Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a communication device, relates to the field of communication, and can be applied to an NTN, such as a satellite communication system. The method comprises the following steps: receiving configuration information of a first radio bearer (RB), wherein the configuration information of the first RB comprises configuration information of a first transmission mode and configuration information of a second transmission mode, the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism, and the second transmission mode does not support the retransmission mechanism; and performing voice service related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode. By simultaneously configuring multiple transmission modes for the first RB, different transmission modes can be used in the communication process of voice service to meet various requirements of voice service. The scheme can reduce the transmission delay of voice data while ensuring the reliability of signaling transmission, avoids phenomena such as lagging of voice, and thus helps to improve the quality of service transmission and guarantee the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, specifically to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of communication technology, communication systems can now support voice services, such as voice services based on the Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Voice services offer users a more stable and richer real-time interactive experience. Currently, voice services can be applied to terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In the future, voice services may be applied to scenarios such as narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) access to NTNs.

[0003] However, there is still room for improvement in the transmission performance of voice services. For example, if NB-IoT terminals transmit voice services using existing communication mechanisms, the transmission latency may be relatively high, potentially leading to stuttering, interruptions, and other issues that negatively impact the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device that can improve the transmission performance of voice services and enhance user experience.

[0005] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to a terminal side, such as a terminal or a component within the terminal (e.g., a module, communication module, circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core)). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. In this method: configuration information of a first radio bearer (RB) is received. The configuration information of the first RB includes configuration information of a first transmission mode and configuration information of a second transmission mode. The first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. Based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, voice service-related communication is performed through the first RB.

[0006] The first transmission mode mentioned above supports a retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. This can be replaced by one or more of the following: the transmission performance of the first and second transmission modes, such as reliability and transmission latency, is partially or completely different; the first transmission mode supports an error correction mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not; both the first and second transmission modes support error correction mechanisms, and the reliability of the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than that supported by the second transmission mode; or, the quality of service (QoS) parameters associated with the first and second transmission modes are partially or completely different.

[0007] For example, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of a protocol layer used to provide data services and / or manage data transmission. For instance, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the radio link control (RLC) layer. It should be understood that the RLC layer may be replaced with other names in the future, or the current functions of the RLC layer may be integrated into other protocol layers, or the current functions of the RLC layer may be implemented jointly by multiple protocol layers. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of a first protocol layer, which can implement some or all of the functions of the RLC layer.

[0008] In this embodiment of the application, by configuring multiple transmission modes simultaneously for the first RB, the terminal device and the network device can adopt different transmission modes in multiple communication processes involved in the voice service, thereby meeting the transmission requirements of different communication processes and helping to improve the performance of the voice service.

[0009] For example, the transmission mode used by the transmission RB can be switched according to the business process, thus using the appropriate transmission mode according to the characteristics or requirements of the business process. For instance, using the first transmission mode to perform the voice service establishment process helps ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Or, after the voice service is established, using the second transmission mode helps reduce the transmission latency of voice data.

[0010] For example, using different transmission modes for different types of information related to voice services can match the different transmission requirements of different types of data. For instance, using the first transmission mode to transmit signaling related to voice services helps ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Conversely, using the second transmission mode to transmit data related to voice services helps reduce the transmission latency of voice data.

[0011] For example, through the interaction of instruction information, when the network device itself cannot perceive the voice service process, or the terminal device or network device cannot perceive the information type of the voice service, the terminal device or network device can be enabled to determine the transmission mode to ensure that the terminal device and the network device adopt the same transmission mode and ensure the normal transmission of voice services.

[0012] It can be seen that the transmission mechanism provided by this solution can reduce the transmission latency of voice data while ensuring the reliability of signaling transmission and avoiding voice interruptions, thereby helping to improve the quality of service transmission and ensure user experience.

[0013] In some embodiments, the default transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode.

[0014] For example, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be configured, preconfigured, predefined, or protocol-defined, thereby helping to reduce processing complexity. Alternatively, the network device can indicate the default transmission mode of the first RB to the terminal device, thereby helping to flexibly match system requirements.

[0015] In addition, network devices may not be able to detect whether the voice service establishment process is complete or the type of information related to the voice service. In this case, the terminal device and the network device can adopt the default transmission mode of the first RB to ensure that the terminal device and the network device use the same transmission mode for the first RB so as to transmit normally.

[0016] In some embodiments, the communication related to voice services through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: performing a voice service establishment process based on the first transmission mode.

[0017] The voice service establishment process mainly involves signaling interaction. Since the first transmission mode has high reliability, using it to perform the voice service establishment process helps improve the reliability of voice service establishment and provides a foundation for subsequent voice service-related communications.

[0018] In some embodiments, the step of conducting voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: when the voice service establishment process is completed, conducting voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the second transmission mode.

[0019] After the voice service is established, it mainly involves the transmission of voice service data. With the voice service established, communication related to the voice service is conducted through the first RB based on the second transmission mode. This helps reduce the transmission latency of voice service data, thereby helping to avoid interruptions in the voice service and improving the user experience.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further includes: switching the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0021] Since the configurations of the first and second transmission modes are usually different, by performing a transmission mode switching operation, the relevant parameters can be reconfigured according to the transmission mode, providing a basis for subsequent communication.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate that the voice service establishment process is complete.

[0023] The first information enables network devices to know that the voice service establishment process is complete, so as to support network devices in determining the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0024] In some embodiments, the voice service-related information type includes signaling or data. The step of performing voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the voice service-related information type, wherein, when the voice service-related information type is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; when the voice service-related information type is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; and performing the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0025] This solution can dynamically adjust the transmission mode of the first RB according to the information type related to voice services, which helps to improve flexibility and better match the various transmission needs throughout the entire voice service process.

[0026] In some embodiments, the method further includes sending second information, the second information being used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information type related to the voice service.

[0027] For uplink voice services, the network device itself may not be able to perceive the information type related to the voice service. By sending a second piece of information to the network device, the network device can determine the transmission mode of the first RB, thereby maintaining consistency with the transmission mode of the first RB on the terminal device side and ensuring correct data transmission.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or the voice service-related information type, the voice service-related information type including signaling or data; the step of performing voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the third information; and performing the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0029] For downlink voice services, the terminal device may not be able to perceive the type of information related to the voice service in advance. The network device enables the terminal device to determine the transmission mode of the first RB by indicating third information, thereby ensuring consistency with the transmission mode of the first RB on the network device side and guaranteeing correct data transmission.

[0030] In some embodiments, the third information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data; or, the third information is used to indicate the transmission mode information; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the transmission mode information is information of the first transmission mode, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the transmission mode information is information of the second transmission mode. The mode is the second transmission mode; or, the third information is used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the third information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; if the third information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the third information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the third information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode.

[0031] When the third information includes transmission mode information, the terminal device can directly determine the transmission mode of the first RB based on the third information, which is simple to implement.

[0032] If the third information indicates whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, and the third information does not indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB or if the third information is not received, the terminal does not need to perform any operation, such as not needing to determine the current transmission mode, which helps to reduce complexity.

[0033] In some embodiments, if the determination result of the transmission mode of the first RB is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the method further includes: switching the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0034] In the above scheme, the transmission mode of the first RB can be flexibly switched according to the information type related to voice services. Since the configurations of the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode are usually different, by performing a transmission mode switching operation, the relevant parameters can be reconfigured according to the transmission mode, providing a basis for subsequent communication.

[0035] In some embodiments, switching the transmission mode of the first RB includes one or more of the following operations: resetting the Radio Link Control (RLC) sequence number; managing the RLC timer; clearing the RLC buffer; resetting the Medium Access Control (MAC) timer; resetting or initializing the logical channel priority parameter; or clearing the Hybrid Automatic Repeat-Request (HARQ) buffer.

[0036] Different transmission modes may use different timers, so reconfiguring the timer during the switching process can ensure the normal operation of the transmission mode. Generally, cached data becomes invalid after switching transmission modes, so discarding cached data packets during the switching process can optimize memory management.

[0037] In some embodiments, when switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: disabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a specific value; disabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a specific value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer. When switching from the second transmission mode to the first transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: enabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a configured value; enabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a configured value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer.

[0038] The first transmission mode requires the use of polling retransmission timers and state freeze timers, but the second transmission mode does not. Therefore, during the switching process, these timers can be managed according to the switching method of the transmission mode. Additionally, multiple transmission modes may require the use of the same timers. Therefore, during the switching process, the timers can be reset or reconfigured to avoid the influence of the previously used transmission mode on the current transmission.

[0039] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0040] Acknowledgment modes, such as the acknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, support retransmission mechanisms and offer high reliability. Unacknowledgment modes, such as the unacknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, do not support retransmission mechanisms but offer higher real-time performance. Therefore, using both acknowledgment and unacknowledgment modes for voice service-related communication helps meet different transmission requirements during voice service transmission and improves transmission performance.

[0041] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as network devices or components within network devices (e.g., modules, communication modules, circuits or chips responsible for communication functions (e.g., modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores)). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. In this method: configuration information of a first radio bearer (RB) is sent, the configuration information of the first RB including configuration information of a first transmission mode and configuration information of a second transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism, and the second transmission mode does not support a retransmission mechanism; based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, voice service-related communication is performed through the first RB.

[0042] The first transmission mode mentioned above supports a retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. This can be replaced by one or more of the following: the transmission performance of the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode are partially or completely different, such as reliability and transmission latency; the first transmission mode supports an error correction mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not; both the first and second transmission modes support error correction mechanisms, and the reliability of the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than that of the error correction mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; or, the QoS parameters associated with the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode are partially or completely different.

[0043] For example, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of a protocol layer used to provide data services and / or manage data transmission. For instance, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the RLC layer. It should be understood that the RLC layer may be replaced with other names in the future, or the current functionality of the RLC layer may be integrated into other protocol layers, or the current functionality of the RLC layer may be implemented jointly by multiple protocol layers. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the first protocol layer, which can implement some or all of the functions of the RLC layer.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, enabling terminal devices and network devices can adopt different transmission modes in multiple communication processes involved in voice services, thereby meeting the transmission requirements of different communication processes and helping to improve the performance of voice services.

[0045] For example, the transmission mode used by the transmission RB can be switched according to the business process, thus using the appropriate transmission mode according to the characteristics or requirements of the business process. For instance, using the first transmission mode to perform the voice service establishment process helps ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Or, after the voice service is established, using the second transmission mode helps reduce the transmission latency of voice data.

[0046] For example, using different transmission modes for different types of information related to voice services can match the different transmission requirements of different types of data. For instance, using the first transmission mode to transmit signaling related to voice services helps ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Conversely, using the second transmission mode to transmit data related to voice services helps reduce the transmission latency of voice data.

[0047] For example, through the interaction of instruction information, when the network device itself cannot perceive the voice service process, or the terminal device or network device cannot perceive the information type of the voice service, the terminal device or network device can be enabled to determine the transmission mode to ensure that the terminal device and the network device adopt the same transmission mode and ensure the normal transmission of voice services.

[0048] It can be seen that the transmission mechanism provided by this solution can reduce the transmission latency of voice data while ensuring the reliability of signaling transmission and avoiding voice interruptions, thereby helping to improve the quality of service transmission and ensure user experience.

[0049] In some embodiments, the default transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the communication related to voice services through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: performing a voice service establishment process based on the default transmission mode.

[0050] Network devices themselves may not be able to sense whether the voice service establishment process is complete or the type of information related to the voice service. Therefore, by configuring the default transmission mode, network devices can be enabled to determine the transmission mode for voice services.

[0051] After a voice service is triggered, a voice service establishment process is usually required first. Therefore, the default transmission mode of the first RB is configured as the first transmission mode. The network device can transmit the signaling related to the voice service establishment process based on the first transmission mode, which helps to improve the reliability of the voice service establishment and provides a foundation for subsequent voice service-related communications.

[0052] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating that the voice service establishment process is completed; the step of performing voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode according to the first information; and performing voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the second transmission mode.

[0053] After the voice service is established, it mainly involves the transmission of voice service data. With the voice service established, communication related to the voice service is conducted through the first RB based on the second transmission mode. This helps reduce the transmission latency of voice service data, thereby helping to avoid interruptions in the voice service and improving the user experience.

[0054] The first information enables network devices to perceive the completion of the voice service establishment process, thereby supporting network devices in determining the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0055] In some embodiments, the method further includes: switching the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0056] Since the configurations of the first and second transmission modes are usually different, by performing a transmission mode switching operation, the relevant parameters can be reconfigured according to the transmission mode, providing a basis for subsequent communication.

[0057] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information including the voice service-related information type, the voice service-related information type including signaling or data; the step of performing voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the fourth information, wherein, when the voice service-related information type is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode, and when the voice service-related information type is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; and performing the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0058] Alternatively, the fourth information can be used to indicate information related to the transmission mode, or the fourth information can be used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0059] When transmitting downlink voice services, core network elements can sense the information type related to the voice service. Based on this, the fourth piece of information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service, which helps reduce the processing complexity on the core network side and facilitates implementation.

[0060] Alternatively, the fourth piece of information can directly indicate the transmission mode of the first RB, or whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, which helps to reduce the processing complexity on the network device side.

[0061] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending third information, the third information being determined based on the fourth information; wherein the third information is used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information type related to the voice service.

[0062] For downlink voice services, the terminal device may not be able to perceive the type of information related to the voice service in advance. The network device enables the terminal device to determine the transmission mode of the first RB by indicating third information, thereby ensuring consistency with the transmission mode of the first RB on the network device side and guaranteeing correct data transmission.

[0063] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information indicating one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or the voice service-related information type, the voice service-related information type including signaling or data; the step of performing voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the second information; and performing the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0064] For uplink voice services, the network device itself may not be able to perceive the information type related to the voice service. By sending a second piece of information to the network device, the network device can determine the transmission mode of the first RB, thereby maintaining consistency with the transmission mode of the first RB on the terminal device side and ensuring correct data transmission.

[0065] In some embodiments, the second information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data; or, the second information is used to indicate the transmission mode information; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the transmission mode information is the first transmission mode information, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the transmission mode information is the second transmission mode information. The second transmission mode is defined as follows: or, the second information is used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the second information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; if the second information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; or if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the second information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the second information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode.

[0066] When the second information includes transmission mode information, the network device can directly determine the transmission mode of the first RB based on the second information, which is simple to implement.

[0067] If the second information indicates whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, and the second information does not indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB or if the second information is not received, the network device does not need to perform any operation, such as not needing to determine the current transmission mode, which helps to reduce complexity.

[0068] In some embodiments, if the transmission mode of the first RB determined based on the second information or the fourth information is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the method further includes: switching the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0069] In the above scheme, the transmission mode of the first RB can be flexibly switched according to the information type related to voice services. Since the configurations of the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode are usually different, by performing a transmission mode switching operation, the relevant parameters can be reconfigured according to the transmission mode, providing a basis for subsequent communication.

[0070] In some embodiments, switching the transmission mode of the first RB includes one or more of the following operations: resetting the Radio Link Control (RLC) sequence number; managing the RLC timer; clearing the RLC buffer; resetting the Media Access Control (MAC) timer; resetting or initializing the logical channel priority parameter; or clearing the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) buffer.

[0071] Different transmission modes may use different timers, so reconfiguring the timer during the switching process can ensure the normal operation of the transmission mode. Generally, cached data becomes invalid after switching transmission modes, so discarding cached data packets during the switching process can optimize memory management.

[0072] In some embodiments, when switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: disabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a specific value; disabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a specific value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer. When switching from the second transmission mode to the first transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: enabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a configured value; enabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a configured value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer.

[0073] The first transmission mode requires the use of polling retransmission timers and state freeze timers, but the second transmission mode does not. Therefore, during the switching process, these timers can be managed according to the switching method of the transmission mode. Additionally, multiple transmission modes may require the use of the same timers. Therefore, during the switching process, the timers can be reset or reconfigured to avoid the influence of the previously used transmission mode on the current transmission.

[0074] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0075] Acknowledgment modes, such as the acknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, support retransmission mechanisms and offer high reliability. Unacknowledgment modes, such as the unacknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, do not support retransmission mechanisms and offer higher real-time performance. Therefore, using both acknowledgment and unacknowledgment modes for voice service-related communication helps meet different transmission requirements during voice service transmission and improves transmission performance.

[0076] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to a terminal side, such as a terminal or a component within a terminal, or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. In this method: configuration information of a second radio bearer (RB) and configuration information of a third RB are received. The configuration information of the second RB includes configuration information of a first transmission mode, and the configuration information of the third RB includes configuration information of a second transmission mode. Voice service-related signaling is transmitted through the second RB, or voice service-related data is transmitted through the third RB.

[0077] For example, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode may satisfy one or more of the following: the transmission performance of the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode, such as reliability, transmission latency, etc., are partially or completely different; the first transmission mode supports error correction processing mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not support error correction processing mechanism; both the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode support error correction processing mechanism, and the reliability of the error correction processing mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than the reliability of the error correction processing mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the QoS parameters associated with the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode are partially or completely different; or, the first transmission mode supports retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not support retransmission mechanism.

[0078] For example, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of a protocol layer used to provide data services and / or manage data transmission. For instance, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the RLC layer. It should be understood that the RLC layer may be replaced with other names in the future, or the current functionality of the RLC layer may be integrated into other protocol layers, or the current functionality of the RLC layer may be implemented jointly by multiple protocol layers. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the first protocol layer, which can implement some or all of the functions of the RLC layer.

[0079] Because signaling in voice communication requires high reliability, transmitting voice-related signaling via the second RB helps meet this reliability requirement. Conversely, because voice data requires high real-time performance, transmitting voice-related data via the third RB helps reduce transmission latency, thus preventing buffering and improving user experience.

[0080] This application embodiment configures two RBs with different transmission modes for voice services to meet different transmission requirements in voice services, thereby helping to improve data transmission performance and enhance user experience.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0082] Acknowledgment modes, such as the acknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, support retransmission mechanisms and offer high reliability. Unacknowledgment modes, such as the unacknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, do not support retransmission mechanisms and offer higher real-time performance. Therefore, using both acknowledgment and unacknowledgment modes for voice service-related communication helps meet different transmission requirements during voice service transmission and improves transmission performance.

[0083] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to the network side, such as a network device or a component within a network device, or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. In this method: configuration information of a second radio bearer (RB) and configuration information of a third RB are transmitted. The configuration information of the second RB includes configuration information of a first transmission mode, and the configuration information of the third RB includes configuration information of a second transmission mode. Voice service-related signaling is transmitted through the second RB, or voice service-related data is transmitted through the third RB.

[0084] The first and second transmission modes can be found in the relevant introduction in the third section, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] Because signaling in voice communication requires high reliability, transmitting voice-related signaling via the second RB helps meet this reliability requirement. Conversely, because voice data requires high real-time performance, transmitting voice-related data via the third RB helps reduce transmission latency, thus preventing buffering and improving user experience.

[0086] This application embodiment configures two RBs with different transmission modes for voice services to meet different transmission requirements in voice services, thereby helping to improve data transmission performance and enhance user experience.

[0087] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information including information types related to the voice service, the information types related to the voice service including signaling or data.

[0088] In downlink transmission scenarios, network devices themselves may not be able to perceive the information type related to voice services. Through the transmission of the fifth information, network devices can determine the RB to be used in this transmission, which helps to meet different data transmission requirements.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0090] Acknowledgment modes, such as the acknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, support retransmission mechanisms and offer high reliability. Unacknowledgment modes, such as the unacknowledgment mode at the RLC layer, do not support retransmission mechanisms and offer higher real-time performance. Therefore, using both acknowledgment and unacknowledgment modes for voice service-related communication helps meet different transmission requirements during voice service transmission and improves transmission performance.

[0091] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes: a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the first aspect above, or a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the third aspect above.

[0092] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes: a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the second aspect above, or a unit for performing each step in any possible implementation of the fourth aspect above.

[0093] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, the communication device including one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect described above, or cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the third aspect described above.

[0094] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, through which the processor communicates with other devices or components.

[0095] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory for storing part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect above, or part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the third aspect above.

[0096] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a component in the terminal, such as a module, a communication module, or a chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem chip module), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0097] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, the communication device including one or more processors. The one or more processors are executable computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect described above, or to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the fourth aspect described above.

[0098] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, through which the processor communicates with other devices or components.

[0099] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory for storing part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the second aspect above, or part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the fourth aspect above.

[0100] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, or a component in a network device, such as a module, a communication module, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem chip module). It may also be a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0101] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, performs the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0102] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, performs the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0103] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a chip, the chip including: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, causing a communication device on which the chip is installed to perform the methods of any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0104] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system that includes the communication devices described in the fifth or sixth aspect above, and / or the communication devices described in the seventh or eighth aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0105] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0106] Figure 2 This is a system architecture diagram of a 4G mobile communication system.

[0107] Figure 3 This is a system architecture diagram of a 5G mobile communication system.

[0108] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram of a transparent transmission architecture scenario;

[0109] Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of a regenerative architecture scenario.

[0110] Figure 5A A schematic diagram of a quasi-stationary NTN cell on the ground;

[0111] Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram of a ground-based mobile NTN cell;

[0112] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0113] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0114] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0115] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0116] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0117] Figure 11 This is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0118] Figure 12This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0119] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the internal chip structure of another terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0120] Figure 14 This is another possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0121] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0122] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "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, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or the order of execution, and that the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0123] In the various method embodiments of this application, the sequence number does not imply the order of execution. The execution order 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. It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the terminal and / or network device can execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. Furthermore, the steps can be executed in different orders as presented in each embodiment, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0124] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "under the circumstances," "if," "when," and "if..." can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these descriptions all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require any judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0125] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0126] In this application embodiment, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from...(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0127] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0128] This application can be applied to various communication systems. For ease of understanding, the following will use... Figure 1 Taking the communication system 10 shown as an example, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0129] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1As shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110, may also include at least one terminal (such as...). Figure 1 RAN 100, denoted as RAN 120a-120j, is collectively referred to as RAN 120. RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Communication system 10 may also include core network 200. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of core network equipment and RAN node. Communication system 10 may also include Internet 300.

[0130] RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radioaccess (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN 100 can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, or scenarios where NTN and terrestrial network (TN) are integrated. The NTN system can be an NTN system integrated with 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, and any future generation of communication systems, such as NRNTN, Internet of Things (IoT) NTN, etc. NTN communication systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, or include unmanned aerial vehicles, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and other aerial access network equipment; this application does not limit the scope of such systems.

[0131] RAN node 110 (also known as network equipment, access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, etc.) is used to help terminals access the communication system wirelessly. In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. Figure 1 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1The RAN node can be a relay node or donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a satellite (or satellite base station) or a high altitude platform station (HAPS), or a base station device mounted on a satellite / HAPS. The satellite can include at least one of the following: geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite or non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite. Non-geostationary earth orbit satellites can include at least one of the following: medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. There are no restrictions here. The RAN node can also be a gateway station (or ground station, earth station, signal gateway, gateway, or gateway station). The RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0132] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), or radio units (RUs). Here, the CU can perform the functions of the base station's radio resource control protocol and PDCP, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU can perform the functions of the base station's medium access control (MAC) layer, and also some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). CUs can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane (CP) and CU-user plane (UP).

[0133] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). Similarly, a CU-CP can be called an O-CU-CP, a CU-UP can be called an O-CU-UP, and an RU can be called an O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples in its embodiments.

[0134] All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node may also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the RAN node.

[0135] Terminal 120 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, user device, and terminal device, etc. Terminal 120 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0136] For example, terminal 120 can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device (e.g., a sensor, electricity meter, water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. Wireless terminals (such as those in the home), vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, and drones with drone-to-drone (U2U) communication capabilities are all examples. Terminals can also be communication modules with satellite communication capabilities, satellite phones or their components, or satellite communication terminals, such as very small aperture (VSAT) terminals (commonly referred to as VSAT terminals), portable stations, fixed stations, and vehicle-mounted or airborne satellite communication terminals. It should be understood that satellite communication terminals can serve as micro base stations to further provide data interfaces to accessed user equipment.

[0137] The roles of access network equipment and terminals can be relative; the following explanation uses a base station as an example. For instance, Figure 1The 120i network element can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via the 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol; in this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in the text can be referred to as communication devices with base station functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0138] Access network devices and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network devices and terminals.

[0139] For example, the core network 200 may include user plane function (UPF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, charging function (CHF) network elements, location management function (LMF) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, etc.

[0140] Figure 2 This is a system architecture diagram for a 4G mobile communication system. (See also...) Figure 2The evolved packet core (EPC) network (i.e., the 4G core network) can include a mobility management entity (MME) and a serving gate way (S-GW). The evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) is the 4G radio access network, including eNBs (i.e., 4G base stations) and evolved next-generation Node Bs (en-gNBs). The eNB is responsible for providing 4G long-term evolution (LTE) user plane and control plane protocol functions to terminal devices; the serving base station (en-gNB) is responsible for providing 5G NR user plane and control plane protocol functions to the terminal devices.

[0141] Figure 3 This is a system architecture diagram for a 5G mobile communication system. (See also...) Figure 3 The 5G core network (5GC) can include AMF and UPF network elements. The next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) is the 5G radio access network, including gNBs and next-generation evolved Node Bs (ng-eNBs) (i.e., 4G base stations connected to the 5GC). The serving base station gNB of the terminal equipment is responsible for providing the 5G NR user plane and control plane protocol functions for the terminal equipment; the serving base station ng-eNB of the terminal equipment is responsible for providing the 4G E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol functions for the terminal equipment.

[0142] In the NTN scenario, the aforementioned base station can be located on the ground and connected to the satellite via a gateway (i.e., Figure 4A The transparent transmission architecture shown can also be located directly on the satellite (i.e., Figure 4B (The regenerative architecture shown).

[0143] The following describes another communication system (NTN) to which the embodiments of this application are applicable.

[0144] NTN is a general term for networks involving flying objects, including satellite communication networks, HAPS (High-Speed ​​Online Services), and air-to-ground networks. Key value scenarios for NTN primarily include areas with poor land coverage, such as maritime communication, public safety needs, inter-aircraft communication, and railway communication. NTN aims to provide mobile broadband services to users in these scenarios.

[0145] HAPS is carried by airborne platforms, which can use high-altitude platform stations as mobile communication base stations, providing mobile services using the same frequency bands as terrestrial mobile networks. Airborne platforms mainly include airplanes, balloons, and airships.

[0146] Satellite communication networks rely on onboard platforms, primarily including LEO, MEO, and GEO. Based on the relationship between the satellite and the base station, satellite communication networks can be divided into two architectures: transparent payload and regenerative payload. These two architectures will be described below.

[0147] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram of a transparent transmission architecture. In this architecture, the satellite is only responsible for signal forwarding and has no data processing capabilities. Access network equipment, such as base stations ( Figure 4A Taking a gNB (gamma-band unit) as an example, it is located on the ground, and the satellite connects to the base station through a ground gateway. The signal between the terminal device and the base station is transmitted via satellite, and the data processing function is still implemented by the base station. Among them, the link between the satellite and the terminal device is called the service link, and the link between the satellite and the base station is called the feeder link.

[0148] Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of a regenerative architecture scenario. In a regenerative architecture, the satellite has all or some of the functions of access network equipment, meaning the satellite can perform data processing. For example, the satellite may have some of the functions of access network equipment, such as the functions of a DU (Dedicated Access Controller), or the satellite may have all the functions of access network equipment.

[0149] Based on the movement of NTN cells in the ground coverage area, NTN cells can be divided into three categories: ground stationary, ground quasi-stationary, and ground mobile.

[0150] Earth-fixed: The coverage area of ​​this type of NTN cell is fixed to a specific area on the ground, i.e., continuous fixed-point coverage. The NTN cells provided by GEO satellites are of this type.

[0151] Quasi-earth-fixed: The coverage area of ​​this type of NTN cell is fixed to a certain area on the ground for a period of time, and then it will be changed to another area on the ground after a period of time, that is, fixed-point coverage for a certain period of time. LEO satellites and MEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell. Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram of a quasi-stationary NTN cell. See also... Figure 5AFrom time t1 to time t2, the coverage area of ​​NTN cell 1 is fixed as region 1. At time t3, the coverage area of ​​NTN cell 1 is changed to region 2.

[0152] Earth-moving: The coverage area of ​​this type of NTN cell slides across the ground. LEO and MEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell. Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram of a ground-based mobile NTN cell. See also... Figure 5B At times t1, t2, and t3, the coverage area of ​​NTN cell 1 slides on the ground.

[0153] Starting with 3GPP Release 17, the standard supports NB-IoT using NTN access technology. For example, NB-IoT terminals can connect to satellites for communication.

[0154] NB-IoT is a 3GPP standard technology designed specifically for the Internet of Things. Based on cellular network architecture optimization, it has extremely narrow bandwidth and is suitable for scenarios such as massive device connectivity, low power consumption, low cost, and wide coverage.

[0155] NB-IoT has four main characteristics: First, wide coverage. Under the same frequency band, NB-IoT can achieve a coverage gain of up to 20dB compared to existing networks, which is equivalent to increasing the coverage area by 100 times. Second, strong connectivity. One NB-IoT sector can support up to 100,000 connections, supporting low latency sensitivity, ultra-low device cost, low device power consumption, and optimized network architecture. Third, lower power consumption. The standby time of NB-IoT terminal modules can be up to decades. Fourth, lower module cost.

[0156] With the development of technology, a demand has emerged for NB-IoT UEs to support IMS voice services (i.e., IMS-based voice services) in NTN communication scenarios. The following is a brief introduction to IMS voice services.

[0157] IMS is a network architecture that supports multimedia communication services, including voice, video, data, and other types of multimedia services.

[0158] IMS uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as its core signaling protocol for establishing, modifying, and terminating sessions, and supports flexible service triggering mechanisms.

[0159] The information types of IMS voice services can include two parts: signaling and data (data can also be directly referred to as voice). Signaling refers to the aforementioned SIP signaling; the establishment, modification, and termination of voice services are all handled through SIP signaling between the UE and the IMS network element. Data refers to the information from the voice call.

[0160] In existing mechanisms, IMS voice services guarantee their communication requirements through QoS mechanisms. For example, signaling and data in IMS voice services can each correspond to different QoS parameters to meet the requirements for latency, rate, packet loss rate, etc., of signaling and data during transmission. Table 1 shows the QoS parameters corresponding to signaling and data in 4G IMS voice services.

[0161] Table 1

[0162]

[0163] Referring to Table 1, signaling and data in IMS voice services correspond to different QoS class identifiers (QCIs). The packet error rate requirement for voice service data is higher than that for signaling. This indicates that IMS signaling has higher reliability requirements.

[0164] IMS signaling and voice service data can be provided with data transmission services and management by protocol layers, such as the RLC layer. The RLC layer is introduced below.

[0165] RLC is a key protocol layer in wireless communication systems (such as 4G and 5G). The main function of RLC is to provide services such as segmentation, reassembly, retransmission, and flow control for data in the user plane (UP) and control plane (CP), ensuring reliable or efficient data transmission.

[0166] In some embodiments, RLC has three transmission modes: transparent mode (TM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and acknowledged mode (AM).

[0167] In transparent mode, the RLC layer does not add a protocol header to the data unit; that is, the sender does not add any extra control information to the data but transmits it directly. In other words, the transmitted RLC protocol data unit (PDU) does not have an RLC layer header. In this mode, the RLC layer also does not perform retransmission, segmentation, or reassembly. If the receiver detects an error, it either marks or discards the data.

[0168] This mode is generally suitable for services with high real-time requirements and strong fault tolerance, such as broadcast services.

[0169] In unacknowledged mode, the RLC layer can add a protocol header to the service data unit (SDU) to form a PDU. This header may contain a sequence number (SN) used to check data integrity and ensure in-order delivery. Similar to transparent mode, unacknowledged mode also lacks a retransmission mechanism, meaning reliable data transmission is not guaranteed; the receiving end simply marks or discards the data upon detecting an error.

[0170] This mode is generally suitable for scenarios with real-time requirements but where a small amount of packet loss is acceptable, such as voice service scenarios.

[0171] In Acknowledgment mode, the RLC layer can add a protocol header to the SDU to form a PDU. The protocol header may include a SN (Signal Serial Number) for verifying data integrity and ensuring in-order delivery. This mode supports segmentation and reassembly, which dynamically adjust the data unit size to adapt to physical layer resources. Furthermore, Acknowledgment mode supports retransmission mechanisms, such as Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) to ensure reliable data transmission.

[0172] This mode is generally suitable for non-real-time services with high reliability requirements, such as file transfer and email services.

[0173] NB-IoT supports data transmission via CP, which can be called the CP transmission mechanism. Under this mechanism, no data radio bearer (DRB) is established over the air interface (i.e., between the terminal device and the base station). Data is transmitted directly through non-access stratum (NAS) messages. NAS messages are carried in the form of containers within access stratum (AS) radio resource control (RRC) messages.

[0174] A signaling radio bearer (SRB) is established between the terminal device and the base station. The RRC message carrying the NAS message is transmitted through the SRB. Specifically, NB-IoT refers to this SRB used for data transmission as SRB1bis. In related technologies, SRB1bis uses the RLC AM mode.

[0175] To address the requirement for NB-IoT UEs to support IMS voice services, one possible implementation is that NB-IoT UEs can conduct voice service-related communication through the CP transmission mechanism. However, using the RLC AM mode by default in SRB1bis for voice service communication results in significant data transmission latency, potentially causing voice communication interruptions and impacting user experience.

[0176] The preceding text uses NB-IoT UE as an example to introduce the problems existing in related technologies. It should be understood that the scenarios applicable to the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0177] Through analysis, the inventors discovered that in voice-related communication processes, the signaling and data transmission requirements differ. For example, data transmission has high real-time requirements and a certain fault tolerance, while signaling has lower real-time requirements but higher reliability requirements. Therefore, the fundamental reason for the large latency and stuttering issues in voice service data is that the SRB1bis cannot simultaneously meet the signaling and data transmission requirements of voice services.

[0178] This application provides various communication methods to solve the above problems.

[0179] As one possible implementation, embodiments of this application enable terminal devices and network devices to use different transmission modes in multiple communication processes involved in voice services by configuring multiple transmission modes simultaneously for one RB, thereby meeting the transmission requirements of different communication processes and helping to improve the performance of voice services.

[0180] For example, the transmission mode used by the transmission RB can be switched according to the business process, thus using the appropriate transmission mode according to the characteristics or requirements of the business process. For instance, using the first transmission mode to perform the voice service establishment process helps ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Or, after the voice service is established, using the second transmission mode helps reduce the transmission latency of voice data.

[0181] For example, using different transmission modes for different types of information related to voice services can match the different transmission requirements of different types of data. For instance, using the first transmission mode to transmit signaling related to voice services helps ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Conversely, using the second transmission mode to transmit data related to voice services helps reduce the transmission latency of voice data.

[0182] For example, through the interaction of instruction information, when the network device itself cannot perceive the voice service process, or the terminal device or network device cannot perceive the information type of the voice service, the terminal device or network device can be enabled to determine the transmission mode to ensure that the terminal device and the network device adopt the same transmission mode and ensure the normal transmission of voice services.

[0183] As another possible implementation, this application embodiment can support the use of different RBs for data transmission according to the information type related to the voice service during the communication process of voice service by configuring multiple RBs with different transmission modes at the same time. This can match the different transmission requirements of different types of data, help improve the service transmission quality, and thus ensure user experience.

[0184] For example, a second RB, which has a higher transmission mode reliability, can be used to transmit signaling related to voice services, thereby helping to ensure the reliability of signaling transmission. Similarly, a third RB, which has a lower transmission latency, can be used to transmit data related to voice services, thereby helping to reduce the transmission latency of voice data, avoid voice interruptions, and thus improve the quality of service transmission.

[0185] The following is combined Figure 6 and Figure 7 The two implementation methods provided in this application will be described in detail.

[0186] Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 The methods shown all involve interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device. This application describes embodiments using the first communication device as a terminal device and the second communication device as a network device as examples. In this application embodiment, the network device can be any of the access network devices mentioned above.

[0187] It should be noted that the first communication device can be a terminal device, or a component applicable to a terminal device, such as a module or communication module, or a circuit or chip applicable to a terminal device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0188] The first communication device can be any of the terminal devices mentioned above. For example, the first communication device can be an NB-IoT terminal or other types of IoT terminals, or a low-cost terminal device or a reduced-capability (RedCap) terminal device.

[0189] Similarly, the second communication device can be a network device, or a component applicable to a network device, such as a module or communication module. It can also be a circuit or chip applicable to a network device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. For example, the network device can be deployed on the ground, or it can be deployed partially or entirely on a satellite.

[0190] In some embodiments, Figure 6 , Figure 7 The method shown can also involve interaction between a third communication device and a second communication device. The third communication device can be a core network element, such as an IMS network element or an MME network element, or a component within the core network element, such as a module or communication module, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing the core network element. It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the core network element can also be replaced by a core network device.

[0191] The method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device (as the first communication device) and the network device (as the second communication device).

[0192] Figure 6 The method shown may include steps S610 and S620.

[0193] S610, the network device sends the configuration information of the first RB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information of the first RB.

[0194] The configuration information of the first RB may include configuration information for a first transmission mode and configuration information for a second transmission mode. That is, the first RB can use either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode. It should be understood that the configuration information of the first RB may also include configuration information for more transmission modes, and this application does not limit this. In the embodiments of this application, by configuring multiple transmission modes for the first RB, the first RB can use multiple transmission modes to meet different transmission requirements.

[0195] In some embodiments, the transmission performance of the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode differs, such as in some or all of their performance characteristics, including reliability and transmission latency. For example, the first transmission mode has higher reliability than the second transmission mode. Similarly, the second transmission mode has lower transmission latency than the first transmission mode.

[0196] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode supports an error correction mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. Alternatively, both the first and second transmission modes support error correction mechanisms, and the error correction mechanisms supported by the first and second transmission modes satisfy one or more of the following: the reliability of the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than that of the error correction mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the performance of the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is better than that of the error correction mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; or, compared with the second transmission mode, the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode has stronger error correction capability.

[0197] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. Alternatively, both the first and second transmission modes support retransmission mechanisms, and the retransmission mechanisms supported by the first and second transmission modes satisfy one or more of the following: the reliability of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the transmission delay of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is greater than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the retransmission capability of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is greater than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the retransmission performance of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is better than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; or, the number of retransmissions (e.g., the maximum number of retransmissions supported) of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is greater than the number of retransmissions supported by the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode.

[0198] For example, the ARQ window supported by the first transmission mode is larger than that of the second transmission mode. Also, the retransmission mechanisms supported by the first and second transmission modes differ. In the first transmission mode, when a data packet is corrupted, both the corrupted packet and all subsequent data packets need to be retransmitted. In the second transmission mode, however, only the corrupted data packet needs to be retransmitted.

[0199] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters associated with the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode are partially or completely different. For example, the packet error rate in the QoS parameters associated with the first transmission mode is lower than the packet error rate in the QoS parameters associated with the second transmission mode. The QoS parameters associated with the transmission modes mentioned herein may refer to the QoS parameters associated with the evolved packet system bearer (EPS) of the first RB.

[0200] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of a protocol layer used to provide data services and / or manage data transmission. For example, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the RLC layer. It should be understood that the RLC layer may be replaced with other names in the future, or the current functions of the RLC layer may be integrated into other protocol layers, or the current functions of the RLC layer may be jointly implemented by multiple protocol layers. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the first protocol layer, and the first protocol layer can implement some or all of the functions of the RLC layer.

[0201] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode can be an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode can be an unacknowledged mode. It should be understood that the first and second transmission modes can also be other transmission modes, such as a transparent mode or other transmission modes proposed in the future, and this application does not limit them.

[0202] In the future, the terms "acknowledgment mode," "unacknowledgment mode," or "transparent mode" may be replaced with other names. The "acknowledgment mode," "unacknowledgment mode," or "transparent mode" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be replaced with transmission modes that have the same or similar transmission performance. In other words, the name of the transmission mode does not limit the method provided in this application.

[0203] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the first transmission mode may include configuration information of the uplink first transmission mode and / or the downlink first transmission mode to meet different transmission requirements of uplink and / or downlink. Taking RLC AM mode as an example, the configuration information of the first transmission mode may include configuration information of uplink RLC AM mode and / or downlink RLC AM mode. The configuration information of the transmission mode may include configuration of polling retransmission timer (t-PollRetransmit), configuration of status quiescent timer (t-StatusProhibit), configuration of maximum retransmission count, etc.

[0204] Similarly, the configuration information for the second transmission mode can include configuration information for the uplink second transmission mode and / or the downlink second transmission mode to meet different transmission requirements for uplink and / or downlink. Taking RLC UM mode as an example, the configuration information for the second transmission mode can include configuration information for the uplink RLC UM mode and / or the downlink RLC UM mode, wherein the configuration information for the transmission mode can include SN length configuration, etc.

[0205] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the first RB can be carried in an RRC message, such as in an RRC connection establishment message.

[0206] In some embodiments, the first RB can be a data radio bearer (DRB) or an SRB, such as the SRB1bis mentioned above.

[0207] In S620, terminal devices can perform voice service-related communications via the first RB based on either the first or second transmission mode. Network devices can also perform voice service-related communications via the first RB based on either the first or second transmission mode.

[0208] Voice services, such as the IMS voice service mentioned above, may include communication processes related to the establishment of voice services, the transmission of voice service data, the modification of voice services, or the termination of voice services. The following description uses the IMS voice service as an example to illustrate the method provided in this application. It should be understood that the application scenarios of the method provided in this application are not limited to IMS voice services.

[0209] Voice service-related communication via the first RB can also be replaced by: transmitting voice services via the first RB. Voice services may include the establishment, modification, or termination of voice services, as well as the transmission of voice service data.

[0210] In other words, the first RB can transmit voice service data, as well as signaling related to the establishment, modification, or termination of voice services.

[0211] In some cases, the terminal device can conduct voice service-related communications through the first RB based on the first transmission mode. In other cases, the terminal device can conduct voice service-related communications through the first RB based on the second transmission mode. The terminal device and network device can determine the transmission mode of the first RB based on various methods, which will be described in detail later and will not be repeated here.

[0212] In this embodiment of the application, by configuring multiple transmission modes for the first RB simultaneously, different transmission modes can be used in the communication process of voice services to meet the various needs of voice services.

[0213] For voice service-related communications based on the first RB, terminal equipment and network equipment need to determine the transmission mode of the first RB. The method for determining the transmission mode of the first RB is described below.

[0214] Voice services may include the establishment of voice services, the transmission of voice service data, and the termination of voice services. Optionally, before the termination of voice services, voice services may also include the modification of voice services, that is, voice services may include the establishment of voice services, the transmission of voice service data, the modification of voice services, the transmission of voice service data, and the termination of voice services.

[0215] Voice service establishment refers to the IMS voice service establishment process, which establishes a voice service pathway between the calling UE, the called UE, and the core network / IMS network elements. In other words, after the establishment process is completed, the calling UE and the called UE can conduct voice communication.

[0216] The voice service establishment process may include negotiation of voice service media information (e.g., the voice codec capability or rate of the UE) between the calling UE, the called UE, and the IMS network element, reservation and confirmation of voice service resources, and interaction of ringing notifications, etc. It should be understood that there may be other processes (e.g., registration process) before the establishment of the voice service, or the establishment of the voice service may be accompanied by other processes, and this application does not limit this.

[0217] It can be seen that triggering a voice service typically requires executing a voice service establishment process, which mainly involves signaling interaction. After the voice service is established, the main function involves the transmission of voice service data.

[0218] Based on this, as a possible implementation, the voice service establishment process is executed through the first RB based on the first transmission mode, which helps to meet the reliability requirements of voice service establishment signaling, improve the reliability of voice service establishment, and provide a foundation for subsequent voice service-related communications.

[0219] As another possible implementation, once the voice service is established, communication related to the voice service can be conducted through the first RB based on the second transmission mode. This helps reduce the transmission latency of voice service data, thereby helping to avoid stuttering in the voice service and improving the user experience.

[0220] It should be understood that the two schemes described above can also be used in combination. The voice service establishment process is performed based on the first transmission mode, and once the voice service is established, voice service-related communication is conducted based on the second transmission mode. This scheme allows for the use of an appropriate transmission mode according to the needs of the voice service process, thereby helping to improve the transmission quality of voice services and ensure user experience.

[0221] In addition, the above solution only involves one switching of transmission mode in the communication process related to voice services, which has low complexity and is conducive to the implementation of terminal equipment and network equipment.

[0222] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send sixth information to the network device, which is used to instruct the network device on the voice service establishment process. Based on the sixth information, the network device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode.

[0223] In some embodiments, the network device may receive first information, which can be used to indicate that the voice service establishment process is complete. The first information enables the network device to perceive the completion of the voice service establishment process, thereby supporting the network device in determining the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0224] For example, a network device can determine the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode based on the first information, and then perform voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the second transmission mode.

[0225] The voice service establishment process can involve both terminal devices and IMS network elements. In other words, both terminal devices and IMS network elements can sense whether the voice service establishment process is complete. Based on this, the first information received by the network device can come from either the terminal device or the IMS network element. For example, the terminal device can send the first information to the network device, or the IMS network element can send the first information to the network device.

[0226] For example, the first information received by the network device may not be directly received from the IMS network element. The network device may receive the first information from other network elements, such as the MME network element. This application does not limit the method by which other network elements obtain the first information; for example, the first information of the MME network element may be obtained from the IMS network element.

[0227] Once the voice service establishment process is complete, the terminal device or core network element can send the aforementioned first information to the network device to ensure that the network device can promptly learn that the voice service establishment process is complete. In this case, the network device can also prepare in advance for transmitting voice services based on the second transmission mode, reducing processing latency.

[0228] For example, the first information can be sent to the network device during the last signaling interaction in the voice service establishment process.

[0229] Alternatively, the first message can be sent to the network device after the voice service is established, such as before or during the first voice service data transmission. When there is no subsequent need for voice service data transmission, there is no need to send the first message, thus helping to avoid invalid transmission of the first message.

[0230] It should be understood that the timing of sending the first information is merely illustrative and is not limited in this application. The interaction of the first information can enable the network device to use the second transmission mode after the voice service establishment is completed, or enable the network device to use the first transmission mode during the voice service establishment and the second transmission mode after the voice service establishment is completed.

[0231] It should be understood that in the event of a failure to establish a voice service, the terminal device or core network element does not need to send initial information to the network device.

[0232] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to indicate a switch in the transmission mode of the first RB. In response to receiving the first information, the network device can switch the transmission mode of the first RB from a first transmission mode to a second transmission mode.

[0233] For example, the aforementioned first information can be sent to the network device during the final signaling interaction in the voice service establishment process.

[0234] Alternatively, the first message can be sent to the network device after the voice service is established, such as before or during the first voice service data transmission. When there is no subsequent need for voice service data transmission, there is no need to send the first message, thus helping to avoid invalid transmission of the first message.

[0235] For example, the first information sent by the core network element to the network device can be used to indicate that the voice service establishment is complete.

[0236] For example, the first information sent by the terminal device to the network device can be used to indicate that the voice service has been established, or it can be used to indicate the switching of the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0237] When the first information originates from the terminal device, it can be carried in uplink control information (UCI), a medium access control element (MAC CE), an RLC control PDU, or an RRC message. Alternatively, the first information can be indication information carried within the data packet. For example, it can be included in the physical layer, MAC header, or RLC header of the data packet. For instance, during the initial transmission of voice service data, the first information can be added to the packet header to instruct the network device to conduct subsequent voice service-related communications based on the second transmission mode.

[0238] When the first information originates from a core network element, it can be added to other information between the network device and the core network element, i.e., reusing messages or signaling from related technologies without defining new signaling. Alternatively, a dedicated message can be used to indicate the first information.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first RB may have a default transmission mode. The default transmission mode, also known as the initial transmission mode, will be used as an example in the following description.

[0240] If the first RB has a default transmission mode, and if the transmission mode is not modified, or if no indication or configuration information related to other transmission modes is received, the first RB can use the default transmission mode for voice service-related communication. In this case, there is no need to determine the transmission mode of the first RB, which helps reduce processing overhead and thus reduce latency.

[0241] Additionally, network devices may be unable to perceive the voice service establishment process, thus failing to determine the transmission mode of the first RB. In this case, the terminal device and network device can adopt the default transmission mode of the first RB, thereby ensuring that the terminal device and network device use the same transmission mode for the first RB for normal transmission.

[0242] For example, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be configured, preconfigured, predefined, or protocol-defined, thereby helping to reduce processing complexity.

[0243] For example, a network device can indicate the default transmission mode of a first RB to a terminal device, thereby facilitating flexible matching of system requirements. For instance, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be carried within the configuration information of the first RB. As an example, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be explicitly indicated, that is, directly indicating that the default transmission mode is either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, which is convenient for implementation. As another example, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be implicitly indicated, such as the transmission mode associated with the first entry in the transmission mode configuration information of the first RB's configuration information being the default transmission mode. This method can implicitly indicate the default transmission mode based on the location of the configuration information, without requiring additional indication information, thereby helping to reduce indication overhead. It should be understood that the default transmission mode of the first RB can also be indicated through other information, and this application does not limit this.

[0244] The default transmission mode of the first RB can be, for example, the first transmission mode. This is because after a voice service is triggered, a voice service establishment process usually needs to be executed first. Therefore, using the default first transmission mode to transmit the signaling related to the voice service establishment process helps to meet the reliability requirements of signaling in voice services.

[0245] In some embodiments, the transmission mode of the first RB can be determined based on the information type related to the voice service. For example, the information type related to the voice service may include signaling or data. This scheme can dynamically adjust the transmission mode of the first RB according to the information type related to the voice service, which helps to improve flexibility and better match the various transmission needs throughout the entire voice service process. The method is described below from the perspectives of uplink and downlink transmission of the voice service.

[0246] For uplink voice services, such as voice services sent from a terminal device to network devices / core network elements / IMS network elements, the terminal device can sense the information type related to the voice service. For example, the terminal device can determine whether the transmission mode of the first RB is a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode based on the information type related to the voice service, thereby performing voice service-related communication through the first RB. For instance, if the information type related to the voice service is signaling, the terminal device determines the transmission mode of the first RB to be the first transmission mode. As another example, if the information type related to the voice service is data, the terminal device determines the transmission mode of the first RB to be the second transmission mode.

[0247] For uplink voice services, the network device itself may not be able to perceive the type of information related to the voice service. For example, the network device can receive second information from the terminal device and determine, based on the second information, whether the transmission mode of the first RB is a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode, thereby enabling voice service-related communication through the first RB. In other words, the second information is used to determine the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0248] For example, the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information types related to voice services.

[0249] The second information may include transmission mode information, specifically the transmission mode to be used by the first RB in this transmission. If the transmission mode information indicates a first transmission mode, the network device can determine that the first RB's transmission mode is the first transmission mode. If the transmission mode information indicates a second transmission mode, the network device can determine that the first RB's transmission mode is the second transmission mode. As an example, the transmission mode information can be an identifier or index of the transmission mode to save on indication overhead. Since the second information includes transmission mode information, the network device can directly determine the transmission mode of the first RB based on this information, simplifying implementation.

[0250] The second information can be used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB. As an example, the second information can indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB through different values ​​of 1 bit. Alternatively, the network device may not switch the transmission mode of the first RB when it does not receive the second information, but switch the transmission mode of the first RB when it receives the second information.

[0251] If the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the second information indicates a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, then the network device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode. If the second information indicates no switch to the transmission mode of the first RB or does not indicate a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB (e.g., no second information is received), then the network device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode.

[0252] Alternatively, if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the second information indicates a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, then the network device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode. If the second information indicates no switch to the transmission mode of the first RB or no indication to switch the transmission mode of the first RB (e.g., no second information is received), then the network device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode.

[0253] The terminal device can determine the second information based on the type of voice service-related information transmitted using the first RB in the previous transmission and the type of voice service-related information transmitted using the first RB in the current transmission. If the type of voice service-related information transmitted in the previous transmission is different from the type of voice service-related information transmitted in the current transmission, the second information is used to indicate switching the transmission mode of the first RB. If the type of voice service-related information transmitted in the previous transmission is the same as the type of voice service-related information transmitted in the current transmission, the second information is used to indicate not switching the transmission mode of the first RB or not sending the second information.

[0254] The second information can be used to indicate the information type related to the voice service, that is, the second information can be used to indicate the information type related to the voice service transmitted in this instance. When the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, the network device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode. When the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data, the network device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode.

[0255] It should be understood that the correspondence between the information type of voice service and the transmission mode of the first RB can be protocol-defined, predefined, or pre-configured.

[0256] In some embodiments, the second information may be carried in UCI, MAC CE, RLC control PDU, or RRC messages, etc. When or before the terminal device transmits uplink voice services, the second information may be sent to the network device to enable the network device to perform preparatory work such as transmission mode switching in advance, which helps to reduce the transmission latency of voice services on the network side.

[0257] Alternatively, the second information can be indication information carried within the data packet. For example, it can be included in the physical layer, MAC header, or RLC header of the data packet. For instance, when transmitting voice services, the second information can be added to the header of the data packet to enable the network device to determine the transmission mode used by the first RB during this transmission. This scheme enables the network device to determine the transmission mode of the first RB without additional signaling, helping to reduce processing complexity.

[0258] It should be understood that the timing of sending the second information mentioned above is merely illustrative and is not limited in this application. Through the interaction of the first information, it is sufficient to enable the network device to use the first transmission mode when transmitting uplink voice service signaling and the second transmission mode when transmitting uplink voice service data.

[0259] For downlink voice services, such as those sent from network devices / core network elements / IMS elements to terminal devices, the terminal device may not be able to perceive the type of information related to the voice service in advance. In some embodiments, the terminal device can receive third information from the network device and determine the transmission mode of the first RB as either a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode based on the third information, thereby performing voice service-related communication based on the first RB. In other words, the third information can be used to determine the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0260] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information type related to voice services.

[0261] The third information may include transmission mode information, specifically the transmission mode to be used by the first RB in this transmission. If the transmission mode information indicates a first transmission mode, the terminal device can determine that the first RB's transmission mode is the first transmission mode; if the transmission mode information indicates a second transmission mode, the terminal device can determine that the first RB's transmission mode is the second transmission mode. As an example, the transmission mode information can be an identifier or index of the transmission mode to save on indication overhead. Since the third information includes transmission mode information, the terminal device can directly determine the transmission mode of the first RB based on this third information, simplifying implementation.

[0262] The third information can be used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB. As an example, the third information can indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB through different values ​​of 1 bit. Alternatively, the terminal device may not switch the transmission mode of the first RB when it does not receive the third information, but switch the transmission mode of the first RB when it receives the third information.

[0263] If the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the third information indicates a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, then the terminal device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode. If the third information indicates no switch to the transmission mode of the first RB or no indication to switch the transmission mode of the first RB (e.g., no third information is received), then the terminal device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode.

[0264] Alternatively, if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the third information indicates a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, then the terminal device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode. If the third information indicates no switch to the transmission mode of the first RB or no indication to switch the transmission mode of the first RB (e.g., no third information is received), then the terminal device determines that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode.

[0265] The network device can determine the third information based on the type of voice service-related information transmitted using the first RB in the previous transmission and the type of voice service-related information transmitted using the first RB in the current transmission. If the type of voice service-related information transmitted in the previous transmission is different from the type of voice service-related information transmitted in the current transmission, the third information is used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB or not to send the third information.

[0266] The third information can be used to indicate the type of information related to the voice service, that is, the third information can be used to indicate the type of information related to the voice service being transmitted. For example, if the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, the terminal device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode. As another example, if the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data, the terminal device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode.

[0267] It should be understood that the correspondence between the information type of voice service and the transmission mode of the first RB can be protocol-defined, predefined, or pre-configured.

[0268] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in downlink control information (DCI), MACCE, RLC control PDU, or RRC messages, etc. When or before a network device transmits downlink voice services, the third information can be sent to the terminal device to enable the terminal device to perform preparatory work such as transmission mode switching, which helps reduce the transmission latency of voice services at the terminal side.

[0269] Alternatively, the third information can be indication information carried within the data packet. For example, it can be included in the physical layer, MAC header, or RLC header of the data packet. For instance, when transmitting voice services, third information can be added to the header of the data packet to enable the terminal device to determine the transmission mode used by the first RB during this transmission. This scheme enables the terminal device to determine the transmission mode of the first RB without additional signaling, helping to reduce processing complexity.

[0270] As mentioned earlier, network devices themselves may not be able to perceive the types of information related to voice services. In some embodiments, network devices may receive fourth information from core network elements, such as IMS elements or MME elements. For example, the fourth information may include one or more of the following: information about the transmission mode; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information types related to voice services.

[0271] For example, the network device can determine the transmission mode of the first RB as either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the fourth information, thereby enabling voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0272] The method by which the network device determines the transmission mode of the first RB based on the transmission mode information indicated by the fourth information, and the method by which the network device determines the transmission mode of the first RB based on the information indicating whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, can be referred to the method by which the terminal device determines the transmission mode of the first RB based on the third information described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0273] For example, when the information type related to voice services is signaling, the network device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode. Similarly, when the information type related to voice services is data, the network device can determine that the transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode.

[0274] As mentioned earlier, the first RB is used for data transmission between terminal devices and network devices, and core network elements do not need to pay attention to the transmission mode of the first RB. However, when transmitting downlink voice services, core network elements can sense the information type related to the voice service. Based on this, the fourth information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service, which helps to reduce the processing complexity on the core network side and facilitates implementation.

[0275] In some embodiments, the third information mentioned above can be determined based on the fourth information. For example, the network device can determine the transmission mode of the first RB based on the fourth information, and thus determine the third information based on the transmission mode of the first RB. Alternatively, the network device can determine whether the terminal device needs to switch the transmission mode of the first RB based on the voice service-related information type indicated by the fourth information, i.e., the information type of the information transmitted in this voice service, and the information type related to the voice service previously transmitted by the first RB. Furthermore, when the fourth information indicates a voice service-related information type, the third information may include the voice service-related information type. In this case, the network device can forward the fourth information from the core network element to the terminal device, reducing the processing complexity of the network device. That is, the content of the fourth information and the third information is the same.

[0276] In some embodiments, the fourth information is a newly defined message, or the fourth information can be newly added information in messages exchanged between core network elements and network devices. That is, fourth information can be added to messages exchanged between core network elements and network devices.

[0277] It should be understood that in the above-described scheme of dynamically indicating the transmission mode of the first RB, there may be multiple interactions of second and third information between the terminal device and the network device. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of interactions of the second and third information or the order of the interactions.

[0278] Furthermore, the interaction of the first, second, and third information enables the terminal device and network device to use the same transmission mode for the first RB, thereby helping to ensure the normal transmission of voice services. The interaction of the fourth information enables the network device to perceive the type of information related to voice services, correctly setting its own transmission mode and accurately indicating the transmission mode of the first RB to the terminal device.

[0279] The above-mentioned solutions can be implemented individually or in combination.

[0280] For example, during the establishment of a voice service, voice-related communication is conducted using a first transmission mode. Once the voice service establishment process is complete, voice-related communication can be conducted using a second transmission mode. In this scheme, the first RB only needs to switch transmission modes once to basically meet the transmission requirements of the voice service, resulting in low complexity and low overhead.

[0281] For example, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be configured to be the first transmission mode. When voice service transmission is triggered, the first RB uses the default transmission mode. After the voice service establishment process is completed, voice service-related communication can be carried out through the second transmission mode. On the one hand, in this scheme, the first RB only needs to switch the transmission mode once to basically meet the transmission requirements of the voice service, with low complexity and low overhead; on the other hand, configuring the default transmission mode can ensure that the terminal device and network device use the same transmission mode for the first RB to ensure normal transmission.

[0282] The two schemes mentioned above can also be called semi-static switching methods.

[0283] For example, the transmission mode of the first RB can be dynamically switched according to the information type of the voice service, which helps to improve flexibility and better match the various transmission requirements of the voice service. This scheme can also be called a dynamic switching method.

[0284] For example, the default transmission mode of the first RB can be configured to be the first transmission mode. When voice service transmission is triggered, the first RB uses the default transmission mode. During subsequent communication, the transmission mode of the first RB can be dynamically switched according to the information type of the voice service. This solution helps to balance signaling overhead and flexibility.

[0285] It should be understood that the methods provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other processes, such as registration processes, IMS registration processes, etc., and this application is not limited thereto. For example, a first transmission mode can be used for communication in the registration process and / or IMS registration process. As another example, in the registration process and / or IMS registration process, the transmission mode of the RB can be determined according to the information type. As an example, when the information type is signaling, communication is based on the first transmission mode. As another example, when the information type is data, communication is based on the second transmission mode.

[0286] As can be seen, all the methods described above involve switching the transmission mode of the first RB. Switching the transmission mode of the first RB can include switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, or switching from the second transmission mode back to the first transmission mode. Since the configurations of the first and second transmission modes are usually different, by performing a transmission mode switching operation, relevant parameters can be reconfigured according to the transmission mode, providing a foundation for subsequent communication. The following describes the methods for switching the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0287] For example, when conducting voice service-related communication via the first RB based on the second transmission mode, the terminal device or network device needs to switch the transmission mode of the first RB. As an example, the terminal device can switch the transmission mode of the first RB from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode when or after the voice service establishment process is completed. As another example, the terminal device can switch the transmission mode of the first RB from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode when or after sending the first message.

[0288] For example, if the third information indicates a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, the terminal device can switch the transmission mode of the first RB. Alternatively, if the transmission mode of the first RB determined by the terminal device based on the third information is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the terminal device can switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0289] For example, if the transmission mode of the first RB determined by the network device based on the second or fourth information is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the network device can switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0290] It should be understood that the timing of switching transmission modes can be before or during the use of the target transmission mode (i.e., the switched transmission mode), or it can be upon or after receiving the corresponding instruction information. This application does not limit this.

[0291] In some embodiments, switching the transmission mode of the first RB may include one or more of the following operations: resetting the RLC sequence number; managing the RLC timer; clearing the RLC buffer; resetting the MAC timer; resetting or initializing the logical channel priority parameter; or clearing the HARQ buffer. Resetting the timer may, for example, mean setting the timer to 0.

[0292] Resetting the RLC SN can include operations such as setting the SN to 0 or setting the SN length according to the configuration value corresponding to the transmission mode.

[0293] Managing the RLC timer may include, for example, managing one or more of a polling retransmission timer, a state freeze timer, a reordering timer, or a reassembly timer. For example, the operations related to managing the RLC timer when switching from a first transmission mode to a second transmission mode are at least partially different from the operations related to managing the RLC timer when switching from a second transmission mode to a first transmission mode.

[0294] As an example, when switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, managing the RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: disabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a specific value; disabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a specific value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassemble timer. The specific value mentioned here can be, for example, infinity.

[0295] As an example, when switching from the second transmission mode to the first transmission mode, managing the RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: enabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a configured value; enabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a configured value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassemble timer.

[0296] The first transmission mode requires the use of polling retransmission timers and state freeze timers, but the second transmission mode does not. Therefore, during the switching process, these timers can be managed according to the switching method of the transmission mode. Additionally, multiple transmission modes may require the use of the same timers. Therefore, during the switching process, the timers can be reset or reconfigured to avoid the influence of the previously used transmission mode on the current transmission.

[0297] Clearing the RLC cache can include, for example, discarding packets within the cache, such as RLC SDUs, RLC PDUs, and RLC control PDUs. Clearing the HARQ cache can also include, for example, discarding packets within the HARQ cache. Generally, cached data becomes invalid after switching transport modes; therefore, discarding packets within the cache during the switching process can optimize memory management.

[0298] For methods to reset or initialize logical channel priority parameters, please refer to the relevant technical documentation.

[0299] Alternatively, switching the transmission mode of the first RB can include RLC reconstruction and / or MAC reset. RLC reconstruction can include resetting the RLC sequence number; managing the RLC timer; or clearing one or more items in the RLC buffer. MAC reset can include resetting the MAC timer; resetting or initializing logical channel priority parameters; or clearing one or more items in the HARQ buffer.

[0300] It should be understood that RLC rebuild and MAC reset can also be replaced with other names, and this application does not limit them.

[0301] It should be noted that the above-mentioned one or more operations, which include switching the transmission mode of the first RB, can be performed by the terminal device and / or network device.

[0302] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described above. The following section, in conjunction with... Figure 7 Another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be introduced.

[0303] Figure 7 The method shown may include steps S710 and S720.

[0304] In step S710, the network device sends the configuration information of the second RB and the configuration information of the third RB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information of the second RB and the configuration information of the third RB.

[0305] The configuration information of the second RB includes the configuration information of the first transmission mode, and the configuration information of the third RB includes the configuration information of the second transmission mode.

[0306] In some embodiments, the transmission performance of the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode differs, such as in some or all of their performance characteristics, including reliability and transmission latency. For example, the first transmission mode has higher reliability than the second transmission mode. Similarly, the second transmission mode has lower transmission latency than the first transmission mode.

[0307] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode supports an error correction mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. Alternatively, both the first and second transmission modes support error correction mechanisms, and the error correction mechanisms supported by the first and second transmission modes satisfy one or more of the following: the reliability of the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than that of the error correction mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the performance of the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is better than that of the error correction mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; or, compared with the second transmission mode, the error correction mechanism supported by the first transmission mode has stronger error correction capability.

[0308] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not. Alternatively, both the first and second transmission modes support retransmission mechanisms, and the retransmission mechanisms supported by the first and second transmission modes satisfy one or more of the following: the reliability of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is higher than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the transmission delay of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is greater than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the retransmission capability of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is greater than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; the retransmission performance of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is better than that of the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode; or, the number of retransmissions (e.g., the maximum number of retransmissions supported) of the retransmission mechanism supported by the first transmission mode is greater than the number of retransmissions supported by the retransmission mechanism supported by the second transmission mode.

[0309] For example, the ARQ window supported by the first transmission mode is larger than that of the second transmission mode. Also, the retransmission mechanisms supported by the first and second transmission modes differ. In the first transmission mode, when a data packet is corrupted, both the corrupted packet and all subsequent data packets need to be retransmitted. In the second transmission mode, however, only the corrupted data packet needs to be retransmitted.

[0310] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters associated with the second RB are partially or completely different from those associated with the third RB. For example, the packet error rate in the QoS parameters associated with the second RB is lower than the packet error rate in the QoS parameters associated with the third RB. The QoS parameters associated with the RB mentioned here may refer to the QoS parameters associated with the EPS bearer of that RB.

[0311] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of a protocol layer used to provide data services and / or manage data transmission. For example, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the RLC layer. It should be understood that the RLC layer may be replaced with other names in the future, or the current functions of the RLC layer may be integrated into other protocol layers, or the current functions of the RLC layer may be jointly implemented by multiple protocol layers. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, the first transmission mode and the second transmission mode can be transmission modes of the first protocol layer, and the first protocol layer can implement some or all of the functions of the RLC layer.

[0312] In some embodiments, the first transmission mode can be an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode can be an unacknowledged mode. It should be understood that the first and second transmission modes can also be other transmission modes, such as a transparent mode or other transmission modes proposed in the future, and this application does not limit them.

[0313] In the future, the terms "acknowledgment mode," "unacknowledgment mode," or "transparent mode" may be replaced with other names. The "acknowledgment mode," "unacknowledgment mode," or "transparent mode" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be replaced with transmission modes that have the same or similar transmission performance. In other words, the name of the transmission mode does not limit the method provided in this application.

[0314] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the first transmission mode may include configuration information of the uplink first transmission mode and / or the downlink first transmission mode to meet different transmission requirements of uplink and / or downlink. Taking RLC AM mode as an example, the configuration information of the first transmission mode may include configuration information of uplink RLC AM mode and / or downlink RLC AM mode. The configuration information of the transmission mode may include configuration of polling retransmission timer (t-PollRetransmit), configuration of status quiescent timer (t-StatusProhibit), configuration of maximum retransmission count, etc.

[0315] Similarly, the configuration information for the second transmission mode can include configuration information for the uplink second transmission mode and / or the downlink second transmission mode to meet different transmission requirements for uplink and / or downlink. Taking RLC UM mode as an example, the configuration information for the second transmission mode can include configuration information for the uplink RLC UM mode and / or the downlink RLC UM mode, wherein the configuration information for the transmission mode can include SN length configuration, etc.

[0316] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the second RB and / or the configuration information of the third RB may be carried in an RRC message, such as in an RRC connection establishment message.

[0317] In some embodiments, the second RB and / or the third RB can be a DRB or an SRB, such as the SRB1bis mentioned above.

[0318] For details regarding voice services, the first transmission mode, and the second transmission mode, please refer to the relevant introductions above; they will not be repeated here.

[0319] In step S720, the terminal device can conduct voice service-related communications via the second RB or the third RB. The network device can also conduct voice service-related communications via the second RB or the third RB. The information types related to voice services may include signaling or data.

[0320] In some embodiments, a terminal device may transmit voice service-related signaling via a second RB, or voice service-related data via a third RB. A network device may transmit voice service-related signaling via a second RB, or voice service-related data via a third RB.

[0321] Because signaling in voice communication requires high reliability, transmitting voice-related signaling via the second RB helps meet this reliability requirement. Conversely, because voice data requires high real-time performance, transmitting voice-related data via the third RB helps reduce transmission latency, thus preventing buffering and improving user experience.

[0322] This application embodiment configures two RBs with different transmission modes for voice services to meet different transmission requirements in voice services, thereby helping to improve data transmission performance and enhance user experience.

[0323] It should be understood that the above description uses two RBs with different transmission modes as examples. Network devices can also be configured with more RBs with different transmission modes, and this application does not limit this.

[0324] For voice service-related communications based on the second or third RB, the terminal device or network device needs to determine which RB to use for the voice service-related communications.

[0325] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the RB to use based on the information type related to the voice service. For example, when the information type related to the voice service is data, the RB to be used in this transmission is determined to be the third RB. As another example, when the information type related to the voice service is signaling, the RB to be used in this transmission is determined to be the second RB. This method can be applied to uplink transmission scenarios.

[0326] Since network devices can sense the RBs used by terminal devices, for uplink transmission scenarios, network devices do not need additional indication information to determine the RBs used in this transmission.

[0327] However, in downlink transmission scenarios, network devices themselves may not be able to perceive the information type related to voice services, thus failing to determine which RB (Resource Block) to use for data transmission. In some embodiments, the network device may receive fifth information from core network elements. Exemplarily, the fifth information may include one or more of the following: transmission mode information; RB information; or voice service-related information types. The network device can determine the RB to be used for this transmission based on the fifth information, thereby performing voice service-related communication.

[0328] For example, when the fifth information indicates the transmission mode, the network device can determine the RB to be used for this transmission based on the association between the transmission mode and the RB. For instance, if the fifth information indicates a first transmission mode, the network device can determine that the RB to be used for this transmission is the second RB. Similarly, if the fifth information indicates a second transmission mode, the network device can determine that the RB to be used for this transmission is the third RB.

[0329] For example, if the fifth information indicates a second RB, the network device can determine that the RB to be used in this transmission is the second RB; or, if the fifth information indicates a third RB, the network device can determine that the RB to be used in this transmission is the third RB.

[0330] For example, when the fifth information indicates the information type related to voice service, if the information type related to voice service is signaling, the network device can determine that the RB to be used in this transmission is the second RB; if the information type related to voice service is data, the network device can determine that the RB to be used in this transmission is the third RB.

[0331] As mentioned earlier, RB can be used for data transmission between terminal devices and network devices. Core network elements do not need to be concerned with the RB used by the terminal devices and network devices, or the transmission mode of the RB used. However, when transmitting downlink voice services, core network elements can be aware of the information type related to the voice service. Based on this, the fifth piece of information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service, which helps to reduce the processing complexity on the core network side and facilitates implementation.

[0332] In some embodiments, the fifth information is a newly defined message, or the fifth information can be newly added information in messages exchanged between core network elements and network devices. That is, the fifth information can be added to messages exchanged between core network elements and network devices.

[0333] Since network devices cannot perceive the types of information related to voice services, the fifth piece of information enables them to do so, thereby determining whether the RB used in this transmission is the second or third RB. This method is applicable to downlink transmission scenarios. The core network element can be, for example, an IMS network element or other network elements involved in the voice service.

[0334] Since the terminal device can sense the RB used by the network device, for downlink transmission scenarios, the terminal device does not need additional indication information to determine the RB used for this transmission.

[0335] This method requires only minimal information interaction to meet the different transmission needs of voice service data and signaling in voice services. It is simple to implement and has low overhead.

[0336] In NB-IoT voice communication scenarios via the CP transmission mechanism, the network devices mentioned earlier can be eNBs / ng-eNBs, responsible for providing 4G E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol functions to the UE. In the future, the network devices mentioned earlier can also be gNBs / en-gNBs, responsible for providing 5G NR user plane and control plane protocol functions to the UE.

[0337] To facilitate understanding, the following uses an NB-IoT voice communication scenario as an example, combined with three specific examples, to introduce the method provided in the embodiments of this application. Examples one to three are illustrated using RLC AM mode as the first transmission mode and RLC UM mode as the second transmission mode.

[0338] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, namely Example 1. Figure 8 The method shown may involve the interaction between terminal devices, network devices, and core network elements. The terminal devices, network devices, and core network elements can be referred to in the relevant introduction above.

[0339] Figure 8 The method shown may include steps 1 through 4.

[0340] Step 1: The network device sends the SRB1bis configuration, and the terminal device receives the SRB1bis configuration.

[0341] The SRB1bis configuration includes RLC configuration. The SRB's RLC configuration includes configurations related to both RLC AM and UM modes. Optionally, the SRB configuration may also include reordering or reassembling timer configurations, such as timer duration.

[0342] RLC AM mode configuration can be divided into uplink RLC AM mode configuration and / or downlink RLC AM mode configuration. RLC AM mode configuration may include polling retransmission timer configuration, state freeze timer configuration, maximum retransmission count configuration, etc.

[0343] RLC UM mode configuration can be divided into uplink RLC UM mode configuration and / or downlink RLC UM mode configuration. RLC UM mode configuration may include SN length configuration, etc.

[0344] Optionally, network devices can provide SRB configuration via RRC messages, specifically RRC connection establishment messages.

[0345] Step 2: The network equipment and terminal equipment perform the voice service establishment process based on RLC AM mode.

[0346] For example, the default transmission mode for SRB can be configured to RLC AM mode. After the network device provides SRB configuration, the terminal device and the network device use RLC AM mode to perform the voice service establishment process for SRB.

[0347] For example, network devices can be configured to use RLC AM mode first for this SRB. Alternatively, it can be predefined (e.g., through protocol predefinition) that RLC AM mode will be used first after configuring the SRB.

[0348] The process for establishing a voice service can be found in the previous introduction, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0349] Once the voice service establishment process is complete, the terminal device or core network element can indicate to the network device that the voice service establishment is complete, i.e., execute step 3a or step 3b below.

[0350] Step 3a: The terminal device sends an instruction message to the network device.

[0351] Step 3b: The core network element sends instruction information to the network device.

[0352] The instruction information can be the first information mentioned above.

[0353] The timing of sending the instruction information can be when the voice service establishment is completed, such as during the last signaling interaction in the voice service establishment process.

[0354] Alternatively, the indication information can be sent after the voice service has been established, such as before or simultaneously with the first voice data transmission. It should be noted that the above-mentioned timing of the indication information transmission is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0355] It should be understood that if the voice service is not successfully established, the terminal equipment or core network element will not send this indication information.

[0356] The method of carrying instruction information can be referred to the relevant introduction on the method of carrying the first information in the previous text, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0357] Step 4: The terminal device and the network device conduct voice service-related communication based on the RLC UM mode.

[0358] For example, terminal devices and network devices can switch the RLC mode of an SRB from AM mode to UM mode. In subsequent communication, terminal devices and network devices will use RLC UM mode for that SRB.

[0359] Switching the RLC mode of an SRB from AM mode to UM mode may include RLC rebuilding and / or MAC reset. The RLC mode switch can be performed by network devices and / or end devices.

[0360] RLC reconstruction may include one or more of the following operations: resetting the RLC SN; managing RLC timers; or clearing the RLC buffer. Resetting the RLC SN may include setting the SN to 0, resetting the SN length according to the configuration corresponding to the mode, etc. Managing RLC timers may include stopping or disabling the polling retransmission timer, stopping or disabling the state quiescent timer, setting the retransmission timer to a special value, setting the state quiescent timer to a special value, resetting the reordering timer, or resetting the reassembly timer. The special value mentioned here can be, for example, infinity. Clearing the RLC buffer may include discarding packets in the buffer (including RLC SDUs, RLC PDUs, RLC control PDUs, etc.).

[0361] A MAC reset can include one or more of the following operations: resetting the MAC timer; resetting or initializing the logical channel prioritization (LCP) parameter; or clearing the HARQ buffer, such as discarding packets in the buffer.

[0362] This application provides a scheme for changing the RLC mode used by the SRB transmission according to the business process, supporting voice communication services for NB-IoT using the CP transmission mechanism. By configuring two RLC transmission modes for the SRB simultaneously and using different RLC modes before and after the voice service is established, the appropriate RLC mode can be used according to the characteristics or requirements of the business process to improve the quality of service transmission and thus ensure user experience.

[0363] During the establishment of a voice service, the transmitted signaling is voice service information, which has reliability requirements. Therefore, the RLC AM mode with a retransmission mechanism is used to ensure the correct transmission of the signaling. After the voice service is established, the transmitted data is mainly voice service data, which has low latency requirements. Therefore, the RLC UM mode is used to avoid excessive processing mechanisms that increase transmission latency. This scheme has relatively low complexity, involves fewer RLC mode switches, and is beneficial to both the UE and the network implementation.

[0364] In addition, to ensure consistency in the RLC mode used by the UE and network equipment, an indication message indicating the completion of voice service establishment has been added, sent from the UE and core network to the network equipment. This indication message helps the network equipment perceive the voice service process, enabling the UE and network equipment to switch RLC mode at the same time, ensuring normal transmission.

[0365] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, namely Example 2. Figure 9 The method shown may involve the interaction between terminal devices, network devices, and core network elements. The terminal devices, network devices, and core network elements can be referred to in the relevant introduction above.

[0366] Figure 9 The method shown may include steps 1 through 4.

[0367] Step 1: The network device sends the SRB1bis configuration, and the terminal device receives the SRB1bis configuration.

[0368] The SRB1bis configuration includes RLC configuration. The SRB's RLC configuration includes configurations related to both RLC AM and UM modes. Optionally, the SRB configuration may also include reordering or reassembling timer configurations, such as timer duration.

[0369] RLC AM mode configuration can be divided into uplink RLC AM mode configuration and / or downlink RLC AM mode configuration. RLC AM mode configuration may include polling retransmission timer configuration, state freeze timer configuration, maximum retransmission count configuration, etc.

[0370] RLC UM mode configuration can be divided into uplink RLC UM mode configuration and / or downlink RLC UM mode configuration. RLC UM mode configuration may include SN length configuration, etc.

[0371] Optionally, network devices can provide SRB configuration via RRC messages, specifically RRC connection establishment messages.

[0372] In this scheme, the RLC mode used by the SRB can be determined based on the type of data packet currently being transmitted.

[0373] The terminal device can determine the RLC mode it is using based on the type of the currently transmitted data packet. Additionally, the terminal device can send RLC mode indication information to the network device, which will then determine the appropriate RLC mode, as described in step 2 below.

[0374] Alternatively, core network elements can send RLC mode indication information to network devices to determine the RLC mode used by the network devices, as shown in step 3a below. Furthermore, network devices can indicate the RLC mode to terminal devices based on the RLC mode indication information from core network elements, as shown in step 3b below.

[0375] Step 2: The terminal device sends an indication message for RLC mode to the network device.

[0376] The RLC mode indication information, namely the second information mentioned above, can be used to indicate one or more of the following: whether to switch to RLC mode; the RLC mode to be used in this transmission; or the type of data packet to be transmitted, i.e., whether the transmission is voice signaling or voice data.

[0377] The indication information in RLC mode can be specific handover indication information, such as UCI, MAC CE, RLC control PDU, and RRC messages. The indication information in RLC mode can also be indication information added to the accompanying data packet.

[0378] Step 3a: The core network element sends an indication message for RLC mode to the network device.

[0379] Core network elements can determine the RLC mode indication information, i.e., the fourth information mentioned above, based on the type of the currently transmitted data packet.

[0380] Information related to RLC mode can be dedicated information or added indication information to existing messages of network devices and core network elements.

[0381] Step 3b: The network device sends an indication message for the RLC mode to the terminal device.

[0382] Network devices can determine the RLC transmission mode of their SRBs based on the RLC mode indication information sent by core network elements, such as the type of the currently transmitted data packet.

[0383] In addition, network devices can determine the RLC mode indication information to send to terminal devices based on the RLC mode indication information sent by the core network elements, which is the third information mentioned above.

[0384] The RLC mode indication information in step 3a or step 3b can be used to indicate one or more of the following: whether to switch RLC mode; the RLC mode to be used in this transmission; or the type of data packet in this transmission.

[0385] It should be understood that the indication information for RLC mode in step 3a and the indication information for RLC mode in step 3b may be the same or different. That is to say, the network device may directly forward the indication information from the core network element to the terminal device, or it may process the indication information to determine the indication information to be sent to the terminal device.

[0386] During voice communication, the type of information transmitted may change. Therefore, steps 2 and 3 may occur multiple times depending on the data packet transmission. Furthermore, the execution order of steps 2 and 3 may also depend on the data packet transmission situation; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0387] If the RLC mode to be used in this transmission is different from the RLC mode used in the previous transmission, the terminal device and network device need to switch the RLC mode, that is, perform the following step 4.

[0388] Step 4: According to the RLC mode indication information, such as the RLC mode indication information in Step 2, Step 3a or Step 3b, the terminal device and / or network device switch to RLC mode.

[0389] In this scheme, switching the RLC mode can include switching the RLC mode of the SRB from AM mode to UM mode, or it can include switching the RLC mode of the SRB from UM mode to AM mode.

[0390] Switching RLC mode can include RLC rebuild and / or MAC reset.

[0391] To switch the RLC mode of SRB from AM mode to UM mode, please refer to... Figure 8 The relevant details will not be repeated here.

[0392] When switching the RLC mode of an SRB from UM mode to AM mode, RLC reconstruction may include one or more of the following operations: resetting the RLC SN; managing RLC timers; or clearing the RLC buffer. Resetting the RLC SN may include setting the SN to 0, resetting the SN length according to the configuration corresponding to the mode, etc. Managing RLC timers may include starting or enabling the polling retransmission timer, starting or enabling the state inactivity timer, setting the retransmission timer to the configured value, setting the state inactivity timer to the configured value, resetting the reordering timer, or resetting the reassembly timer. Clearing the RLC buffer may include discarding packets in the buffer (including RLC SDUs, RLC PDUs, RLC control PDUs, etc.). MAC reset may include one or more of the following operations: resetting the MAC timer; resetting or initializing logical channel priority parameters; or clearing the HARQ buffer, such as discarding packets in the buffer.

[0393] This application provides a scheme for changing the RLC mode used by the SRB transmission based on the information type related to voice services, supporting voice communication services using the CP transmission mechanism for NB-IoT. By configuring two RLC transmission modes simultaneously for the SRB and using different RLC modes when transmitting different types of data packets (voice signaling or data), the appropriate RLC mode can be used according to transmission needs to improve service transmission quality and thus ensure user experience.

[0394] When transmitting voice service signaling, which has reliability requirements, the RLCAM mode with a retransmission mechanism is used to ensure correct transmission. When transmitting voice service data, which has low latency requirements, the RLCUM mode is used to avoid excessive processing mechanisms that increase transmission latency. This scheme can achieve flexible and dynamic switching of RLC modes, better matching the various transmission requirements of voice services.

[0395] To ensure consistency in the RLC mode used by the UE and network devices, indication information for RLC mode switching between the UE and network devices has been added. This allows the UE and network devices to switch RLC modes at the same time, ensuring normal transmission. Furthermore, RLC mode-related information sent from the core network to the network devices has been added, enabling the network devices to perceive the type of transmitted data packets and correctly set the RLC mode switching indication information sent to the UE.

[0396] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, namely Example 3. Figure 10 The method shown may involve the interaction between terminal devices, network devices, and core network elements. The terminal devices, network devices, and core network elements can be referred to in the relevant introduction above.

[0397] Figure 10 The method shown may include steps 1 through 3.

[0398] Step 1: The network device sends the SRB configuration, and the terminal device receives the SRB configuration.

[0399] An SRB configuration includes the configuration of at least two SRBs; the following description uses two SRBs as an example. The configurations of the two SRBs include RLC AM mode configuration and RLC UM mode configuration, respectively. Optionally, the SRB configuration may also include reordering timer configuration or reorganizing timer configuration (e.g., timer duration).

[0400] RLC AM mode configuration can be divided into uplink RLC AM mode configuration and / or downlink RLC AM mode configuration. RLC AM mode configuration may include polling retransmission timer configuration, state freeze timer configuration, maximum retransmission count configuration, etc.

[0401] RLC UM mode configuration can be divided into uplink RLC UM mode configuration and / or downlink RLC UM mode configuration. RLC UM mode configuration may include SN length configuration, etc.

[0402] Optionally, network devices can provide SRB configuration via RRC messages, specifically RRC connection establishment messages.

[0403] In this scheme, the SRB used for the current transmission can be determined based on the type of the transmitted data packet. For example, when the data packet type is signaling, the SRB corresponding to the RLC AM mode is used. Similarly, when the data packet type is data, the SRB corresponding to the RLC UM mode is used.

[0404] Since network devices cannot perceive the information type related to voice services, the core network element can send RLC mode related information to the network device, as shown in step 2 below.

[0405] Step 2: Core network elements send RLC mode-related information to network devices.

[0406] Core network elements can send RLC mode-related information to the base station based on the type of data packet being transmitted, i.e., whether it is voice signaling or voice data. This information is used by the base station to determine the RLC mode used by the data packet or to determine the corresponding SRB.

[0407] RLC mode information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the RLC mode to be used in this transmission; the SRB to be used in this transmission; or the type of data packet to be transmitted, i.e., voice signaling or voice data.

[0408] Information related to RLC mode can be dedicated information or added indication information to existing messages of network devices and core network elements.

[0409] Step 3: The terminal device and network device use the corresponding SRB to transmit data according to the type of data packet.

[0410] For example, when a UE sends a data packet to a base station, it uses the corresponding RLC mode SRB for transmission based on the type of the data packet, i.e., whether it is voice signaling or voice data.

[0411] For example, when the base station sends a data packet to the UE, it uses the corresponding RLC mode SRB for transmission based on the information from the core network (i.e., step 2).

[0412] This application provides a scheme for transmitting voice services using multiple SRBs. By pre-configuring multiple SRBs with different RLC modes in the base station, and using the SRBs corresponding to different RLC modes when transmitting different types of data packets (voice signaling or data), the appropriate RLC mode can be used according to the transmission requirements to improve the quality of service transmission and thus ensure user experience.

[0413] Because signaling has reliability requirements, when transmitting voice service signaling, the SRB corresponding to the RLC AM mode with a retransmission mechanism can be used to ensure correct transmission. Because data has low latency requirements, when transmitting voice service data, the SRB corresponding to the RLC UM mode can be used to avoid excessive processing mechanisms that increase transmission latency.

[0414] In this scheme, the base station and UE can determine the SRB corresponding to the RLC mode based on the type of the transmitted data packet. Furthermore, RLC mode-related information sent from the core network to the base station is added, enabling the base station to perceive the type of transmitted data packet and correctly use the corresponding SRB when sending data packets to the UE.

[0415] It should be understood that the method provided in this application can be applied to any scenario where an RB does not meet the transmission requirements of a single service transmission, and this application does not limit it in this regard. For example, the method provided in this application can be applied to voice communication of NB-IoT in a high-orbit satellite scenario, but is not limited to the satellite communication scenarios mentioned above, such as high-orbit satellite communication scenarios and NB-IoT communication scenarios.

[0416] It should be noted that the order of appearance of the steps in the embodiments described above in this application does not represent the order in which the steps are executed. The steps in the embodiments described above in this application can also be executed in other orders, all of which are within the protection scope of this application.

[0417] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, or may be combined with other features in certain scenarios. This application does not limit this.

[0418] The method embodiments provided in this application have been described above. The apparatus embodiments provided in this application will be described below. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0419] Figure 11 This is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 11 As shown, the communication device 1100 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device 1100 may include a communication unit 1110 and a processing unit 1120. Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a storage unit 1130 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0420] The communication device 1100 can be a terminal-side device in the above embodiments, such as a terminal or a component in the terminal, such as a module, a communication module, or a circuit or chip in the terminal that is responsible for communication functions, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0421] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1110 can be used to receive configuration information of a first radio bearer (RB), the configuration information of the first RB including configuration information of a first transmission mode and configuration information of a second transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism and the second transmission mode does not support a retransmission mechanism; based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, voice service-related communication is performed through the first RB.

[0422] In one possible design, the default transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode.

[0423] In one possible design, the communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: performing a voice service establishment process based on the first transmission mode.

[0424] In one possible design, the communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: when the voice service establishment process is completed, the communication related to the voice service via the first RB based on the second transmission mode.

[0425] In one possible design, the method further includes: switching the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0426] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 can be used to: send first information, the first information being used to indicate that the voice service establishment process is complete.

[0427] In one possible design, the voice service-related information type includes signaling or data. The step of conducting voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the voice service-related information type, wherein, when the voice service-related information type is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; when the voice service-related information type is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; and conducting the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0428] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 may be used to: send second information, the second information being used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information type related to the voice service.

[0429] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 may be used to: receive third information, the third information being used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or the voice service-related information type, the voice service-related information type including signaling or data; the voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the third information; and performing the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0430] In one possible design, the third information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data; or, the third information is used to indicate the transmission mode information; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the transmission mode information is information of the first transmission mode, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the transmission mode information is information of the second transmission mode. The transmission mode is the second transmission mode; or, the third information is used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the third information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; if the third information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the third information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the third information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode.

[0431] In one possible design, if the determination result of the transmission mode of the first RB is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the communication unit 1110 can be used to switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0432] In one possible design, switching the transmission mode of the first RB includes one or more of the following operations: resetting the Radio Link Control (RLC) sequence number; managing the RLC timer; clearing the RLC buffer; resetting the Media Access Control (MAC) timer; resetting or initializing the logical channel priority parameter; or clearing the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) buffer.

[0433] In one possible design, when switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: disabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a specific value; disabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a specific value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer. When switching from the second transmission mode to the first transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: enabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a configured value; enabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a configured value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer.

[0434] In one possible design, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0435] For example, in another embodiment, the communication unit 1110 can be used to receive configuration information of a second radio bearer (RB) and configuration information of a third RB, wherein the configuration information of the second RB includes configuration information of a first transmission mode and the configuration information of the third RB includes configuration information of a second transmission mode; and transmit signaling related to voice services through the second RB, or transmit data related to voice services through the third RB.

[0436] In one possible design, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0437] The communication device 1100 can be a network-side device in the above embodiments, such as a network device or a component in a network device, such as a module, a communication module, or a circuit or chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0438] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 1110 can be used to send configuration information of a first radio bearer (RB), the configuration information of the first RB including configuration information of a first transmission mode and configuration information of a second transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism and the second transmission mode does not support a retransmission mechanism; based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, voice service-related communication is performed through the first RB.

[0439] In one possible design, the default transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the communication related to voice services through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: performing a voice service establishment process based on the default transmission mode.

[0440] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 can be used to: receive first information, the first information being used to indicate that the voice service establishment process is complete; the voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode according to the first information; and conducting the voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the second transmission mode.

[0441] In one possible design, the processing unit 1120 can be used to switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0442] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 can be used to: receive fourth information, the fourth information including the voice service-related information type, the voice service-related information type including signaling or data; and to perform voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, including: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the fourth information, wherein, when the voice service-related information type is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode, and when the voice service-related information type is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; and to perform the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0443] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 may be used to: send third information, the third information being determined based on the fourth information; wherein the third information is used to indicate one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or information type related to the voice service.

[0444] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 may be used to: receive second information, the second information indicating one or more of the following: transmission mode information; whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; or the voice service-related information type, the voice service-related information type including signaling or data; the voice service-related communication through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode according to the second information; and the voice service-related communication through the first RB.

[0445] In one possible design, the second information is used to indicate the information type related to the voice service; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data; or, the second information is used to indicate the transmission mode information; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode when the transmission mode information is the first transmission mode information, and determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the second transmission mode when the transmission mode information is the second transmission mode information. The mode is the second transmission mode; or, the second information is used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the second information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; if the second information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; or if the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the second information indicates to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the second information indicates not to switch the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode.

[0446] In one possible design, if the transmission mode of the first RB determined based on the second information or the fourth information is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the communication unit 1110 can be used to switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

[0447] In one possible design, switching the transmission mode of the first RB includes one or more of the following operations: resetting the Radio Link Control (RLC) sequence number; managing the RLC timer; clearing the RLC buffer; resetting the Media Access Control (MAC) timer; resetting or initializing the logical channel priority parameter; or clearing the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) buffer.

[0448] In one possible design, when switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: disabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a specific value; disabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a specific value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer. When switching from the second transmission mode to the first transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: enabling the polling retransmission timer or setting the polling retransmission timer to a configured value; enabling the state quiescent timer or setting the state quiescent timer to a configured value; resetting the reordering timer; or resetting the reassembly timer.

[0449] In one possible design, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0450] For example, in another embodiment, the communication unit 1110 can be used to send configuration information of a second radio bearer (RB) and configuration information of a third RB, wherein the configuration information of the second RB includes configuration information of a first transmission mode and the configuration information of the third RB includes configuration information of a second transmission mode; and transmit signaling related to voice services through the second RB, or transmit data related to voice services through the third RB.

[0451] In one possible design, the communication unit 1110 can be used to: receive fifth information, the fifth information including information types related to the voice service, the information types related to the voice service including signaling or data.

[0452] In one possible design, the first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

[0453] For details regarding the steps or processes executed by each unit in the communication device 1100, please refer to the descriptions in the corresponding methods; they will not be elaborated here.

[0454] It should be understood that the "unit" in the communication device 1100 can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. For example, the "unit" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. Furthermore, the communication unit 1110 can be replaced by a transceiver circuit (e.g., it may include receiving and transmitting circuitry), and the processing unit 1120 can be replaced by a processor or processing circuitry.

[0455] As mentioned earlier, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be implemented by a chip inside the terminal device. Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the internal chip structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0456] Figure 12 The chip shown can be composed of a baseband subsystem 1210, a radio frequency subsystem 1220, a power management subsystem 1230, and peripherals (storage, external interface) 1240.

[0457] Among them, the baseband subsystem 1210 can be responsible for application layer processing, external interface and other functions, and layer 3 (L3) / layer 2 (L2) / layer 1 (L1) communication protocol processing.

[0458] The radio frequency subsystem 1220 can convert spatial electromagnetic waves into electrical signals and perform amplification, filtering and other functions through the radio frequency front end and antenna to achieve excellent coverage. In addition, the radio frequency subsystem 1220 can also be connected to the baseband to complete the frequency conversion and nonlinear distortion correction of analog signals.

[0459] The power management subsystem 1230 can provide power management functions for communication baseband chips.

[0460] In some embodiments, Figure 12 The chip shown may include a high-layer protocol processor 1310, a physical layer protocol processor 1320, and a baseband hardware processor 1330, such as Figure 13 As shown.

[0461] The high-level protocol processor can be used to implement high-level protocol (L2 / L3) processing, support encoding and decoding functions, and support standard air interface encryption and decryption, integrity protection algorithms, etc.

[0462] The physical layer protocol processor can be used to implement physical layer processing, including downlink network search, time-frequency tracking, measurement, channel estimation, demodulation and decoding, and uplink coding, modulation and time-frequency offset adjustment.

[0463] The baseband hardware processor can be used to perform secure booting and startup of the baseband system, as well as protocol layer processing (L1 / L2 / L3), etc.

[0464] Typically, the processing flow of a terminal chip can include the processing flow of a higher-layer protocol processor, the processing flow of a physical layer protocol processor, and the processing flow of a baseband hardware processor.

[0465] The communication method provided in this application includes functional modules such as a higher-layer protocol processor and a physical-layer protocol processor, comprising related hardware and software modules. Specific execution steps can be found in the preceding method embodiments; for brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0466] Figure 14 This is another possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 1400 can be a terminal device / network device, a communication module within a terminal device / network device, or a component within a terminal device / network device, such as a module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. This device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0467] The communication device 1400 may include one or more processors 1410, which may also be referred to as processing units, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1410 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0468] In an alternative design, the processor 1410 may also store instructions and / or data that can be executed by the processor 1410 to cause the communication device 1400 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0469] In another alternative design, the communication device 1400 may include a communication interface 1420 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1420 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0470] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may include one or more memories 1430, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1410, causing the communication device 1400 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1430 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1410 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1410 and the memories 1430 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0471] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0472] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0473] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0474] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0475] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes performed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0476] This application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface, the interface being used to send and / or receive signals, causing the processor to execute the various steps or processes executed by the terminal device / network device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0477] The above-described device and method embodiments are completely corresponding, with corresponding modules or units performing corresponding steps. For example, a communication unit or communication interface performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiment, while other steps besides sending and receiving can be performed by a processing unit or processor.

[0478] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. The embodiments of this application do not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0479] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," etc., are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated, applications running on computing devices and computing devices can both be components. One or more components may reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and components may be located on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more computers. Furthermore, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media on which various data structures are stored. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0480] 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.

[0481] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0482] 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.

[0483] 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.

[0484] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0485] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0486] 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 technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, essentially or in other words, the parts that contribute to the prior art, or parts of the technical solutions, 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, a server, or a 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, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0487] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The configuration information of the first radio bearer (RB) is received. The configuration information of the first RB includes the configuration information of the first transmission mode and the configuration information of the second transmission mode. The first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism, while the second transmission mode does not support a retransmission mechanism. Based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, voice service-related communications are conducted through the first RB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The default transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: The voice service establishment process is executed based on the first transmission mode.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: Once the voice service establishment process is completed, the voice service-related communication is conducted through the first RB based on the second transmission mode.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first message, which is used to indicate that the voice service establishment process is complete.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The information types related to the voice service include signaling or data, and the communication related to the voice service through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: The transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the information type related to the voice service. Specifically, if the information type related to the voice service is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode. If the information type related to the voice service is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode. The voice service-related communication is conducted through the first RB.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, which indicates one or more of the following: Transmission mode information; Should the transmission mode of the first RB be switched? Or The information types related to the voice service.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information being used to indicate one or more of the following: Transmission mode information; Should the transmission mode of the first RB be switched? Or The information types related to the voice service include signaling or data. The communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: Based on the third information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode; The voice service-related communication is conducted through the first RB.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The third information is used to indicate the type of information related to the voice service; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: If the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the third information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode. Alternatively, the third information may be used to indicate the transmission mode information; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: If the transmission mode information is the first transmission mode information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the transmission mode information is the second transmission mode information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode. Alternatively, the third information is used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the third information includes: If the third information indicates that the transmission mode of the first RB is to be switched, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; if the third information indicates that the transmission mode of the first RB is not to be switched, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode. If the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the third information indicates that the transmission mode of the first RB should be switched, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the third information indicates that the transmission mode of the first RB should not be switched, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-10, characterized in that, If the determination result of the transmission mode of the first RB is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the method further includes: Switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The configuration information of the second radio bearer (RB) and the configuration information of the third RB are received. The configuration information of the second RB includes the configuration information of the first transmission mode, and the configuration information of the third RB includes the configuration information of the second transmission mode. The second RB transmits signaling related to voice services, or the third RB transmits data related to voice services.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send configuration information of the first radio bearer (RB), the configuration information of the first RB includes configuration information of the first transmission mode and configuration information of the second transmission mode, wherein the first transmission mode supports a retransmission mechanism and the second transmission mode does not support a retransmission mechanism. Based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode, voice service-related communications are conducted through the first RB.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The default transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode. The communication related to voice services through the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: The voice service establishment process is executed based on the default transmission mode.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information, which is used to indicate that the voice service establishment process is complete; The communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: Based on the first information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; Based on the second transmission mode, the voice service-related communication is performed through the first RB.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fourth information, the fourth information including information types related to the voice service, the information types related to the voice service including signaling or data; The communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: Based on the fourth information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode. Specifically, when the information type related to the voice service is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; when the information type related to the voice service is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode. The voice service-related communication is conducted through the first RB.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, which is determined based on the fourth message; wherein the third message is used to indicate one or more of the following: Transmission mode information; Should the transmission mode of the first RB be switched? Or The information types related to the voice service.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, the second information being used to indicate one or more of the following: Transmission mode information; Should the transmission mode of the first RB be switched? Or The information types related to the voice service include signaling or data. The communication related to voice services via the first RB based on the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode includes: Based on the second information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode; The voice service-related communication is conducted through the first RB.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate the type of information related to the voice service; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: When the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is signaling, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; when the second information indicates that the information type of the voice service is data, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode. Alternatively, the second information may be used to indicate the transmission mode information; determining the transmission mode of the first RB as either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: If the transmission mode information is the first transmission mode information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the transmission mode information is the second transmission mode information, the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode. Alternatively, the second information may be used to indicate whether to switch the transmission mode of the first RB; the step of determining the transmission mode of the first RB as the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode based on the second information includes: If the current transmission mode of the first RB is the first transmission mode, and the second information indicates a switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode; if the second information indicates no switch to the transmission mode of the first RB, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; or If the current transmission mode of the first RB is the second transmission mode, and the second information indicates that the transmission mode of the first RB should be switched, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the first transmission mode; if the second information indicates that the transmission mode of the first RB should not be switched, then the transmission mode of the first RB is determined to be the second transmission mode.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17-20, characterized in that, If the transmission mode of the first RB determined based on the second information or the fourth information is different from the current transmission mode of the first RB, the method further includes: Switch the transmission mode of the first RB.

22. The method according to claim 5, 11, 16 or 21, characterized in that, Switching the transmission mode of the first RB includes one or more of the following operations: Reset the Radio Link Control (RLC) sequence number; Manage RLC timers; Clear RLC cache; Reset the Media Access Control (MAC) timer; Reset or initialize the logical channel priority parameters; or Clear the HARQ cache for Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Requests.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, When switching from the first transmission mode to the second transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: Disable the polling retransmission timer or set the polling retransmission timer to a specific value; Disable the state freeze timer or set the state freeze timer to a specific value; Reset the reordering timer; or Reset the reorganization timer; When switching from the second transmission mode to the first transmission mode, the management RLC timer includes one or more of the following operations: Enable the polling retransmission timer or set the polling retransmission timer to a configured value; Enable the state freeze timer or set the state freeze timer to the configured value; Reset the reordering timer; or Reset the reorganization timer.

24. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send configuration information of the second radio bearer (RB) and the third RB, wherein the configuration information of the second RB includes configuration information of the first transmission mode and the configuration information of the third RB includes configuration information of the second transmission mode. The second RB transmits signaling related to voice services, or the third RB transmits data related to voice services.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The method further includes: The fifth piece of information is received, which includes information types related to the voice service, including signaling or data.

26. The method according to any one of claims 1-25, characterized in that, The first transmission mode is an acknowledged mode, and the second transmission mode is an unacknowledged mode.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-12, or units for performing the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 13-26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-26.

29. A readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-26.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions that cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-26.

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