Information forwarding method and device

Abstract

The invention provides an information forwarding method and device, and relates to the field of communication. Forwarded information can be successfully forwarded to a destination. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring first indication information and second indication information, and receiving first information on a time unit corresponding to a first index subset; when the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used for sending the second information need to meet the first time sequence constraint, sending the first information to the second information; sending the first information on the time units corresponding to partial or all indexes in the first index subset, and receiving the second information on the time units corresponding to the second index subset; and sending the second information on the time units corresponding to the partial or all indexes in the second index subset. Wherein the first time sequence constraint is that the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K, and K is a positive integer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to an information forwarding method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Compared to terrestrial communications, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) offer wide coverage and flexible networking. NTNs utilize uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), high-altitude platforms, satellites, and other devices to provide data transmission, voice communication, and other services to user equipment (UE).

[0003] In satellite communication systems, information from terminal devices can be forwarded by satellites via inter-satellite links (ISLs) or satellite-to-ground links to gateways or ground stations, which then establish connections with the core network or the internet. Similarly, information from gateways or ground stations can be forwarded by satellites via ISLs or satellite-to-ground links to terminal devices.

[0004] However, when there is at least one relay device between the terminal equipment and the gateway station (or ground station), when a relay device forwards signaling by regeneration forwarding and forwards the data scheduled by the signaling by transparent forwarding, the data may not be successfully forwarded to the destination. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The information forwarding method and device provided in the embodiments of the present application can ensure that the forwarded information is successfully forwarded to the destination.

[0006] In the first aspect, an information forwarding method is provided, which can be executed by a relay device, or by a component of the relay device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the relay device, or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the relay device. The method includes: obtaining first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first index set, the indexes included in the first index set are indexes of time units, the first index set includes a first index subset and a second index subset, the time units corresponding to the first index subset are used to forward the first information, and the time units corresponding to the second index subset are used to forward the second information; obtaining second indication information, the second indication information indicating whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet a first timing constraint, the first timing constraint being that the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K, where K is a positive integer; receiving the first information at the time unit corresponding to the first index subset; when the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, sending the first information at the time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the first index subset and receiving the second information at the time units corresponding to the second index subset; and sending the second information at the time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the second index subset.

[0007] Based on this solution, the relay device can determine the time unit for sending the first information and the time unit for sending the second information based on the first indication information and the second indication information, and send the first information and the second information on the time unit. The first indication information indicates the first index set, the index in the first index set is the index of the time unit, there is a first index subset and a second index subset in the first index set, the time unit corresponding to the first index subset is used to forward the first information, and the time unit corresponding to the second index subset is used to forward the second information; therefore, the relay device can receive the first information on the time unit corresponding to the first index subset based on the indication of the first indication information, and receive the second information on the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. It can be understood that the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K by default, and K is a positive integer.

[0008] The second indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, and the first timing constraint is that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information is K.

[0009] During the information forwarding process, the relay device still needs to process the forwarded information, and the processing methods of the first information and the second information may be different. If the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information will be less than K, so that the next hop node of the relay device cannot receive the second information in the Kth time unit after the last time unit occupied by the first information after receiving the first information.

[0010] Therefore, the relay device may consider not sending the second information immediately after processing the second information, that is, delaying the sending of the second information. For example, the relay device may send the second information in the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, so that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information (i.e., the first index subset) and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information (i.e., the second index subset) remains K, thereby satisfying the first timing constraint. Alternatively, the relay device may consider changing the length of the time unit occupied by the first information. For example, the number of time units used to send the first information may be reduced (i.e., the transmission duration of the first information may be reduced), such as by determining some indexes in the first index subset (i.e., the second half of the indexes in the first index subset, i.e., the maximum index within the partial indexes in the first index subset is the maximum index in the first index subset) as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information, thereby offsetting the difference between the processing delay of the first information and the processing delay of the second information, thereby increasing the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information, so that it can be K, i.e., satisfying the first timing constraint.

[0011] Therefore, after receiving the first information, the next hop node of the relay device can still ensure that the index number difference between the last time unit occupied by the first information and the first time unit received by the second information is K. Furthermore, the first information and the second information can be successfully forwarded to the destination.

[0012] In one possible design, the maximum index within some indexes in the first index subset is the maximum index in the first index subset.

[0013] In one possible design, the information forwarding method also includes: receiving third indication information, the third indication information indicating whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information; wherein, sending the first information on the time units corresponding to some or all indexes in the first index subset includes: when the third indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, sending the first information on the time units corresponding to all indexes in the first index subset; when the third indication information indicates that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, sending the first information on the time units corresponding to some indexes in the first index subset.

[0014] In one possible design, the information forwarding method also includes: sending first capability information, the first capability information indicating whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information.

[0015] Based on this possible design, different relay devices can send their corresponding first capability information to the access network device. Based on this first capability information, the access network device can then configure corresponding forwarding parameters (such as indicating third indication information) for different relay devices, thereby achieving flexible control over different relay devices. Furthermore, the access network device can configure parameters that optimize the system for different relay devices, thereby optimizing system communication performance.

[0016] In one possible design, when the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to satisfy the first timing constraint, the information forwarding method also includes: sending the first information on the time unit corresponding to the third index subset, and the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is less than or equal to X, where X is a positive integer.

[0017] In one possible design, the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to meet the first timing constraint, and the first information indicates the second index subset.

[0018] In one possible design, X is greater than or equal to a first difference, where the first difference is the difference between a processing delay of a forwarding method of the first information and a processing delay of a forwarding method of the second information.

[0019] Based on the two possible designs described above, since the first information explicitly indicates the second index subset, the next-hop node (e.g., the second device) of the relay device can obtain the second index subset corresponding to the time unit for forwarding the second information, regardless of which time unit before the time unit corresponding to the second index subset indicated by the first information it receives the first information, and can thus receive the second information at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. Therefore, if the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, resulting in the relay device being unable to send the first information in the time unit corresponding to the first index subset, it may be possible to consider re-determining the time unit for sending the first information, such as determining the time unit corresponding to the third index subset as the time unit for sending the first information, where the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is equal to X, and X is greater than or equal to the difference between the processing delay of the forwarding method for the first information and the processing delay of the forwarding method for the second information, so that the time unit corresponding to the maximum index in the third index subset is located before the time unit corresponding to the minimum index in the second index subset. In other words, the maximum index in the third index subset is less than the minimum index in the second index subset. This allows the second device to receive the first information during the time unit corresponding to the third index subset and, based on the indication of the first information, receive the second information during the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, allowing the relay device to successfully forward the first and second information. Furthermore, the relay device can flexibly set the third index subset, as long as the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is less than or equal to X, making the relay device's hardware latency more flexible.

[0020] In one possible design, the third index subset includes some or all of the indices in the first index subset.

[0021] In one possible design, the information forwarding method also includes: receiving fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information indicates the value of X.

[0022] In one possible design, the information forwarding method also includes: sending second capability information, where the second capability information indicates the value of X.

[0023] In one possible design, the second capability information indicates the value of X, including: the second capability information indicates a first difference, and the first difference is used to determine the value of X.

[0024] In one possible design, the second capability information indicates the value of X, including: the second capability information indicates the processing delay of regeneration forwarding, and / or the processing delay of transparent forwarding, the processing delay of regeneration forwarding and / or the processing delay of transparent forwarding are used to determine the first difference, and the first difference is used to determine the value of X.

[0025] Based on the two possible designs described above, different relay devices can send their corresponding second capability information to the access network device. The access network device can then configure corresponding forwarding parameters (such as indicating the fourth indication information) for different relay devices based on this second capability information, thereby achieving flexible control over different relay devices. Furthermore, the access network device can configure different values of X for each relay device based on its processing capabilities (such as regenerative forwarding delay, transparent forwarding delay, etc.), thereby optimizing system parameters and system communication performance, thereby improving system communication efficiency.

[0026] In one possible design, the information forwarding method also includes: sending third capability information, where the third capability information is used to indicate the forwarding method supported by the relay device.

[0027] Based on this possible design, the relay device can send the third capability information to the access network device, so that the access network device can configure the forwarding method of the first information and the second information, thereby improving the efficiency of information forwarding.

[0028] In a second aspect, an information forwarding method is provided, which can be executed by a relay device, or by a component of the relay device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the relay device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the relay device function. The method includes: obtaining fifth indication information, the fifth indication information indicating a second index set, the index included in the second index set being an index of a time unit, and the time unit corresponding to the second index set being used to receive third information; obtaining sixth indication information, the sixth indication information indicating whether the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information need to meet a second timing constraint, the second timing constraint being the difference between the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information being K; the sixth indication information indicating that if the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information do not need to meet the second timing constraint: receiving the third information at the time unit corresponding to the second index set; and sending the third information at the time unit corresponding to the third index set, the third index set being different from the second index set.

[0029] Based on this scheme, when the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information indicated by the sixth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information do not need to meet the second timing constraint, the relay device can flexibly select the time unit used to send the third information. For example, it can select a time unit with better channel conditions to send the third information, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0030] In one possible design, there may be overlap between the third index set and the second index set, or there may be no overlap between the third index set and the second index set.

[0031] In one possible design, the forwarding method of the third information includes regeneration forwarding or transparent forwarding.

[0032] In one possible design, the information forwarding method also includes: sending third capability information, where the third capability information is used to indicate the forwarding method supported by the relay device.

[0033] Based on this possible design, the relay device can send the third capability information to the access network device, so that the access network device can configure the forwarding method of the first information and the second information, thereby improving the efficiency of information forwarding.

[0034] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device may be the relay device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a device included in the relay device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, and the module, unit, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0035] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively configured to implement the receiving functionality and the transmitting functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0036] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device performs the method described in any one aspect. The communication device can be the relay device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a device included in the relay device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, and the module, unit, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction so that the communication device performs the method described in any aspect. The communication device can be the relay device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a device included in the relay device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, and the module, unit, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction so that the communication device performs the method described in any one aspect. The communication device may be the relay device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a device included in the relay device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, and the module, unit, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0040] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data. The memory may be coupled to the processor or may be independent of the processor.

[0041] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0042] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the third to sixth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as output information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as input information.

[0043] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the aspects.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the aspects.

[0045] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the relay device of the first aspect or the second aspect (or a device included in the relay device, such as a chip or a chip system).

[0046] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the third to ninth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the above-mentioned first or second aspects, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an intersatellite link provided for this application;

[0048] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a satellite-to-ground link provided for this application;

[0049] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an implementation of a relay device provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another implementation of a relay device provided by this application;

[0052] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of time domain resources for information forwarded by a relay device provided in this application;

[0053] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided by this application;

[0054] Figure 8 A flowchart of an information forwarding method provided by this application;

[0055] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of time domain resources of information forwarded by another relay device provided in this application;

[0056] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of time domain resources of information forwarded by another relay device provided in this application;

[0057] Figure 11 A flowchart of another information forwarding method provided by this application;

[0058] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of time domain resources of information forwarded by another relay device provided in this application;

[0059] Figure 13 A flowchart of another information forwarding method provided by this application;

[0060] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of time domain resources of information forwarded by another relay device provided in this application;

[0061] Figure 15 A schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application;

[0062] Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in this application;

[0063] Figure 17 This is a structural diagram of another communication device provided by this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0065] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0066] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0067] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0068] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0069] It can be understood that in this application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0070] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0071] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments in this application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0072] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0073] 1. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN):

[0074] The fifth generation (5 th The new radio (NR) technology for the next generation (5G) is evolving from release 18 (Rle18 / R18) to R19. At the same time, NR technology has moved from standardization to commercial deployment. The NR standard protocol is a wireless communication technology designed for terrestrial cellular network scenarios, providing users with wireless communication services with low latency, ultra-reliability, ultra-high speeds, and excessive connectivity. However, cellular networks cannot achieve seamless global coverage. For example, in areas without terrestrial base stations, such as oceans, polar regions, and rainforests, voice and data services cannot be provided in areas covered by cellular networks.

[0075] Compared to terrestrial communications, NTN communications offer significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and freedom from geographical constraints. They have been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. NTN networks can be integrated with terrestrial networks, leveraging their strengths and complementing their weaknesses to form a seamless, integrated global communications network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users everywhere.

[0076] NTN Communications utilizes uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), high-altitude platforms, satellites and other equipment to build networks and provide services such as data transmission and voice communication to user equipment (UE).

[0077] The system based on satellite networking can be called a satellite communication system. Satellites in a satellite communication system usually transmit information through inter-satellite links (ISL) or satellite-to-ground links.

[0078] 2. ISL:

[0079] ISL refers to the link used for communication between satellites, which can also be called intersatellite link or crosslink. In other words, ISL refers to the link for communication between satellites.

[0080] Information from the UE can be forwarded by the satellite via the ISL to a gateway or ground station, and further sent by the gateway or ground station to the network (such as the core network or the Internet); similarly, information from the gateway or ground station (or information from the network) can be forwarded by the satellite via the ISL to the UE.

[0081] Exemplarily, the gateway station (or ground station) has some or all of the functions of a base station, so the gateway station (or ground station) can also be regarded as a base station. Alternatively, the base station and the gateway station are deployed independently, so that the information from the UE can be forwarded to the gateway station via the satellite. Further, the gateway station can send the information to the base station, and the base station sends the information to the network. For the convenience of description, the following is an introduction to the interaction between the UE and the gateway station, in which the gateway station (or ground station) has some or all of the functions of a base station; in addition, the satellite in the ISL can be considered as an intermediate node on the communication link between the UE and the gateway station, or it can be considered as a relay device. For the convenience of description, the device for forwarding information on the communication link between the UE and the gateway station is referred to as a relay device in the following embodiments. They are uniformly described here and will not be repeated.

[0082] For example, Figure 1 As shown in the figure, for a UE served by satellite #1, satellite #1, satellite #2, satellite #3, satellite #6, and satellite #9 are all relay devices on the communication link between the UE and the gateway. Therefore, during uplink transmission, information from the UE can be forwarded to the gateway by these relay devices (i.e., satellite #1, satellite #2, satellite #3, satellite #6, and satellite #9) in sequence. Similarly, during downlink transmission, information from the gateway can be forwarded to the UE by these relay devices (i.e., satellite #9, satellite #6, satellite #3, satellite #2, and satellite #1) in sequence.

[0083] For a UE served by satellite #4, satellites #4, #5, #6, and #9 all serve as relays on the communication link between the UE and the gateway. Therefore, during uplink transmission, information from the UE can be forwarded sequentially to the gateway by these relays (i.e., satellite #4, #5, #6, and #9). Similarly, during downlink transmission, information from the gateway can be forwarded sequentially to the UE by these relays (i.e., satellite #9, #6, #5, and #4).

[0084] Satellite #3 needs to forward information from satellite #2 and also forward information about the UEs it serves. Satellite #6 needs to forward information from satellite #5 and also forward information from satellite #3, as well as information about the UEs it serves.

[0085] Therefore, combined with the above Figure 1 As shown in the ISL diagram, the closer a satellite is to a gateway, the more information it needs to forward. However, since satellites are mobile, different satellites will become the closest to a gateway as they move. Therefore, each satellite needs to support a large transmission capacity for information forwarding, which increases the hardware cost of the satellite.

[0086] 3. Satellite-to-ground link:

[0087] A satellite-to-ground link is a communication link between a satellite and relay nodes deployed on the ground. It should be understood that the relay nodes deployed on the ground in a satellite-to-ground link are only used to forward information and cannot access the network. In other words, the relay nodes deployed on the ground in a satellite-to-ground link are not access network devices.

[0088] For example, the relay node deployed on the ground may also be referred to as a ground relay node, a ground relay device, a ground node, a ground device, etc., or other names may exist, which are not limited in this application. For the convenience of description, the relay node deployed on the ground will be referred to as a "ground node" below, and will be described uniformly here without further explanation.

[0089] Information from the UE can be forwarded by the satellite to the gateway station via the satellite-to-ground link, and further sent to the network by the gateway station or ground station; similarly, information from the gateway station (or information from the network) can be forwarded by the satellite to the UE via the satellite-to-ground link.

[0090] For example, Figure 2 As shown in the figure, for a UE served by satellite #1, satellite #1, ground node #1, satellite #5, ground node #4, and satellite #9 are all relay devices on the communication link between the UE and the gateway. Therefore, during uplink transmission, information from the UE can be forwarded to the gateway by these relay devices (i.e., satellite #1, ground node #1, satellite #5, ground node #4, satellite #9) in sequence. Similarly, during downlink transmission, information from the gateway can be forwarded to the UE by these relay devices (i.e., satellite #9, ground node #4, satellite #5, ground node #1, satellite #1) in sequence.

[0091] For a UE served by satellite #4, satellite #4, ground node #3, and satellite #9 all act as relays on the communication link between the UE and the gateway. Therefore, during uplink transmission, information from the UE can be forwarded sequentially by these relays (i.e., satellite #4, ground node #3, and satellite #9) to the gateway. Similarly, during downlink transmission, information from the gateway can be forwarded sequentially by these relays (i.e., satellite #9, ground node #3, and satellite #4) to the UE.

[0092] Satellites #3 and #6 only need to forward information about the UEs they serve. Compared to information forwarded by satellites #3 and #6 in an ISL, forwarding information via the satellite-to-ground link significantly alleviates the transmission capacity pressure on satellites #3 and #6. Therefore, the transmission capacity required by satellite pairs in a satellite-to-ground link is less than that required by satellite pairs in an ISL, reducing satellite hardware costs.

[0093] In addition, compared to satellites, ground nodes have the advantages of low cost and high capacity. Therefore, the hardware cost of the relay device in the satellite-to-ground link is far less than that of the ISL hardware cost.

[0094] Exemplarily, the relay device in the satellite-to-ground link can forward information in a transparent forwarding manner. In this case, the relay device can also be called a transparent forwarding device, a transparent forwarding node, an amplify and forward (AF) node, or a network controlled transparent forwarding node (NCTN); or, the relay device can forward information in a regenerative forwarding manner. In this case, the relay device can also be called a regenerative forwarding device, a regenerative forwarding node, a decode and forward (DF) node, a digital forwarding node, or a network controlled regenerative forwarding node (NCRN).

[0095] It is understandable that the above-mentioned naming of the relay device is merely exemplary based on the information forwarding method. The relay device may also have other names, such as forwarding node, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0096] Exemplarily, transparent forwarding means that after the relay device receives the information, it does not decode or encode the information, but directly sends the information to the next hop node; regenerative forwarding means that after the relay device receives the information, it decodes the information, re-encodes the decoding result, and sends it to the next hop node.

[0097] Take the satellite-to-ground link as an example, which includes three relay devices. Figure 3 As shown, information from the UE can be forwarded to the gateway station by relay device #3, relay device #2, and relay device #1 in sequence; information from the gateway station can be forwarded to the UE by relay device #1, relay device #2, and relay device #3 in sequence.

[0098] Considering that the relay devices in the satellite-to-ground link are staggered distribution of satellites and ground nodes, taking the satellite as an example, based on the above Figure 3 The forwarding method of relay device #2 in Figure 3 The satellite-to-ground link shown includes the following two implementation methods:

[0099] In a possible implementation, relay device #2 forwards information in a transparent forwarding manner. That is, relay devices #1 to #3 all forward information in a transparent forwarding manner.

[0100] Exemplarily, a transparent forwarding device (i.e., a relay device that forwards information using a transparent forwarding method) is composed of three parts: a forwarding network element, a mobile terminal (MT), and a distributed unit (DU).

[0101] For example, the forwarding network element provides transparent forwarding of uplink / downlink radio frequency signals between the gateway station and the UE. The MT, as the DU connecting the UE to its parent node, can serve as a control link; for example, it can send beam direction information for the control link / access link, signaling information for switch forwarding transmission, and routing-related information. The DU provides access to the next-level node in the satellite-to-ground link to establish a lower-level control link.

[0102] Specifically, the implementation of relay devices #1 to #3 can be as follows: Figure 4 As shown in (a), the gateway station consists of two parts: the DU and the central unit (CU). The CU in the gateway station provides connections for its DU and the DU in the relay device (i.e., any one of Relay Devices #1 to Relay Devices #3). The CU in the gateway station and its DU, as well as the CU in the gateway station and the DU in the relay device (i.e., Relay Devices #1 to Relay Devices #3) can communicate through the F1 interface. The DU in each relay device can communicate with the MT in its child node through the Uu interface.

[0103] For example, data information between the UE and the gateway station can be transparently forwarded through the forwarding network element, and control signaling, routing-related information, etc. can be regenerated and forwarded through the MT and DU. For the convenience of description, control signaling, routing-related information, etc. can be referred to as forwarding signaling in the future.

[0104] In another possible implementation, relay #2 forwards information using regenerative forwarding, that is, relay #2 uses regenerative forwarding, and relay #1 and relay #3 both use transparent forwarding.

[0105] For example, a regenerative forwarding device (i.e., a relay device that forwards information using regenerative forwarding) consists of two parts: the MT and the DU. The MT, acting as a normal UE, connects to the DU of its parent node, serving as a control link and wireless backhaul link (providing digital forwarding functionality and supporting RLC layer forwarding). The DU provides access to subordinate MTs or UEs.

[0106] Specifically, the implementation of relay devices #1 to #3 can be as follows: Figure 4As shown in (b), the gateway station consists of two parts: the DU and the CU. The CU in the gateway station provides connectivity for its DU and the DU in the relay device (i.e., any one of Relay Devices #1 to Relay Devices #3). The CU in the gateway station and its DU, as well as the CU in the gateway station and the DU in the relay device (i.e., Relay Devices #1 to Relay Devices #3), can communicate via the F1 interface. The DU in each relay device can communicate with the MT in its child node via the Uu interface.

[0107] For example, data information between the UE and the gateway can be transparently forwarded by the forwarding network element in relay device #1 and relay device #3, and regenerated and forwarded by the MT and DU in relay device #2; forwarding signaling can be regenerated and forwarded by the MT and DU.

[0108] above Figure 4 (like Figure 4 (a) or Figure 4 (b)) in the figure only exemplarily describes an implementation of a transparent forwarding device. The transparent forwarding device may also be composed of a forwarding network element and an MT.

[0109] Illustratively, the implementation of the forwarding network element and the MT is similar to that in the foregoing possible implementation manner. For details, reference may be made to the relevant description in the foregoing possible implementation manner, which will not be repeated here.

[0110] Among them, the above Figure 3 and Figure 4 The transparent forwarding device shown in the figure has the following functional differences: Figure 4 The transparent forwarding device shown does not support digital (regeneration) forwarding, only transparent forwarding.

[0111] Specifically, the implementation of relay devices #1 to #3 can be as follows: Figure 5 (like Figure 5 (a) or Figure 5 As shown in (b) in the figure. The gateway station and the regeneration forwarding device are implemented in the same way as above. Figure 4 The implementation of the gateway and regeneration forwarding devices is identical and will not be further described here. Furthermore, the CU in the gateway provides connectivity to its DUs, and both the CU in the gateway and its DUs, as well as the CU in the gateway and the DU in relay device #2, can communicate via the F1 interface. The MT in each relay device can establish a communication connection with the forwarding network element in its parent node. Specifically, the MT can communicate with the forwarding network element in its parent node via the Uu interface.

[0112] Among them, Figure 5In (a), the data information between the UE and the gateway station can be transparently forwarded by the forwarding network element; the forwarding signaling can be transparently forwarded by the forwarding network element to the relay device where the destination address is located, and then decoded by the MT in the relay device. Figure 5 In (b), the data information between the UE and the gateway station can be transparently forwarded by the forwarding network element in relay device #1 and relay device #3, and can be regenerated and forwarded by the MT and DU in relay device #2; when the destination address of the forwarded signaling is relay device #1, the forwarded signaling can be sent directly by the DU of the gateway station to relay device #1 and decoded by the MT in relay device #1; when the destination address of the forwarded signaling is relay device #2, the forwarded signaling can be sent directly by the DU of the gateway station to the relay device #3. The forwarding signaling is sent from the gateway station's DU to the forwarding network element of relay device #1, and then transparently forwarded by the forwarding network element of relay device #1 to relay device #2, and then decoded by the MT in relay device #2. When the destination address of the forwarded signaling is relay device #3, the forwarding signaling can be sent directly from the DU of the gateway station to the forwarding network element of relay device #1, and then transparently forwarded by the forwarding network element of relay device #1 to relay device #2. The MT and DU of relay device #2 are then regenerated and forwarded to relay device #3, and then decoded by the MT of relay device #3.

[0113] In the above Figure 4 or Figure 5 In the satellite-to-ground link shown, after receiving the forwarding signaling, each relay device can usually start forwarding data information between the UE and the gateway station in the Kth time slot after the time slot in which the forwarding signaling is located. In other words, the forwarding signaling implicitly indicates that the Kth time slot after the time slot in which it is located is the starting time slot of the data information. In other words, the difference between the index of the last time slot occupied by the forwarding signaling and the index of the first time slot occupied by the data information is K. K is a positive integer. Taking the time slot occupied by the forwarding signaling (or the time slot in which the forwarding signaling is located) as time slot #n as an example, after each relay device receives the forwarding signaling in time slot n, it can start forwarding data information from time slot #(n+K). Where n is a natural number.

[0114] For example, the value of K may be pre-configured by the gateway station, wherein the value of K is related to information processing delay, transmission round-trip delay, and other information.

[0115] It can be understood that the forwarding described in the embodiments of the present application refers to: receiving, processing, and sending.

[0116] However, when there is at least one relay device between the UE and the gateway station, when the relay device forwards the forwarding signaling by .0 regeneration forwarding and forwards the data information scheduled by the forwarding signaling by transparent forwarding, the processing delay of the regeneration forwarding is greater than the processing delay of the transparent forwarding. Figure 6As shown, after the relay device processes the forwarding signaling and data information, it cannot guarantee that the difference between the index of the last time slot occupied by the forwarding signaling and the index of the first time slot occupied by the data information is K, that is, the difference between the index of the last time slot for sending the forwarding signaling and the index of the first time slot for sending the data information is less than K.

[0117] Specifically, take the time slot occupied by the forwarding signaling (or the time slot where the forwarding signaling is located) as time slot n as an example, Figure 6 As shown, the relay device can receive the forwarding signaling at time slot #n and forward the data information starting from time slot #(n+K); however, due to the large processing delay of regenerative forwarding, the time slot for sending the forwarding signaling is time slot #(n+m), while the processing delay of transparent forwarding is small, so the time slot for sending the data information is still time slot #(n+K); where m is a positive integer. This causes the difference between the index of the time slot for sending the forwarding signaling and the index of the first time slot for sending the data information to be less than K. As a result, after the next-hop node of the relay device receives the forwarding signaling from the relay device, it cannot receive the data information after the Kth time slot after the time slot occupied by the forwarding signaling, resulting in the data information not being successfully forwarded to the destination.

[0118] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides an information forwarding method and device, in which a relay device can determine a time unit for sending the first information and a time unit for sending the second information based on the first indication information and the second indication information, and send the first information and the second information on the time unit. The first indication information indicates a first index set, the index in the first index set is the index of the time unit, there is a first index subset and a second index subset in the first index set, the time unit corresponding to the first index subset is used to forward the first information, and the time unit corresponding to the second index subset is used to forward the second information; therefore, the relay device can receive the first information on the time unit corresponding to the first index subset based on the indication of the first indication information, and receive the second information on the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. It can be understood that the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K by default, and K is a positive integer.

[0119] The second indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, and the first timing constraint is that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information is K.

[0120] During the information forwarding process, the relay device still needs to process the forwarded information, and the processing methods of the first information and the second information may be different. If the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information will be less than K, so that the next hop node of the relay device cannot receive the second information in the Kth time unit after the last time unit occupied by the first information after receiving the first information.

[0121] Therefore, the relay device may consider not sending the second information immediately after processing the second information, that is, delaying the sending of the second information. For example, the relay device may send the second information in the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, so that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information (i.e., the first index subset) and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information (i.e., the second index subset) remains K, thereby satisfying the first timing constraint. Alternatively, the relay device may consider changing the length of the time unit occupied by the first information. For example, the number of time units used to send the first information may be reduced (i.e., the transmission duration of the first information may be reduced), such as by determining some indexes in the first index subset (i.e., the second half of the indexes in the first index subset, i.e., the maximum index within the partial indexes in the first index subset is the maximum index in the first index subset) as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information, thereby offsetting the difference between the processing delay of the first information and the processing delay of the second information, thereby increasing the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information, so that it can be K, i.e., satisfying the first timing constraint.

[0122] Therefore, after receiving the first information, the next hop node of the relay device can still ensure that the index number difference between the last time unit occupied by the first information and the first time unit received by the second information is K. Furthermore, the first information and the second information can be successfully forwarded to the destination.

[0123] The technical solution provided in this application can be used in various communication systems, which may be cellular systems related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as fourth-generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) systems, evolved LTE systems (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) systems, 5G new radio (NR) systems, vehicle to everything (V2X) systems, LTE and NR hybrid networking systems, or device-to-device (D2D) systems, machine to machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT), and other next-generation communication systems, such as sixth-generation (6G) communication systems.

[0124] Alternatively, the communication system may also be a non-3GPP communication system, such as an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, or a communication system that integrates multiple of the above communication systems, which is not limited in this application.

[0125] Among them, the above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. It is uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0126] The present application provides an exemplary communication system. The communication system may include a first device, a relay device, and a second device. The first device may be a previous hop node of the relay device, i.e., the information forwarded by the relay device originates from the first device. The second device may be a next hop node of the relay device, i.e., the relay device may forward the information it forwarded to the second device.

[0127] Exemplarily, the first device and the second device may also be relay devices, in which case the communication system may include three relay devices; alternatively, the first device and / or the second device may not be relay devices; for example, the first device may be an access network device; further, the second device may be a terminal device. Alternatively, the first device may be a terminal device, and further, the second device may be an access network device.

[0128] See also Figure 7, is a communication system application architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 In the communication system shown, the interaction between the terminal device and the access network device can be achieved through the ISL based on the satellite. In this case, the communication system may include two relay devices (i.e., relay device #1 and relay device #3); for example, information from the terminal device can be forwarded to the access network device through relay device #3 and relay device #1 in sequence, and then the access network device can access the network; information from the access network device (or from the network) can be forwarded to the terminal device through relay device #1 and relay device #3 in sequence.

[0129] Specifically, if the relay device is relay device #1, the first device may be an access network device, and the corresponding second device may be relay device #3; or the first device may be relay device #3, and the corresponding second device may be an access network device. If the relay device is relay device #3, the first device may be relay device #1, and the corresponding second device may be a terminal device; or the first device may be a terminal device, and the corresponding second device may be relay device #1.

[0130] Alternatively, the interaction between the terminal device and the access network can be achieved through a satellite-to-ground link based on a satellite. In this case, the communication system may include three relay devices (i.e., relay device #1, relay device #2, and relay device #3); for example, information from the terminal device can be forwarded to the access network device through relay device #3 and relay device #1 in sequence, and then the access network device can access the network; information from the access network device (or from the network) can be forwarded to the terminal device through relay device #1 and relay device #3 in sequence.

[0131] Specifically, if the relay device is relay device #1, the first device may be an access network device, and the corresponding second device may be relay device #2; or, the first device may be relay device #2, and the corresponding second device may be an access network device. If the relay device is relay device #2, the first device may be relay device #1, and the corresponding second device may be relay device #3; or, the first device may be relay device #3, and the corresponding second device may be relay device #1. If the relay device is relay device #3, the first device may be relay device #2, and the corresponding second device may be a terminal device; or, the first device may be a terminal device, and the corresponding second device may be relay device #2.

[0132] Alternatively, the interaction between the terminal device and the access network device can be implemented based on the satellite through the ISL and the satellite-to-ground link, that is, part of the information from the terminal device or the access network device can be implemented based on the satellite through the ISL, and the other part of the information can be implemented based on the satellite through the satellite-to-ground link. For details, please refer to the above Figure 7 The description of ISL and satellite-to-ground link will not be repeated here.

[0133] It is understandable that the above Figure 7 This is only an example of a scenario that the embodiment of the present application is applicable to. The embodiment of the present application can also be applied to Figure 7 In other scenarios, for example, the communication scenario includes a relay device. In this case, the first device may be an access network device, and the corresponding second device may be a terminal device; or the first device may be a terminal device, and the corresponding second device may be an access network device. Alternatively, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0134] Optionally, the access network device in the embodiment of the present application is a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device can be a node in a wireless access network, which can also be called a base station, or a radio access network (RAN) node (or device).

[0135] For example, the access network device may include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B) in an LTE system or an LTE-A system, such as a traditional macro base station eNB and a micro base station eNB in a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, it may include a next generation node B (gNB) of wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA). Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a base band pool (BBU pool), a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communication (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA) network, or a WiFi access point (AP), etc. Alternatively, it may include a base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), that is, it may be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. In the NTN, the access network device may serve as a layer 1 (L1) relay, or as a base station, or as a distributed unit (DU), or as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, it may be a gateway station or a ground station. Alternatively, the access network device may be a device that implements the base station function in the IoT, such as a device that implements the base station function in V2X, D2D, or machine to machine (M2M), or it may include an in-vehicle device or a wearable device, or it may include an access network device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) that has evolved after 5G, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0136] In some possible scenarios, the access network device in the embodiments of the present application may also be a module or unit that can implement some of the functions of the base station. For example, the access network device may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0137] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU can also be called open (open, O)-CU, DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0138] Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0139] Optionally, the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a user-side device for implementing wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal. The terminal may be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal unit, a terminal station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a terminal agent, or a terminal device in a 5G network or a PLMN evolved after 5G. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, 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, a wireless data card, a tablet computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, etc. Alternatively, the terminal may be a terminal with communication functionality in IoT, such as a terminal in V2X (e.g., a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) device), a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0140] Optionally, access network devices and terminal devices, access network devices and access network devices, or terminal devices and terminal devices can communicate through authorized spectrum, or can communicate through unauthorized spectrum, or can communicate through both authorized spectrum and unauthorized spectrum.

[0141] Optionally, access network devices and terminal devices, access network devices and access network devices, or terminal devices and terminal devices may communicate using a spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or may communicate using a spectrum above 6 GHz, or may communicate using both a spectrum below 6 GHz and a spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communications.

[0142] The information forwarding method provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the relay device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiment of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps can be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiment of the present application need to be performed.

[0143] See also Figure 8 , is an information forwarding method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The information forwarding method may include the following steps S801 to S806:

[0144] S801: A relay device obtains first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a first index set, wherein the indexes included in the first index set are indexes of time units, the first index set includes a first index subset and a second index subset, the time units corresponding to the first index subset are used to forward the first information, and the time units corresponding to the second index subset are used to forward the second information.

[0145] Exemplarily, the time unit can be understood as the minimum time unit for scheduling the first device. Exemplarily, the time unit can be a minislot, a slot, a subframe, a symbol, a transmission time interval (TTI), etc.

[0146] Optionally, the first indication information may include a starting index in the first index set and the number of indexes included in the first index set. Alternatively, the first indication information may include a starting index and an ending index in the first index set. Alternatively, the first indication information may indicate the first index set in any other possible implementation manner other than the above, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0147] For example, if the first indication information includes the starting index and the number of indexes in the first index set, and the first indication information includes index #0 and the number of indexes 8, the first index set includes index #0 to index #7. For example, if the first indication information includes the starting index and the ending index in the first index set, and the first indication information includes index #0 and index #7, the first index set includes index #0 to index #7.

[0148] Exemplarily, forwarding refers to receiving, processing, and sending; that is, the time unit corresponding to the first index subset is used to forward the first information, which means: the first information is received at the time unit corresponding to the first index subset; and is sent at the time unit corresponding to the first index subset; similarly, the time unit corresponding to the second index subset is used to forward the second information, which means: the second information is received at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset; and is sent at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset.

[0149] The time unit for receiving the first information is different from the time unit for sending the first information in a time domain position, or in other words, the time unit for receiving the first information is different from the time unit for sending the first information in an absolute time domain position. Similarly, the time unit for receiving the second information is different from the time unit for sending the second information in a time domain position (or absolute time domain position).

[0150] Similarly, the implementation of the time unit for receiving the second information and the time unit for sending the second information are similar to the implementation of the above-mentioned time unit for receiving the first information and the time unit for sending the first information. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the above-mentioned time unit for receiving the first information and the time unit for sending the first information, which will not be repeated here.

[0151] Optionally, the first index subset and / or the second index subset may be indicated by the access network device. Alternatively, the first index subset and / or the second index subset may be predefined. Exemplarily, the first index subset and / or the second index subset may be default. For example, the minimum index in the first index subset may be the minimum index in the first index set, the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K, and the maximum index in the second index subset may be the maximum index in the first index set.

[0152] Illustratively, the indexes included in the first index subset may be continuous indexes; similarly, the indexes included in the second index subset may also be continuous indexes.

[0153] It can be understood that, unless otherwise specified, the first index subset and the second index subset in the embodiment of the present application satisfy: the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K. This is explained here uniformly and will not be repeated.

[0154] S802: The relay device obtains second indication information, where the second indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet a first timing constraint, where the first timing constraint is that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information is K.

[0155] For example, the value of K may be configured by the access network device; or may be a default value, such as agreed upon by a protocol. The implementation of the value of K may refer to the relevant description in the above-mentioned K-related technology, and will not be repeated here.

[0156] S803: The first device sends first information to the relay apparatus at a time unit corresponding to the first index subset. Correspondingly, the relay apparatus receives the first information from the first device at a time unit corresponding to the first index subset.

[0157] S804. When the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, the relay device sends the first information to the second device at the time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the first index subset, and accordingly, the second device receives the first information from the relay device at the time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the first index subset.

[0158] It is understood that the relay device forwarding the first information includes: the relay device receiving the first information from the first device in the time unit corresponding to the first index subset, and the relay device sending the first information to the second device in the time unit corresponding to some or all indexes in the first index subset. Furthermore, the relay device forwarding the first information may also include: the relay device processing the first information.

[0159] Optionally, the relay device may process the first information based on the forwarding method of the first information, or the relay device may also process the first information using any other possible processing method, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0160] Exemplarily, the forwarding method of the first information may be transparent forwarding. When the relay device processes the first information based on the forwarding method of the first information, the relay device may not process the first information and directly send it to the second device. Alternatively, the forwarding method of the first information may be regenerative forwarding. When the relay device processes the first information based on the forwarding method of the first information, the relay device may process the first information by decoding and re-encoding the first information. Exemplarily, different processing methods correspond to different processing delays.

[0161] Exemplarily, the forwarding mode of the first information may be indicated by the first indication information, or may be indicated by other information other than the first indication information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0162] S805: The first device sends the second information to the relay apparatus at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. Correspondingly, the relay apparatus receives the second information from the first device at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset.

[0163] S806. The relay apparatus sends second information to the second device in time units corresponding to some or all indexes in the second index subset. Correspondingly, the second device receives the second information from the relay apparatus in time units corresponding to some or all indexes in the second index subset.

[0164] It is understood that the relay device forwarding the second information includes: the relay device receiving the second information from the first device at a time unit corresponding to the second index subset, and the relay device sending the second information to the second device at a time unit corresponding to some or all indexes in the second index subset. Furthermore, the relay device forwarding the second information may also include: the relay device processing the second information.

[0165] Optionally, the relay device may process the second information based on the forwarding method of the second information, or the relay device may also process the second information using any other possible processing method, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0166] Exemplarily, the implementation of the forwarding method of the second information is similar to the implementation of the forwarding method of the first information mentioned above. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the forwarding method of the first information mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0167] Optionally, the relay device may determine the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information based on the following two methods:

[0168] In one possible implementation, the relay device may determine all indexes in the first index subset as the index subset corresponding to the time units used to transmit the first information. Therefore, the relay device may transmit the first information during the time units corresponding to all indexes in the first index subset. That is, the indexes of the time units occupied by the first information remain unchanged before and after forwarding. In other words, the size of the time units occupied before and after processing the first information remains unchanged.

[0169] Optionally, in this possible implementation, the relay device determines the Kth time unit after the time unit corresponding to the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information (i.e., the first index subset) as the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information.

[0170] Exemplarily, because the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, the relay device may consider delaying the time of sending the second information so that the processing delay of the first information is equal to the sum of the processing delay of the second information and the delay time, and the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information can be equal to K. That is, the minimum index in the second index subset is the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information.

[0171] like Figure 9 As shown, taking the example of a first index subset including indexes #0 to #4 and a second index subset including indexes #(4+K) to #(8+K), the relay device can receive the first information in the time units corresponding to indexes #0 to #4 and receive the second information in the time units corresponding to indexes #(4+K) to #(8+K). Since the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information is less than K. Therefore, after the second information is processed, it is possible to consider not sending the second information immediately, that is, to delay sending the second information, for example, to send the second information in the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. This ensures that the difference between the maximum index (i.e., index #4) in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information (i.e., the first index subset) and the minimum index (i.e., index #(4+K)) in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information (i.e., the second index subset) is still K, thereby satisfying the first timing constraint.

[0172] In another possible implementation, the relay device may determine some of the indexes in the first index subset as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information. In this embodiment of the present application, the partial indexes in the first index subset refer to the second half of the indexes in the first index subset, i.e., the maximum index of the partial indexes in the first index subset is the maximum index in the first index subset. In other words, the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding.

[0173] Exemplarily, some of the indexes in the first index subset may be continuous indexes. Exemplarily, the relay device may increase or decrease the transmission code rate based on the channel state information, thereby determining some of the indexes in the first index subset.

[0174] Exemplarily, the relay device may change the length of the time unit occupied by the first information. For example, the number of time units used to send the first information may be reduced (i.e., the transmission duration of the first information may be reduced) so that the number of time units occupied by the processed first information is less than the number of time units occupied by the first information before processing. This offsets the difference between the processing delay of the first information and the processing delay of the second information; and ensures that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information is equal to K.

[0175] like Figure 10As shown, taking the example that the first index subset includes index #0 to index #4 and the second index subset includes index #(4+K) to index #(8+K), the relay device can receive the first information in the time unit corresponding to index #0 to index #4, and receive the second information in the time unit corresponding to index #(4+K) to index #(8+K). Since the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information is less than K; therefore, it can be considered to reduce the number of time units used to send the first information, for example, sending the first information in the time unit corresponding to the second half of the indices in the first index subset (that is, some of the indices in the first index subset). Since the maximum index of the partial indexes in the first index subset is the maximum index in the first index subset, the maximum index in the partial indexes in the first index subset is index #4. For example, the partial indexes in the first index subset may include index #2 to index #4; so that the difference between the maximum index (i.e., index #4) in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information (i.e., index #2 to index #4) and the minimum index (i.e., index #(4+K)) in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information (i.e., the second index subset) is still K, thereby satisfying the first timing constraint. In combination with the above two possible implementation methods, optionally, the relay device may determine some or all of the indexes in the second index subset as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information. Exemplarily, the minimum index in the partial indexes in the second index subset is the minimum index in the second index subset.

[0176] Exemplarily, some of the indexes in the second index subset are continuous indexes.For example, the relay device may determine some of the indexes in the second index subset based on the channel state information.

[0177] An embodiment of the present application provides an information forwarding method, in which a relay device can determine a time unit for sending the first information and a time unit for sending the second information based on first indication information and second indication information, and send the first information and the second information on the time unit. The first indication information indicates a first index set, the index in the first index set is the index of the time unit, there is a first index subset and a second index subset in the first index set, the time unit corresponding to the first index subset is used to forward the first information, and the time unit corresponding to the second index subset is used to forward the second information; therefore, the relay device can receive the first information on the time unit corresponding to the first index subset based on the indication of the first indication information, and receive the second information on the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. It can be understood that the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset is K by default, and K is a positive integer.

[0178] The second indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, and the first timing constraint is that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information is K.

[0179] During the information forwarding process, the relay device still needs to process the forwarded information, and the processing methods of the first information and the second information may be different. If the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information will be less than K, so that the next hop node (such as the second device) of the relay device cannot receive the second information in the Kth time unit after the last time unit occupied by the first information after receiving the first information.

[0180] Therefore, the relay device may consider not sending the second information immediately after processing the second information, that is, delaying the sending of the second information, such as sending the second information in the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, so that the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information (i.e., the first index subset) and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information (i.e., the second index subset) remains K, thereby satisfying the first timing constraint. Alternatively, consider changing the length of the time unit occupied by the first information. For example, reducing the number of time units used to send the first information (i.e., reducing the transmission duration of the first information), such as determining some indexes in the first index subset (i.e., the second half of the indexes in the first index subset, i.e., the maximum index in the partial indexes in the first index subset is the maximum index in the first index subset) as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information, thereby offsetting the difference between the processing delay of the first information and the processing delay of the second information, thereby increasing the difference between the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information, so that it can be K, i.e., satisfying the first timing constraint.

[0181] Therefore, after receiving the first information, the next hop node of the relay device can still ensure that the index number difference between the last time unit occupied by the first information and the first time unit received by the second information is K. Furthermore, the first information and the second information can be successfully forwarded to the destination.

[0182] The above is an overall description of the information forwarding method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The following introduces steps S801 to S806 respectively.

[0183] For step S801:

[0184] Optionally, the relay device obtains the first indication information, including: the relay device receives the first indication information.

[0185] Exemplarily, when the information forwarded by the relay device (i.e., the first information and the second information) is downlink information, the information forwarded by the relay device is sent by the access network device to the terminal device. Since the first device is the previous hop node of the relay device, that is, the information forwarded by the relay device comes from the first device; in addition, the first indication information is control signaling, therefore, the first indication information is also sent by the access network device to the relay device. Therefore, it can also be considered that the first indication information received by the relay device comes from the first device, that is, the above step S801 can be replaced by: the first device sends the first indication information to the relay device, and accordingly, the relay device receives the first indication information from the first device. For example, the first device can be an access network device, or another relay device other than the above relay device.

[0186] In the case where the information forwarded by the relay device is uplink information, the information forwarded by the relay device is sent by the terminal device to the access network device. Since the second device is the next hop node of the relay device, the relay device can forward the information it forwards to the second device; in addition, the first indication information is control signaling, so the first indication information is sent from the access network device to the relay device. Therefore, it can also be considered that the first indication information received by the relay device comes from the second device, that is, the above step S801 can be replaced by: the second device sends the first indication information to the relay device, and accordingly, the relay device receives the first indication information from the second device. For example, the second device can be an access network device, or another relay device other than the above relay device.

[0187] Optionally, the forwarding direction of the information forwarded by the relay device, that is, whether the information forwarded by the relay device is downlink information or uplink information, may be indicated by the access network device to the relay device.

[0188] Exemplarily, the forwarding direction of the information forwarded by the relay device can be carried in the first indication information, that is, the first indication information also indicates the forwarding direction of the information forwarded by the relay device; or, the forwarding direction of the information forwarded by the relay device can also be indicated by other information other than the first indication information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0189] Optionally, taking the forwarding direction of the information forwarded by the relay device as carried in the first indication information as an example, the first indication information may include a first field, and the first field is used to indicate the forwarding direction of the information forwarded by the relay device.

[0190] Exemplarily, the first field may be represented by 1 bit. When the bit is 1, it may indicate that the information forwarded by the relay device is downlink information, and correspondingly, when the bit is 0, it may indicate that the information forwarded by the relay device is uplink information; or, when the bit is 0, it may indicate that the information forwarded by the relay device is downlink information, and correspondingly, when the bit is 1, it may indicate that the information forwarded by the relay device is uplink information.

[0191] Optionally, the first information may include forwarding signaling and / or data information. Similarly, the second information may also include forwarding signaling and / or data information. Exemplarily, when the first information includes forwarding signaling, the second information may include forwarding signaling and / or data information. When the first information includes data information, the second information may include data information.

[0192] Optionally, when the first information includes forwarding signaling, the forwarding signaling may indicate an index subset corresponding to a time unit used to forward the second information. Exemplarily, the forwarding signaling may include an index subset corresponding to a time unit used to forward the second information.

[0193] Optionally, the first indication information may also indicate one or more of the frequency domain resources used to forward the first information and the second information, the destination address of the first indication information, the forwarding path of the first information and / or the second information, and the forwarding frequency of the first information and / or the second information.

[0194] For the convenience of description, the following embodiments are introduced by taking the information forwarded by the relay device as downlink information as an example. The implementation of the information forwarded by the relay device as uplink information is similar to the implementation of the information forwarded by the relay device as downlink information described below. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the following embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0195] Exemplarily, the first indication information can be carried in any one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling (for example, RRC setup message, RRC reconfiguration signaling, RRC recovery signaling, etc.), media access control layer control element (MAC-CE) signaling, downlink control information (DCI), system information block (SIB) 1, SIB19, other system information (OSI), main system information block (MIB), and physical broadcast channel message.

[0196] Optionally, the access network device may send the first indication information to the relay device in a broadcast or multicast manner.

[0197] Based on this optional solution, the access network device sends the first indication information to the relay device by broadcasting or multicasting, which can avoid scheduling different resources for different terminal devices in order to send the first indication information, save the signaling overhead of scheduling resources and reduce the system scheduling complexity.

[0198] For step S802:

[0199] Optionally, the relay device obtains the second indication information, including: the relay device receives the second indication information.

[0200] Exemplarily, the implementation of the relay device receiving the second indication information is similar to the implementation of the relay device receiving the first indication information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the relay device receiving the first indication information, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] Optionally, the second indication information and the first indication information may be carried in different signalings, or the second indication information and the first indication information may be carried in the same signaling.

[0202] Exemplarily, the second indication information may also be referred to as timing constraint indication (TSI) signaling, or the second indication information may also have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0203] Optionally, the second indication information may be carried in any one of RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, DCI, group DCI, SIB1, SIB19, OSI, and MIB messages. Exemplarily, the access network device may send the second indication information to the relay device in a broadcast or multicast manner.

[0204] Exemplarily, the second indication information and the first indication information may be the same indication information, i.e., the first indication information may further indicate whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint. For example, the first indication information includes a second field, and the second field indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint. In this case, step S801 and step S802 may be combined into one step.

[0205] Exemplarily, the second indication information can be represented by 1 bit. When the 1 bit is 1, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, and accordingly, when the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information do not need to meet the first timing constraint; or, when the 1 bit is 0, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, and accordingly, when the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information do not need to meet the first timing constraint.

[0206] It can be understood that the above is introduced by taking the second indication information as an example to indicate, through the different contents contained therein, whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint. Whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint can also be indicated by whether there is a second indication information. At this time, the second indication information is used to indicate whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need / do not satisfy the first timing constraint.

[0207] Exemplarily, when there is second indication information, that is, when the relay device is able to obtain the second indication information, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint; when there is no second indication information, that is, when the relay device is able to obtain the second indication information, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to satisfy the first timing constraint.

[0208] Alternatively, when there is second indication information, that is, when the relay device is able to obtain the second indication information, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to satisfy the first timing constraint; when there is no second indication information, that is, when the relay device is able to obtain the second indication information, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint.

[0209] For the convenience of description, the embodiment of the present application is introduced by taking the second indication information as an example to indicate, through the different contents contained therein, whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to satisfy the first timing constraint. The explanation is unified here and will not be repeated.

[0210] For steps S803 to S806:

[0211] Optionally, the relay device may determine, based on third indication information, whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is all indexes of the first index subset or part of the indexes of the first index subset. The third indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information.

[0212] Since the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the first index subset, when the third indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, it means that the first information is sent on the time unit corresponding to the first index subset, that is, the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is all the indexes of the first index subset. When the third indication information indicates that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, it means that the index subsets of the time unit for sending the first information and the time unit for receiving the first information can be different, and only the maximum indexes need to be the same. For example, the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information can be a partial index of the first index subset.

[0213] Exemplarily, the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information. This can also be understood as: the index corresponding to the time unit occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding. Taking the time unit as a time slot or symbol as an example, the index corresponding to the time slot or symbol occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding.

[0214] The maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information. This can also be understood as follows: the index corresponding to the end time unit of the time unit occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding. For example, taking a time slot or symbol as an example, the index corresponding to the end time slot or symbol of the time slot or symbol occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding.

[0215] Exemplarily, before step S804, the information forwarding method may further include step S807: the relay device obtains third indication information.

[0216] Optionally, the relay device obtains the third indication information, including: the relay device receives the third indication information.

[0217] Exemplarily, the implementation of the third indication information is similar to the implementation of the second indication information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the second indication information, which will not be repeated here.

[0218] Exemplarily, the third indication information can be represented by 1 bit. When the 1 bit is 1, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, and accordingly, when the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information; or, when the 1 bit is 0, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, and accordingly, when the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information.

[0219] It can be understood that the above-mentioned third indication information is used as an example to indicate, through the different contents contained therein, whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, or the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information. In fact, whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, or the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information can also be indicated by whether there is a third indication information. At this time, the third indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, or the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information.

[0220] Exemplarily, when there is third indication information, that is, when the relay device is able to obtain the third indication information, it can indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information. Correspondingly, when there is no third indication information, that is, when the relay device cannot obtain the third indication information, it indicates that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information.

[0221] Alternatively, if the third indication information exists, that is, the relay device is able to obtain the third indication information, this may indicate that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information. Correspondingly, if the third indication information does not exist, that is, the relay device cannot obtain the third indication information, this indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information.

[0222] For the convenience of description, the following embodiments are introduced by taking the third indication information indicating, through the different contents contained therein, that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information as an example. This is explained uniformly here and will not be repeated.

[0223] Optionally, the third indication information may indicate whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information. This may be determined by the access network device based on the first capability information. That is, the access network device may determine the third indication information based on the first capability information. The first capability information is notified by the relay device to the access network device.

[0224] Optionally, the first capability information indicates whether the relay device supports the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information being exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, and / or the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information being the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information.

[0225] Exemplarily, when the first capability information indicates that the relay device supports a situation where the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, the third indication information may indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, that is, the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is all indexes in the first index subset.

[0226] When the first capability information indicates that the relay device supports a maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information that is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, the third indication information may indicate that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information. At this time, the index subsets of the time unit used to send the first information and the time unit used to receive the first information can be different, as long as the maximum index is the same. For example, the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information can be a partial index of the first index subset.

[0227] The first capability information indicates whether the relay device supports the case where the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, and the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information. The third indication information may indicate that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, or the third indication information may indicate that the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information.

[0228] Exemplarily, as can be seen from the above, taking the time unit as a time slot or symbol as an example, the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, which can also be understood as: the index corresponding to the time slot or symbol occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding. The maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, which can also be understood as: the index corresponding to the time slot or symbol at the end of the time slot or symbol occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding. Therefore, the first capability information can indicate whether the relay device supports the index corresponding to the time slot or symbol occupied by the first information to remain unchanged before and after forwarding, or whether the index corresponding to the time slot or symbol at the end of the time slot or symbol occupied by the first information remains unchanged before and after forwarding.

[0229] Exemplarily, before step S807, the information forwarding method may further include step S808: the relay device sends the first capability information.

[0230] Exemplarily, when the information forwarded by the relay device is downlink information, the relay device may send the first capability information to the first device. When the information forwarded by the relay device is uplink information, the relay device may send the first capability information to the second device.

[0231] Based on this optional solution, different relay devices can send their corresponding first capability information to the access network device. The access network device can then configure corresponding forwarding parameters (such as indicating third indication information) for different relay devices based on this first capability information, thereby achieving flexible control over different relay devices. In addition, the access network device can configure parameters that can optimize the system for different relay devices to achieve optimized system communication performance.

[0232] The above is an implementation of the relay device sending the first information and the second information when the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to meet the first timing constraint. The following is a detailed introduction to "the implementation of the relay device sending the first information and the second information when the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to meet the first timing constraint."

[0233] Optionally, the second indication information indicates that when the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information do not need to satisfy the first timing constraint, if the first information indicates the time unit used to forward the second information, the relay device can determine the time unit corresponding to the third index subset as the time unit used to send the first information.

[0234] Exemplarily, the first information may indicate an index subset corresponding to a time unit for forwarding the second information, for example, the first information may include an index subset corresponding to a time unit for forwarding the second information, that is, the first information may include the second index subset.

[0235] That is to say, the relay device does not need to determine the time unit for forwarding the second information based on the time unit occupied by the forwarding signaling (that is, based on the constraint that the difference between the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the forwarding signaling and the index of the first time unit used to send the second information is K, determine the time unit for sending the second information), but based on the indication of the first information,

[0236] The index subset corresponding to the time unit used to forward the second information (ie, the second index subset) can be obtained.

[0237] At this time, there is no need to pay attention to the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset. For example, the difference between the maximum index in the first index subset and the minimum index in the second index subset can be greater than K, or less than K, or equal to K.

[0238] Exemplarily, the relay device may increase or decrease the transmission code rate according to the channel state information, thereby determining the third index subset; and / or, the relay device may determine the third index subset according to the processing method of the first information.

[0239] Exemplarily, because there is a processing delay for the first information, and the processing delay for the first information is greater than the processing delay for the second information, the time unit corresponding to the maximum index in the third index subset is located after the time unit corresponding to the maximum index in the first index subset. Exemplarily, the indexes included in the third index subset can be consecutive indexes.

[0240] For example, Figure 11 As shown, the information forwarding method may further include the following step S809:

[0241] S809. The second indication information indicates that, when the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information do not need to satisfy the first timing constraint, the first information is to be sent to the second device in the time unit corresponding to the third index subset. Accordingly, the second device receives the first information from the relay apparatus in the time unit corresponding to the third index subset.

[0242] The difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is less than or equal to X, where X is a positive integer.

[0243] For example, the time unit for forwarding the first information and the time unit for forwarding the second information can be as follows: Figure 12 As shown. Taking the value of X as 2, and the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset equal to X as an example, if the first index subset includes index #0 to index #4, and the second index subset includes index #8 to index #10, the third index subset may include index #2 to index #6.

[0244] Optionally, the value of X is determined based on the first difference, for example, X is greater than or equal to the first difference, wherein the first difference is the difference between the processing delay of the forwarding method of the first information and the processing delay of the forwarding method of the second information.

[0245] Based on this optional solution, since the first information explicitly indicates the second index subset, the next-hop node (e.g., the second device) of the relay device can obtain the second index subset corresponding to the time unit for forwarding the second information, regardless of which time unit before the time unit corresponding to the second index subset indicated by the first information it receives the first information, and can thus receive the second information in the time unit corresponding to the second index subset. Therefore, if the processing delay of the first information is greater than the processing delay of the second information, resulting in the relay device being unable to send the first information in the time unit corresponding to the first index subset, it can be considered to re-determine the time unit for sending the first information, such as determining the time unit corresponding to the third index subset as the time unit for sending the first information, where the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is equal to X, and X is greater than or equal to the difference between the processing delay of the forwarding method of the first information and the processing delay of the forwarding method of the second information, so that the time unit corresponding to the maximum index in the third index subset is located before the time unit corresponding to the minimum index in the second index subset. In other words, the maximum index in the third index subset is less than the minimum index in the second index subset. This allows the second device to receive the first information during the time unit corresponding to the third index subset and, based on the indication of the first information, receive the second information during the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, allowing the relay device to successfully forward the first and second information. Furthermore, the relay device can flexibly set the third index subset, as long as the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is less than or equal to X, making the relay device's hardware latency more flexible.

[0246] Optionally, the value of X may be indicated by the access network device, or may be predefined by a protocol.

[0247] Optionally, when the value of X is indicated by the access network device, the access network device may indicate the value of X through fourth indication information.

[0248] Illustratively, before step S809, the information forwarding method may further include step S810: the relay device obtains fourth indication information.

[0249] Optionally, the relay device obtains the fourth indication information, including: the relay device receives the fourth indication information.

[0250] Exemplarily, the implementation of the fourth indication information is similar to the implementation of the second indication information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the second indication information, which will not be repeated here.

[0251] Optionally, the first difference may be determined by the access network device according to second capability information, wherein the second capability information is notified by the relay device to the access network device, and the second capability information indicates a value for determining X.

[0252] Exemplarily, before step S810, the information forwarding method may further include step S811: the relay device sends the second capability information.

[0253] Exemplarily, when the information forwarded by the relay device is downlink information, the relay device may send the second capability information to the first device. When the information forwarded by the relay device is uplink information, the relay device may send the second capability information to the second device.

[0254] As an example, the second capability information indicates a first difference, and the first difference is used to determine the value of X.

[0255] Exemplarily, the second capability information may include the first difference, so that the access network device determines the value of X based on the first difference; or the second capability information may indicate a parameter used to determine the first difference, so that the access network device determines the first difference based on the parameter used to determine the first difference, and further determines the value of X based on the first difference. Exemplarily, the parameter used to determine the first difference may include: indicating a processing delay for regeneration forwarding and / or a processing delay for transparent forwarding, wherein the processing delay for regeneration forwarding and / or the processing delay for transparent forwarding are used to determine the first difference.

[0256] That is, the second indication information indicates the first difference, including: the second capability information is used to indicate the processing delay of regeneration forwarding and / or the processing delay of transparent forwarding. The processing delay of regeneration forwarding and / or the processing delay of transparent forwarding are used to determine the first difference.

[0257] Exemplarily, when the forwarding method of the first information and the second information is transparent forwarding, the parameters used to determine the first difference may include: the processing delay of transparent forwarding; when the forwarding method of the first information and the second information is regeneration forwarding, the parameters used to determine the first difference may include: the processing delay of regeneration forwarding; when the forwarding methods of the first information and the second information are different, the parameters used to determine the first difference may include: the processing delay of transparent forwarding and the processing delay of regeneration forwarding.

[0258] Optionally, in this example, the processing delay of regenerative forwarding may include a maximum processing delay of regenerative forwarding; similarly, the processing delay of transparent forwarding may include a maximum processing delay of transparent forwarding.

[0259] As a second example, the second capability information indicates one or more values of X supported by the relay device, or the minimum value of X supported by the relay device.

[0260] Exemplarily, when the second capability information indicates the values of X supported by the relay device, the X indicated by the fourth indication information may be any one of one or more values of X supported by the relay device. When the second capability information indicates the minimum value of X supported by the relay device, the X indicated by the fourth indication information may be greater than or equal to the minimum value of X supported by the relay device.

[0261] Based on the two examples above, different relay devices can send their corresponding second capability information to the access network device. The access network device can then configure corresponding forwarding parameters (such as indicating the fourth indication information) for different relay devices based on this second capability information, thereby achieving flexible control over different relay devices. Furthermore, the access network device can configure different values of X for each relay device based on its processing capabilities (such as regenerative forwarding delay, transparent forwarding delay, etc.), thereby optimizing system parameters and system communication performance, thereby improving system communication efficiency.

[0262] In combination with steps S801 to S811 above, optionally, the forwarding method of the first information and the second information is configured by the access network device, or the forwarding method of the first information and the second information is predefined.

[0263] Optionally, the access network device configuration determines a forwarding mode for the first information and the second information based on the third capability information, wherein the third capability information is used to indicate a forwarding mode supported by the relay device.

[0264] Exemplarily, before step S804, the information forwarding method may further include step S812: the relay device sends third capability information.

[0265] Exemplarily, when the information forwarded by the relay device is downlink information, the relay device may send the third capability information to the first device. When the information forwarded by the relay device is uplink information, the relay device may send the third capability information to the second device.

[0266] Exemplarily, if the third capability information indicates that the forwarding method supported by the relay device is transparent forwarding, the forwarding method of the first information and the second information may be transparent forwarding; if the third capability information indicates that the forwarding method supported by the relay device is regenerative forwarding, the forwarding method of the first information and the second information may be regenerative forwarding; if the third capability information indicates that the forwarding method supported by the relay device is transparent forwarding and regenerative forwarding, the forwarding method of the first information and the second information may be transparent forwarding and / or regenerative forwarding.

[0267] Based on this optional solution, the relay device can send the third capability information to the access network device, so that the access network device can configure the forwarding method of the first information and the second information, thereby improving the efficiency of information forwarding.

[0268] In addition to the above-mentioned method, the embodiment of the present application also provides an information forwarding method, such as Figure 13 As shown, the information forwarding method may include the following steps S1301 to S1304:

[0269] S1301: The relay device obtains fifth indication information, wherein the fifth indication information indicates a second index set, the indexes included in the second index set are indexes of time units, and the time units corresponding to the second index set are used to receive third information.

[0270] Exemplarily, the fifth indication information may include the second index set. Alternatively, the protocol may predefine the difference between the index of the last time unit in the time units occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the second index set as Y. Y is a positive integer. Thus, the relay device can determine the second index set based on the time unit in which it receives the fifth indication information, thereby implicitly indicating the second index set in the fifth indication information.

[0271] For example, the value of Y can be the same as above Figure 8 The value of K in the signal forwarding method shown is the same. At this time, the difference between the index of the last time unit in the interval unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the second index set is K.

[0272] Optionally, the forwarding mode of the third information may include regeneration forwarding or transparent forwarding. Exemplarily, the forwarding mode of the third information is configured by the access network device, or the forwarding mode of the third information is predefined by a protocol.

[0273] For example, the third information forwarding method is the same as the above Figure 8 The implementation of the forwarding method of the first information and / or is similar, and the specific implementation can refer to the above Figure 8 The relevant description of the first information and / or forwarding method will not be repeated here.

[0274] Optionally, the access network device may determine a forwarding mode of the third information based on the third capability information, wherein the third capability information is used to indicate a forwarding mode supported by the relay device.

[0275] Exemplarily, the implementation of the third capability information may refer to the relevant description of step S812 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0276] Exemplarily, if the third capability information indicates that the forwarding mode supported by the relay device is transparent forwarding, then the forwarding mode of the third information may be transparent forwarding; if the third capability information indicates that the forwarding mode supported by the relay device is regeneration forwarding, then the forwarding mode of the third information may be regeneration forwarding; if the third capability information indicates that the forwarding mode supported by the relay device is transparent forwarding and regeneration forwarding, then the forwarding mode of the third information may be transparent forwarding or regeneration forwarding.

[0277] S1302: The relay device obtains sixth indication information. The sixth indication information indicates whether the index of the last time unit in the time units occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information need to meet a second timing constraint, where the second timing constraint is that the difference between the index of the last time unit in the time units occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information is K.

[0278] Exemplarily, the implementation of the sixth indication information is similar to the implementation of the second indication information in the above step S802. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the above step S802, which will not be repeated here.

[0279] When the sixth indication information indicates that the index of the last time unit in the time units occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information do not need to meet the second timing constraint, steps S1303 to S1304 may be performed:

[0280] S1303: The first device sends third information to the relay apparatus at the time unit corresponding to the second index set. Correspondingly, the relay apparatus receives the third information from the first device at the time unit corresponding to the second index set.

[0281] Exemplarily, the fifth indication information indicates that the implementation of the second index set is the same as the above Figure 8 The implementation of "the first information indicates the time unit for forwarding the second information" in the information forwarding method shown is similar. For details, please refer to the above description of the time unit for forwarding the second information indicated by the first information. The implementation of step S1303 is similar to the implementation of the above step S803. For details, please refer to the above description of the step S803, which will not be repeated here.

[0282] S1304: The relay apparatus sends third information to the second device at a time unit corresponding to a third index set, and the second device receives the third information from the relay apparatus at a time unit corresponding to the third index set, where the third index set is different from the second index set.

[0283] Exemplarily, the third index set may be determined by the relay device based on channel state information and resource scheduling status. For example, an appropriate modulation and coding scheme (MCS) may be selected based on the channel state information to transmit the third information. The third index set may be selected based on the resource scheduling status. For example, a subset of indices corresponding to time units available for transmitting the third information may be selected as the third index set, and / or a subset of indices corresponding to time units with better channel conditions may be selected as the third index set.

[0284] Optionally, the third index set may overlap with the second index set, and the third index set may include some or all of the indices in the second index set. Alternatively, the third index set may not overlap with the second index set.

[0285] For example, taking the example that there is no overlap between the third index set and the second index set, as Figure 14 As shown, if the second index set includes index #4 to index 6, the third index set may include index #9 to index 11.

[0286] Exemplarily, the indexes included in the second index set and / or the third index set may be continuous indexes.

[0287] In the information forwarding method provided by an embodiment of the present application, when the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information indicated by the sixth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information do not need to meet the second timing constraint, the relay device can flexibly select the time unit for sending the third information. For example, it can select a time unit with better channel conditions to send the third information, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0288] It should be noted that the regenerative forwarding method in the two aforementioned information forwarding methods can also be replaced by a digital forwarding method. That is, the forwarding method of the information forwarded by the relay device (such as the first information, the second information, and the third information) can include digital forwarding and / or transparent forwarding. Digital forwarding also requires decoding and re-encoding the forwarded information. Therefore, the processing delay of digital forwarding is greater than that of transparent forwarding.

[0289] It should be noted that the maximum index in the index subsets described in the above two information forwarding methods can be understood as: the index corresponding to the time unit (or the last time unit) at which the forwarding information ends in the time unit corresponding to the index subset of the forwarded information; for example, when sending and / or receiving the first information on the time unit corresponding to the first index subset, the maximum index in the first index subset is the index corresponding to the time unit (or the last time unit) at which the first information is sent and / or received. When sending and / or receiving the second information on the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, the maximum index in the second index subset is the index corresponding to the time unit (or the last time unit) at which the second information is sent and / or received.

[0290] Similarly, the minimum index in the index subsets described in the above two information forwarding methods can be understood as: the index corresponding to the starting time unit (or the first time unit) in the time unit corresponding to the index subset of the forwarded information; for example, when sending and / or receiving the first information at the time unit corresponding to the first index subset, the minimum index in the first index subset is the index corresponding to the starting time unit (or the first time unit) in the time unit for sending and / or receiving the first information. When sending and / or receiving the second information at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset, the minimum index in the second index subset is the index corresponding to the starting time unit (or the first time unit) in the time unit for sending and / or receiving the second information.

[0291] It is understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the relay device may also be implemented by components (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software) that can be used in the relay device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or the chip system may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0292] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0293] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0294] Figure 15 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1500. The communication device 1500 includes a processing module 1501 and a transceiver module 1502. The communication device 1500 can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned relay device.

[0295] In some embodiments, the communication device 1500 may further include a storage module ( Figure 15 ), for storing program instructions and data.

[0296] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1502, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement a transmitting and / or receiving function. The transceiver module 1502 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0297] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1502 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the above-mentioned relay device in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described in this document; the processing module 1501 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, etc.) performed by the above-mentioned relay device element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described in this document.

[0298] When the communication device 1500 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned relay device:

[0299] In some embodiments, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain first indication information, the first indication information indicates a first index set, the index included in the first index set is an index of a time unit, the first index set includes a first index subset and a second index subset, the time unit corresponding to the first index subset is used to forward the first information, and the time unit corresponding to the second index subset is used to forward the second information; the processing module 1501 is also used to obtain second indication information, the second indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet a first timing constraint, and the first timing constraint is the maximum index in the first index subset and the maximum index in the second index subset. The difference of the minimum index in the subset is K, where K is a positive integer; the transceiver module 1502 is used to receive the first information at the time unit corresponding to the first index subset; when the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send the first information at the time unit corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the first index subset; the transceiver module 1502 is also used to receive the second information at the time unit corresponding to the second index subset; the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send the second information at the time unit corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the second index subset.

[0300] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to receive a third indication information, where the third indication information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, and the first information is sent on the time unit corresponding to all the indexes in the first index subset; further, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send the first information on the time unit corresponding to all the indexes in the first index subset; or, the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send the first information on the time unit corresponding to some of the indexes in the first index subset.

[0301] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send the first capability information.

[0302] The first capability information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information.

[0303] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send the first information in a time unit corresponding to a third index subset, where the difference between the maximum index in the third index subset and the maximum index in the first index subset is less than or equal to X, where X is a positive integer.

[0304] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information indicates a value of X.

[0305] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send second capability information, where the second capability information indicates a value of X.

[0306] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send third capability information, where the third capability information is used to indicate a forwarding mode supported by the relay device.

[0307] In other embodiments, the processing module 1501 is used to obtain fifth indication information, where the fifth indication information indicates a second index set, where the indexes included in the second index set are indexes of time units, and the time units corresponding to the second index set are used to receive the third information; the processing module 1501 is also used to obtain sixth indication information, where the sixth indication information indicates whether the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information need to satisfy the second timing constraint, and the second timing constraint is that the difference between the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information is K; when the sixth indication information indicates that the index of the last time unit in the time unit occupied by the fifth indication information and the minimum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the third information do not need to satisfy the second timing constraint: the transceiver module 1502 is used to receive the third information on the time unit corresponding to the second index set; the transceiver module 1502 is also used to send the third information on the time unit corresponding to the third index set, and the third index set is different from the second index set.

[0308] Optionally, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send third capability information, where the third capability information is used to indicate a forwarding mode supported by the relay device.

[0309] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0310] In the present application, the communication device 1500 may be presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0311] In some embodiments, when Figure 15 When the communication device 1500 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1502 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

[0312] Since the communication device 1500 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0313] As a possible product form, the relay device described in the embodiment of the present application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits that can perform the various functions described throughout this application.

[0314] As another possible product form, the relay device described in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. Figure 16 , Figure 16 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the communication device 1600 includes a processor 1601. The communication device 1600 may be a relay device, or a chip or chip system therein. Figure 16 Only the main components of the communication device 1600 are shown.

[0315] It is understood that the communication device 1600 includes necessary means such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to perform the signal forwarding method described in this embodiment. The communication device 1600 may be the above-mentioned Figures 2 to 4The RAN node, terminal device, core network device, or other network device in any of the above items may also be a component (e.g., a chip) in these devices, used to implement the signal forwarding method described in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1600 includes one or more processors 1601. The processor 1601 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (e.g., RAN node, terminal, or chip), execute software programs, and process software program data.

[0316] Optionally, in one possible design, the processor 1601 may include a program 1603 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), and the program 1603 may be run on the processor 1601 so that the communication device 1600 performs the signal forwarding method described in the above embodiment.

[0317] In yet another possible design, communication device 1600 includes circuitry ( Figure 16 (not shown), the circuit is used to implement the function of the relay device in the above embodiment.

[0318] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may include one or more memories 1602, on which a program 1604 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions) is stored. The program 1604 can be run on the memory 1602, so that the communication device 1600 executes the signal forwarding method described in the above embodiment.

[0319] Optionally, the processor 1601 and / or the memory 1602 may include an AI module 1607 and / or 1608, which is configured to implement AI-related functions. The AI module may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI module may include a RAN intelligence controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0320] Optionally, data may be stored in the processor 1601 and / or the memory 1602. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0321] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a transceiver 1605 and / or an antenna 1606. The processor 1601 may also be sometimes referred to as a processing unit, and controls the communication device (e.g., a RAN node or terminal). The transceiver 1605 may also be sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, and is configured to implement the transceiver functions of the communication device through the antenna 1606.

[0322] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may imagine that the communication device 1500 may be implemented as Figure 16 The form of the communication device 1600 is shown.

[0323] As an example, Figure 15 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 can be achieved by Figure 16 The processor 1601 in the communication device 1600 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1602 to implement. Figure 15 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1502 can be achieved by Figure 16 The transceiver 1605 in the communication device 1600 is shown as being implemented.

[0324] As another possible product form, the relay device in this application can be used Figure 17 The structure shown, or including Figure 17 Parts shown. Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1700 provided in the present application. The communication device 1700 can be a terminal device or a chip or system on chip in a terminal device; or, it can be a module or chip or system on chip in a relay device.

[0325] like Figure 17 As shown, the communication device 1700 includes at least one processor 1701 and at least one communication interface ( Figure 17 The description is merely illustrative, taking a communication interface 1704 and a processor 1701 as an example. Optionally, the communication device 1700 may further include a communication bus 1702 and a memory 1703.

[0326] Processor 1701 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. Processor 1701 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0327] The communication bus 1702 is used to connect the different components in the communication device 1700 so that the different components can communicate. The communication bus 1702 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 17 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0328] Communication interface 1704 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, communication interface 1704 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any other device capable of communication. Optionally, communication interface 1704 can also be an input / output interface within processor 1701, used to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0329] The memory 1703 may be a device with a storage function, used to store instructions and / or data, wherein the instructions may be computer programs.

[0330] Exemplarily, the memory 1703 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0331] It should be noted that the memory 1703 can exist independently of the processor 1701 or can be integrated with the processor 1701. The memory 1703 can be located within the communication device 1700 or outside the communication device 1700, without limitation. The processor 1701 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1703 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0332] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 may further include an output device 1705 and an input device 1706. The output device 1705 communicates with the processor 1701 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 1705 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1706 communicates with the processor 1701 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 1706 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0333] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may think of the above Figure 15 The communication device 1500 shown may be used Figure 17 The form of the communication device 1700 is shown.

[0334] As an example, Figure 15 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 can be achieved by Figure 17The processor 1701 in the communication device 1700 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1703 to implement. Figure 15 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1502 can be achieved by Figure 17 The communication interface 1704 in the communication device 1700 is shown to be implemented.

[0335] It should be noted that Figure 17 The illustrated structure does not constitute a specific limitation on the relay device. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the relay device may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0336] In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0337] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may invoke the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute any of the above-described method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be located in the communication device.

[0338] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0339] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, where the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0340] It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0341] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0342] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0343] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0344] It is understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application may also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0345] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the objectives of this embodiment as needed.

[0346] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0347] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may 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 instructions may 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 may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more 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 DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state drive (SSD)). In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0348] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0349] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An information forwarding method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtaining first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a first index set, where the indexes included in the first index set are indexes of time units, the first index set includes a first index subset and a second index subset, where the time units corresponding to the first index subset are used to forward the first information, and the time units corresponding to the second index subset are used to forward the second information; Obtain second indication information, where the second indication information indicates whether an index subset corresponding to a time unit for sending the first information and an index subset corresponding to a time unit for sending the second information need to satisfy a first timing constraint, where the first timing constraint is that a difference between a maximum index in the first index subset and a minimum index in the second index subset is K, where K is a positive integer; receiving the first information at a time unit corresponding to the first index subset; The second indication information indicates that, when the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information need to meet the first timing constraint, the first information is sent at the time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the first index subset; receiving the second information at a time unit corresponding to the second index subset; The second information is sent in time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the second index subset.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The maximum index within the partial index in the first subset of indexes is the maximum index in the first subset of indexes.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving third indication information, the third indication information indicating whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information; Sending the first information in time units corresponding to some or all of the indexes in the first index subset includes: The third indication information indicates that, when the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit for receiving the first information, the first information is sent at the time units corresponding to all indexes in the first index subset; The third indication information indicates that when the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, the first information is sent on the time unit corresponding to some indexes in the first index subset.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send first capability information, wherein the first capability information indicates whether the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is exactly the same as the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information, or whether the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to send the first information is the same as the maximum index in the index subset corresponding to the time unit used to receive the first information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein When the second indication information indicates that the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the first information and the index subset corresponding to the time unit for sending the second information do not need to satisfy the first timing constraint, the method further includes: The first information is sent in a time unit corresponding to a third index subset, and a difference between a maximum index in the third index subset and a maximum index in the first index subset is less than or equal to X, where X is a positive integer.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The third subset of indexes includes some or all of the indexes in the first subset of indexes.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that X is greater than or equal to a first difference, where the first difference is a difference between a processing delay of a forwarding method of the first information and a processing delay of a forwarding method of the second information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Fourth indication information is received, where the fourth indication information indicates a difference between a maximum index in an index subset corresponding to a time unit used to send the first information and a maximum index in an index subset corresponding to a time unit used to receive the first information.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send second capability information, where the second capability information indicates a value of X.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The second capability information indicates a value of X, including: The second capability information indicates a first difference, and the first difference is used to determine the value of X.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The second capability information indicates a value of X, including: The second capability information indicates the processing delay of regeneration forwarding and / or the processing delay of transparent forwarding, and the processing delay of regeneration forwarding and / or the processing delay of transparent forwarding are used to determine the first difference, and the first difference is used to determine the value of X.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send third capability information, where the third capability information is used to indicate a forwarding mode supported by the relay device.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to perform the receiving behavior or the sending behavior in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; The processing module is used to execute the processing behavior in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction so as to enable the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs. When the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is executed.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is executed.

17. A chip, characterized in that: include: a memory for storing computer program instructions; A processor, configured to execute the computer program instructions so that a communication device including the chip performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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