Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, the method comprising: a first node sends first data to a second node according to a first resource, and the second node sends the first data to a terminal device. Wherein the first resource is used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment is in air interface connection with the first node and the second node. In the method, a first node sends data to be transmitted to a terminal device to a second node according to a resource condition between a second node side and the terminal device. Compared with the mode that the PDCP entity serves as an anchor point to conduct distribution, the first node conducts distribution based on the first resource, congestion of the first data at the second node can be reduced as much as possible, and therefore the transmission efficiency of the first data is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] To improve data transmission efficiency or reliability, data can be offloaded. Currently, wireless bearer data is offloaded using the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity as the anchor point. Using the PDCP entity as the anchor point for offloading may result in low offloading efficiency, or even failure to transmit the offloaded data. For example, in a dual-connectivity scenario, the PDCP of the primary node connected to the terminal device offloads a portion of the data to the secondary node accessed by the terminal device. However, the secondary node has limited air interface resources, which may cause congestion at that access network node, resulting in the data not being transmitted in a timely manner.

[0003] To address this, a proposal suggests that data can be offloaded at the Media Access Control (MAC) entity using node-based underlying scheduling resources to improve offloading efficiency. However, how the MAC performs data offloading remains a critical issue to be resolved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving data transmission efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network-side device (also called a network device). The network device can be an access network device, or it can be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of the access network device. For example, a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Alternatively, the network device can be a logical node, logical module, software, or chip (system) that implements all or part of the functions of the access network device. For ease of description, the following example uses the network device as a first node, which is, for example, a first access network device.

[0007] The method includes: a first node sending first data to a second node based on a first resource, wherein the first resource is used for transmitting the first data between the second node and a terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the first and second nodes.

[0008] The terminal device has air interface connections with both the first and second nodes, indicating dual connectivity (DC). For example, the first node can be the master node (MN) to which the terminal device connects, and the second node can be the secondary node (SN) to which the terminal device connects; alternatively, the first node can be the SN, and the second node can be the MN. The first data can be data that the first node wants to transmit to the terminal device. The first resource is used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal device; it can also be described as the first resource being used by the first node to send the first data to the terminal device through the second node. The first node can offload the data to be transmitted to the terminal device to the second node, which then sends the data to the terminal device. For example, the first node can offload the data to be transmitted to the terminal device to the second node using a MAC entity as an anchor point. In this method, the first node sending the first data to the second node based on the first resource is equivalent to the first node sending the data to be transmitted to the terminal device to the second node based on the resource situation between the second node and the terminal device. The first node offloads data based on the first resource, and the offloaded data matches the first resource, which avoids congestion of the first data on the second node due to resource mismatch, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the first data.

[0009] Optionally, the primary resource can be either a periodic resource or an aperiodic resource.

[0010] In one implementation, the method further includes: a first node determining a first resource based on first indication information, wherein the first indication information comes from a second node. Alternatively, the method further includes: the first node receiving first indication information from a second node and determining the first resource based on the first indication information.

[0011] In this scheme, the first resource is determined by the second node and notified to the first node. This scheme allows the first node to clearly understand the resource situation between the second node and the terminal device, facilitating the first node to allocate an appropriate amount of first data to the second node and ensuring that the first data is transmitted in a timely manner.

[0012] The first indication information may include information about the first resource. For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the first indication information may include the start position and period of the first resource; or, the first indication information may include the end position and period of the first resource; or, the first indication information may include the start position and period of a transport block (TB) transmission. As another example, if the first resource is an aperiodic resource, the first indication information may include the start position and end position of the first resource.

[0013] Optionally, the second indication information may also include the terminal device's capability information and / or channel status information. The capability information may indicate whether the terminal device supports MAC-based cross-node transmission, and the channel status information may indicate the channel status between the second node and the terminal device.

[0014] In this scheme, in addition to indicating the first resource to the first node, the second node can also indicate some factors that the second node considers when determining the first resource, such as the capabilities of the terminal device and the channel state between the second node and the terminal device. This scheme can assist the first node in deciding how to perform traffic offloading. For example, if the channel state between the second node and the terminal device is poor, the first node can decide not to send the first data to the second node in this instance, in order to minimize the failure rate of the first data transmission.

[0015] In one implementation, the method further includes: the first node sending at least one first radio bearer information to the second node, the first radio bearer information including one or more of the following: radio bearer identifier, quality of service (QoS) information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information.

[0016] In this scheme, at least one first radio bearer information can be used by the second node to determine the first resource. The first node sends at least one first radio bearer information to the second node, which can help the second node determine the first resource that matches the actual data transmission needs of the first node as closely as possible, for example, it can try to meet the QoS requirements of the first data.

[0017] Optionally, the QoS information associated with the first radio bearer includes one or more QoS flows associated with the first radio bearer, and QoS parameters corresponding to each QoS flow; or, the QoS information associated with the first radio bearer includes QoS parameters corresponding to the first radio bearer.

[0018] Optionally, the logical channel configuration information includes one or more of the following: logical channel group configuration, logical channel priority, or priority bit rate.

[0019] In one implementation, the first radio bearer information further includes offloading indication information, which is used to instruct the first node to send part of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the offloading indication information is used to instruct the first node to copy the data of the first radio bearer and send the copied data to the second node.

[0020] Sending a portion of the data from the first radio bearer to the second node can be considered as the first node offloading a portion of the data from the first radio bearer destined for the terminal device to the second node. The first node copying the data from the first radio bearer and sending it to the second node can be considered as the first node copying all the data from the first radio bearer destined for the terminal device and forwarding the copied data to the terminal device through the second node. Based on this, the first node can also send offloading instruction information to the second node to assist the second node in determining a more suitable first resource.

[0021] In one implementation, the method further includes: a first node sending second indication information to a second node, the second indication information being used to indicate a traffic splitting ratio, the traffic splitting ratio including a traffic splitting ratio of at least one first wireless bearer between the first node and the second node; or, the traffic splitting ratio including a traffic splitting ratio of the first wireless bearer between the first node and the second node.

[0022] In this scheme, the first node sends a second instruction to the second node, which enables the second node to understand the first node's traffic splitting ratio requirements, thereby assisting the second node in determining a more suitable first resource, so that the first resource can complete the transmission of the first data in a timely manner.

[0023] In one implementation, the method further includes: a first node determining a first resource based on resource information from a second node, the resource information being used to indicate candidate resources for the second node. The candidate resources of the second node can be understood as resources that the second node can use.

[0024] In this scheme, the second node can inform the first node of its candidate resources, and the first node determines the first resource based on the second node's candidate resources. For example, the first node can select some resources from the second node's candidate resources as the first resource. Through this scheme, the first node can select a more suitable first resource according to the actual needs of traffic splitting, so as to maximize the transmission efficiency of the first data.

[0025] In one implementation, the method further includes: the first node sending third indication information to the second node, the third indication information being used to instruct the second node to reserve the first resource.

[0026] In this scheme, after the first node determines the first resource, it can instruct the second node to reserve the first resource so that when the first data arrives at the second node, the second node has enough resources to transmit the first data.

[0027] In one implementation, the method further includes: a first node sending first information to a second node, the first information indicating a first data volume, the first data volume being the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the first node to the terminal device.

[0028] In this scheme, the first node can send the first amount of data that the first node has to transmit to the terminal device to the second node, in order to request the second node to allocate appropriate resources for the first node's transmission.

[0029] In one implementation, the method further includes: the first node generating first data based on a second data volume or a first resource from the second node, wherein the second data volume is the amount of data that the second node supports transmitting.

[0030] In this scheme, the first node can learn the second data volume that the second node supports for transmission or the first resource used for transmitting the first data, and then assemble packets based on the second data volume or the first resource to generate the first data.

[0031] In one implementation, the first node sending first data to the second node based on the first resource includes: the first node generating the first data based on the reserved resources of the second node, and sending the first data to the second node, wherein the first resource is determined based on the reserved resources of the second node.

[0032] This scheme assumes that the first node first assembles the TB to be sent into packets, generating the first data, and then sends the first data to the second node. This scheme eliminates the need for the first and second nodes to interact beforehand to negotiate the first resource, thus minimizing the transmission latency of the first data.

[0033] In one implementation, the method further includes: a first node receiving fourth indication information from a second node, the fourth indication information being used to indicate that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or the fourth indication information being used to indicate that a first duration and / or a first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data, the first duration being the delay caused by the first resource.

[0034] In some scenarios, if the second node currently has no candidate resources, it may use later resources to send the first data to the terminal device, increasing the transmission latency of the first data. In this case, the second node can send a fourth indication message to the first node to make the first node aware that the second node currently has no candidate resources or that the transmission latency of the first data will increase, thereby adaptively adjusting the traffic splitting strategy to minimize the transmission latency of the first data.

[0035] In one implementation, the method further includes: a first node receiving fifth indication information from a second node, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time period.

[0036] In this scheme, the second node can explicitly inform the first node that there are no candidate resources within the second time period, thereby assisting the first node in adaptively adjusting the traffic splitting measurement to minimize the transmission latency of the first data. For example, the first node can choose not to send the first data to the second node and instead send the first data directly to the terminal device.

[0037] In one implementation, the method further includes: the first node sending a sixth indication information to the second node, the sixth indication information being used for physical layer processing by the second node, the sixth indication information including one or more of the following: a new data indicator (NDI), a redundant version (RV), or a process ID.

[0038] In some scenarios, the first node may not consider the resource availability of the second node or may not generate the first data by assembling TB packets based on the second node's reserved resources before sending it to the second node. In such cases, the first node can send information such as NDI, RV, and process ID, which are used for the second node's physical layer processing, to the second node. This facilitates the second node's physical layer processing to send the first data to the terminal device.

[0039] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network-side device (also called a network device). The network device can be referred to in the aforementioned description of the network device in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. For ease of description, the following example uses the network device as a second node.

[0040] The method includes: a second node receiving at least one first radio bearer information from a first node, sending first indication information to the first node, and receiving first data from the first node. The first radio bearer information includes one or more of the following: a radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information. The first indication information indicates a first resource used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the second node and the first node.

[0041] In one implementation, the first radio bearer information further includes offloading indication information, which is used to instruct the first node to send part of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the offloading indication information is used to instruct the first node to copy the data of the first radio bearer and send it to the second node.

[0042] In one implementation, the method further includes: a second node receiving second indication information from a first node, the second indication information indicating a traffic splitting ratio, the traffic splitting ratio including a traffic splitting ratio of at least one first wireless bearer between the first node and the second node; or, the traffic splitting ratio including a traffic splitting ratio of the first wireless bearer between the first node and the second node.

[0043] In one implementation, the method further includes: a second node receiving first information from a first node, the first information indicating a first data volume, the first data volume being the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the first node to the terminal device.

[0044] In one implementation, the method further includes: the second node sending information about a second data volume or information about a first resource to the first node, wherein the second data volume is the amount of data that the second node supports transmitting.

[0045] In one implementation, the method further includes: the second node sending a fourth indication message to the first node, the fourth indication message indicating that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or the fourth indication message indicating that a first duration and / or a first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data, the first duration being the delay caused by the first resource.

[0046] In one implementation, the method further includes: the second node sending a fifth indication message to the first node, the fifth indication message being used to indicate that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time period.

[0047] In one implementation, the method further includes: a second node receiving a sixth indication information from a first node, the sixth indication information being used for physical layer processing of the second node, the sixth indication information including one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID.

[0048] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network-side device (also called a network device). The network device can be referred to in the relevant description of the network device in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. For ease of description, the following example uses the network device as a second node.

[0049] The method includes: a second node receiving third indication information from a first node, reserving first resources, and receiving first data from the first node. The third indication information is used to instruct the second node to reserve the first resources, which are used for transmitting the first data between the second node and a terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the second node and the first node.

[0050] In one implementation, the first radio bearer information further includes offloading indication information, which is used to instruct the first node to send part of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the offloading indication information is used to instruct the first node to copy the data of the first radio bearer and send it to the second node.

[0051] In one implementation, the method further includes: a second node receiving second indication information from a first node, the second indication information indicating a traffic splitting ratio, the traffic splitting ratio including a traffic splitting ratio of at least one first wireless bearer between the first node and the second node; or, the traffic splitting ratio including a traffic splitting ratio of the first wireless bearer between the first node and the second node.

[0052] In one implementation, the method further includes: a second node receiving first information from a first node, the first information indicating a first data volume, the first data volume being the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the first node to the terminal device.

[0053] In one implementation, the method further includes: the second node sending information about a second data volume or information about a first resource to the first node, wherein the second data volume is the amount of data that the second node supports transmitting.

[0054] In one implementation, the method further includes: the second node sending a fourth indication message to the first node, the fourth indication message indicating that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or the fourth indication message indicating that a first duration and / or a first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data, the first duration being the delay caused by the first resource.

[0055] In one implementation, the method further includes: the second node sending a fifth indication message to the first node, the fifth indication message being used to indicate that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time period.

[0056] In one implementation, the method further includes: a second node receiving a sixth indication information from a first node, the sixth indication information being used for physical layer processing of the second node, the sixth indication information including one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID.

[0057] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the functionality to implement the behaviors described in the first, second, or third aspect method examples. The beneficial effects can be found in the relevant descriptions of the first to third aspects and will not be repeated here. For example, the communication device may be a first node in the first aspect, or it may be a device capable of supporting the first node in implementing the functions required by the method provided in the first aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system in the first node. As another example, the communication device may be a second node in the second or third aspect, or it may be a device capable of supporting the second node in implementing the functions required by the method provided in the second or third aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system in the second node.

[0058] In one possible design, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0059] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means, modules, or units for performing the methods of the first, second, or third aspects. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module or transceiver). The transceiver unit is capable of both transmitting and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the transmitting function, it can be called a transmitting unit (sometimes also called a transmitting module), and when it performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional unit, referred to as the transceiver unit, which performs both transmitting and receiving functions; or, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be different functional units, with "transceiver unit" being a general term for these functional units. These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the method examples of the first, second, or third aspects described above, as detailed in the method examples, and will not be repeated here.

[0060] For example, the communication device is used to implement the functions in the method example of the first aspect. Accordingly, the processing module is used to determine the first resource, and the transceiver module is used to send the first data to the second node. The first resource is used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with the first node and the second node.

[0061] For example, the communication device is used to implement the functions in the method example of the second aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver module is used to receive at least one first radio bearer information from the first node, send first indication information to the first node, and receive first data from the first node. The first radio bearer information includes one or more of the following: a radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information. The first indication information is used to indicate a first resource, which is used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the second node and the first node.

[0062] For example, the communication device is used to implement the functions in the method example of the third aspect. Accordingly, the transceiver module is used to receive third indication information from the first node, which instructs the second node to reserve first resources for transmitting first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the second node and the first node. The processing module is used to reserve the first resources. The transceiver module is also used to receive the first data from the first node.

[0063] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor configured to execute the methods of the first, second, or third aspects and any of their implementations. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory for storing computer programs (also referred to as code or instructions), data, etc. The processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program, data, etc., from the memory, the methods of any of the first to third aspects and any of their implementations are executed by the communication device.

[0064] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including an input / output interface and logic circuitry. The input / output interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information. The input / output interface may be an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, pins, or related circuits, etc. The logic circuitry is used to execute the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects.

[0065] In the fifth and sixth aspects, the communication device may be a first node in the first aspect. Alternatively, the communication device may be a means capable of supporting the first node to implement the functions required by the method provided in the first aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system in the first node. Alternatively, the communication device may be a second node in the second or third aspect. Alternatively, the communication device may be a means capable of supporting the second node to implement the functions required by the method provided in the second or third aspect; for example, the communication device may be a chip or chip system in the second node. The chip may be a baseband chip and / or a radio frequency chip, and the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0066] In one implementation of the sixth aspect, when the communication device is the first node, the interface circuit can be the radio frequency processing chip in the first node, and the processing circuit can be the baseband processing chip in the first node. When the communication device is the second node, the interface circuit can be the radio frequency processing chip in the second node, and the processing circuit can be the baseband processing chip in the second node.

[0067] In one implementation of the sixth aspect, when the communication device is a chip or chip system, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the logic circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, or various other logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver; the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the input / output interface and the logic circuit.

[0068] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes a first node, a second node, and a terminal device, wherein the first node is used to implement the function of the method described in the first aspect, and the second node is used to implement the function of the method described in the second or third aspect.

[0069] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects and any of their implementations to be implemented.

[0070] Ninthly, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects and any of their implementations to be implemented.

[0071] The beneficial effects of the fourth to ninth aspects and their implementation methods mentioned above can be referenced to the beneficial effects of the first aspect and any of its implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figures 2A-2B These are schematic diagrams of two O-RAN structures;

[0074] Figures 3A-3B This is a schematic diagram of the protocol layer structure between terminal equipment and access network nodes.

[0075] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of downlink data between layers;

[0076] Figure 5 This is an example diagram showing the distribution of entities in the primary and secondary nodes of a double connection.

[0077] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating three traffic splitting methods in dual connectivity provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0078] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 9 This is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0081] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems, the sixth generation (5G) mobile communication systems (also known as new radio (NR) communication systems), or future communication networks, or other similar communication systems. Other similar communication systems may include Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and so on.

[0082] Please see Figure 1This illustration shows a communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. The communication system includes a first access network node, a second access network node, and a terminal device. The terminal device can simultaneously access both the first and second access network nodes. Simultaneous access to two access network nodes means that the terminal device has an air interface (Uu interface) connection with both access network nodes; that is, the terminal device is connected to one access network node via the air interface, and the terminal device is also connected to the other access network node via the air interface. Simultaneous access to two access network nodes is also called dual connectivity (DC). The communication standards of the two access network nodes can be the same or different. For example, both access network nodes support either LTE or NR communication standards. Another example is that one access network node supports LTE communication standards, and the other supports NR communication standards. Yet another example is that both access network nodes support NR next-generation communication standards. Yet another example is that one access network node supports NR communication standards, and the other supports NR next-generation communication standards.

[0083] In a data center (DC), a terminal device accesses one access network node as a master node (MN), and another access network node as a secondary node (SN). For example, the first access network node could be MN, and the second access network node could be SN. One or more cells where MN provides services to the terminal device are called a master cell group (MCG), while one or more cells where SN provides services to the terminal device are called a secondary cell group (SCG). Figure 1 The network architecture shown is merely illustrative; the number of terminal devices and / or access network nodes may be fewer or more. The communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiments of this application apply. For example, the communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices, wireless backhaul devices, etc. Figure 1 Not shown in the diagram. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems. When applying the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc., in the embodiments can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems, without limitation.

[0084] To facilitate understanding of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, the terms involved in the embodiments of this application will first be explained.

[0085] (1) Access network node, also known as access network equipment or network equipment.

[0086] In this application embodiment, unless otherwise specified, an access network node refers to a (radio)access network ((R)AN) device / RAN node / RAN entity. In this application embodiment, (R)AN and RAN are interchangeable. RAN can be a cellular system related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as a 5G / new radio (NR) mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN), etc. RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0087] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or a base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor / host nodes, or radio controllers. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, the RAN node can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0088] In another possible scenario, the RAN node can be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of the base station; or multiple RAN nodes can cooperate to assist terminal equipment in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes performing some of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a CU, DU, or RU. The function of the CU can be implemented by a single entity or by different entities. For example, the function of the CU can be further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane can be separated and implemented by different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-control plane (CP) entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-user plane (UP) entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the function of the RAN node. The CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in the baseband unit (BBU). Any of the units among the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0089] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open 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 ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples.

[0090] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer and above (such as the radio resource control (RRC) layer and / or the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the radio link control (RLC) layer, the MAC layer, and / or the physical (PHY) layer). For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications or the technical specifications of other applicable communication protocols.

[0091] The above division of the processing functions of CU and DU according to protocol layers is merely an example; other division methods are also possible, and this application does not limit this. For example, in one design, CU or DU can be further divided into processing functions with protocol layers. In one design, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are located in the CU, while the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are located in the DU.

[0092] In another possible design, the DU and RU collaborate to implement the PHY layer functionality, or, more specifically, a portion of the PHY layer functionality of the DU can be moved to the RU. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU may be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU may be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Alternatively, the DU may be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU may be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functionality closer to the MAC layer, and lower-level functions may include another portion of the physical layer's functionality closer to the mid-RF side. This application does not limit the specific functions of the DU and RU. The interface between the DU and RU can be called a fronthaul interface. In one design, the CU may not have a PDCP layer; for example, the CU may only include an RRC layer. The CU-CP may not have PDCP-C. The CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have a CU-UP. In one design, the DU may not have an RLC layer; for example, the DU may only have a MAC and a higher PHY layer.

[0093] When the RAN is O-RAN, it can also have artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. For example, O-RAN includes one or more AI modules. An AI module has one or more models. A model can infer an output, which includes one or more parameters. The learning, training, or inference processes of different models can be deployed on different nodes or devices, or they can be deployed on the same node or device. CUs and / or DUs can each have one or more AI modules. CU-CPs and / or CU-UPs can each have one or more AI modules. For example, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2A This diagram illustrates one architecture of O-RAN. In 2A, AI modules can also be deployed on core network equipment and terminal equipment. The NG interface is the communication interface between the core network equipment and access network nodes. The Uu interface, also known as the air interface, is the communication interface between access network nodes and terminal equipment. The F1 interface is the communication interface between the CU and DU.

[0094] AI modules can also be intelligent controllers. Intelligent controllers can be non-real-time RAN intelligent controllers (RICs / non-RTRICs / NRT RICs) or near-real-time RAN intelligent controllers (RICs / near-RT RICs / nRT RICs). Non-real-time RICs can be used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions, enabling workflows including model training and model updates, and guiding applications / functions in nRT RICs based on policies. Near-real-time RICs can be used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources are achieved.

[0095] For example, see Figure 2B This shows another schematic diagram of O-RAN architecture.

[0096] Near real-time RICs can train AI models and use these models for inference. For example, a near real-time RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from at least one of a CU, DU, or RU, which can be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, the near real-time RIC can submit inference results to at least one of a CU, DU, RU, or terminal device. Optionally, the CU and DU can exchange inference results. Optionally, the DU and RU can exchange inference results, for example, the near real-time RIC submits the inference results to the DU, which then forwards them to the RU.

[0097] In addition to access network nodes, a non-real-time RIC is included for model training and inference. Optionally, the non-real-time RIC can be deployed in core network equipment. This non-real-time RIC can train an AI model and use that model for inference. For example, the non-real-time RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from at least one of a CU, DU, or RU, which can be used as training data or inference data. The inference result can be submitted to at least one of the CU, DU, RU, or terminal equipment. Optionally, the CU and DU can exchange inference results. Optionally, the DU and RU can exchange inference results; for example, the non-real-time RIC submits the inference result to the DU, which then forwards it to the RU.

[0098] (2) Terminal equipment

[0099] In this application embodiment, anything capable of data communication with a base station can be considered a terminal device. Terminal devices are also called terminals, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, or mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios. For example, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, computers, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, stations (STA), robotic arms, cameras, robots, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, or smart home devices (such as televisions, air conditioners, robot vacuums, speakers, set-top boxes), relays, customer premises equipment (CPE), etc.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system, such as a water meter or electricity meter. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that enables human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0101] When the terminal device is applied to V2X, it can also be called a V2X device, such as a smart car, an unmanned car, a driverless car, a pilotless car, or an automobile, or a roadside unit (RSU). All the terminal devices described above, if located on a vehicle (e.g., placed / installed inside the vehicle), can be considered in-vehicle terminal devices. In-vehicle terminal devices can be built into a vehicle's in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods of this application through the built-in in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit. In-vehicle terminal devices can be vehicle equipment, in-vehicle modules, vehicles, in-vehicle units (on-board units, OBUs), RSUs, in-vehicle systems (or in-vehicle transmission units) (telematics boxes, T-boxes), chips, or system on-chips (SoCs), etc. These chips or SoCs can be installed in the vehicle, OBU, RSU, or T-box.

[0102] (3) Protocol layer structure between access network equipment and terminal equipment

[0103] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. For example, please refer to... Figure 3A This illustrates the structure of the user plane protocol layer between access network equipment and terminal equipment. The user plane protocol layer structure may include the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer. In one possible implementation, an SDAP layer may also be included above the PDCP layer. The SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer can all be collectively referred to as the access layer. For detailed descriptions of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. For another example, please see... Figure 3B This illustrates the structure of the control plane protocol layer between access network equipment and terminal equipment. The control plane protocol layer structure may include the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer. The connection between the terminal equipment and core network equipment includes a non-access stratum (NAS). It should be noted that... Figure 3A and Figure 3B The protocol layer structure between the access network equipment and the terminal equipment is merely illustrative. This application does not limit the number and structure of protocol layers between the access network equipment and the terminal equipment. For example, the PDCP layer and the RLC layer can be merged into one layer. Furthermore, in various embodiments of this application, "layer" can also be understood as "entity." For example, "MAC layer" can be replaced with "MAC entity," "physical layer" can be replaced with "physical entity," "RRC layer" can be replaced with "RRC entity," and so on.

[0104] Taking data transmission between access network devices and terminal devices as an example, data transmission needs to pass through user plane protocol layers, such as SDAP, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers. For example, please refer to... Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the transmission of downlink data between layers. Downlink data refers to the data sent from access network devices to terminal devices. Figure 4 The downward arrow indicates data transmission, and the upward arrow indicates data reception.

[0105] After receiving data from the upper layer, the SDAP layer entity maps the data to the corresponding PDCP layer entity. The PDCP layer entity then delivers the data to at least one RLC layer entity corresponding to that PDCP layer entity. This RLC layer entity then delivers the data to the corresponding MAC layer entity, which generates a Data Transfer Unit (TB) and transmits it wirelessly through the corresponding PHY layer entity. Data is encapsulated at each layer. Data received by a layer from its upper layer is considered a Service Data Unit (SDU) for that layer. After layer encapsulation, it becomes a PDU and is then passed to the next layer. For example, data received by a PDCP layer entity from its upper layer is called a PDCP SDU, and data sent by the PDCP layer entity to its lower layer is called a PDCP PDU; similarly, data received by an RLC layer entity from its upper layer is called an RLC SDU, and data sent by the RLC layer entity to its lower layer is called an RLC PDU. Different layers can transmit data through corresponding channels. For instance, RLC layer entities and MAC layer entities can transmit data through a logical channel (LCH), and MAC layer entities and physical layer entities can transmit data through a transport channel.

[0106] Similar to access network equipment, terminal equipment also has an access layer comprising SDAP, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and physical layers. Terminal equipment also has an application layer and a non-access layer. The application layer provides services to applications installed on the terminal equipment. For example, downlink data received by the terminal equipment can be sequentially transmitted from the physical layer to the application layer, and then provided to the application by the application layer. Alternatively, the application layer can acquire data generated by applications (such as videos recorded by users using the application) and sequentially transmit the data to the physical layer for transmission to other communication devices. The non-access layer forwards user data, such as forwarding uplink data received from the application layer to the SDAP layer or forwarding downlink data received from the SDAP layer to the application layer.

[0107] (4) Bearer, radio bearer (RB), RB configuration

[0108] In wireless communication systems, data is transmitted using bearers. A bearer can be understood as a channel used to carry data transmission.

[0109] In a wireless communication system, radio bearers (RBs) carry signaling or user data through a radio interface. Based on the content they carry, RBs are divided into signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs). SRBs carry control plane (signaling) data, while DRBs carry user plane data. For example, if the radio interface between a base station and a user device (UE) is a Uu interface, the radio bearer between the base station and the UE can carry either signaling or user data.

[0110] During the configuration of the radio bearer, the UE needs to obtain the RB configuration. The RB configuration, also known as RB configuration information, includes the relevant configurations of different protocol layers in the radio interface protocol. The radio interface protocol includes the rules for communication between two peer entities, where each entity represents a hardware or software process that sends or receives data. Protocol layering ensures the effectiveness of radio transmission.

[0111] Typically, wireless interface protocols include the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer. Correspondingly, RB configuration information may include PDCP protocol entities, RLC protocol entities, MAC protocol entities, and a series of resources allocated to the PHY layer. In some implementations, the PDCP layer and above are referred to as higher layers, and the RLC layer and below are referred to as lower layers; RB configuration may include higher-layer configuration information and lower-layer configuration information.

[0112] It should be noted that the wireless interface is also called a wireless communication interface or a communication interface, and the wireless interface protocol is also called a protocol stack; this application does not limit the names. In this application, data in a broad sense includes control plane data and user plane data, while data in a narrow sense includes user plane data. Control plane data includes signaling. User plane data is also called user data or service data.

[0113] (5) QoS, QoS flow, QoS parameters (QoS profile)

[0114] To provide different qualities of service for different services, wireless communication systems provide QoS management. QoS management is an end-to-end (E2E) process that requires the cooperation of all network nodes along the route from the service initiator to the responder to ensure service quality.

[0115] QoS management is based on QoS flows, which are end-to-end concepts. The sending end maps service data into end-to-end QoS flows. Each QoS flow corresponds to QoS parameters, which include, but are not limited to: 5QI (5G QoS Identifier), allocation and retention priority (ARP), guaranteed bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR), reflective QoS attribute (RQA), notification control, maximum packet loss rate (MPLR), latency, and a series of other performance requirements.

[0116] The RB configuration is determined based on the QoS parameters corresponding to the QoS flow. There is a mapping relationship between QoS flows and RBs, which is contained in the RB configuration information. Access network devices or terminal devices can determine the channel for carrying data transmission based on the RB configuration information, thereby controlling the sending or receiving of service data.

[0117] (6) Wireless bearer configuration process

[0118] The transmitter can send the radio bearer configuration to the receiver, enabling the receiver to receive data from the transmitter. Typically, the transmitter generates QoS parameters based on application layer requirements and maps the data arriving at the application layer into a QoS stream based on these parameters. The QoS stream then enters the access stratum (AS) and is transmitted via RB (Relay-Based Buffer). As described above... Figure 5 As shown, the AS layer includes the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer. RB configuration information includes SDAP configuration, PDCP configuration, RLC configuration, and LCH configuration. The SDAP configuration includes the mapping relationship between QoS flows and RBs. The transmitting end, according to the RB configuration, transmits the data to be sent through the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer, and then sends it to the receiving end through the transmit antenna.

[0119] (7) Dual-connection / DC

[0120] Dual connectivity refers to a terminal device simultaneously accessing two access network devices. Based on the radio access technologies (RAT) of the access network devices, DCs can be further classified into the following types.

[0121] (7-1) Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access and New Air Dual Connectivity (E-UTRANR dual connectivity, EN-DC).

[0122] EN-DC can also be understood as a data center (DC) with an evolved packet core (EPC) core network. In EN-DC mode, MN is an LTE base station connected to the 4G core network, and SN is an NR base station. In EN-DC, there is an X2 interface between the LTE base station and the NR base station, providing at least a control plane connection and also a user plane connection. There is an S1 interface between the LTE base station and the EPC, providing at least a control plane connection and also a user plane connection. There is an S1-U interface between the NR base station and the EPC, providing only a user plane connection. The LTE base station can provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one LTE cell, referred to as the MCG. The NR base station can also provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one NR cell, referred to as the SCG.

[0123] (7-2) Next-generation access network - New Radio - Dual connectivity (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, NGEN-DC).

[0124] In NGEN-DC, the core network is the 5G core network (5GC), MN is the LTE base station connected to the 5GC, and SN is the NR base station. There is an Xn interface between the LTE base station and the NR base station, providing at least a control plane connection and also a user plane connection. There is an NG interface between the LTE base station and the 5GC, providing at least a control plane connection and also a user plane connection. There is an NG-U interface between the NR base station and the 5GC, providing only a user plane connection. The LTE base station can provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one LTE cell, referred to as the MCG. The NR base station can also provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one NR cell, referred to as the SCG.

[0125] (7-3) New Radio Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Dual Connectivity (NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity, NE-DC).

[0126] In NE-DC, MN is an NR base station connected to the 5G core network, and SN is an LTE base station. There is an Xn interface between the NR and LTE base stations, providing at least a control plane connection and potentially a user plane connection. There is an NG interface between the NR and 5GC, providing at least a control plane connection and potentially a user plane connection. There is an NG-U interface between the NR and 5GC, providing only a user plane connection. The NR base station can provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one NR cell, referred to as the MCG. The LTE base station can provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one LTE cell, referred to as the SCG.

[0127] (7-4) New radio-dual connectivity (NR-DC).

[0128] In NR-DC, MN is an NR base station connected to the 5G core network, and SN is also an NR base station. The interface between the NR primary base station and the NR secondary base station is the Xn interface, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection. There is an NG interface between the NR primary base station and the 5GC, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection. There is an NG-U interface between the NR secondary base station and the 5GC, which only has a user plane connection. The NR primary base station can provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one NR cell, which is called the MCG. The NR secondary base station can also provide air interface resources to the UE through at least one NR cell, which is called the SCG.

[0129] (8) Bearer type in dual connection

[0130] In dual connectivity, DRB types are divided into primary cell group bearer (MCG bearer), secondary cell group bearer (SCG bearer), and split bearer.

[0131] In this context, the MCG bearer is the RLC / MAC entity of the DRB, residing only on the MN. For example, after the MN receives the service data corresponding to the MCG bearer from the core network, it transmits the data, processed by its PDCP entity, to its RLC and MAC entities for further processing. Similarly, after the SN receives the service data corresponding to the MCG bearer from the core network, it transmits the data, processed by its PDCP entity, to the MN via the interface between the MN and SN (e.g., the Xn interface, X2 interface, or F1 interface). The MN's RLC and MAC entities then further process the data.

[0132] An SCG bearer refers to a DRB whose RLC / MAC entities reside solely on the SN. For example, after the MN receives service data corresponding to the SCG bearer from the core network, the MN transmits the data, processed by its PDCP entity, to the SN through the interface between the MN and the SN. Then, the SN's RLC and MAC entities further process the data. Similarly, after the SN receives service data corresponding to the SCG bearer from the core network, the SN transmits the data, processed by its PDCP entity, to its RLC and MAC entities for further processing.

[0133] A split bearer refers to the RLC / MAC entity of the DRB located on both the MN and SN. For example, after the MN receives the service data corresponding to the split bearer from the core network, the MN transmits a portion of the data, processed by its PDCP entity, to the SN's RLC and MAC entities through the interface between the MN and SN. The other portion of the data, or the same data, is transmitted to the MN's RLC and MAC entities. Thus, the MN's and SN's RLC / MAC entities can process the data simultaneously. Similarly, after the SN receives the service data corresponding to the split bearer from the core network, the SN transmits a portion of the data, processed by its PDCP entity, to the MN's RLC and MAC entities through the interface between the MN and SN. The other portion of the data, or the same data, is transmitted to the SN's RLC and MAC entities. Thus, the MN's and SN's RLC / MAC entities can process the data simultaneously.

[0134] In the MCG bearer, the PDCP can be configured as E-UTRA PDCP or NR PDCP. In EN-DC, the PDCP carried by the MCG Split Bearer supports LTE communication technology / is configured as E-UTRA PDCP, or the PDCP carried by the MCG split bearer supports NR communication technology / is configured as NR PDCP. In other DC scenarios, the PDCP carried by the MCG split bearer is configured as NR PDCP. The PDCP carried by the SCG split bearer is configured as NR PDCP.

[0135] like Figure 5 As shown, each access network node in the DC has a different PDCP entity. Based on the different nodes in the PDCP entity of the access network node, DRBs are divided into the following bearer types: MN terminated bearer and SN terminated bearer.

[0136] For a PDCP entity to terminate a bearer on the MN, it is called an MN-terminated bearer. In this case, downlink data arrives directly from the core network to the MN, is processed by the MN's PDCP / SDAP entity, and then sent to the terminal device via the RLC / MAC entity; uplink data is processed by the MN's PDCP / SDAP entity and then sent to the core network. Similarly, for a PDCP entity to terminate a bearer on the SN, it is called an SN-terminated bearer. In this case, downlink data arrives directly from the core network to the SN, is processed by the SN's PDCP / SDAP entity, and then sent to the terminal device via the RLC / MAC entity; uplink data is processed by the SN's PDCP / SDAP entity and then sent to the core network.

[0137] It should be noted that bearer types can also be distinguished based on the combination of the nodes where the RLC / MAC is located and the nodes where the PDCP entity is located. For example, radio bearer types can be divided into MN-terminated primary cell group bearers, MN-terminated secondary cell group bearers, MN-terminated split bearers, SN-terminated primary cell bearers, SN-terminated secondary cell bearers, and SN-terminated split bearers.

[0138] (9) In the embodiments of this application, "transmission" includes "sending" and / or "receiving". "Sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between access network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0139] In this application embodiment, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A / B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and / or c means the following combinations: a exists alone, b exists alone, c exists alone, a and b exist simultaneously, a and c exist simultaneously, b and c exist simultaneously, or a, b, and c exist simultaneously, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0140] In the embodiments of this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device taking corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action, nor do they imply any other limitations. Unless otherwise specified, "if" and "if" can be substituted, and "when" and "in the case of" can be substituted. "When" and "if" / "if" can be substituted.

[0141] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0142] In this application's embodiments, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, "first instruction information" and "second instruction information" refer to two different instruction information, and do not indicate a difference in the priority or importance of these two instruction information.

[0143] To improve data transmission efficiency or reliability, data can be offloaded. Currently, wireless data offloading uses PDCP as the anchor point. However, PDCP is unaware of MAC layer scheduling information and therefore cannot offload data based on MAC layer scheduling information, potentially leading to low offloading efficiency. For example, in a dual-connectivity scenario, the MN's PDCP offloads some data to the SN, but the SN's air interface resources are limited, which may cause data congestion on the SN, preventing timely data transmission.

[0144] Therefore, embodiments of this application propose a scheme for data splitting at the MAC address. The method provided by embodiments of this application can improve data transmission efficiency or reliability.

[0145] The method provided in this application supports multiple data offloading methods anchored at the MAC layer, such as... Figure 6 There are four data splitting methods, (a) to (d).

[0146] (a) The wireless bearer data is configured to be replicated or split with the MN MAC as the anchor point.

[0147] After the data is copied at the MAC address of the MN, it is transmitted to the UE through the MN and SN; or, the data is distributed to the MN or SN at the MAC address of the MN according to certain rules.

[0148] (b) The wireless bearer data is configured to be replicated or offloaded with the SN MAC as the anchor point.

[0149] After the data is copied at the MAC address of the SN, it is transmitted to the UE via the MN and SN; or, the data is routed to the MN or SN at the MAC address of the SN according to certain rules.

[0150] (c) The wireless bearer data is configured to use the MN MAC as the anchor point and be offloaded to the SN.

[0151] (d) The wireless bearer data is configured to use the SN MAC as the anchor point and be offloaded to the MN.

[0152] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0153] In the following description, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applied to... Figure 1Taking the network architecture shown as an example, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be executed by a first node, a second node, and a terminal device. The steps executed by the first node can be implemented by a first RAN device, or by components within the first RAN device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules), or by components that perform some or all of the functions of the first RAN device (such as a CU, DU, or RU). The steps executed by the second node can be implemented by a second RAN device, or by components within the second RAN device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules), or by components that perform some or all of the functions of the second RAN device (such as a CU, DU, or RU). The steps executed by the terminal device can be implemented by the terminal device itself, or by components within the terminal device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules).

[0154] Wherein, the first node is the MN of the terminal device, and the second node is the SN of the terminal device; or, the first node is the SN of the terminal device, and the second node is the MN of the terminal device.

[0155] Please see Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 This method is described from the perspective of interaction between the first node, the second node, and the terminal device. It should be understood that the communication method can also be implemented by other devices, such as chips or communication devices with communication capabilities. Furthermore, the processing performed by a single execution entity can be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the first node / second node can be divided into execution by at least one of CU, DU, RU, etc. Figure 7 As shown, the communication method includes the following steps. Figure 7 The steps indicated by the dashed lines are not mandatory steps, but optional steps.

[0156] S71. The first node sends the first data to the second node based on the first resource.

[0157] The first node is a node connected to the terminal device. The first node can copy or offload data to be transmitted to the terminal device to a second node, which then transmits it to the terminal device, thereby improving data transmission efficiency or reliability. Specifically, the first node can copy or offload data at the MAC layer. For example, the first node is an MN, which can be based on... Figure 6 In either method (a) or (c), the data to be transmitted to the terminal device is split. For example, if the first node is the SN, it can be based on... Figure 6In method (b) or (d), the data to be transmitted to the terminal device is diverted.

[0158] For ease of description, let's take the example of first data being diverted from the first node to / sent to the second node. This first data can be data to be sent from the first node to the terminal device, or it can be a portion of the data to be sent from the first node to the terminal device, or it can belong to one or more radio bearers of the terminal device. Before diverting the data to be sent to the terminal device, the first node needs to determine the resources used for transmitting first resources between the second node and the terminal device. For ease of description, the resources used for transmitting first data between the second node and the terminal device are referred to as first resources. First resources are used for transmitting first data between the second node and the terminal device. Alternatively, first resources can be used by the first node to send first data to the terminal device through the second node. Optionally, in addition to transmitting first data between the second node and the terminal device, the first resource can also be used for transmitting other data between the second node and the terminal device.

[0159] When a first node sends first data to a second node, it can determine a first resource. After determining the first resource, the first node can send the first data to the second node based on the first resource. It should be noted that sending the first data to the second node based on the first resource includes both determining the first resource and determining the first data, and then sending the first data to the second node. The order in which the first node determines the first resource and the first data is not restricted. For example, the first node can determine both the first resource and the first data simultaneously. Sending the first data to the second node based on the first resource can also be replaced by: the first node determining the first resource and then sending the first data to the second node.

[0160] The first node determining the first resource can also be replaced by the first node acquiring the first resource. In a possible scenario, the second node has no candidate resources for transmitting data with the terminal device. In this case, the first node determining the first resource includes the first node determining that the second node has no candidate resources. The second node having candidate resources can be understood as the second node possessing usable resources; conversely, the second node having no candidate resources can be understood as the second node having no resources or no usable resources.

[0161] The first resource can be either a periodic or aperiodic resource. The first node can determine the first resource using either method one or method two. Method one and method two will be described below.

[0162] Method 1: The first node requests the first resource from the second node, and the second node responds to the request by indicating the first resource to the first node.

[0163] In Method 1, the first node requests the first resource from the second node, the second node determines the first resource, and then notifies the first node of the first resource. The method by which the first node requests the first resource from the second node varies depending on whether the first resource is a periodic resource; these cases will be described below.

[0164] Scenario 1: The primary resource is a periodic resource.

[0165] The process in Case 1 may include S701a to S702a.

[0166] S701a, The first node may send at least one first radio bearer information (also referred to as at least one first radio bearer information) to the second node.

[0167] Accordingly, the second node receives at least one first radio bearer information. The at least one first radio bearer information can be used to request the second node to allocate resources. The content included in the at least one first radio bearer information can assist the second node in determining a reasonable first resource. Upon receiving at least one first radio bearer information, the second node can determine the first resource based on that at least one first radio bearer information.

[0168] The radio bearer information may include one or more of the following: radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information. For example, the first radio bearer information may include one or more of the following: radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information. The QoS information associated with the first radio bearer may include one or more QoS flows associated with the first radio bearer, and QoS parameters corresponding to each QoS flow. For example, the QoS information associated with the first radio bearer may include a QoS flow identifier and 5QI information. The 5QI information may also be replaced with a QoS parameter identifier, with one 5QI corresponding to a set of QoS parameters. Alternatively, the QoS information associated with the first radio bearer may include: the radio bearer identifier and the QoS parameters corresponding to the first radio bearer. The logical channel configuration information may include one or more of the following: logical channel group configuration, logical channel priority, or prioritized bit rate.

[0169] The second node can determine the first resource based on at least one radio bearer information. For example, the second node can determine the first resource based on the QoS parameters corresponding to each QoS flow in at least one first radio bearer information. The first resource is matched with the QoS parameters to satisfy the QoS requirements of each first radio bearer as much as possible.

[0170] Optionally, the first node can also indicate the offloading type of the radio bearer to the second node to assist the second node in determining a reasonable first resource. For example, taking the first radio bearer as an example, the first node can send offloading indication information to the second node. This offloading indication information can be used to instruct the first node to send a portion of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node; or, the offloading indication information can instruct the first node to copy all the data of the first radio bearer and send the copied data to the second node. Sending a portion of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node refers to offloading the data of the radio bearer and sending it between the first node and the terminal device, and also between the second node and the terminal device. Relatively speaking, the first node sending a portion of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node can be considered as one type of offloading for the first node (e.g., referred to as the first type). The first node copying all the data of the first radio bearer and sending the copied data to the second node can be considered as another type of offloading for the first node (e.g., referred to as the second type). Optionally, the first type and the second type can be predefined, and the offloading indication information may include identification information of the first type or the second type.

[0171] The offloading indication information can be included in the corresponding radio bearer information. For example, for the first radio bearer, the offloading indication information can be included in the first radio bearer information; for the second radio bearer, the offloading indication information can be included in the second radio bearer information.

[0172] For each radio bearer, the first node can send the corresponding traffic splitting indication information to the second node to indicate the traffic splitting type for multiple radio bearers. It should be noted that the traffic splitting indication information corresponding to at least one first radio bearer can be sent to the second node separately. In other words, the traffic splitting indication information is sent via one signaling message, and the information for at least one first radio bearer is sent via another signaling message.

[0173] If the first node sends a traffic splitting indication, the second node can also determine the first resource based on the traffic splitting indication. For example, the second node determines the available resources based on the QoS parameters corresponding to each QoS flow, and then determines the first resource from the available resources based on the traffic splitting indication. For instance, when the traffic splitting indication indicates the aforementioned first type, the second node can determine the first resource over a longer period; when the traffic splitting indication indicates the aforementioned second type, the second node can determine the first resource over a shorter period.

[0174] Additionally, the first node can also indicate a traffic offloading ratio to the second node. For example, this offloading ratio may include the offloading ratio of at least one first radio bearer between the first and second nodes; or, for another example, the offloading ratio may include the offloading ratio of a first radio bearer between the first and second nodes. Exemplarily, the first node can send second indication information to the second node, which indicates the traffic offloading ratio. The second indication information and the offloading indication information may be carried in a single signaling message; for example, the second indication information and the offloading indication information may be included in the first radio bearer information. Alternatively, the second indication information may be sent separately to the second node.

[0175] If the first node sends a second indication message, the second node can also determine the first resource based on the second indication message. For example, the second node determines the available resources based on the QoS parameters corresponding to each QoS flow, and then determines the first resource based on the traffic splitting ratio. For example, when the traffic splitting ratio is large, the second node can determine the first resource with a longer period; when the traffic splitting ratio is small, the second node can determine the first resource with a shorter period.

[0176] Furthermore, the second node can also determine the first resource based on one or more of the following: the second node's current candidate resources, the channel state between the second node and the terminal device, or information about the terminal device. The candidate resources of the second node can also be understood as resources available to the second node. The terminal device information includes the terminal device's capability information, which can indicate one or more capabilities of the terminal device, such as whether the terminal device has the capability to support MAC-based cross-node transmission. The terminal device information may also include other information besides the terminal device's capability information, such as the number of antennas of the terminal device. The channel state between the second node and the terminal device can be characterized by one or more of the following: precoding matrix indication (PMI), channel quality indicator (CQI), and rank indication (RI).

[0177] For example, the second node can select the first resource with better channel conditions to reduce error transmission. Or, if the second node has many candidate resources, it can determine that the first resource has a shorter cycle, thus allocating more resources to the first node and prioritizing the transmission of the first data.

[0178] Optionally, considering that the first node assembles the first data into packets in TB at the MAC layer, the second node can determine the size of the TB when determining the first resource, and characterize the first resource by the size, period, and starting position of the TB.

[0179] S702a, the second node sends a first instruction message to the first node, and correspondingly, the first node receives the first instruction message from the second node.

[0180] After the second node determines the first resource, it can send first indication information to the first node, which indicates the first resource. Upon receiving the first indication information, the first node can determine the first resource. This application does not limit the specific implementation method of the first indication information indicating the first resource.

[0181] For example, the first indication information may include the start position and periodicity information of the first resource. Upon receiving the first indication information, the first node can determine the first resource based on its start position and periodicity information. Alternatively, the first indication information may include the end position and periodicity information of the first resource. Upon receiving the first indication information, the first node can determine the first resource based on its end position and periodicity information.

[0182] Optionally, the first indication information is contained in an RRC container, or the first indication information is an RRC container used to indicate the first resource. Optionally, the first indication information is carried in an RRC message or the first indication information is an RRC message.

[0183] For example, the first indication information may include the start position of the TB transmission and the transmission period of the TB. Additionally, the second node may instruct the first node on how to assemble the TB; for example, the second node may also instruct the first node on the size of the TB. Upon receiving the first indication information and the size of the TB, the first node can determine that the first resource supports the first node in assembling the TB based on the TB size, the start position of the TB transmission, and the transmission period of the TB.

[0184] Optionally, the first indication information may also include the capability information of the terminal device and / or the channel state information between the second node and the terminal device, so that the first node understands the information referenced by the second node when determining the first resource, and assists the first node in deciding how to perform traffic splitting.

[0185] It should be noted that, in possible scenarios, the second node can proactively indicate the first resource to the first node without requiring the first node to execute S701a. Therefore, in Figure 7 The dashed line in the middle indicates S701a.

[0186] When the first node and the second node are in a CU-DU separated architecture, the aforementioned at least one first radio bearer information can be determined by the CU of the first node, and the CU of the first node can send at least one first radio bearer information to the CU of the second node. The CU of the second node receives at least one first radio bearer information and can deliver it to the DU of the second node, and the DU of the second node determines the first resource based on the at least one first radio bearer.

[0187] The second node's DU determines the first resource, generates first indication information, and sends it to the second node's CU. The second node's CU receives the first indication information and sends it to the first node's CU. The first node's CU receives the first indication information and sends it to the first node's DU. The first node's DU receives the first indication information, performs data splitting at the MAC according to the first indication information, and generates the first data.

[0188] Based on Method 1, the second node can determine the first resource periodically and instruct the first node through the first indication information, so that the first node can subsequently perform traffic distribution based on the first resource. Method 1 eliminates the need for the first node to repeatedly request resources from the second node, reducing signaling overhead. Furthermore, it avoids the additional latency caused by multiple interactions between the first and second nodes to negotiate resources, thus maximizing the transmission efficiency of data distributed from the first node to the second node.

[0189] Scenario 2: The first resource is a non-periodic resource.

[0190] To achieve rapid transmission of the first data and reduce transmission latency, the first node can request the first resource for this data / transmission from the second node each time it sends data. In this case, the first resource can be considered an aperiodic resource, which is more flexible.

[0191] In scenario 2, during data transmission, the first node may request the second node to allocate resources. In response to the first node's request, the second node indicates to the first node the amount of data or resources it supports for this data transmission. The process for scenario 2 may include steps S701b to S704b.

[0192] S701b: The first node can send first information to the second node, and correspondingly, the second node receives the first information from the first node.

[0193] The first information may indicate a first data volume, which is the amount of data that the first node needs to send to the terminal device. This first information can be used to request resources from the second node. When the second node receives the first information from the first node, it can be considered that the first node is requesting resources from the second node.

[0194] Optionally, the first data volume is the data volume of at least one logical channel to be sent by the first node to the terminal device. Accordingly, the first information may include the identifier of at least one logical channel and indication information of the data volume of each logical channel.

[0195] Optionally, the first data volume is the data volume of at least one logical channel group to be sent by the first node to the terminal device. Accordingly, the first information may include the identifier of at least one logical channel group, and indication information of the data volume corresponding to each logical channel group.

[0196] S702b: The second node sends a second message or a third message to the first node, and correspondingly, the first node receives the second message or the third message from the second node.

[0197] The second node receives the first information and can determine the amount of data that the first node needs to offload to the second node. The second node determines the amount of data it supports for transmission based on candidate resources and notifies the first node, so that the first node generates a TB at the MAC layer based on this second data amount. For example, the second node can send second information to the first node, which can be used to indicate the second data amount, which is the amount of data the second node supports for transmission. The second data amount can be the data amount of each logical channel participating in this transmission supported by the second node, or it can be the data amount of each logical channel group participating in this transmission supported by the second node. The second information can include the data amount corresponding to each logical channel / logical channel group participating in this transmission, or it can include a first value, which is the ratio of the second data amount to the first data amount. The first node receives the second information and generates a TB at the MAC layer based on the second data amount, or generates first data at the MAC layer based on the second data amount.

[0198] Alternatively, the second node receives the first information, determines the first resource based on the candidate resources of the second node, and notifies the first node. For example, the second node sends third information to the first node, which may include information about the first resource. The first node receives the third information, determines the first resource, and generates a TB at the MAC layer based on the first resource, or generates first data at the MAC layer based on the first resource.

[0199] Optionally, the third information may also include information such as channel state information between the second node and the terminal device. When the first node generates the first data based on the second data volume or the first resource, it may also generate the first data based on this channel state information.

[0200] To enable the second node to process the received first data at the physical layer, the first node can also send some information to the second node for physical layer processing. For example, the first node can also send a sixth indication message to the second node, which can be used for the second node's physical layer processing. This sixth indication message may include one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID. The sixth indication message can be sent to the second node along with the first data, or it can be sent to the second node before sending the first data.

[0201] The second node receives the first data and information for physical layer processing of the second node, can determine a first resource from the candidate resources that can be used to transmit the first data, and use the first resource to send the first data to the terminal device.

[0202] S703b: The second node sends a fourth indication message to the first node, and correspondingly, the first node receives the fourth indication message from the second node.

[0203] In possible scenarios, when the second node currently has no candidate resources, it does not send a second or third message to the first node. In this case, the second node can use a later resource, thus indicating to the first node that the transmission of the first data will be delayed. For example, the second node can send a fourth indication message to the first node, which indicates that the second node currently has no candidate resources, implicitly indicating that the transmission of the first data will be delayed. Alternatively, the fourth indication message can indicate that the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data. Alternatively, the fourth indication message can include a first duration, which is the delay caused by the first resource, implicitly indicating that the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data. Alternatively, the fourth indication message can include a first duration and also indicate that the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data.

[0204] S704b: The second node sends a fifth instruction message to the first node, and correspondingly, the first node receives the fifth instruction message from the second node.

[0205] In a possible scenario, the second node may not have available resources for a certain period of time. In this case, the second node may send a fifth indication message to the first node, indicating that the second node has no candidate resources for a second period of time. Upon receiving the fifth indication message, the first node can determine that it will send the first data to the terminal device. For example, upon receiving the fifth indication message, the first node may use the resources between the first node and the terminal device to send the first data to the terminal device.

[0206] When S702b is executed, S703b and S704b may not be executed. When S702b is not executed, S703b, S704b, or both S703b and S704b may be executed.

[0207] It should be noted that executing the process in Case 1 does not necessarily require executing the process in Case 2; conversely, executing the process in Case 2 does not necessarily require executing the process in Case 1. Furthermore, Case 1 and Case 2 can be combined. For example, in Case 1, the first node can request resources from the second node once, and subsequently, during data transmission, the first node can request resources from the second node again. Alternatively, the first node can first send at least one first radio bearer message to the second node, and subsequently, the first node can also send first information to the second node.

[0208] Method 2: The first node determines the first resource and instructs the second node to reserve the first resource.

[0209] In Method 2, the first resource is determined by the first node. After determining the first resource, the first node instructs the second node to reserve the first resource. In this way, when the first data arrives at the second node, appropriate resources can be allocated to the first data in a timely manner based on the first resource reserved by the second node, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the first data.

[0210] The first resource can be either a periodic or a non-periodic resource. The first node can determine the first resource from the candidate resources of the second node and instruct the second node to reserve the first resource. For example, the process of Method 2 may include S701c to S703c.

[0211] S701c, the first node can send a first request message to the second node, and correspondingly, the second node receives the first request message from the first node.

[0212] The first request message can be used to request candidate resources from the second node. Upon receiving the first request message, the second node responds by sending resource information to the first node, which can be used to indicate the candidate resources of the second node.

[0213] S702c, The first node determines the first resource based on the resource information.

[0214] For example, the first node can determine the first resource from the candidate resources of the second node based on at least one first radio bearer information. The method by which the first node determines the first resource from the candidate resources of the second node based on at least one first radio bearer information is similar to the method described above for the second node to determine the first resource based on at least one first radio bearer information, and will not be repeated here.

[0215] Optionally, in addition to sending resource information to the first node, the second node can also send more information to the first node to assist the first node in determining the first resource. For example, the second node can also send channel state information between the second node and the terminal device, and information about the terminal device (such as the terminal device's capabilities and the number of antennas). The first node can refer to this information when determining the first resource. For example, the first node can select the resource with better channel state from the candidate resources of the second node as the first resource.

[0216] S703c, the first node sends a third instruction message to the second node, and correspondingly, the second node receives the third instruction message from the first node.

[0217] After the first node determines the first resource, it sends third indication information to the second node. This third indication information instructs the second node to reserve the first resource. Optionally, the third indication information may include information about the first resource to instruct the second node to reserve it. For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the third indication information may include the start position and periodic information of the first resource; or, the third indication information may include the end position and periodic information of the first resource; or, the third indication information may include the start position and transmission period of a TB. The second node receives the third indication information, determines the first resource based on it, and reserves the first resource. Alternatively, the third indication information and the information about the first resource may be sent to the second node separately. The second node receives both the third indication information and the information about the first resource and reserves the first resource.

[0218] It should be noted that when the first node and the second node are in a CU-DU separated architecture, the aforementioned at least one first radio bearer information can be determined by the CU of the first node. After determining at least one first radio bearer information, the CU of the first node sends a first request message to the CU of the second node. The CU of the second node receives the first request message and generates resource information based on the resource status of the DU of the second node. Alternatively, the CU of the second node receives the first request message, sends the first request message to the DU of the second node, the DU of the second node generates resource information based on the resource status of the DU of the second node, and sends the resource information to the CU of the second node.

[0219] The CU of the second node sends resource information to the CU of the first node. The CU of the first node determines the first resource based on the resource information. The CU of the first node instructs the CU of the second node to reserve the first resource. The CU of the second node instructs the DU of the second node to reserve the first resource.

[0220] Based on Method 2, the first node can determine a periodic first resource based on the candidate resources of the second node, and instruct the second node to reserve the first resource through a third indication message, so that the first node can subsequently distribute traffic according to the first resource. Method 2 eliminates the need for the first node to request resources from the second node multiple times, reducing signaling overhead. Furthermore, it avoids the additional latency caused by multiple interactions between the first and second nodes to negotiate resources, thus maximizing the transmission efficiency of data distributed from the first node to the second node.

[0221] It should be noted that, in some scenarios, the second node can proactively inform the first node of the candidate resources; therefore, S701c is not a mandatory step. Figure 7 The diagram is illustrated with a dotted line. Additionally, if the process in Method 1 is executed, the process in Method 2 may not be executed; conversely, if the process in Method 2 is executed, the process in Method 1 may not be executed.

[0222] In either method one or method two above, the first node and the second node interact multiple times to negotiate the first resource. The first node then performs TB packet assembly based on the first resource, generates and sends the first data.

[0223] As an alternative solution, the first node can send the first data to the second node first, without requiring the first and second nodes to negotiate the first resource beforehand, in order to achieve the fastest possible transmission of the first data. For example, the first node can generate the first data based on the reserved resources of the second node and send the first data to the second node; the second node receives the first data and decides how to send it.

[0224] In a possible implementation, the second node may indicate to the first node the resources it has reserved. Optionally, the second node may also indicate to the first node the amount of data that the reserved resources can transmit. The first node may perform TB packetization in the MAC entity based on the resources reserved by the second node, generate first data, and send the first data to the second node. To enable the second node to process the received first data at the physical layer, the first node may also send some information for the second node's physical layer processing. For example, the first node may also send sixth indication information to the second node, which can be used for the second node's physical layer processing. For example, the sixth indication information may include one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID.

[0225] The second node receives the first data and information for physical layer processing of the second node, can determine a first resource from the candidate resources that can be used to transmit the first data, and use the first resource to send the first data to the terminal device.

[0226] In possible scenarios, the second node's current candidate resources are insufficient to successfully transmit the first data, or the second node does not have enough candidate resources to transmit the first resource. In this case, the second node can use a later resource as the first resource. The second node can indicate to the first node that the transmission of the first data will be delayed. For example, the second node can send a fourth indication message to the first node, which indicates that the second node currently has no candidate resources, implicitly indicating that the transmission of the first data will be delayed. Alternatively, the fourth indication message can indicate that the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data. Alternatively, the fourth indication message can include a first duration, which is the delay caused by the first resource, implicitly indicating that the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data. Alternatively, the fourth indication message can include a first duration and also indicate that the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data.

[0227] In a possible scenario, the second node has no available resources for a certain period of time. In this case, the second node may send a fifth indication message to the first node, which indicates that the second node has no candidate resources for the second period of time. The first node's determination of the first resource includes the first node's determination that there are no candidate resources for the second period of time. Upon receiving the fifth indication message, the first node may determine that it will send the first data to the terminal device. For example, upon receiving the fifth indication message, the first node may use the resources between the first node and the terminal device to send the first data to the terminal device.

[0228] Optionally, the second node does not need to indicate its candidate resources to the first node. The first node can predict the candidate resources of the second node. For example, the second node can be (pre)configured to periodically provide feedback on candidate resources, periodically provide feedback on successful transmission, periodically provide feedback on latency caused by available resources, etc., so that the first node can better predict the candidate resources of the second node. The first node can predict the candidate resources of the second node based on an AI / ML model.

[0229] It should be noted that when the first node and the second node are in a CU-DU separated architecture, if the second node does not have sufficient resources to transmit the first resource, or the candidate resources of the second node are insufficient to transmit the first data, or the resources used by the second node may cause an increase in the latency of the first data transmission, the DU of the second node can provide feedback to the CU of the second node. For example, the DU of the second node can send a fourth indication message and / or a fifth indication message to the CU of the second node. The CU of the second node receives the fifth or sixth indication message and sends the fourth and / or fifth indication message to the DU of the first node. The DU of the first node receives the fourth and / or fifth indication message and predicts the candidate resources of the second node. The DU of the first node can predict the candidate resources of the second node based on an AI / ML model.

[0230] Scenario 1 in Method 1 can be used for initial data transmission, and Method 2 can also be used for initial data transmission. Scenario 2 in Method 1 can be used for retransmission of data. The scheme where the first node generates the first data based on the reserved resources of the second node and then sends the first data to the second node can be used for retransmission of data. Or, in other words, for... Figure 6 In (a) and (b), the retransmitted data is not transmitted across nodes, but only within the current node.

[0231] S72, the second node sends the first data to the terminal device.

[0232] After determining the first resource according to either method one or method two, the first node performs TB packetization based on the first resource to generate first data and sends the first data to the second node. Alternatively, the first node prioritizes performing TB packetization based on the reserved resources of the second node, generates first data, and then sends the first data to the second node. The second node receives the first data and sends it to the terminal device.

[0233] Optionally, the terminal device can also send feedback to the first node regarding whether the first data was successfully received. For example, the terminal device sends uplink control information (UCI) through the first node's physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), which can be used to indicate whether the first data was successfully transmitted. The first node receives the UCI, and if the UCI indicates that the first data transmission failed, the first node can retransmit the first data. The retransmitted data will always be transmitted at the first node.

[0234] S73, The terminal device receives the seventh instruction information.

[0235] The seventh indication information may include (or be) scheduling information of the terminal device. For example, the seventh indication information may indicate a first resource. For example, the seventh indication information includes information about the first resource. For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the seventh indication information may include the start position of the first resource and the periodic information of the first resource. Alternatively, the seventh indication information may include the end position of the first resource and the periodic information of the first resource. The terminal device receives the seventh indication information and determines, based on the seventh indication information, to receive first data on the first resource.

[0236] The terminal device can receive the seventh indication information from either the first node or the second node. The specific implementation of the terminal device receiving the seventh indication information varies depending on whether the first indication information indicates the first resource. Examples are given below.

[0237] Example 1: The first resource is determined by the second node and indicated to the first node through the first instruction information.

[0238] In Example 1, the seventh instruction information can be sent to the terminal device by the first node or by the second node.

[0239] For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the second node determines the first resource based on the aforementioned method one, sends first indication information to the first node, and may also send seventh indication information to the terminal device. The first indication information may include the start position and periodic information of the first resource, or it may include the end position and periodic information of the first resource. The seventh indication information may be carried in an RRC message, or it may be an RRC message itself.

[0240] For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the second node determines the first resource based on the aforementioned method one and sends a first indication message to the first node. The first node receives the first indication message and sends a seventh indication message to the terminal device. The seventh indication message can be carried in an RRC message, or it can be an RRC message itself.

[0241] Optionally, if the first indication information is contained within the RRC container, or if the first indication information is an RRC container, then the seventh indication information can be the RRC container. Upon receiving the first indication information, the first node can send the RRC container to the terminal device.

[0242] For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the second node determines the first resource based on the aforementioned method one and indicates the TB size, the start position of the TB transmission, and the transmission period of the TB to the first node. In this case, the second node can also send a seventh indication information to the terminal device. This seventh indication information can be carried in an RRC message, or the seventh indication information is an RRC message. The seventh indication information may include the start position of the first resource and the periodic information of the first resource. Alternatively, the seventh indication information may include the end position of the first resource and the periodic information of the first resource.

[0243] Example 2: The first resource is determined by the first node.

[0244] For example, the first node, having determined the first resource using the aforementioned method two, can send the seventh indication information to the terminal device. This seventh indication information can be carried in DCI, or the seventh indication information can be DCI.

[0245] Optionally, the seventh indication information may also indicate that the first resource is a resource between the second node and the terminal device.

[0246] Optionally, the seventh indication information may include, in addition to the first resource, a resource between the first node and the terminal device (e.g., referred to as the second resource). In this case, the seventh indication information may also indicate that the first resource is a resource between the second node and the terminal device, and / or indicate that the first resource is a resource between the first node and the terminal device.

[0247] It should be noted that there are no restrictions on the execution order of S702 and S703. For example, S702 can be executed before or after S703.

[0248] In the method provided in this application embodiment, the first node copies or offloads the data to be transmitted to the terminal device at the MAC entity, and then sends it to the terminal device through the second node. The first node can decide on the offloading strategy based on the resource situation of the second node, thereby enabling more reasonable offloading. For example, when the candidate resources of the second node are small, less data can be offloaded to the second node. Compared with offloading using PDCP as the anchor point, this can improve data transmission efficiency.

[0249] In the embodiments provided above, the method provided by the embodiments of this application is described using the execution of a first node, a second node, and a terminal device as examples. In this application, each embodiment can be implemented independently or in combination based on certain inherent connections; in each embodiment, different implementation methods can be implemented in combination or independently. To achieve the functions in the method provided by the embodiments of this application above, the steps executed by the first node can be implemented by the first node itself or by different functional entities constituting the first node. For example, the first node is an access network device, which can be a CU-DU-RU architecture, where the DU can generate first indication information and the RU can send the first indication information. The steps executed by the second node can be implemented by the second node itself or by different functional entities constituting the second node. To achieve the functions in the method provided by the embodiments of this application above, the second node, the terminal device, and the first node can include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. Whether a certain function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0250] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiments, this application provides a communication device. The communication device used to implement the above method in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The content above can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated content will not be repeated.

[0251] Figure 8This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 800 can correspondingly implement the functions or steps implemented by the first node, terminal device, or second node in the various method embodiments described above. For example, the communication device 800 may be... Figure 1 The communication device 800 can be a first access network node; or, the communication device 800 can be a chip (system) in the first access network node; or, the communication device 800 can be a software module of the second node. Alternatively, the communication device 800 can correspondingly implement the functions or steps implemented by the second node in the above method embodiments. For example, the communication device 800 can be... Figure 1 The second access network node; or, the communication device 800 is a chip (system) in the second access network node; or, the communication device 800 is a software module of the second access network node. Alternatively, the communication device 800 can correspondingly implement the functions or steps implemented by the terminal device in the above-described method embodiments. For example, the communication device 800 can be... Figure 1 The communication device 800 can be a terminal device; or, the communication device 800 can be a chip (system) within the terminal device; or, the communication device 800 can be a software module of the terminal device. The communication device 800 may include a processing module 810 and a transceiver module 820. Optionally, it may also include a storage module, which can be used to store instructions (code or programs) and / or data. The storage module may be, for example, a memory. The processing module 810 and the transceiver module 820 may be coupled to the storage module. For example, the processing module 810 can read instructions (code or programs) and / or data from the storage module to implement a corresponding method. When the communication device 800 is a chip in a first node, second node, or terminal device, the storage module may be a storage module within the chip, such as a register, cache, etc. For example, the storage module may also be a storage module located outside the chip within the first node, second node, or terminal device, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), etc. The above-mentioned units can be set up independently, or they can be partially or fully integrated.

[0252] Processing module 810 may be a processor or controller, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processing unit (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc. Transceiver module 820 is a transceiver, interface circuit, bus, pin, or other possible communication interface for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, transceiver module 820 is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit for the chip to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0253] In one implementation, the communication device 800 can correspondingly implement the behavior and function of the first node in the above method embodiments. The communication device 800 can be the first node, a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) within the first node, a part of a chip or chipset in the first node used to execute the relevant method function, or a software module in the first node capable of implementing the above communication method; there are no limitations. For details, please refer to the relevant content of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] For example, processing module 810 is used to determine a first resource for transmitting first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the first and second nodes. Transceiver module 820 is used to send the first data to the second node.

[0255] Optionally, the primary resource can be either a periodic resource or an aperiodic resource.

[0256] As an optional implementation, the processing module 810 is specifically used to determine the first resource based on the first indication information, which comes from the second node. The transceiver module 820 is used to receive the first indication information from the second node.

[0257] Optionally, the first indication information may include information about the first resource. For example, if the first resource is a periodic resource, the first indication information may include the start position and period of the first resource; or, the first indication information may include the end position and period of the first resource; or, the first indication information may include the start position of the transport block (TB) transmission and the transmission period of the TB. As another example, if the first resource is an aperiodic resource, the first indication information may include the start position and end position of the first resource.

[0258] Optionally, the first indication information may also include the terminal device's capability information and / or channel status information. The capability information may indicate whether the terminal device supports MAC-based cross-node transmission, and the channel status information may indicate the channel status between the second node and the terminal device.

[0259] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send at least one first radio bearer information to the second node, the first radio bearer information including one or more of the following: radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information.

[0260] Optionally, the QoS information associated with the first radio bearer includes one or more QoS flows associated with the first radio bearer, and QoS parameters corresponding to each QoS flow; or, the QoS information associated with the first radio bearer includes QoS parameters corresponding to the first radio bearer.

[0261] Optionally, the logical channel configuration information includes one or more of the following: logical channel group configuration, logical channel priority, or priority bit rate.

[0262] As an optional implementation, the first radio bearer information also includes offloading indication information, which is used to instruct the first node to send part of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the offloading indication information is used to instruct the first node to copy the data of the first radio bearer and send it to the second node.

[0263] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send second indication information to the second node, the second indication information being used to indicate a traffic splitting ratio, the traffic splitting ratio including at least one first wireless bearer's traffic splitting ratio between the first node and the second node; or, the traffic splitting ratio including the first wireless bearer's traffic splitting ratio between the first node and the second node.

[0264] As an optional implementation, the processing module 810 is used to determine a first resource based on resource information from the second node, which indicates the candidate resources of the second node. The candidate resources of the second node can be understood as resources that the second node can use.

[0265] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send a third indication message to the second node, which instructs the second node to reserve the first resource.

[0266] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send first information to the second node, the first information being used to indicate a first data volume, which is the data volume of the data to be transmitted by the first node to the terminal device.

[0267] As an optional implementation, the processing module 810 is also used to generate first data based on the second data volume from the second node or the first resource, wherein the second data volume is the amount of data that the second node supports for transmission.

[0268] As an optional implementation, the processing module 810 is specifically used to generate first data based on the reserved resources of the second node and send the first data to the second node, wherein the first resources are determined based on the reserved resources of the second node.

[0269] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to receive a fourth indication information from the second node, which indicates that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or that the fourth indication information indicates that a first duration and / or a first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data, wherein the first duration is the delay caused by the first resource.

[0270] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to receive a fifth indication message from the second node, which indicates that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time period.

[0271] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send a sixth indication information to the second node. This sixth indication information is used for the physical layer processing of the second node and includes one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID.

[0272] In one implementation, the communication device 800 can correspondingly implement the behavior and functions of the second node in the above method embodiments. The communication device 800 can be the second node, a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) within the second node, a part of a chip or chipset in the second node used to execute related method functions, or a software module in the second node capable of implementing the above communication method; there are no limitations. For details, please refer to the relevant content of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0273] For example, the transceiver module 820 is used to receive at least one first radio bearer information from the first node, send first indication information to the first node, and receive first data from the first node. The first radio bearer information includes one or more of the following: a radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information. The first indication information is used to indicate a first resource, which is used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the second node and the first node.

[0274] As an optional implementation, the first radio bearer information also includes offloading indication information, which is used to instruct the first node to send part of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the offloading indication information is used to instruct the first node to copy the data of the first radio bearer and send it to the second node.

[0275] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also configured to receive second indication information from the first node, the second indication information being used to indicate a traffic splitting ratio, the traffic splitting ratio including at least one first wireless bearer splitting ratio between the first node and the second node; or, the traffic splitting ratio including the first wireless bearer splitting ratio between the first node and the second node.

[0276] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to receive first information from the first node, which indicates a first data volume, which is the amount of data that the first node needs to transmit to the terminal device.

[0277] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send information about a second data volume or information about a first resource to the first node, wherein the second data volume is the amount of data that the second node supports transmitting.

[0278] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send a fourth indication information to the first node, which indicates that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or that the fourth indication information indicates that a first duration and / or the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data, wherein the first duration is the delay caused by the first resource.

[0279] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send a fifth indication message to the first node, which indicates that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time period.

[0280] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to receive a sixth indication information from the first node, which is used for the physical layer processing of the second node. The sixth indication information includes one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID.

[0281] For example, transceiver module 820 is used to receive third indication information from the first node. Processing module 810 is used to reserve first resources. Transceiver module 820 is also used to receive first data from the first node. The third indication information is used to instruct the second node to reserve the first resources, which are used for transmitting the first data between the second node and the terminal device. The terminal device has an air interface connection with both the second node and the first node.

[0282] As an optional implementation, the first radio bearer information also includes offloading indication information, which is used to instruct the first node to send part of the data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the offloading indication information is used to instruct the first node to copy the data of the first radio bearer and send it to the second node.

[0283] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also configured to receive second indication information from the first node, the second indication information being used to indicate a traffic splitting ratio, the traffic splitting ratio including at least one first wireless bearer splitting ratio between the first node and the second node; or, the traffic splitting ratio including the first wireless bearer splitting ratio between the first node and the second node.

[0284] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to receive first information from the first node, which indicates a first data volume, which is the amount of data that the first node needs to transmit to the terminal device.

[0285] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send information about a second data volume or information about a first resource to the first node, wherein the second data volume is the amount of data that the second node supports transmitting.

[0286] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send a fourth indication information to the first node, which indicates that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or that the fourth indication information indicates that a first duration and / or the first resource will increase the transmission delay of the first data, wherein the first duration is the delay caused by the first resource.

[0287] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to send a fifth indication message to the first node, which indicates that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time period.

[0288] As an optional implementation, the transceiver module 820 is also used to receive a sixth indication information from the first node, which is used for the physical layer processing of the second node. The sixth indication information includes one or more of the following: NDI, RV, or process ID.

[0289] When the communication device 800 is a chip-based device or circuit, the transceiver module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0290] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 900 can be a first node, a second node, or a terminal device as described in the above embodiments. For example, the communication device 900 can be... Figure 1 The first node or the chip (system) within the first node. For example, the communication device 900 could be... Figure 1 The second node or the chip (system) within the second node. For example, the communication device 900 could be... Figure 1 The terminal device or the chip (system) within the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. For specific functions, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0291] The communication device 900 includes one or more processors 901, used to implement or support the communication device 900 in implementing the functions of the first node, second node, or terminal device in the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the method examples, which will not be repeated here. The processor 901 can also be called a processing unit or processing module, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 901 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it includes: a baseband processor, a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 900 (e.g., the first node, second node, or terminal device), execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0292] In one design, processor 901 may include program 903 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which can be executed on processor 901 to cause communication device 900 to perform the methods described in the embodiments below. In yet another possible design, communication device 900 includes circuitry (…). Figure 9 (Not shown), the circuit is used to implement the functions of the first node, the second node, or the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0293] In one design, the communication device 900 may include one or more memories 902 storing a program 904 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 901 to cause the communication device 900 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0294] In one design, the processor 901 and / or memory 902 may include AI modules 907 and 908, which are used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​modules may be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​modules may include RIC modules. For instance, the AI ​​modules may be near real-time RICs or non-real-time RICs.

[0295] In one possible design, the processor 901 and / or memory 902 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0296] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may further include a transceiver 905 and / or an antenna 906. The processor 901, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device 900. The transceiver 905, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 900 through the antenna 906.

[0297] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It is understood that in some embodiments, the communication device 900 may include more or fewer components, or some components may be integrated, or some components may be separated. These components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0298] The communication device in the above embodiments can be a first node, a second node, or a terminal device. It can also be a circuit, a chip applied in a first node, second node, or terminal device, or other combined devices or components having the aforementioned first node, second node, or terminal device. When the communication device is a first node, second node, or terminal device, the transceiver module can be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits, etc., and the processing module can be a processor, such as a CPU. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be an FPGA, a dedicated ASIC, a SoC, a CPU, a network processor (NP), a DSP, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. The processing module can be the processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or communication interface can be the input / output interface or interface circuit of the chip system. For example, the interface circuit can be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit can be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in memory and can be read directly from memory or through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor can then execute the code instructions to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver.

[0299] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first node, a second node, and at least one terminal device. The first node is used to implement the functions related to the communication method described above, the second node is used to implement the functions related to the communication method described above, and the terminal device is used to implement the functions related to the communication method described above.

[0300] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method executed by the first node, the second node, or the terminal device in the above-described communication method.

[0301] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer program code, which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method executed by the first node, the second node, or the terminal device in the above-described communication method.

[0302] This application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the functions of a first node, a second node, or a terminal device in the aforementioned communication method. The chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0303] To achieve the above Figures 8-9 In addition to the functions of the communication device, this application also provides a chip, including a processor, for supporting the communication device in implementing the functions involved in the first node, second node, or terminal device in the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the chip is connected to a memory or the chip includes a memory for storing the computer programs or instructions and data necessary for the communication device.

[0304] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply 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 embodiments of this application.

[0305] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0306] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0307] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0308] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0309] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essential contributing part of the technical solution of this application, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0310] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first data to a second node according to a first resource, the first resource being used for transmitting the first data between the second node and a terminal device, the terminal device having an air interface connection between the second node and a first node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: determining the first resource according to first indication information, the first indication information being from the second node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending at least one first radio bearer information to the second node, the first radio bearer information comprising one or more of the following: a radio bearer identifier, first radio bearer associated quality of service (QoS) information, or logical channel configuration information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first radio bearer information further comprises split indication information, the split indication information being used to instruct the first node to send part of data of the first radio bearer to the second node, or the split indication information being used to instruct the first node to copy data of the first radio bearer and send the data to the second node.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein, The method further comprises: sending second indication information to the second node, the second indication information being used to indicate a split proportion, the split proportion comprising a split proportion of the at least one first radio bearer between the first node and the second node; or the split proportion comprising a split proportion of the first radio bearer between the first node and the second node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: determining the first resource according to resource information from the second node, the resource information being used to indicate candidate resources of the second node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: sending third indication information to the second node, the third indication information being used to instruct the second node to reserve the first resource.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending first information to the second node, the first information being used to indicate a first data amount, the first data amount being an amount of data to be transmitted by the first node to the terminal device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: generating the first data according to a second data amount from the second node or the first resource, the second data amount being an amount of data supported for transmission by the second node.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending the first data to the second node according to the first resource, comprising:

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, generating the first data according to a reserved resource of the second node, and sending the first data to the second node, the first resource being determined based on the reserved resource of the second node. The method further comprises:

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein, receiving fourth indication information from the second node, the fourth indication information being used to indicate that the second node currently has no candidate resource, or the fourth indication information being used to indicate a first time length and / or that the first resource will increase a transmission delay of the first data, the first time length being a delay caused by the first resource. The method further comprises:

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein, receiving fifth indication information from the second node, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that the second node has no candidate resource within a second time length. The method further comprises: The sixth indication information is used for physical layer processing of the second node, and the sixth indication information includes one or more of the following: a new data indicator (NDI), a redundancy version (RV), or a process ID.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: receiving at least one first radio bearer information from a first node, the first radio bearer information including one or more of the following: a radio bearer identifier, QoS information associated with the first radio bearer, or logical channel configuration information; sending first indication information to the first node, the first indication information being used to indicate first resources, the first resources being used for transmission of first data between the second node and a terminal device, the terminal device having an air interface connection between the second node and the first node; receiving the first data from the first node.

15. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: receiving third indication information from a first node, the third indication information being used to indicate that the second node reserves first resources, the first resources being used for transmission of first data between the second node and a terminal device, the terminal device having an air interface connection between the second node and the first node; reserving the first resources; receiving the first data from the first node.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first radio bearer information further includes split indication information, the split indication information being used to indicate that the first node sends part of the first radio bearer data to the second node, or the split indication information being used to indicate that the first node copies the first radio bearer data and sends it to the second node.

17. The method of claim 14 or 16, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second indication information from the first node, the second indication information being used to indicate a split ratio, the split ratio including a split ratio of the at least one first radio bearer between the first node and the second node; or the split ratio including a split ratio of the first radio bearer between the first node and the second node.

18. The method of any one of claims 14-17, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first information from the first node, the first information being used to indicate a first data amount, the first data amount being a data amount of data to be transmitted by the first node to the terminal device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The method further comprises: sending information of a second data amount or information of the first resources to the first node, the second data amount being a data amount supported by the second node for transmission.

20. The method of any one of claims 14-18, wherein, The method further comprises: sending fourth indication information to the first node, the fourth indication information being used to indicate that the second node currently has no candidate resources, or the fourth indication information being used to indicate a first time length and / or that the first resources will increase transmission latency of the first data, the first time length being latency caused by the first resources.

21. The method of any one of claims 15-18, wherein, The method further comprises: sending fifth indication information to the first node, the fifth indication information being used to indicate that the second node has no candidate resources within a second time length.

22. The method of any one of claims 1-21, wherein, The method further comprises: receive sixth indication information from the first node, the sixth indication information being used for physical layer processing of the second node, the sixth indication information comprising one or more of: a new data indicator, NDI, a redundancy version, RV, or a process ID.

23. A communications device, characterized by comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1-13, or comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 14-22.

24. A communications device, characterized by the communication device comprises at least one processor configured to cause the method of any one of claims 1-13 to be performed by the communication device, or the at least one processor is configured to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 14-22.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, the computer readable storage medium is for storing a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1-13 to be performed, or the method of any one of claims 14-22 to be performed.

26. A computer program product, characterised in that, the computer program product comprises a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1-13 to be performed, or the method of any one of claims 14-22 to be performed.

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