Multipath communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication method and apparatus. A remote terminal device receives first instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device or second instruction information transmitted by a network device, and triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first or second instruction information, the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to a wireless resource control connection state. This enables the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communication technologies.

Background Art

[0002] In 3GPP (registered trademark)'s Release 18, a scheme to support multi-path is under consideration. A multi-path scenario may be that a remote terminal device (remote UE) is connected to the same network device (e.g., gNB) using a direct path and an indirect path. For example, the direct path may be that the remote terminal device is directly connected to the network device via the Uu interface. The indirect path may be that the remote terminal device is connected to the network device via a relay from a Layer-2 (L2) terminal device to the network device, for example, via a relay UE.

[0003] Note that the above description of the background art is only for more clearly and completely explaining the configuration of the present invention, and is for the understanding of those skilled in the art. These configurations should not be construed as well-known technologies to those skilled in the art just because they are described in the background art part of the present invention.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the discovery of the inventor of the present invention, in some multi-path scenarios, a relay terminal device in the RRC (Radio Resource Control) idle state (RRC_Idle) or RRC inactive state (RRC_Inactive) cannot be transitioned to the RRC connected state (RRC_Connected).

[0005] In view of at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a multipath communication method and apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication device configured in a remote terminal device, comprising: a receiving unit that receives first instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device or second instruction information transmitted by a network device; and a processing unit that triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first instruction information or the second instruction information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state.

[0007] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication device configured in a remote terminal device, the device comprising: a receiving unit that receives third instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device; and a processing unit that, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or does not transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication method applicable to a remote terminal device, comprising the steps of: the remote terminal device receiving first instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device or second instruction information transmitted by a network device; and the remote terminal device triggering or transmitting a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the first instruction information or the second instruction information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state.

[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication method applicable to a remote terminal device, the method comprising: the remote terminal device receiving a third instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device; and the remote terminal device not triggering, canceling, or not transmitting a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the third instruction information.

[0010] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication device configured in a relay terminal device, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits first instruction information to a remote terminal device; and a receiving unit that receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state.

[0011] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication device configured in a relay terminal device, the device comprising: a receiving unit that receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by a remote terminal device; and a processing unit that initiates an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0012] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication device configured in a relay terminal device, the device including a transmitting unit that transmits a third instruction information to a remote terminal device for the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0013] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication method applicable to a relay terminal device, comprising the steps of: the relay terminal device transmitting first instruction information to a remote terminal device; and the relay terminal device receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state.

[0014] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication method applicable to a relay terminal device, the method comprising: the step of the relay terminal device receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by a remote terminal device; and, if the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the step of the relay terminal device initiating an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure.

[0015] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication method applicable to a relay terminal device, the method comprising the step of the relay terminal device transmitting a third instruction information to a remote terminal device for the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication device configured in a network device, comprising a transmitting unit that transmits second instruction information to a remote terminal device, the second instruction information being used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to cause the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state.

[0017] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multipath communication method applicable to a network device, the method comprising the step of the network device transmitting a second instruction information to a remote terminal device, the second instruction information being used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to cause the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state.

[0018] In another embodiment of the present invention, a remote terminal device is provided, which includes a memory storing a computer program and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program in order to realize the multi-path communication method on the remote terminal device side described above.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, a relay terminal device is provided, comprising a memory storing a computer program and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program in order to realize the multi-path communication method on the relay terminal side described above.

[0020] In another embodiment of the present invention, a network device is provided which includes a memory storing a computer program and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer program in order to realize the multipath communication method on the network device side described above.

[0021] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a communication system including the above-described network device and / or the above-described remote terminal device and / or the above-described relay terminal device.

[0022] One of the advantageous effects of the embodiments of the present invention is as follows. The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or the second instruction information transmitted by the network device, and according to the first instruction information or the second instruction information, triggers the first PC5-RRC message or transmits it to the relay terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to shift the relay terminal device to the radio resource control connection state. Thereby, the relay terminal device can provide a relay service to the remote terminal device.

[0023] As shown in the following description and drawings, specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail, and the ways in which the principles of the present invention can be adopted are shown. It should be noted that the scope of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited thereto. The embodiments of the present invention include those that are modified, corrected, and equivalent within the gist and scope of the appended claims.

[0024] The features described and / or shown in one embodiment may be used in one or more other embodiments in the same or similar manner, or may be combined with the features in other embodiments, or may replace the features in other embodiments.

[0025] It should be noted that in this text, the term "including / having" means that a feature, member, step, or component exists, and does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, members, steps, or components.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0026] The elements and features described in one drawing and one embodiment of the present invention may be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Also, in the drawings, similar reference numerals indicate corresponding elements in multiple drawings and may indicate corresponding elements used in one or more embodiments. [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]It is a schematic diagram of a multi - path scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram of a multi - path protocol stack structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram of a multi - path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figures 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of the flow of information interaction according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figures 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of the flow of information interaction according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figures 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of the flow of information interaction according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Figures 8 to 12 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] Figures 8 to 12 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] Figures 8 to 12 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] Figures 8 to 12 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] Figures 8 to 12 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] Figures 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] Figures 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] Figures 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] Figures 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] Figures 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of a multi - path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18]Figures 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a remote terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a relay terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] The above and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description. Specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail in the specification and drawings, and some embodiments in which the principles of the present invention can be employed are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described. The present invention includes all modified, altered and equivalent versions within the scope of the appended claims. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention.

[0028] In embodiments of the present invention, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used in titles to distinguish different elements, but do not represent a spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements are not limited to these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one or more of the terms listed in the relevant list and all combinations thereof. The terms "include," "equip," "have," etc., mean the presence of the listed features, elements, components, or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or components.

[0029] In the embodiments of the present invention, singular nouns such as "one" and "the" should be understood broadly as "one type" or "one category," including plural forms, and not limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "the foregoing" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. Also, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise, the term "as described" should be understood as "at least partially described," and the term "based on" should be understood as "based on at least partially."

[0030] In embodiments of the present invention, the terms "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may mean a network conforming to any communication standard such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA®), or High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA).

[0031] Furthermore, communication between devices in a communication system may be carried out according to a communication protocol of any stage, and such communication protocol may include, but is not limited to, 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, New Radio (NR), and / or other currently known communication protocols or other communication protocols to be developed in the future.

[0032] In embodiments of the present invention, the term "network device" means, for example, a device within a communication system that allows a terminal device to access the communication system and provides services to said terminal device. A network device may include, but is not limited to, a base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission / reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0033] Here, base stations may include, but are not limited to, node B (NodeB or NB), evolutionary node B (eNodeB or eNB), and 5G base stations (gNB), as well as remote radio heads (RRH), remote radio units (RRU), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femto, pico). The term “base station” may also include some or all of their functions, and each base station may provide communication coverage to a specific geographic area. The term “cell” may mean a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0034] In embodiments of the present invention, the terms "User Equipment" (UE) or "Terminal Equipment" (TE) refer to equipment that accesses a communication network and receives network services, for example, via a network device. Terminal equipment may be fixed or mobile and may be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), station, etc.

[0035] Here, terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones (cellular phones), personal digital assistants (PDAs), radio modulators / demodulators, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smartphones, smartwatches, digital cameras, and the like.

[0036] Furthermore, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the user device may be a monitoring or measurement device or apparatus, and may include, but is not limited to, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, in-vehicle communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, and machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms “network side” or “network device side” mean the side of the network, which may be a base station or include one or more of the above-mentioned network devices. The terms “user side” or “terminal side” or “terminal device side” mean the side of the user or terminal, which may be a UE or include one or more of the above-mentioned terminal devices. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, “device” may mean network device or terminal device. The following describes a scenario of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a case in which a remote terminal device, a relay terminal device, and a network device are used as an example. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a remote terminal device 101, a relay terminal device 102, and a network device 103, and the remote terminal device 101 is connected to the network device 103 via a direct path and an indirect path. For the sake of explanation, Figure 1 is illustrated as an example of just two terminal devices (one remote terminal device and one relay terminal device) and one network device, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this.

[0039] In embodiments of the present invention, existing services or services that can be implemented in the future can be provided between the network device 103, the remote terminal device 101, and the relay terminal device 102. For example, these services may include, but are not limited to, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC).

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a multi-route scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, in the embodiment of the present invention, a remote terminal device can communicate simultaneously with a network device (e.g., gNB) via both direct and indirect routes. For example, the remote terminal device can communicate with the network device via a Uu interface (direct route) and with the same network device via a relay terminal device (indirect route).

[0041] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-route protocol stack structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the direct route between the remote terminal device and the network device uses the Uu interface protocol stack, and the indirect route between the remote terminal device and the network device uses the PC5 interface and Uu interface protocol stacks to perform transmission via L2 UE-to-Network relay.

[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the RRC layer, SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer, and PDCP (Packet Data Aggregation Protocol) layer in the remote terminal device correspond to the RRC layer, SDAP layer, and PDCP layer in the network device, and data from the PDCP layer of the remote terminal device may be transmitted to the network device via an indirect route through the relay terminal device. For example, the remote terminal device's PDCP PDU (Protocol Data Unit) may be transmitted to the relay UE via a sidelink through PC5-SRAP, PC5-RLC, PC5-MAC, and PC5-PHY on the PC5 interface. The relay UE transmits data to the gNB via the protocol stack of its Uu interface (Uu SRAP, Uu-RLC, Uu-MAC, and Uu-PHY). The gNB receives this data from the protocol stack of the Uu interface corresponding to the relay UE and transmits it to the gNB's Uu-PDCP for processing.

[0043] Alternatively, the PDCP layer data from the remote terminal device may be transmitted to the network device via a direct route. For example, the remote terminal device's PDCP PDU is transmitted to the gNB via Uu-RLC, Uu-MAC, and Uu-PHY. The protocol stack of the Uu interface corresponding to the remote UE on the gNB side may receive this data and transmit it to the gNB's Uu-PDCP for processing.

[0044] In some embodiments, in direct and / or indirect paths, one or more RLC (Radio Link Control) entities (Uu-RLC entities or PC5-RLC entities) may be associated with one radio bearer PDCP entity.

[0045] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the gNB-side protocol stack may use multiple Uu-MAC entities to process data from remote terminal devices and relay terminal devices. The present invention is not limited thereto, and a single Uu-MAC entity may be used to process data from remote terminal devices and relay terminal devices.

[0046] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the protocol stack on the remote terminal device side may use PC5-MAC entities and Uu-MAC entities to process indirect and direct route data. The present invention is not limited thereto, and a single MAC entity may be used to perform both PC5-MAC and Uu-MAC operations.

[0047] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, transmission via a direct path means, for example, that the PDCP layer transmits data to a Uu RLC bearer or channel or entity, while transmission via an indirect path means, for example, that the PDCP layer transmits data to an SRAP entity and then transmits it through the PC5's RLC bearer or channel or entity.

[0048] In some embodiments, the data may be a PDCP SDU (Service Data Unit), a PDCP PDU, or an RLC SDU, etc.

[0049] In some embodiments, a gNB connected via a direct path to a remote terminal device and a gNB connected via an indirect path are the same gNB. A cell connected via a direct path to a remote terminal device and a cell connected via an indirect path are the same cell. Alternatively, a cell connected via a direct path to a remote terminal device and a cell connected via an indirect path are different cells, and these different cells may be cells of the same frequency or cells of different frequencies.

[0050] In some examples, the following situations may be supported in multi-path scenarios:

[0051] A. A remote UE operating only on the direct path will add the indirect path under the same gNB. B. A remote UE operating only on the indirect path adds the direct path under the same gNB. C. The remote UE operating in multi-path mode releases the indirect path. D. The remote UE operating in multi-path mode releases the direct path. G. The remote UE operating in multi-path changes to a new relay UE for the indirect path while keeping the direct path under the same gNB. This situation is FFS if supported by separate release-and-add (A+C in separate reconfigurations) or a single switch procedure (e.g., i2i service continuity).

[0052] Both situations A (increase in indirect routes (add)) and G (change in indirect routes, e.g., release + increase) above involve the operation of adding indirect routes. In some cases, the relay terminal device of the added indirect route may be in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state.

[0053] If a signaling radio bearer (SRB) is configured to carry the RRC reconfiguration complete message for an indirect path, for example, if SRB1, split SRB1, or duplication SRB1 is configured for an added indirect path, the RRC reconfiguration complete message may be transmitted over the indirect path. For example, a remote terminal device sends the RRC reconfiguration complete message to a relay terminal device. If the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, the RRC reconfiguration complete message can trigger the relay terminal device to transition to the RRC_connected state. After the relay terminal device transitions to the RRC_connected state, it sends the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device.

[0054] If an SRB is not configured to carry the RRC reconfiguration complete message for an indirect route—for example, if SRB1, split SRB1, or duplicate SRB1 is not configured for an increased indirect route—the RRC reconfiguration complete message will only be sent to the gNB via the direct route. Therefore, the RRC reconfiguration complete message cannot trigger the relay UE to transition to the RRC_Connected state.

[0055] The following describes various embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention.

[0056] <Example 1> An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication method applicable to a remote terminal device. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes the following steps.

[0057] Step 401: The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or the second instruction information transmitted by the network device.

[0058] Step 402: The remote terminal device triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the first or second instruction information, the first PC5-RRC message being used to transition the relay terminal device to a radio resource control connection state.

[0059] Figure 4 above merely provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added, or several steps may be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 4.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives a first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or a second instruction information transmitted by the network device, and triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first or second instruction information. This allows the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state, enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device and successfully add or modify an indirect route.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the phrase "the relay UE transitions to the RRC_Connected state" may be equivalently replaced with "the relay UE initiates the RRC connection establishment procedure or the RRC resume procedure," or "the relay UE provides the service as a relay."

[0062] In some embodiments, the first instruction information may include at least one of the RRC status information of the relay terminal device or the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message. This allows the remote terminal device to decide whether or not to trigger the first PC5-RRC message or whether or not to transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the RRC status information and / or the first information of the relay terminal device. In other words, the remote terminal device can trigger or not trigger the first PC5-RRC message, or transmit or not transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the RRC status information and / or the first information of the relay terminal device. Thus, unnecessary signaling and processes can be avoided, the signaling overhead is relatively small, the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0063] For example, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Alternatively, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Alternatively, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Alternatively, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in an RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0064] As another example, if the first information causing a remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device will trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message. Alternatively, if the first information causing a remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device will not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0065] In some embodiments, the RRC status information in the first instruction information may include at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, or information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0066] In some embodiments, the RRC status information in the first instruction information is the RRC status information of the Uu interface of the relay terminal device.

[0067] In some embodiments, information regarding the RRC status of the relay terminal device may include, for example, RRC_Idle, RRC_Inactive, or RRC_Connected. This allows the current specific RRC status of the relay terminal device to be communicated to the remote terminal device.

[0068] In some embodiments, the information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state may indicate whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC_Connected state or whether it is not in an RRC_Connected state. This allows the RRC state of the relay terminal device to be indicated with fewer bits; for example, the information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state may be represented by 1 bit.

[0069] In some embodiments, information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state may indicate whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, or whether the relay terminal device is not in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. This allows the RRC state of the relay terminal device to be indicated with fewer bits; for example, information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state may be represented by 1 bit.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first information in the first instruction information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message may be 1 bit. For example, if the bit is 1, it indicates that the remote terminal device should be triggered or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, and if the bit is 0, it indicates that the remote terminal device should not be triggered or transmit the first PC5-RRC message. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the first information in the first instruction information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message may be optional. For example, if the first information appears, it indicates that the remote terminal device should be triggered or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, and if the first information is the default, it indicates that the remote terminal device should not be triggered or transmit the first PC5-RRC message.

[0071] In some embodiments, if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle state or RRC_Inactive state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device should trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message. If the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device should not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0072] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive the first instruction information at various points in time. For example, the remote terminal device may receive the first instruction information during the PC5 discovery procedure, or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or the remote terminal device may receive the first instruction information during the establishment of the PC5 connection with the relay terminal device, or after the establishment of the PC5 connection with the relay terminal device.

[0073] The following provides an illustrative explanation of the timing (or point in time) when a remote terminal device receives the first instruction information (or when a relay terminal device transmits the first instruction information), using a scenario in which an indirect route is added and the first instruction information is the RRC status information of a relay terminal device as an example. Note that the following content also applies to scenarios in which an indirect route is changed and when the first instruction information is other information.

[0074] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the network device transmits the measurement configuration (501) to the remote terminal device, and the remote terminal device starts the PC5 discovery procedure (502) according to the measurement configuration.

[0075] In the PC5 discovery procedure, the relay terminal device may transmit RRC status information to the remote terminal device (in other words, the remote terminal device may receive RRC status information transmitted from the relay terminal device) (503). That is, the step of the relay terminal device transmitting RRC status information to the remote terminal device can be incorporated into the PC5 discovery procedure. For example, the relay terminal device may add its own RRC status information to an existing step in the PC5 discovery procedure. This allows the relay terminal device's RRC status information to be transmitted in an existing step of the PC5 discovery procedure, resulting in better compatibility. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the step of the relay terminal device transmitting RRC status information to the remote terminal device may be a standalone step. Here, the standalone step may be a newly added step to the PC5 discovery procedure, or it may be a step other than the PC5 discovery procedure.

[0076] The remote terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device (504), the network device decides whether to add an indirect route based on the measurement report (505), and if the network device decides to add an indirect route, it sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the remote terminal device to add the indirect route (506). Here, in the scenario of changing the indirect route, in 505, the network device decides whether to change the indirect route based on the measurement report from the remote terminal device, and in 506, the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the remote terminal device to change the indirect route.

[0077] The remote terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device in accordance with the RRC reconfiguration message (507). The remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the RRC status information of the relay terminal device received in 503 (508). For example, if the relay terminal device is not in an RRC connected state, the remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. The relay terminal device initiates the relevant procedure in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message and transitions to the RRC_Connected state (509).

[0078] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, steps 601-606 and 608-609 in Figure 6 are similar to or identical to steps 501-502 and 504-509 in Figure 5. The difference lies in the timing of the relay terminal device's transmission of RRC status information. As shown in Figure 6, during the establishment of the PC5 connection between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device, the relay terminal device transmits RRC status information to the remote terminal device (607). That is, the step of the relay terminal device transmitting RRC status information to the remote terminal device can be incorporated into the PC5 connection establishment procedure. For example, the relay terminal device may add its RRC status information to an existing step in the PC5 connection establishment procedure. This allows the relay terminal device's RRC status information to be transmitted in an existing step in the PC5 discovery procedure, resulting in better compatibility. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the step of the relay terminal device transmitting RRC status information to the remote terminal device may be a standalone step. Here, a standalone step may be a step newly added to the PC5 connection establishment procedure, or it may be a step other than the PC5 connection establishment procedure.

[0079] Figures 5 and 6 above merely illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added, or several steps may be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figures 5 and 6 above.

[0080] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information before receiving measurement configuration information transmitted by the network device. For example, the remote terminal device may discover the relay terminal device before receiving the measurement configuration. In this case, the PC5 discovery procedure may be performed before the remote terminal device receives the measurement configuration. Alternatively, the remote terminal device may establish a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device before receiving the measurement configuration, in which case the PC5 connection establishment procedure may be performed after the PC5 discovery procedure before the remote terminal device receives the measurement configuration. In this case, the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information before receiving measurement configuration information transmitted by the network device. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information after receiving measurement configuration information transmitted by the network device.

[0081] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information before sending the measurement report to the network device. For example, the remote terminal device may establish a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device before sending the measurement report to the network device. In this case, the PC5 connection establishment procedure may be performed after the PC5 discovery procedure, before the remote terminal device sends the measurement report to the network device. In this case, the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information before sending the measurement report to the network device. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information after sending the measurement report to the network device.

[0082] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information before receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device for adding or modifying an indirect route. For example, the remote terminal device may establish a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device before receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device for adding or modifying an indirect route. In this case, the PC5 connection establishment procedure may be performed after the PC5 discovery procedure, before receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device for adding or modifying an indirect route. In this case, the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information before receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device for adding or modifying an indirect route. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the remote terminal device may receive first instruction information after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device for adding or modifying an indirect route.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first instruction information may be included in various messages that the relay terminal device transmits to the remote terminal device.

[0084] For example, the first instruction information may be included in a PC5-S message and / or a second PC5-RRC message and / or a MAC CE (Media Access Control Control Element) transmitted by a relay terminal device to a remote terminal device. Here, the PC5-S message may include at least one of a direct communication request or a direct communication response. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the PC5-S message may include other messages.

[0085] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or NotificationMessageSidelink. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the PC5-RRC message may include other messages.

[0086] The MAC CE may be a new MAC CE, for example, using a new Logical Channel Identifier (LCID) to represent the first instruction information, the MAC CE may be 0 bytes, or a new LCID and a 1-byte MAC CE may be used, and the MAC CE contains the first instruction information. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the MAC CE may include an existing MAC CE, for example, the first instruction information may be indicated by a reserved bit (R) in a Sidelink CSI Reporting MAC CE.

[0087] Furthermore, for example, the first instruction information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. The discovery-related message may include at least one of a discovery solicitation or a discovery response.

[0088] In some embodiments, the second instruction information transmitted by the network device to the remote terminal device may include at least one of the following: RRC status information of the relay terminal device, second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message, or an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route.

[0089] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, or information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0090] Here, the relevant explanation of the RRC status information of the relay terminal device in the second instruction information may refer to the relevant explanation of the RRC status information of the relay terminal device in the first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. The explanation of the second information may refer to the explanation of the first information in the first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. Here, we will use that content and omit its explanation.

[0091] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may decide whether to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message based on RRC status information of the relay terminal device transmitted by the network device, and / or second information instructing the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message. For example, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Alternatively, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message. Alternatively, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message. Alternatively, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in an RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message. Alternatively, if the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device may trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message. Alternatively, if the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0092] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may always send a first PC5-RRC message to the trigger or relay terminal device without considering the RRC status information of the relay terminal device. For example, the remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the trigger or remote terminal device after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device to add or change an indirect route. This provides a simpler method, as the remote terminal device does not need to obtain the RRC status information of the relay terminal device or receive second information sent from the network device.

[0093] In this embodiment, the relay terminal device may, after receiving the first PC5-RRC message, decide whether or not to initiate the relevant procedure for transitioning to the RRC_Connected state based on its current RRC state. For example, if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, it ignores the first PC5-RRC message, and if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, it initiates the RRC connection establishment procedure or the RRC resume procedure.

[0094] In some embodiments, after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from a network device for adding or changing an indirect route, the remote terminal device may decide whether to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on whether an RRC reconfiguration complete message was sent to the network device via a direct route. For example, if an RRC reconfiguration complete message was sent to the network device via a direct route, the first PC5-RRC message may be triggered or sent to the relay terminal device; or if an RRC reconfiguration complete message was sent to the network device via an indirect route, the first PC5-RRC message may not be triggered or sent to the relay terminal device.

[0095] In some embodiments, the second instruction information may be received via a direct path. For example, the second instruction information may include RRC status information of a relay terminal device and / or second information that causes a remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message, and may be included in at least one of the following: an RRC message, an RRC control PDU (PDCP control PDU), an RLC control PDU (RLC control PDU), a MAC CE, or downlink control information (DCI).

[0096] Here, when a network device transmits RRC status information and / or second information of a relay terminal device via an RRC message, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route. For example, the RRC status information and / or second information may be represented by adding a new IE (information element) to the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route. The present invention is not limited thereto, and this RRC message may be another message, such as a measurement configuration. Alternatively, the RRC status information and / or second information of the relay terminal device may be transmitted by other means.

[0097] The following provides an illustrative explanation of the timing at which a remote terminal device receives (or a network device transmits) the second instruction information, using a scenario in which an indirect route is added and the second instruction information is the RRC status information and / or the second information of the relay terminal device. The following content can also be applied to scenarios in which an indirect route is changed.

[0098] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the information interaction flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 7, the network device transmits the measurement configuration to the remote terminal device (701), the remote terminal device transmits the measurement report to the network device (702), the network device decides whether or not to add an indirect route based on the measurement report (703), and if the network device decides to add an indirect route, it transmits an RRC reconfiguration message to the remote terminal device to add the indirect route (704). Here, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information in the second instruction information may be included in the RRC reconfiguration message for increasing the indirect route.

[0099] In a scenario where the indirect route is changed, in 703, the network device decides whether or not to change the indirect route based on the measurement report from the remote terminal device. In 704, the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the remote terminal device to change the indirect route. The RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information in the second instruction information may be included in the RRC reconfiguration message to change the indirect route.

[0100] The remote terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device based on the RRC reconfiguration message (705). Based on the RRC status information and / or second information received in 704, the remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device (706). For example, if the relay terminal device is not in an RRC connected state, the remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Based on the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal device initiates the relevant procedure and transitions to the RRC_Connected state (707).

[0101] Figure 7 above merely provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added, or several steps may be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 7.

[0102] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the multipath communication method may further include the following steps.

[0103] Step 403: The remote terminal device receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device.

[0104] Step 404: The remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the third instruction information.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device and, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary operations by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0106] For example, between the time a remote terminal device receives the measurement configuration transmitted by the network device and the time it establishes a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device, the relay terminal device may change its serving cell or serving base station, and the network device directly connected to the remote terminal device may not be aware of such change in the relay terminal device. The serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device may be different from the serving cell (or serving base station) directly connected to the remote terminal device; in this case, the remote terminal device may not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0107] In some embodiments, the third instruction information may include at least one of the following: information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station; information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different; or information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0108] In some embodiments, the information that a relay terminal device changes a serving cell or serving base station may include information that a relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection, or handover.

[0109] In some embodiments, if, in step 404, the third instruction information indicates that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route, or if the third instruction information indicates that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0110] In some embodiments, the timing and / or method for transmitting the third instruction information may refer to the timing and / or method for transmitting the first instruction information.

[0111] For example, the remote terminal device may receive the third instruction information at various points in time. For instance, the relay terminal device transmitting the third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be integrated into the PC5 discovery procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure, or the relay terminal device transmitting the third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be a standalone step.

[0112] For example, the third instruction information may be included in various messages transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third instruction information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0113] A discovery-related message may include at least one of a Discovery solicitation or a Discovery response. If a discovery-related message indicates that the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal is different from the previous serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal (for example, the current serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal is different from the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal in the measurement configuration), the remote terminal device identifies that the relay terminal has changed its serving cell (or serving base station).

[0114] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or NotificationMessageSidelink. If the second PC5-RRC message indicates that the relay terminal device has performed cell selection or cell reselection, the remote terminal device identifies that the relay terminal device has changed the serving cell (or serving base station).

[0115] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may include a PC5-RRC trigger. The PC5-RRC trigger may be used to trigger a relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may be an RRC message for various PC5 interfaces. For example, the first PC5-RRC message may be a new PC5-RRC message. For instance, when a remote terminal device sends a new PC5-RRC message, it indicates that the relay terminal device needs to transition to the RRC_Connected state. Alternatively, the first PC5-RRC message may be an existing PC5-RRC message. For example, the first PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0117] As another example, a PC5-RRC trigger may be included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message. Here, this IE may be 1 bit. For example, if this IE is 1, it indicates that the relay terminal device needs to transition to the RRC_Connected state, and if this IE is 0, it indicates that the relay terminal device does not need to transition to the RRC_Connected state. Alternatively, this IE may be optional. If this IE appears, it indicates that the relay terminal device needs to transition to the RRC_Connected state, and if this IE does not appear, it indicates that the relay terminal device does not need to transition to the RRC_Connected state.

[0118] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0119] Although the above describes only the steps relevant to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. A multi-path communication method may further include other steps, and details of these steps may be found in the relevant art.

[0120] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives a first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or a second instruction information transmitted by the network device, and triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first or second instruction information. This allows the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state, enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device and successfully add or modify an indirect route.

[0121] <Example 2> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication method applicable to a remote terminal device. Details similar to those in Embodiment 1 are omitted. Embodiment 2 may be implemented independently, or it may be implemented in combination with Embodiment 1.

[0122] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, the method includes the following steps.

[0123] Step 801: The remote terminal device receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device.

[0124] Step 802: The remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the third instruction information.

[0125] Figure 8 above merely provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added, or several steps may be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 8.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device and, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary operations by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0127] For example, between the time a remote terminal device receives the measurement configuration transmitted by the network device and the time it establishes a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device, the relay terminal device may change its serving cell or serving base station, and the network device directly connected to the remote terminal device may not be aware of such change in the relay terminal device. The serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device may be different from the serving cell (or serving base station) directly connected to the remote terminal device; in this case, the remote terminal device may not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0128] In some embodiments, the third instruction information may include at least one of the following: information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station; information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different; or information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0129] In some embodiments, the information that a relay terminal device changes a serving cell or serving base station may include information that a relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection, or handover.

[0130] In some embodiments, if in step 802 the third instruction information indicates that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route, or if the third instruction information indicates that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0131] In some embodiments, the timing and / or method for transmitting the third instruction information may refer to the timing and / or method for transmitting the first instruction information in Embodiment 1.

[0132] For example, the remote terminal device may receive the third instruction information at various points in time. For instance, the relay terminal device transmitting the third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be integrated into the PC5 discovery procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure, or the relay terminal device transmitting the third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be a standalone step.

[0133] For example, the third instruction information may be included in various messages transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third instruction information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0134] A discovery-related message may include at least one of a Discovery solicitation or a Discovery response. If a discovery-related message indicates that the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal is different from the previous serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal (for example, the current serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal is different from the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal in the measurement configuration), the remote terminal device identifies that the relay terminal has changed its serving cell (or serving base station).

[0135] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or NotificationMessageSidelink. If the second PC5-RRC message indicates that the relay terminal device has performed cell selection or cell reselection, the remote terminal device identifies that the relay terminal device has changed the serving cell (or serving base station).

[0136] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0137] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives a third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device and, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary operations by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0138] <Example 3> An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication method applicable to the relay terminal device side. Details similar to those in Embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0139] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes the following steps.

[0140] Step 901: The relay terminal device transmits the first instruction information to the remote terminal device.

[0141] Step 902: The relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state.

[0142] Figure 9 above merely provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added, or several steps may be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 9.

[0143] According to the above embodiment, the relay terminal device transmits first instruction information to the remote terminal device and receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. As a result, the relay terminal device can transition to an RRC connection state in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message, thereby providing relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of indirect routes.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first instruction information may include at least one of the following: RRC status information of a relay terminal device, or first information that causes a remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message.

[0145] In some embodiments, the RRC status information may include at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, or information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0146] In some embodiments, information regarding the RRC status of the relay terminal device may include, for example, RRC_Idle, RRC_Inactive, or RRC_Connected. This allows the current specific RRC status of the relay terminal device to be communicated to the remote terminal device.

[0147] In some embodiments, the information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state may indicate whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC_Connected state or whether it is not in an RRC_Connected state. This allows the RRC state of the relay terminal device to be indicated with fewer bits; for example, the information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state may be represented by 1 bit.

[0148] In some embodiments, information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state may indicate whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, or whether the relay terminal device is not in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. This allows the RRC state of the relay terminal device to be indicated with fewer bits; for example, information indicating whether a relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state may be represented by 1 bit.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first information in the first instruction information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message may be 1 bit. Alternatively, the first information in the first instruction information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message may be optional.

[0150] In some embodiments, if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle state or RRC_Inactive state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device should trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message. If the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device should not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0151] In some embodiments, the relay terminal device may transmit the first instruction information at various points in time. For example, the relay terminal device may transmit the first instruction information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or the relay terminal device may transmit the first instruction information during or after the establishment of the PC5 connection with the remote terminal device.

[0152] In other words, the step of a relay terminal device transmitting first instruction information to a remote terminal device may be integrated into the PC5 discovery procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure. For example, the relay terminal device may add its RRC status information to an existing step in the PC5 discovery procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure. This allows the RRC status information of the relay terminal device to be transmitted in an existing step of the PC5 discovery procedure, resulting in better compatibility. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the step of a relay terminal device transmitting first instruction information to a remote terminal device may be a standalone step. Here, the standalone step may be a newly added step to the PC5 connection establishment procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure, or it may be a step other than the PC5 connection establishment procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first instruction information may be included in various messages transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the first instruction information may be included in the PC5-S message and / or the second PC5-RRC message and / or MAC CE transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0154] A PC5-S message may include at least one of a direct communication request or a direct communication response. The present invention is not limited thereto, and a PC5-S message may include other messages.

[0155] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or NotificationMessageSidelink. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the PC5-RRC message may include other messages.

[0156] MAC CE may be a new MAC CE. The present invention is not limited thereto, and MAC CE may include existing MAC CEs.

[0157] Furthermore, for example, the first instruction information may be included in a discovery-related message transmitted to the remote terminal device by the relay terminal device. The discovery-related message may include at least one of a Discovery solicitation or a Discovery response.

[0158] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 9, the multipath communication method may further include the following steps.

[0159] Step 903: The relay terminal device sends a third instruction to the remote terminal device to prevent the remote terminal device from triggering, canceling, or sending the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0160] According to this embodiment, the relay terminal device transmits a third instruction information to the remote terminal device, and the remote terminal device, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary actions by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0161] In some embodiments, the third instruction information may include at least one of the following: information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station; information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different; or information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0162] In some embodiments, the information that a relay terminal device changes a serving cell or serving base station may include information that a relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection, or handover.

[0163] In some embodiments, the timing and / or method for transmitting the third instruction information may refer to the timing and / or method for transmitting the first instruction information.

[0164] For example, the relay terminal device may transmit third instruction information at various points in time. For instance, the relay terminal device transmitting third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be integrated into the PC5 discovery procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure, or the relay terminal device transmitting third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be a standalone step.

[0165] In some embodiments, the third instruction information may be included in various messages transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third instruction information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0166] The discovery-related message may include at least one of either a Discovery solicitation or a Discovery response. The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of either an RRCReconfigurationSidelink, an RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, a UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or a NotificationMessageSidelink.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may include a PC5-RRC trigger. The PC5-RRC trigger may be used to trigger a relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may be an RRC message for various PC5 interfaces.

[0169] For example, the first PC5-RRC message may be a new PC5-RRC message. For instance, if a remote terminal device sends a new PC5-RRC message, it indicates that the relay terminal device needs to transition to the RRC_Connected state.

[0170] Furthermore, for example, the first PC5-RRC message may be an existing PC5-RRC message. For example, the first PC5-RRC message may include at least one of RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0171] As another example, a PC5-RRC trigger may be included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, where this IE may be 1 bit, or it may be optional.

[0172] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 9, the communication method may further include the following steps.

[0173] Step 904: The relay terminal device initiates the RRC connection establishment procedure or the RRC recovery procedure in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message. Here, the specific method by which the relay terminal device initiates the RRC connection establishment procedure or the RRC recovery process may be referred to in the relevant technologies.

[0174] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0175] According to this embodiment, the relay terminal device transmits first instruction information to the remote terminal device and receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. As a result, the relay terminal device can transition to an RRC connection state in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message, thereby providing relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of indirect routes.

[0176] <Example 4> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication method applicable to relay terminal devices. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 2 are omitted. Embodiment 4 may be implemented independently, or it may be implemented in combination with Embodiment 3.

[0177] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 10, the method includes the following steps.

[0178] Step 1001: The relay terminal device sends a third instruction to the remote terminal device to prevent the remote terminal device from triggering, canceling, or sending the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0179] Figure 10 above merely provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added, or several steps may be removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 10.

[0180] According to this embodiment, the relay terminal device transmits a third instruction information to the remote terminal device, and the remote terminal device, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary actions by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0181] In some embodiments, the third instruction information may include at least one of the following: information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station; information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different; or information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0182] In some embodiments, the information that a relay terminal device changes a serving cell or serving base station may include information that a relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection, or handover.

[0183] In some embodiments, the timing and / or method for transmitting the third instruction information may refer to the timing and / or method for transmitting the first instruction information in Embodiment 3.

[0184] For example, the relay terminal device may transmit third instruction information at various points in time. For instance, the relay terminal device transmitting third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be integrated into the PC5 discovery procedure or the PC5 connection establishment procedure, or the relay terminal device transmitting third instruction information to the remote terminal device may be a standalone step.

[0185] In some embodiments, the third instruction information may be included in various messages transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third instruction information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0186] A message related to the discovery may include at least one of the following: a Discovery solicitation or a Discovery response.

[0187] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or NotificationMessageSidelink.

[0188] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0189] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives a third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device and, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary operations by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0190] <Example 5> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication method applicable to relay terminal devices. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 1 are omitted. Embodiment 5 may be implemented independently, or it may be implemented in combination with Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4.

[0191] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 11, the method includes the following steps.

[0192] Step 1101: The relay terminal device receives the first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device.

[0193] Step 1102: If the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiates the RRC connection establishment procedure or the RRC recovery procedure.

[0194] Although Figure 11 above provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added or several steps removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 11.

[0195] In this embodiment, the remote terminal device does not need to consider whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle state or the RRC_Inactive state, and the relay terminal device always sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. For example, the remote terminal device sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device to add or change an indirect route. This simplifies the process as the remote terminal device does not need to obtain RRC status information from the relay terminal device.

[0196] In some embodiments, the communication method may further include the following steps, as shown in Figure 11.

[0197] If the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message.

[0198] This prevents unnecessary operations by the relay terminal device from being performed.

[0199] For example, on the relay terminal side, after receiving the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal decides whether to initiate the relevant procedure to transition to the RRC_Connected state based on its own current RRC state. If the relay terminal is in the RRC_Connected state, it ignores the first PC5-RRC message; if the relay terminal is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, it initiates the RRC connection establishment procedure or the RRC resume procedure.

[0200] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0201] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device does not need to consider whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle state or the RRC_Inactive state, and the relay terminal device always sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. For example, the remote terminal device sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device to add or change an indirect route. This eliminates the need for the remote terminal device to obtain RRC status information from the relay terminal device, making the process simpler.

[0202] <Example 6> An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-path communication method applicable to network devices. Details similar to those in Embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0203] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 12, the method includes the following steps.

[0204] Step 1201: The network device transmits a second instruction to the remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, which is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0205] Although Figure 12 above provides a schematic representation of an embodiment of the present invention, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order between various steps may be appropriately adjusted, or several other steps may be added or several steps removed. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications based on the above description and are not limited to the description in Figure 12.

[0206] According to this embodiment, the network device sends a second instruction information to the remote terminal device to trigger a first PC5-RRC message to the remote terminal device, or to cause the relay terminal device to send a first PC5-RRC message, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. This allows the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state, enabling it to provide relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of indirect routes.

[0207] In some embodiments, the second instruction information transmitted by the network device to the remote terminal device may include at least one of the following: wireless resource control status information of the relay terminal device, second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message, or an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route.

[0208] In some embodiments, the RRC status information may include at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, or information on whether or not the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0209] In some embodiments, the second instruction information may be received via a direct route.

[0210] In some embodiments, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message may be included in at least one of the RRC message, PDCP control PDU, RLC control PDU, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0211] In some embodiments, when a network device transmits RRC status information and / or second information of a relay terminal device via an RRC message, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the RRC message may be a measurement configuration message, or the RRC status information and / or second information of the relay terminal device may be transmitted by other means.

[0212] In some embodiments, if the second instruction information includes an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or modifying an indirect route, the remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the trigger or relay terminal device. In other words, the remote terminal device does not need to consider whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, and upon receiving an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or modifying an indirect route sent by the network device, it may send this first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. On the relay terminal side, after receiving the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal device may decide whether to initiate the relevant procedure for transitioning to the RRC_Connected state based on its current RRC state. This simplifies the process as the remote terminal device does not need to obtain RRC state information from the relay terminal device. Hereinafter, specific methods by which the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or modifying an indirect route may be referred to related technologies.

[0213] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0214] According to this embodiment, the network device sends a second instruction information to the remote terminal device to trigger a first PC5-RRC message to the remote terminal device, or to cause the relay terminal device to send a first PC5-RRC message, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. This allows the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state, enabling it to provide relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of indirect routes.

[0215] <Example 7> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication device. This device may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components configured within a remote terminal device. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 1 are omitted.

[0216] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 13, the multi-path communication device 1300 includes the following parts.

[0217] The receiving unit 1301 receives the first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or the second instruction information transmitted by the network device.

[0218] The processing unit 1302 triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the first instruction information or the second instruction information, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to a wireless resource control connection state.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first instruction information is The RRC status information of the relay terminal device, or The first information includes at least one of the first pieces of information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message.

[0220] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device receives the first instruction information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information during or after the establishment of the PC5 connection with the relay terminal device.

[0221] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after receiving the measurement configuration information transmitted by the network device, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after transmitting the measurement report to the network device, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message transmitted by the network device for adding or changing an indirect route.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first instruction information is included in a PC5-S message or a second PC5-RRC message or MAC CE transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0223] In some embodiments, the PC5-S message is: Direct communication request, or Includes at least one of the direct communication responses and / or, The second PC5-RRC message is, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or It includes at least one of the following: NotificationMessageSidelink, and / or This MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first instruction information is included in a discovery-related message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0225] In some embodiments, the message related to the discovery is: discovery solicitation, or, Includes at least one of the discovery responses.

[0226] In some embodiments, the RRC status information is Information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The information includes at least one of the following: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0227] In some embodiments, the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0228] In some embodiments, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or is not in a wireless resource control connection state, the remote terminal device triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, or If the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0229] In some embodiments, the second instruction information is RRC status information of the relay terminal device, Second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, or Includes at least one RRC reconfiguration message for adding or modifying an indirect route.

[0230] In some embodiments, the second instruction information is received via a direct route.

[0231] In some embodiments, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is: RRC message, PDCP control PDU, RLC control PDU, MAC CE, or, It is included in at least one of the DCIs.

[0232] In some embodiments, the RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or modifying an indirect route.

[0233] In some embodiments, the RRC status information is Information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The information includes at least one of the following: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0234] In some embodiments, if the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or is not in a wireless resource control connection state, the remote terminal device triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, or If the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, or When the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message to add or modify the indirect route, it triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0235] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device receives a third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device and, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or does not transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0236] In some embodiments, if the third instruction information includes information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route, or if the third instruction information includes information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0237] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, Information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station, The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route contain different information, or This includes at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0238] In some embodiments, the information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, This includes information that the relay terminal device will use to perform cell selection, cell re-selection, or handover.

[0239] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0240] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, which is used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0242] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is: RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or Includes at least one of the following: UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0243] In some embodiments, the IE is 1 bit, or the IE is optional.

[0244] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0245] Although the above description only concerns components or modules related to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1300 may further include other components or modules. For specific details of these components or modules, refer to related technologies.

[0246] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, Figure 13 merely illustrates the connection relationships or signal directions between various components or modules, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various related techniques, such as bus connections, can be used. The various components or modules described above may also be implemented by hardware devices such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0247] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives a first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or a second instruction information transmitted by the network device, and triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first or second instruction information. This allows the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state, enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device and successfully add or modify an indirect route.

[0248] <Example 8> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication device. This device may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components configured within a remote terminal device. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 2 are omitted.

[0249] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 14, the multi-path communication device 1400 includes the following parts.

[0250] The receiving unit 1401 receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device.

[0251] The processing unit 1402, in accordance with the third instruction information, either does not trigger, cancels, or does not transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0252] In some embodiments, if the third instruction information includes information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route, or if the third instruction information includes information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0253] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, Information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station, The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route contain different information, or This includes at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0254] In some embodiments, the information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, This includes information that the relay terminal device will use to perform cell selection, cell re-selection, or handover.

[0255] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0256] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0257] Note that the above description only focuses on the components or modules related to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1400 may further include other components or modules. For specific details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0258] Furthermore, for the sake of convenience of description, FIG. 14 only exemplarily shows the connection relationships or signal directions among various components or modules, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connections can be used. The above-mentioned various components or modules may be implemented by hardware devices such as a processor, a memory, a transmitter, and a receiver, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0259] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device, and according to the third instruction information, does not trigger, or cancels, or does not transmit the first PC5-RRC message, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary operations by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0260] <Example 9> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication device. The device may be, for example, a relay terminal device, or one or more components or components configured in the relay terminal device. For the same content as in Example 3, the description thereof is omitted.

[0261] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 15, the multi-path communication device 1500 includes the following parts.

[0262] The transmitting unit 1501 transmits the first instruction information to the remote terminal device.

[0263] The receiving unit 1502 receives the first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to the RRC connected state.

[0264] In some embodiments, the first indication information is the RRC state information of the relay terminal device, or at least one of the first information for triggering or transmitting the first PC5-RRC message to the remote terminal device.

[0265] In some embodiments, the relay terminal device transmits the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or the relay terminal device transmits the first indication information during or after the establishment of the PC5 connection with the remote terminal device.

[0266] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a MAC CE transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0267] In some embodiments, the PC5-S message includes at least one of direct communication request, or direct communication response, and / or the second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or NotificationMessageSidelink, and / or the MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first instruction information is included in a discovery-related message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0269] In some embodiments, the message related to the discovery is: discovery solicitation, or, Includes at least one of the discovery responses.

[0270] In some embodiments, the RRC status information is Information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The information includes at least one of the following: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0271] In some embodiments, the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0272] In some embodiments, the transmitting unit 1501 transmits third instruction information to the remote terminal device to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0273] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, Information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station, The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route contain different information, or It includes at least one of the information that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a direct path are different.

[0274] In some embodiments, the information for the relay terminal device to change the serving cell or serving base station is information including that the relay terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection or handover.

[0275] In some embodiments, the third indication information is included in a message related to the discovery transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device or a second PC5-RRC message.

[0276] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to the RRC connected state.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or the PC5-RRC trigger is included in the new PC5-RRC message or the existing PC5-RRC message as a new IE.

[0278] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or includes at least one of UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0279] In some embodiments, the IE is 1 bit, or the IE is optional.

[0280] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes the following parts:

[0281] The processing unit 1503 initiates either an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message.

[0282] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0283] Although the above description only concerns components or modules related to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1500 may further include other components or modules. For specific details of these components or modules, refer to related technologies.

[0284] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, Figure 15 only illustrates the connection relationships or signal directions between various components or modules; however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various related techniques, such as bus connections, can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules may be implemented by hardware devices such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0285] According to this embodiment, the relay terminal device transmits first instruction information to the remote terminal device and receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. As a result, the relay terminal device can transition to an RRC connection state in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message, thereby providing relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of indirect routes.

[0286] <Example 10> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication device. This device may be, for example, a relay terminal device, or one or more components configured within a relay terminal device. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 4 are omitted.

[0287] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 16, the multi-path communication device 1600 includes the following parts.

[0288] The transmitting unit 1601 transmits third instruction information to the remote terminal device to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0289] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, Information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station, The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route contain different information, or This includes at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

[0290] In some embodiments, the information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, This includes information that the relay terminal device will use to perform cell selection, cell re-selection, or handover.

[0291] In some embodiments, the third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0292] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0293] Although the above description only concerns components or modules related to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1600 may further include other components or modules. For specific details of these components or modules, refer to related technologies.

[0294] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, Figure 16 merely illustrates the connection relationships or signal directions between various components or modules, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various related techniques, such as bus connections, can be used. The various components or modules described above may also be implemented by hardware devices such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0295] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device receives a third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device and, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding unnecessary operations by the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device.

[0296] <Example 11> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication device. This device may be, for example, a relay terminal device, or one or more components configured within a relay terminal device. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 5 are omitted.

[0297] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 17, the multi-path communication device 1700 includes the following parts.

[0298] The receiving unit 1701 receives the first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device.

[0299] If the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the processing unit 1702 starts an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure.

[0300] In some embodiments, if the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message.

[0301] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, which is used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state.

[0302] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 24.

[0303] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is: RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or Includes at least one of the following: UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0304] In some embodiments, the IE is 1 bit, or the IE is optional.

[0305] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0306] Although the above description only concerns components or modules related to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1700 may further include other components or modules. For specific details of these components or modules, refer to related technologies.

[0307] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, Figure 17 merely illustrates the connection relationships or signal directions between various components or modules, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various related techniques, such as bus connections, can be used. The various components or modules described above may also be implemented by hardware devices such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0308] According to this embodiment, the remote terminal device does not need to consider whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle state or the RRC_Inactive state, and the relay terminal device always sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. As a result, the remote terminal device does not need to obtain the RRC status information of the relay terminal device, and the method is simple.

[0309] <Example 12> Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-path communication device. This device may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components configured within a network device. Descriptions of aspects similar to those in Embodiment 6 are omitted.

[0310] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 18, the multi-path communication device 1800 includes the following parts.

[0311] The transmitting unit 1801 transmits a second instruction information to a remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, which is used to cause the relay terminal device to switch to an RRC connection state.

[0312] In some embodiments, the second instruction information includes at least one of the following: radio resource control status information of the relay terminal device, second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, or an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route.

[0313] In some embodiments, the second instruction information is received via a direct route.

[0314] In some embodiments, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is: RRC message, PDCP control PDU, RLC control PDU, MAC CE, or, It is included in at least one of the DCIs.

[0315] In some embodiments, the RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or modifying an indirect route.

[0316] In some embodiments, the RRC status information is Information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The information includes at least one of the following: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0317] The above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, each of the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be used in combination.

[0318] Although the above description only concerns components or modules related to the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1800 may further include other components or modules. For specific details of these components or modules, refer to related technologies.

[0319] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, Figure 18 merely illustrates the connection relationships or signal directions between various components or modules, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various related techniques, such as bus connections, can be used. The various components or modules described above may also be implemented by hardware devices such as processors, memory, transmitters, and receivers, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0320] According to this embodiment, the network device sends a second instruction information to the remote terminal device to trigger a first PC5-RRC message to the remote terminal device, or to cause the relay terminal device to send a first PC5-RRC message, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. This allows the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state, enabling it to provide relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of indirect routes.

[0321] <Example 13> Embodiments of the present invention further provide a communication system, which may be described by referring to Figure 1, and the description of the same content as in Embodiments 1 to 12 will be omitted.

[0322] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include a remote terminal device 101 and / or a relay terminal device 102 and / or a network device 103.

[0323] In the embodiments of the present invention, the remote terminal device 101 is configured to perform the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2, and its contents are referenced here and omitted from further explanation.

[0324] In embodiments of the present invention, the relay terminal device 102 is configured to perform the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 and / or Embodiment 5, and its details are referenced here and omitted.

[0325] In this embodiment of the present invention, the network device 103 is configured to perform the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 6, and its details are referenced here and omitted.

[0326] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a remote terminal device.

[0327] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the terminal device is a remote terminal device. As shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 1900 may include a processor 1901 and a memory 1902, the memory 1902 which stores data and programs and is connected to the processor 1901. Note that this figure is illustrative, and this structure may be supplemented or replaced with other types of structures to realize communication functions or other functions.

[0328] For example, the processor 1901 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath communication method described in Embodiment 1. For example, the processor 1901 may be configured to perform the steps of: a remote terminal device receiving first instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device or second instruction information transmitted by a network device; the remote terminal device triggering or transmitting a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the first instruction information or the second instruction information, the first PC5-RRC message being used to transition the relay terminal device to a radio resource control connection state.

[0329] Furthermore, for example, the processor 1901 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 2. For example, the processor 1901 may be configured to perform the steps of: a remote terminal device receiving third instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device; and, in accordance with the third instruction information, not triggering, canceling, or not transmitting a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0330] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 1900 may further include a communication module 1903, an input unit 1904, a display 1905, and a power supply 1906, etc. The functions of the above units are the same as in the prior art, and their explanation is omitted here. Note that the terminal device 1900 does not need to include all the units shown in Figure 19. Also, the terminal device 1900 may further include units not shown in Figure 19, and prior art may be referenced.

[0331] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a relay terminal device.

[0332] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the terminal device is a relay terminal device. As shown in Figure 20, the terminal device 2000 may include a processor 2001 and a memory 2002, the memory 2002 storing data and programs and connected to the processor 2001. Note that this figure is illustrative, and this structure may be supplemented or replaced with other types of structures to realize communication functions or other functions.

[0333] For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath communication method described in Embodiment 3. For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to perform the steps of: a relay terminal device transmitting first instruction information to a remote terminal device; and the relay terminal device receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to transition the relay terminal device to a radio resource control connection state.

[0334] Furthermore, for example, the processor 2001 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 4. For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to perform the step of sending a third instruction information to a remote terminal device to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0335] Furthermore, for example, the processor 2001 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 5. For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to perform the steps of: a relay terminal device receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by a remote terminal device; and, if the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiating an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure.

[0336] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 20, the terminal device 2000 may further include a communication module 2003, an input unit 2004, a display 2005, and a power supply 2006, etc. Here, the functions of the above units are the same as in the prior art, and their explanation is omitted here. Note that the terminal device 2000 does not need to include all the units shown in Figure 20. Also, the terminal device 2000 may further include units not shown in Figure 20, and prior art may be referenced.

[0337] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a network device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be other network devices.

[0338] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of an example of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 21, the network device 2100 may include a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) 2101 and a memory 2102, the memory 2102 being connected to the processor 2101. The memory 2102 may store various types of data, and may also store information processing programs and execute these programs under the control of the processor 2101.

[0339] For example, the processor 2101 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath communication method described in Embodiment 6. For example, the processor 2101 may be configured to execute a step in which a network device transmits a second instruction information to a remote terminal device, the second instruction information being used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to cause the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state.

[0340] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 21, the network device 2100 may further include a transceiver 2103 and an antenna 2104, etc. The functions of the above components are similar to those of the prior art, and their explanation is omitted here. Note that the network device 2100 does not need to include all the units shown in Figure 21. Also, the network device 2100 may further include units not shown in Figure 21, and prior art may be referenced.

[0341] In embodiments of the present invention, a computer-readable program is further provided that, when the program is executed on a remote terminal device, causes the remote terminal device to execute the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2.

[0342] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a storage medium in which a computer-readable program is stored, and which, when the program is executed, causes a remote terminal device to execute the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 1 and / or Embodiment 2.

[0343] In embodiments of the present invention, a computer-readable program is further provided that, when executed in a relay terminal device, causes the relay terminal device to execute the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 and / or Embodiment 5.

[0344] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a storage medium in which a computer-readable program is stored, and which, when the program is executed, causes a relay terminal device to execute the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 3 and / or Embodiment 4 and / or Embodiment 5.

[0345] In embodiments of the present invention, a computer-readable program is further provided that, when executed on a network device, causes the network device to execute the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 6.

[0346] Embodiments of the present invention further provide a storage medium in which a computer-readable program is stored, and which causes a network device to execute the multi-path communication method described in Embodiment 6 when the program is executed.

[0347] The above-described apparatus and method of the present invention may be implemented by hardware, or by combining hardware and software. The present invention relates to a computer-readable program, and when the program is executed by a logic unit, the logic unit may implement the above-described apparatus or configuration requirements, or the logic unit may implement the above-described methods or steps. The present invention relates to a storage medium for storing the above-described program, such as a hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disk, DVD, flash memory, etc.

[0348] Each processing method in each apparatus described with reference to embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. For example, one or more functional block diagrams shown in the drawings, or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams, may correspond to each software module in a computer program flow, or to each hardware module. These software modules may correspond to each step shown in the drawings. These hardware modules may be implemented by hardwareizing these software modules, for example, using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0349] The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known to those skilled in the art. The storage medium may be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from or write information to the storage medium, or the storage medium may be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or on a memory card inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (e.g., a mobile terminal) uses a relatively large capacity MEGA-SIM card or a high-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored on the MEGA-SIM card or high-capacity flash memory device.

[0350] One or more functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks in the functional block diagrams shown in the drawings may be implemented by 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 device, a discrete gate or transistor logic unit, a discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. One or more functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks in the functional block diagrams shown in the drawings may be implemented, for example, by a combination of computing equipment, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with DSP communication, or any other configuration.

[0351] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, the above description is merely illustrative and does not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention as long as they do not deviate from the spirit and principles of the present invention, and these modifications and changes are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0352] Furthermore, the following additional information is disclosed regarding embodiments including the above-described examples. (Method on the remote terminal device side) (Note 1) A multi-path communication method applicable to a remote terminal device, The steps include: the remote terminal device receiving first instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device or second instruction information transmitted by the network device; A method comprising the steps of: the remote terminal device triggering or transmitting a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the first instruction information or the second instruction information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to transition to a radio resource control connection state. (Note 2) The above-mentioned instruction information 1 is, The RRC status information of the relay terminal device, or The method according to Appendix 1, comprising at least one of the first pieces of information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message. (Note 3) The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or The method according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the remote terminal device receives the first instruction information during or after the establishment of a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device. (Note 4) The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after receiving the measurement configuration information transmitted by the network device, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after transmitting the measurement report to the network device, and / or The method according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, wherein the remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message transmitted by the network device for adding or changing an indirect route. (Note 5) The first instruction information is included in the PC5-S message, second PC5-RRC message, or MAC CE transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any of the methods in Appendix 1 to 4. (Note 6) The aforementioned PC5-S message is: Direct communication request, or Includes at least one of the direct communication responses and / or, The second PC5-RRC message is: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or It includes at least one of the following: NotificationMessageSidelink, and / or The MAC CE is a new MAC CE, as described in Appendix 5. (Note 7) The first instruction information is included in a discovery-related message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any of the methods in Appendix 1 to 4. (Note 8) The message related to the aforementioned discovery is: discovery solicitation, or, The method described in Appendix 7, comprising at least one of the discovery responses. (Note 9) The RRC status information is, Information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device (for example, RRC_Idle, RRC_Inactive, or RRC_Connected status), Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state (for example, in the RRC_Connected state, or not in the RRC_Connected state), or The method according to Appendix 2, comprising at least one of the following: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state (for example, in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, or not in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state). (Note 9A) The method described in Appendix 2, wherein the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit. (Note 10) If the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or is not in a wireless resource control connection state, the remote terminal device triggers the first PC5-RRC message, or transmits it to the relay terminal device, or The method according to Appendix 2, wherein if the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 11) The second instruction information described above is: RRC status information of the relay terminal device, Second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, or The method according to Appendix 1, comprising at least one of the RRC reconfiguration messages for adding or modifying an indirect route. (Note 12) The second instruction information is received via a direct route, as described in Appendix 11. (Note 13) The RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is: RRC message, PDCP control PDU, RLC control PDU, MAC CE, or, The method described in Appendix 11, which is included in at least one of the DCIs. (Note 14) The RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route, as described in Appendix 13 of the apparatus. (Note 15) The RRC status information is, Information on the RRC status of the aforementioned relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The device according to Appendix 11, which includes at least one of the following pieces of information: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. (Note 16) If the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or is not in a wireless resource control connection state, the remote terminal device triggers the first PC5-RRC message, or transmits it to the relay terminal device, or If the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device will trigger the first PC5-RRC message, transmit it to the relay terminal device, or The method according to Appendix 11, wherein when the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the aforementioned indirect route, the remote terminal device triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 17) The steps include: the remote terminal device receiving third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device; The method according to Appendix 1, further comprising the step that the remote terminal device, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 18) The step in which the remote terminal device, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device is: The method according to Appendix 17, further comprising the step that, in the case where the information included in the third instruction information indicates that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different, or where the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 19) The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route have different information, or The method according to Appendix 17 or 18, comprising at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different. (Note 20) The information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, The method according to Appendix 19, wherein the relay terminal device includes information that enables cell selection, cell reselection, or handover. (Note 21) The third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any of the methods in Appendix 17 to 20. (Note 22) The method according to Appendix 1, wherein the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, the PC5-RRC trigger being used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state. (Note 23) The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 22. (Note 24) The first PC5-RRC message is, RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or The method described in any of the appendices 1, 22, or 23, which includes at least one of the UEAssistanceInformationSidelinks. (Note 25) The aforementioned IE is 1 bit, or, The aforementioned IE is optional, as described in Appendix 23. (Note 26) A multi-path communication method applicable to a remote terminal device, The steps include: the remote terminal device receiving third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device; A method comprising the step of the remote terminal device not triggering, canceling, or not transmitting a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the third instruction information. (Note 27) The step in which the remote terminal device, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device is: The method according to Appendix 26, wherein, in the case where the information included in the third instruction information indicates that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different, or where the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 28) The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route have different information, or The method according to Appendix 26 or 27, comprising at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different. (Note 29) The information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, The method described in Appendix 28, wherein the relay terminal device includes information that enables cell selection, cell re-selection, or handover. (Note 30) The third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any of the methods in Appendix 26 to 29. (Device on the relay terminal side) (Note 1) A multi-path communication device configured in a relay terminal device, A transmitting unit that transmits first instruction information to a remote terminal device, A device comprising: a receiving unit for receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to an RRC connection state. (Note 2) The above-mentioned instruction information 1 is, The RRC status information of the relay terminal device, or The apparatus according to Appendix 1, which includes at least one of the first pieces of information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message. (Note 3) The relay terminal device transmits the first instruction information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or The relay terminal device is the device described in Appendix 1 or 2, which transmits the first instruction information during or after the establishment of a PC5 connection with the remote terminal device. (Note 4) The first instruction information is included in the PC5-S message, the second PC5-RRC message, or the MAC CE transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, and is one of the devices described in any of Appendix 1 to 3. (Note 5) The aforementioned PC5-S message is: Direct communication request, or Includes at least one of the direct communication responses and / or, The second PC5-RRC message is: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or It includes at least one of the following: NotificationMessageSidelink, and / or The MAC CE is a new MAC CE, as described in Appendix 4. (Note 6) The first instruction information is included in the discovery-related message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, and is the device described in any of the appendices 1 to 3. (Note 7) The message related to the aforementioned discovery is: discovery solicitation, or, The apparatus described in Appendix 6, which includes at least one of the discovery responses. (Note 8) The RRC status information is, Information on the RRC status of the aforementioned relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The device according to Appendix 2, which includes at least one of the following pieces of information: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. (Note 8A) The device described in Appendix 2, wherein the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit. (Note 9) The apparatus as described in Appendix 1, wherein the transmitting unit transmits to the remote terminal device third instruction information to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 10) The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route have different information, or The apparatus according to Appendix 9, which includes at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different. (Note 11) The information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, The device according to Appendix 10, which includes information that the relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection, or handover. (Note 12) The third instruction information is included in the discovery-related message or the second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, and is one of the devices described in any of Appendix 9 to 11. (Note 13) The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, the PC5-RRC trigger being used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state, as described in Appendix 1. (Note 14) The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The aforementioned PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 13. (Note 15) The first PC5-RRC message is, RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or The apparatus described in any of the appendices 1, 13, or 14, including at least one of the UEAssistanceInformationSidelink. (Note 16) The aforementioned IE is 1 bit, or, The aforementioned IE is optional, as described in Appendix 14. (Note 17) The apparatus as described in Appendix 1, further comprising a processing unit that initiates an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message. (Note 18) A multi-path communication device configured in a relay terminal device, A device including a transmitting unit that transmits third instruction information to a remote terminal device for the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 19) The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route have different information, or The apparatus according to Appendix 18, which includes at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route are different. (Note 20) The information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, The apparatus described in Appendix 19, which includes information that the relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection, or handover. (Note 21) The third instruction information is included in the discovery-related message or the second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, and is a device as described in any of the appendices 18 to 20. (Note 22) A multi-path communication device configured in a relay terminal device, A receiving unit that receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by a remote terminal device, A device comprising: a processing unit that initiates an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. (Note 23) If the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 22. (Note 24) The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, the PC5-RRC trigger being used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state, as described in Appendix 22. (Note 25) The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The aforementioned PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 24. (Note 26) The first PC5-RRC message is, RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or The apparatus described in Appendix 22, which includes at least one of the UEAssistanceInformationSidelink. (Note 27) The aforementioned IE is 1 bit, or, The aforementioned IE is optional, as described in Appendix 25. (Method on the relay terminal device side) (Note 1) A multi-path communication method applicable to a relay terminal device, The relay terminal device transmits first instruction information to the remote terminal device, A method comprising the steps of: the relay terminal device receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to a wireless resource control connection state. (Note 2) The above-mentioned instruction information 1 is, The RRC status information of the relay terminal device, or The method according to Appendix 1, comprising at least one of the first pieces of information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message. (Note 3) The relay terminal device transmits the first instruction information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or The method according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the relay terminal device transmits the first instruction information during or after the establishment of a PC5 connection with the remote terminal device. (Note 4) The first instruction information is provided in any of the methods described in Appendix 1 to 3, and is included in the PC5-S message, second PC5-RRC message, or MAC CE transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. (Note 5) The aforementioned PC5-S message is: Direct communication request, or Includes at least one of the direct communication responses and / or, The second PC5-RRC message is: RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, UEAssistanceInformationSidelink, or It includes at least one of the following: NotificationMessageSidelink, and / or The MAC CE is a new MAC CE, as described in Appendix 4. (Note 6) The first instruction information is included in a discovery-related message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any one of the methods in Appendix 1 to 3. (Note 7) The message related to the aforementioned discovery is: discovery solicitation, or, The method described in Appendix 6, comprising at least one of the discovery responses. (Note 8) The RRC status information is, Information on the RRC status of the aforementioned relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The method according to Appendix 2, comprising at least one of the following pieces of information: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. (Note 8A) The method described in Appendix 2, wherein the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit. (Note 9) The method according to Appendix 1, further comprising the step of the relay terminal device transmitting to the remote terminal device third instruction information for the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 10) The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route have different information, or The method according to Appendix 9, comprising at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different. (Note 11) The information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, The method according to Appendix 10, wherein the relay terminal device includes information that enables cell selection, cell reselection, or handover. (Note 12) The third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any of the methods in Appendix 9 to 11. (Note 13) The method according to Appendix 1, wherein the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, the PC5-RRC trigger being used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state. (Note 14) The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 13. (Note 15) The first PC5-RRC message is, RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or The method described in any of the appendices 1, 13, or 14, which includes at least one of the UEAssistanceInformationSidelinks. (Note 16) The aforementioned IE is 1 bit, or, The aforementioned IE is optional, as described in Appendix 14. (Note 17) The method according to Appendix 1, further comprising the step of the relay terminal device initiating an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure in accordance with the first PC5-RRC message. (Note 18) A multi-path communication method applicable to a relay terminal device, A method comprising the step of the relay terminal device transmitting third instruction information to a remote terminal device for the remote terminal device not to trigger, cancel, or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. (Note 19) The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell connected to the remote terminal device via a direct route have different information, or The method according to Appendix 18, comprising at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different. (Note 20) The information that the relay terminal device changes the serving cell or serving base station is, The method according to Appendix 19, wherein the relay terminal device includes information that enables cell selection, cell reselection, or handover. (Note 21) The third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, as described in any of the methods in Appendix 18 to 20. (Note 22) A multi-path communication method applicable to a relay terminal device, The relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device. A method comprising the step of, if the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment procedure or an RRC recovery procedure. (Note 23) The method described in Appendix 22, wherein, when the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message. (Note 24) The method according to Appendix 22, wherein the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, the PC5-RRC trigger being used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connected state. (Note 25) The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, as described in Appendix 24. (Note 26) The first PC5-RRC message is, RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink, or The method described in Appendix 22, which includes at least one of the UEAssistanceInformationSidelinks. (Note 27) The aforementioned IE is 1 bit, or, The aforementioned IE is optional, as described in Appendix 25. (Network device side device) (Note 1) A multipath communication device configured in a network device, A device comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting second instruction information to a remote terminal device, wherein the second instruction information is used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state. (Note 2) The second instruction information described above is: The wireless resource control status information of the relay terminal device, Second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, or The apparatus as described in Appendix 1, which includes at least one of the RRC reconfiguration messages for adding or modifying an indirect route. (Note 3) The second instruction information is received via a direct route by the device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 4) The RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is: RRC message, PDCP control PDU, RLC control PDU, MAC CE, or, The device described in Appendix 2, which is included in at least one of the DCIs. (Note 5) The RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route, as described in Appendix 4 of the device. (Note 6) The RRC status information is, Information on the RRC status of the aforementioned relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The device according to Appendix 2, which includes at least one of the following pieces of information: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. (Method on the network device side) (Note 1) A multi-path communication method applicable to network devices, A method comprising the step of the network device transmitting a second instruction information to a remote terminal device, wherein the second instruction information is used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to transition to an RRC connection state. (Note 2) The second instruction information described above is: The wireless resource control status information of the relay terminal device, Second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, or The method according to Appendix 1, comprising at least one of the RRC reconfiguration messages for adding or modifying an indirect route. (Note 3) The second instruction information is received via a direct route, as described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 4) The RRC status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is: RRC message, PDCP control PDU, RLC control PDU, MAC CE, or, The method described in Appendix 2, which is included in at least one of the DCIs. (Note 5) The method according to Appendix 4, wherein the RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect route. (Note 6) The RRC status information is, Information on the RRC status of the aforementioned relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state, or The method according to Appendix 2, comprising at least one of the following pieces of information: whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

Claims

1. A multi-path communication device configured in a remote terminal device, A receiving unit that receives first instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device or second instruction information transmitted by a network device, A device comprising: a processing unit that triggers or transmits a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device in accordance with the first instruction information or the second instruction information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to a wireless resource control connection state.

2. The first instruction information described above is: The wireless resource control status information of the relay terminal device, or The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of the first pieces of information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message.

3. The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information during or after the PC5 discovery procedure, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information during or after the establishment of the PC 5 connection with the relay terminal device, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after receiving the measurement configuration information transmitted by the network device, and / or The remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after transmitting the measurement report to the network device, and / or The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remote terminal device receives the first instruction information before or after receiving a radio resource control reconfiguration message transmitted by the network device for adding or changing an indirect route.

4. The first instruction information is included in the PC5-S message or the second PC5-RRC message or media access control control element transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device, and / or The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first instruction information is included in a discovery-related message transmitted to the remote terminal device by the relay terminal device.

5. The aforementioned PC5-S message is: Direct communication request, or, It includes at least one of the direct communication responses, and / or The second PC5-RRC message is, Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration Sidelink (RRCReconfigurationSidelink) Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration Complete Sidelink (RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink) User device auxiliary information sidelink (UEAssistanceInformationSidelink), or, It includes at least one of the NotificationMessageSidelinks and / or, The media access control element is a new media access control element and / or The message related to the aforementioned discovery is: Discovery solicitation, or, The apparatus according to claim 4, comprising at least one of the Discovery Responses.

6. The aforementioned wireless resource control status information is, Information on the wireless resource control status of the relay terminal device, Information on whether the relay terminal device is in a wireless resource control connection state, or The relay terminal device includes at least one of the following pieces of information: whether or not it is in a wireless resource control idle state or a wireless resource control inactive state, and / or The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

7. If the wireless resource control status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in a wireless resource control idle state, a wireless resource control inactive state, or is not in a wireless resource control connected state, the remote terminal device triggers the first PC5-RRC message, or transmits it to the relay terminal device, or The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

8. The second instruction information is, The wireless resource control status information of the relay terminal device, The second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, or The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the wireless resource control reconfiguration messages for adding or changing an indirect route.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second instruction information is received via a direct route.

10. The wireless resource control status information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message is: Wireless resource control message, Packet Data Convergence Protocol Control Protocol Data Unit (PDCP control PDU), Wireless Link Control Protocol Data Unit (RLC control PDU), Wireless access control element (MAC CE), or, The apparatus according to claim 8, which is included in at least one of the downlink control information (DCI).

11. If the wireless resource control status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in a wireless resource control idle state, a wireless resource control inactive state, or is not in a wireless resource control connected state, the remote terminal device triggers the first PC5-RRC message, or transmits it to the relay terminal device, or If the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device will trigger or transmit the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device will trigger the first PC5-RRC message, transmit it to the relay terminal device, or The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the remote terminal device receives a wireless resource control reconfiguration message for adding or changing the indirect route, the remote terminal device triggers or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

12. The receiving unit further receives the third instruction information transmitted by the relay terminal device, The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

13. In the case where the information included in the third instruction information indicates that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different, or where the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different, the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or transmit the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, according to claim 12.

14. The third instruction information is, Information of the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device, The relay terminal device provides information to change the serving cell or serving base station. The first serving cell of the relay terminal device and the second serving cell directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route have different information, or The apparatus according to claim 12, comprising at least one piece of information indicating that the first serving base station of the relay terminal device and the second serving base station directly connected to the remote terminal device via a route are different.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the third instruction information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message transmitted by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to transition to a wireless resource control connection state.

17. The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, or The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new information element in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

18. The first PC5-RRC message is, Remote User Device Information Sidelink (RemoteUEInformationSidelink) Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration Sidelink (RRCReconfigurationSidelink) Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration Complete Sidelink (RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink), or, The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the User Assistance Information Sidelinks (UEAssistanceInformationSidelink).

19. A multi-path communication device configured in a remote terminal device, A receiving unit that receives third instruction information transmitted by a relay terminal device, Apparatus comprising: a processing unit that, in accordance with the third instruction information, does not trigger, cancels, or transmits the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

20. A multi-path communication device configured in a relay terminal device, A transmitting unit that transmits first instruction information to a remote terminal device, A device comprising: a receiving unit for receiving a first PC5-RRC message transmitted by the remote terminal device, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to transition the relay terminal device to a wireless resource control connection state.

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