminal 101 from the second terminal 102. For example, the second terminal 102 sends the capability information to the first terminal 101, and correspondingly, the first terminal 101 may receive the capability information sent by the second terminal 102.

[0244] The optional implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2105 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0245] Step S4102: Receive configuration information sent by the first terminal 101.

[0246] In some embodiments, the configuration information may be sent by the first terminal 101 to the second terminal 102. Accordingly, the second terminal 102 may receive the configuration information sent by the first terminal 101.

[0247] In some embodiments, the configuration information may include carrier indication information of a transmitting carrier, wherein the transmitting carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 .

[0248] The optional implementation of step S4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0249] Step S4103: Receive SL data sent by the first terminal 101 on the transmitting carrier.

[0250] In some embodiments, after determining a transmission carrier, the first terminal 101 may transmit SL data on the transmission carrier to the second terminal 102. Correspondingly, the second terminal 102 may receive the SL data transmitted by the first terminal 101 on the transmission carrier.

[0251] The optional implementation of step S4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2109 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0252] The method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4101 to S4103. For example, steps S4101 to S4103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, step S4102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S4101 to S4102 may be implemented as independent embodiments, and steps S4102 and S4103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0253] In some embodiments, step S4101 and step S4103 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0254] In some embodiments, step S4103 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0255] In some embodiments, step S4101 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0256] FIG4B is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the second terminal 102 and can include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0257] Step S4201: receiving configuration information sent by a first terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0258] The optional implementation of step S4201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] In some embodiments, the second terminal sends capability information to the first terminal, where the capability information includes carriers that support sidelink (SL) data reception and / or transmission. For optional implementations, see the optional implementation of step S2105 in FIG. 2A and other related portions of the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A , which are not further described here.

[0260] In some embodiments, the second terminal receives the SL data sent by the first terminal on the transmitting carrier. Optional implementations can refer to the optional implementations of step S2109 in FIG2A and other related parts of the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be repeated here.

[0261] Figure 5 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0262] In step S5101, the first terminal 101 determines a transmitting carrier; the transmitting carrier is a carrier used for performing carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0263] The optional implementation of step S5101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2201 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0264] Step S5102: The first terminal sends configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier.

[0265] The optional implementation of step S5102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0266] Step S5103: The second terminal receives configuration information sent by the first terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0267] The optional implementation of step S5103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2108 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0268] In some embodiments, the above method may include the method described in the above embodiments of the first terminal side, the second terminal side, etc., which will not be repeated here.

[0269] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for determining a transmitting carrier, which can solve the problem of how a transmitting terminal (TX UE, such as the first terminal 101 in this document) determines the transmitting carrier in an NR Sidelink carrier aggregation scenario. In some embodiments, the transmitting terminal (such as the first terminal 101 in this document) can determine the transmitting carrier based on the intersection of the carrier / frequency band configured by the higher layer, the carrier / frequency band configured by the network device, the carrier / frequency band supported by the transmitting terminal, and the carrier / frequency band supported by the receiving terminal (RX UE, such as the second terminal 102 in this document).

[0270] Exemplarily, the upper layer provides the AS layer with a mapping of QoS flows to frequencies. The AS layer can obtain a mapping of Layer 2 IDs to frequencies. Exemplarily, the Layer 2 ID is associated with the first unicast connection. Exemplarily, the Layer 2 ID is associated with the receiving terminal of the first unicast connection. Exemplarily, the upper layer is a V2X layer.

[0271] For example, for layer 2 address A (such as the layer 2 address of the receiving terminal), address A is associated with the first unicast connection, and address A is associated with three QoS flows (such as flow1, flow2, and flow3) coming down from the upper layer. The upper layer provides the following mapping relationship between QoS flows and frequencies: (flow1, f1, f2, f3), (flow2, f1, f2, f3, f4), and (flow3, f2, f3, f4). The AS layer determines the mapping of QoS flows to SL DRBs. For example, the AS layer establishes three SLRBs (such as SLRB1, SLRB2, and SLRB3) for the three QoS flows. Then, SLRB1 can be mapped to carriers f1, f2, and f3, SLRB2 can be mapped to carriers f1, f2, f3, and f4, and SLRB3 can be mapped to carriers f2, f3, and f4. For example, if these three QoS flows are all associated with address A, then for address A, the carriers / frequency bands that can be mapped are the set of these three SLRBs, specifically carriers f1, f2, f3, and f4. The AS layer obtains the mapping from address A to frequency as (A, f1, f2, f3, f4).

[0272] For example, if the AS layer establishes an SLRB for the three QoS flows mentioned above, then this SLRB corresponds to the three QoS flows, and the carrier / frequency band corresponding to this SLRB is the intersection of the three QoS flows, that is, the carrier / frequency band corresponding to this SLRB is carriers f2 and f3. Then, the carriers that address A can be mapped to are the carriers mapped by this SLRB, that is, carriers f2 and f3.

[0273] Exemplarily, the carrier / frequency band configured by the above-mentioned high-level layer may mean that the transmitting terminal determines the SLRB associated with the receiving terminal (such as RX UE / opposite terminal), and then determines the set of carriers / frequency bands corresponding to the SLRB associated with the receiving terminal. Specifically, based on the mapping relationship between the QoS flow to the carrier / frequency band and the mapping relationship between the QoS flow to the SLRB configured by the high-level layer, the carrier / frequency band corresponding to the SLRB associated with the receiving terminal is determined.

[0274] Exemplarily, a transmitting terminal in an RRC connected state can obtain the carrier / frequency band configured by the network through dedicated signaling. Exemplarily, a transmitting terminal in an RRC IDLE / INACTIVE state can obtain the carrier / frequency band configured by the network through SIB. Exemplarily, a transmitting terminal in an OOC state can obtain the carrier / frequency band configured by the network through pre-configuration. Optionally, it can be the carrier / frequency band indicated by sl-FreqInfoList / sl-FreqInfoListSizeExt.

[0275] Exemplarily, the carrier / frequency band supported by the above-mentioned transmitting terminal may refer to the carrier / frequency band supported by the transmitting terminal for sending and / or receiving, and exemplary, the carrier / frequency band supported by the receiving terminal may refer to the carrier / frequency band supported by the receiving terminal for sending and / or receiving.

[0276] Exemplarily, the transmitting terminal determines the transmission carrier as the intersection of the carrier / frequency band configured by the higher layer, the carrier / frequency band configured by the network device, the carrier / frequency band supported by the transmitting terminal, and the carrier / frequency band supported by the receiving terminal. Exemplarily, the transmitting terminal configures the transmission carrier to the receiving terminal via PC5-RRC signaling. The receiving terminal receives the SL data sent by the transmitting terminal on the carrier indicated by the PC5-RRC signaling configuration.

[0277] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide apparatuses for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by a first terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by a second terminal in any of the above methods.

[0278] 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.

[0279] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with information 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.

[0280] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6A, the first terminal 6100 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 6101, a processing module 6102, etc. In some embodiments, the processing module is used to determine a sending carrier; the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal; the transceiver module is used to send configuration information to the second terminal, and the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the sending carrier. Optionally, the transceiver module is used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving (for example, step S2103, step S2108, step S2109, step S2202, step S2203, but not limited to this) performed by the first terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the above-mentioned processing module is used to execute at least one of the other steps (such as step S2101, step S2102, step S2104, step S2106, step S2107, step S2201, but not limited to these) performed by the first terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0281] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6B, the second terminal 6200 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 6201, a processing module 6202, etc. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned transceiver module is used to receive configuration information sent by the first terminal, and the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the transmitting carrier; wherein the transmitting carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal. Optionally, the above-mentioned transceiver module is used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving (for example, step S2105, but not limited to this) performed by the second terminal 6200 in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the above-mentioned processing module is used to execute at least one of the other steps performed by the second terminal 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0282] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0283] In some embodiments, the processing module can be a single module or can include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be interchangeable with the processor.

[0284] Figure 7A 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.

[0285] As shown in Figure 7A, 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 the communication protocol 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. Optionally, the communication device 7100 is used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 7101 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0286] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7102. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7102, the transceiver 7102 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S2103, S2108, S2109, S2202, S2203, and S2105, but not limited thereto) of sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 7101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps S2101, S2102, S2104, S2106, S2107, and S2201, but not limited thereto). In an optional embodiment, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be replaced with each other, terms such as transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit can be replaced with each other, and terms such as receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit can be replaced with each other.

[0287] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7103 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 7103 may be located outside the communication device 7100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 7100 may include one or more interface circuits 7104. Optionally, the interface circuits 7104 are connected to the memory 7102 and may be configured to receive data from the memory 7102 or other devices, or to send data to the memory 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 7104 may read data stored in the memory 7102 and send the data to the processor 7101.

[0288] 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. 7A. 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.

[0289] 7B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 7200 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 7200 shown in FIG7B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0290] The chip 7200 includes one or more processors 7201. The chip 7200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0291] In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more interface circuits 7202. Alternatively, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more memories 7203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 7203 may be located external to chip 7200. Optionally, interface circuit 7202 is connected to memory 7203 and may be used to receive data from memory 7203 or other devices, or may be used to send data to memory 7203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 7202 may read data stored in memory 7203 and send the data to processor 7201.

[0292] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7202 performs at least one of the communication steps of sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., step S2103, step S2108, step S2109, step S2202, step S2203, and step S2105, but not limited thereto). The interface circuit 7202 performing the communication steps of sending and / or receiving in the above method, for example, means that the interface circuit 7202 performs data exchange between the processor 7201, chip 7200, memory 7203, or a transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 7201 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., step S2101, step S2102, step S2104, step S2106, step S2107, and step S2201, but not limited thereto).

[0293] 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.

[0294] 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.

[0295] 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.

[0296] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0297] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0298] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0299] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The first terminal determines a transmission carrier; the transmission carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal; The first terminal sends configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the sending carrier.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first terminal determines a transmission carrier, including: Determining the transmitting carrier according to the first information; The first information includes at least one of the following: First configuration information configured by a high-level layer, wherein the first configuration information is used to determine a carrier configured by a high-level layer; Second configuration information configured by the network device, wherein the second configuration information is used to determine a carrier configured by the network device; a carrier supported by the first terminal for receiving and / or sending sidelink SL data; or The carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining, according to the first information, the transmitting carrier includes: The transmission carrier is determined based on the intersection of the carriers in the first information.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The determining, according to the first information, the transmitting carrier includes: The intersection of the carrier configured by the high layer, the carrier configured by the network device, the carrier supported by the first terminal for side link SL data reception and / or transmission, and the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission is determined as the transmission carrier.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The first terminal determines a sidelink radio bearer SLRB associated with the second terminal; The first terminal determines the carrier configured by the higher layer based on first configuration information configured by the higher layer and / or the SLRB associated with the second terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The determining the carrier configured by the high-level layer based on the first configuration information configured by the high-level layer and the SLRB associated with the second terminal includes: The first terminal determines, based on the first configuration information, a mapping relationship between a quality of service QoS flow and a carrier; The first terminal determines a mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal; The first terminal determines the high-level configured carrier according to the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the carrier, and the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the SLRB associated with the second terminal, and the high-level configured carrier includes the carrier corresponding to the SLRB associated with the second terminal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first terminal obtains second configuration information configured by the network device, where the second configuration information includes a carrier supported by the network device; The first terminal determines the carrier configured by the network device based on the second configuration information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The obtaining of the second configuration information of the network device configuration includes any one of the following: Acquire second configuration information configured by the network device through dedicated signaling; Acquire second configuration information configured by the network device through a system information block SIB; The second configuration information of the network device configuration is obtained through pre-configuration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The first terminal receives capability information sent by the second terminal; Based on the capability information, determine the carrier supported by the second terminal for SL data reception and / or transmission.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first terminal sends SL data to the second terminal on the transmission carrier.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The second terminal receives configuration information sent by the first terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second terminal sends capability information to the first terminal, where the capability information includes carriers supporting sidelink SL data reception and / or transmission.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The second terminal receives the SL data sent by the first terminal on the transmitting carrier.

14. A first terminal, characterized in that: include: A processing module, configured to determine a transmission carrier; the transmission carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal; The transceiver module is used to send configuration information to the second terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of the sending carrier.

15. A second terminal, characterized in that: include: The transceiver module is used to receive configuration information sent by the first terminal, where the configuration information includes carrier indication information of a sending carrier; wherein the sending carrier is a carrier used for carrier aggregation communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

16. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A first terminal, configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 10; The second terminal is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The communication device is used to execute the communication method described in any one of claims 1-10 and 11-13.

18. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and 11 to 13.

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