Method and apparatus for determining terminal activity status - Patents.com

Abstract

The present application discloses a method and an apparatus for determining an active state of a terminal, which is applicable to a communication system, and includes the steps of: determining a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal, the receiving terminal being a terminal that performs sidelink communication with the transmitting terminal; and determining the active state of the receiving terminal based on the state of the first type of local timer. By implementing the present application, the active state of a counterpart device in sidelink communication can be determined, so that it is possible to avoid discrepancies in the judgments on the active states of two devices performing sidelink communication, thereby reducing data transmission errors and power loss.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for determining an active state of a terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] In the related technology, when terminals communicate with each other on the sidelink, a half-duplex communication method is used, and discontinuous reception (DRX) is introduced into the sidelink communication in order to save the power consumption of the terminal device. The terminal determines the active state of the terminal based on the operation time of a local timer, and monitors a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) only in the active state. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the operation states of the corresponding timers of the two terminals performing sidelink communication consistent. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The embodiments of the present application are applicable to communication technologies, and provide a method and an apparatus for determining an active state of a terminal, which controls the active state of the terminal by determining the state of a timer of the terminal, and avoids inconsistent decisions on the active states of two devices performing sidelink communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining an active state of a terminal, the method being performed by a transmitting terminal, the method comprising: determining a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal, the receiving terminal being a terminal that sidelinks with the transmitting terminal; determining an active state of the receiving terminal based on a state of the first type local timer.

[0005] The method for determining the active state of a terminal provided in the present application determines the state of a timer of the terminal, thereby further controlling the active state of the device, and can avoid inconsistent judgments on the active states of two devices communicating on the sidelink, thereby reducing data transmission errors and power loss.

[0006] In one implementation, the method further includes a step of determining that the receiving terminal is in an active state in response to the first type of local timer being in an operating state, or a step of determining that the receiving terminal is in an inactive state in response to the first type of local timer being in a stopped state.

[0007] In one implementation manner, the method further includes a step of stopping operation of the first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal sending a Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (DRX) Media Access Control Layer Control Element (MAC CE) to the receiving terminal, the Sidelink DRX MAC CE being used to indicate that the receiving terminal enters an inactive state, or a step of stopping operation of the first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal sending the Sidelink DRX MAC CE to the receiving terminal and sending feedback information that the Sidelink DRX MAC CE sent from the receiving terminal has been successfully received.

[0008] In one implementation, the method further includes a step of stopping operation of the first type of local timer in response to receiving instruction information transmitted from the receiving terminal, the instruction information being transmitted when the receiving terminal enters an inactive state.

[0009] In one implementation, the indication information is sent triggered by the receiving terminal being unable to monitor a sidelink communication channel during an operation period of its own second type local timer.

[0010] In one implementation, the timers include one or more of an inactivity timer, a wake-up timer, and a retransmission timer.

[0011] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining an active state of a terminal, executed by a receiving terminal, comprising: The present invention provides a method for determining an active state of a terminal, the method including a step of transmitting, to a transmitting terminal, instruction information for instructing the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, the instruction information being used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, the transmitting terminal being a terminal that communicates with the receiving terminal in sidelink communication.

[0012] In one implementation manner, the method further includes a step of directly stopping operation of a second type of local timer in the receiving terminal after sending the instruction information to the transmitting terminal, or a step of receiving feedback information that the instruction information fed back from the transmitting terminal has been successfully received, and stopping operation of the second type of local timer in the receiving terminal.

[0013] In one implementation, the method further comprises the step of transmitting the indication information to the transmitting terminal in response to the receiving terminal being unable to monitor a sidelink communication channel during an operation period of the second type local timer.

[0014] In one implementation manner, the method further includes a step of receiving a Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from the transmitting terminal, where the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, or a step of receiving the Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from the transmitting terminal and transmitting feedback information to the transmitting terminal when the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is successfully received.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present embodiment provides a communication device having some or all of the functions of implementing the terminal device in the method according to the first aspect, for example, the functions of the communication device may include some or all of the functions of the present embodiment, or may include a function for independently implementing any of the embodiments of the present application. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the functions.

[0016] In one implementation, the structure of the communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module, and the processing module is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the above method. The transceiver module is used to support communication between the communication device and other devices. The communication device may further include a storage module, which is used to combine with the transceiver module and the processing module, and stores computer programs and data required by the communication device.

[0017] As an example, the processing module may be a processor, the transmitting and receiving module may be a transceiver or a communication interface, and the storage module may be a memory.

[0018] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device having a part or all of the functions of implementing the network device in the method according to the second aspect. For example, the functions of the communication device may include the functions of some or all of the embodiments of the present application, or may include the function of implementing any of the embodiments of the present application alone. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the functions.

[0019] In one implementation, the structure of the uplink control information (UCI) resource mapping device may include a transceiver module and a processing module, and the processing module is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the above method. The transceiver module is used to support communication between the communication device and other devices. The communication device may further include a storage module, which is used to combine with the transceiver module and the processing module, and stores computer programs and data required by the communication device.

[0020] As an example, the processing module may be a processor, the transmitting and receiving module may be a transceiver or a communication interface, and the storage module may be a memory.

[0021] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communications device including a processor, the communications device being operable to perform a method according to the first aspect above when the processor invokes a computer program in a memory.

[0022] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communications device including a processor, the communications device being configured to perform the method of the second aspect above when the processor invokes a computer program in a memory.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communications device including a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to cause the communications device to perform a method according to the first aspect above.

[0024] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communications device including a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to cause the device to perform a method according to the second aspect above.

[0025] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communications device comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being adapted to receive and transmit code instructions to the processor, the processor being adapted to execute the code instructions to cause the device to perform a method according to the first aspect above.

[0026] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communications device including a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being adapted to receive and transmit code instructions to the processor, the processor being adapted to execute the code instructions to perform the method of the second aspect above.

[0027] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system comprising a communication device according to the third aspect and a communication device according to the fourth aspect, or comprising a communication device according to the fifth aspect and a communication device according to the sixth aspect, or comprising a communication device according to the seventh aspect and a communication device according to the eighth aspect, or comprising a communication device according to the ninth aspect and a communication device according to the tenth aspect.

[0028] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium for storing instructions for use in a terminal device, the instructions, when executed, causing the terminal device to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0029] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed, implementing the method according to the second aspect above.

[0030] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to the first aspect above.

[0031] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to the second aspect above.

[0032] In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system including at least one processor and an interface, and used to support a terminal device to realize the functionality according to the first aspect, for example to determine or process at least one of the data and information according to the method. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing computer programs and data required by the terminal device. The chip system may be composed of a chip or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0033] In a seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system including at least one processor and an interface for use in supporting a network device to realize the functionality according to the second aspect, for example to determine or process at least one of the data and information according to the method. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing computer programs and data required by the network device. The chip system may be comprised of a chip or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0034] In an eighteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method according to the first aspect above.

[0035] In a nineteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to carry out the method according to the second aspect above. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0036] In the following, in order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments or background art of the present application, drawings that need to be used in the embodiments or background art of the present application are described. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application; [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application; [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] To facilitate understanding, we will first introduce some terminology used in this application.

[0038] 1. Discontinuous Reception (DRX) DRX is a computer term that means discontinuous reception. The user equipment (UE) stops monitoring the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) for a certain period of time. DRX is divided into two types. One is Integrated Development and Learning Environment (IDLE) DRX, which, as the name suggests, is discontinuous reception when the UE is in the IDLE state. When in the IDLE state, there is no longer a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection or dedicated resources for the user, so it mainly monitors the paging channel and broadcast channel, and the purpose of discontinuous reception can be achieved by defining a fixed period. However, in order to monitor the user's data channel, the UE must first enter a connected state from the IDLE state.

[0039] The other is ACTIVE DRX, that is, DRX in which the UE is in a connected (RRC-CONNECTED) state, which can optimize system resource configuration, and more importantly, the mobile phone does not need to be in RRC_IDLE mode, which can save the mobile phone's power. For example, in some non-real-time applications such as instant messengers, there are always periods when the mobile phone does not need to constantly monitor downlink data and related processing, and thus DRX can be applied to such situations. And since there is still an RRC connection in this state, the speed at which the UE transitions to a supported state is very fast.

[0040] 2. Media Access Control (MAC) The MAC defines how data frames are transmitted over the media. For links sharing the same bandwidth, access to the connected medium is on a "first come, first served" basis. Physical addressing is defined here, as is the logical topology (the path that signals take through the physical topology). This sublayer also provides line control, error notification (without correction), frame ordering, and selectable traffic control.

[0041] 3. Control Element (CE) After long term evolution (LTE), the MAC layer in the network has multiple communication paths. This means that special MAC structures carry special control information. The special MAC structures that carry these control information are called MAC CE, which stands for Media Access Control Layer Control Element.

[0042] 4. Sidelink communication Sidelink is an important branch in cellular Internet of Things technology, which is divided into two modes, one is called sidelink discovery between UEs, and the other is called sidelink communication between UEs. Sidelink uses uplink resources and uplink physical channels similar to cellular networks to transmit data back and forth. But there are also differences, such as in the transmission policy, sidelink limits single cluster transmission for every sidelink physical channel, and inserts one symbol gap after each sidelink subframe transmission.

[0043] In order to better understand the method for determining the active state of a terminal disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, a communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applied will be described below.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes but is not limited to one terminal device, and the number and form of the devices shown in Fig. 1 are only for illustration and do not limit the embodiment of the present application, and may include two or more terminal devices in actual use. The communication system shown in Fig. 1 takes one sending terminal device 101 and one receiving terminal device 102 as an example.

[0045] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems, 5G new radio (NR) systems, or other future new mobile communication systems.

[0046] The transmitting terminal device 101 and the receiving terminal device 102 in the embodiment of the present application may be entities for receiving or transmitting signals on the user side, such as a mobile phone. The transmitting terminal device 101 and the receiving terminal device 102 may be called terminal devices (terminals), user equipment (UE), mobile stations (MS), mobile terminals (MT), etc. The terminal devices may be automobiles with communication functions, smart automobiles, mobile phones, wearable devices, tablet computers (Pads), computers with wireless transmission and reception functions, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminal devices in industrial control, wireless terminal devices in self-driving, wireless terminal devices in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal devices in smart grids, wireless terminal devices in transportation safety, wireless terminal devices in smart cities, wireless terminal devices in smart homes, etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to a specific technology used in the terminal device and a specific device form.

[0047] The communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is intended to more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be similarly applied to similar technical problems.

[0048] It should be understood that the multiple solutions in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented alone or in combination, and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0049] Hereinafter, the method and apparatus for determining the active state of a terminal provided in the present application will be introduced in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the technical solutions of each embodiment may be implemented alone or together with any one of the other technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this respect.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method being performed by a transmitting terminal. As shown in FIG. 2, the method includes the following steps S201 and S202.

[0052] In S201, a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal is determined, where the receiving terminal is a terminal in sidelink communication with the transmitting terminal.

[0053] When two terminals perform sidelink communication, they use a half-duplex communication method, i.e., the transmission and reception of data in sidelink communication and the transmission of the air interface uplink channel are half-duplex communication methods, and one terminal can transmit or transfer data to another terminal, but cannot transmit and transfer data simultaneously.

[0054] In order to save the power of the terminal, it is necessary to keep the timer states of the terminals as consistent as possible, that is, to keep the active states of the two terminals consistent. If the timer corresponding to the terminal is in an active state, the terminal is in an active state, and if the timer corresponding to the terminal is in a stopped state, the terminal is in an inactive state.

[0055] In some implementations, the transmitting terminal includes two types of local timers, of which the first type of local timer is used to determine the status of the receiving terminal in sidelink communication with the transmitting terminal, and the second type of local timer is used to determine the status of the transmitting terminal itself. In order to determine the active state of the receiving terminal in sidelink communication with the transmitting terminal, in the embodiment of the present application, it is necessary to obtain the status of the first type of local timer in the transmitting terminal corresponding to the receiving terminal.

[0056] Optionally, the timers include one or more of an inactivity timer, a wake-up timer, and a retransmission timer.

[0057] In S202, an active state of the receiving terminal is determined based on a state of a first type of local timer.

[0058] Since the first type of local timer is used to determine the status of a receiving terminal that sidelinks with the transmitting terminal, after obtaining the status of the first type of local timer, the active state of the receiving terminal can be determined based on the status of the first type of timer, and in some implementations, in response to the first type of local timer being in an operating state, the receiving terminal is determined to be in an active state, and in some implementations, in response to the first type of local timer being in a stopped state, the receiving terminal is in an inactive state.

[0059] In order to keep the timers of two terminals communicating on the sidelink synchronized, it is necessary to selectively maintain continuous operation of a local timer of a second type corresponding to the transmitting terminal in the receiving terminal in response to the first type of local timer being in an operating state, i.e. when the receiving terminal is in an active state. Optionally, in response to the first type of local timer being in a stopped state, i.e. when the receiving terminal is in an inactive state, the operation of a second type of local timer corresponding to the transmitting terminal at the receiving terminal must be stopped.

[0060] The method for determining the active state of a terminal provided in the embodiment of the present application determines the state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal, the receiving terminal is a terminal that performs sidelink with the transmitting terminal, and further determines the active state of the receiving terminal based on the state of the first type of local timer. Since the active state of a counterpart device performing sidelink communication can be determined in the present application, it is possible to avoid inconsistent judgments on the active states of two devices performing sidelink communication, thereby reducing data transmission errors and power loss.

[0061] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal in an embodiment of the present application, the method being performed by a transmitting terminal. As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes the following step S301.

[0062] In S301, in response to the transmitting terminal transmitting a Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (DRX) Media Access Control Layer Control Element (MAC CE) to the receiving terminal, the transmitting terminal stops the operation of a first type of local timer, and the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state.

[0063] In some implementations, the transmitting terminal transmits a Sidelink DRX MAC CE to the receiving terminal, and the Sidelink DRX MAC CE instructs the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, and the receiving terminal enters the inactive state after receiving the Sidelink DRX MAC CE, and in order to maintain timer synchronization, when the receiving terminal enters the inactive state, the transmitting terminal needs to stop the operation of the first type of local timer in the transmitting terminal corresponding to the receiving terminal accordingly, that is, when the transmitting terminal transmits the Sidelink DRX MAC CE to the receiving terminal, the state of the first type of local timer needs to be changed to a stopped state.

[0064] Optionally, in order to further reduce the error, the method for determining the active state of a terminal provided in the present application further includes a step of stopping the operation of a first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal transmitting a Sidelink DRX MAC CE to the receiving terminal and transmitting feedback information from the receiving terminal that the Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from the receiving terminal is successfully received. That is, the transmitting terminal does not immediately stop the operation of the first type of local timer after transmitting the Sidelink DRX MAC CE to the receiving terminal. After receiving the Sidelink DRX MAC CE, the receiving terminal transmits feedback information to the transmitting terminal that the reception is successful, and the transmitting terminal determines that the receiving terminal enters an inactive state based on the received feedback information, and further controls the first type of local timer to stop operating.

[0065] In the method for determining the active state of a terminal provided in the embodiment of the present application, after a transmitting terminal transmits a Sidelink DRX MAC CE to a receiving terminal, the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, and the transmitting terminal stops the operation of a first type of timer accordingly, and when the first type of timer is stopped, the transmitting terminal can determine the active state of the receiving terminal. In the present application, since the active state of a counterpart device performing sidelink communication can be determined, it is possible to avoid inconsistent judgments on the active states of two devices performing sidelink communication, thereby reducing data transmission errors and power loss.

[0066] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal in an embodiment of the present application, the method being performed by a transmitting terminal. As shown in FIG. 4, the method includes the following step S401.

[0067] In S401, in response to receiving instruction information transmitted from a receiving terminal, the operation of a first type of local timer is stopped, the instruction information being transmitted when the receiving terminal enters an inactive state.

[0068] When the receiving terminal enters the active state, it transmits indication information to the transmitting terminal. After receiving the indication information, the transmitting terminal determines that the receiving terminal is in the inactive state based on the indication of the indication information, and stops the operation of the first type of local timer corresponding to the receiving terminal in the transmitting terminal.

[0069] Alternatively, the transmitting terminal may receive the indication information sent from the receiving terminal via MAC CE or RRC signaling.

[0070] Optionally, the receiving terminal may also include two types of local timers, of which the first type of local timer is used to determine the state of the transmitting terminal that sidelinks with the receiving terminal, and the second type of local timer is used to determine the state of the receiving terminal itself. If the receiving terminal is unable to monitor the sidelink communication channel during the operation period of the second type of local timer in the receiving terminal, it may enter an inactive state and send indication information to the transmitting terminal.

[0071] Optionally, the indication information is sent triggered by the receiving terminal being unable to monitor the sidelink communication channel during an operation period of its own second type local timer.

[0072] In the method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in the embodiment of the present application, when instruction information fed back from a receiving terminal is received, the method determines that a first type of local timer needs to be stopped based on the instruction information, and further stops the operation of the first type of local timer. In the present application, when the receiving terminal is in an inactive state, the operation of the first type of local timer in the transmitting terminal can be stopped, and the active states of two devices communicating in sidelink can be kept consistent, thereby reducing data transmission errors and reducing power loss.

[0073] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for determining an active state of a terminal in an embodiment of the present application, the method being performed by a receiving terminal. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes the following steps S501, S502.

[0074] In S501, instruction information for instructing a receiving terminal to enter an inactive state is transmitted to a transmitting terminal, the instruction information is used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, and the transmitting terminal is a terminal that communicates with the receiving terminal via sidelink.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present application, when the receiving terminal enters the inactive state, it transmits the indication information to the transmitting terminal to indicate that the active state of the receiving terminal is the inactive state. In some implementations, the second type local timer in the receiving terminal may be used to determine the active state of the receiving terminal itself. In response to the receiving terminal being unable to monitor the sidelink communication channel during the operation period of its own second type local timer, the receiving terminal may trigger the transmission of the indication information to the transmitting terminal, i.e., the receiving terminal triggers the transmission of the indication information to the transmitting terminal because the receiving terminal is unable to monitor the sidelink channel during the operation period of its own second type timer after the sidelink transmission or Uu transmission.

[0076] In S502, after transmitting the instruction information to the transmitting terminal, the operation of the second type local timer in the receiving terminal is directly stopped.

[0077] In the present embodiment, sending the indication information to the transmitting terminal means that the receiving terminal enters an inactive state, and the transmitting terminal accordingly stops the operation of the first type of timer in the transmitting terminal based on the indication information. To ensure that the active states of the two terminals communicating on the sidelink are consistent, the receiving terminal also needs to stop its own second type of local timer.

[0078] In some implementations, the method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in the present application further includes a step in which, after sending instruction information to the transmitting terminal, the receiving terminal does not immediately stop the second type of local timer, but waits for feedback information that the instruction information fed back from the transmitting terminal has been successfully received, and upon receiving feedback information that the instruction information fed back from the transmitting terminal has been successfully received, stops operation of the second type of local timer in the receiving terminal.

[0079] In some implementations, the method for determining an active state of a terminal provided in the present application further includes receiving a Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from a transmitting terminal, where the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is used to indicate that the receiving terminal enters an inactive state, or receiving a Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from the transmitting terminal and sending feedback information to the transmitting terminal when the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is successfully received. For an introduction to the Sidelink DRX MAC CE, please refer to the relevant contents in each embodiment of the present application, and the description will be omitted here.

[0080] The method for determining the active state of a terminal provided in the embodiment of the present application can stop the operation of a second type of local timer in the receiving terminal when the receiving terminal is in an inactive state, and instruct the transmitting terminal to stop its own first type of timer through instruction information, so as to keep the active states of the two devices communicating on the sidelink consistent, thereby reducing data transmission errors and power loss.

[0081] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device (e.g., a terminal device in an embodiment of the method), may be a device in the terminal device, or may be a device that can be matched to and used with the terminal device.

[0082] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device of one embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, a communication device 600 for determining an active state of a terminal, the device includes a transceiver module 601 and a processing module 602, in which the transceiver module 601 may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, the transmitting module is used to realize a transmitting function, the receiving module is used to realize a receiving function, and the transceiver module 601 can realize a transmitting function and / or a receiving function.

[0083] The communication device 600 is a transmitting device. The processing module 602 is used to determine a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal, the receiving terminal being a terminal that sidelinks with the transmitting terminal, and to determine an active state of the receiving terminal based on the state of the first type of local timer.

[0084] The processing module 602 is further used for determining that the receiving terminal is in an active state in response to the first type of local timer being in an operating state, or for determining that the receiving terminal is in an inactive state in response to the first type of local timer being in a stopped state.

[0085] The processing module 602 is further used to stop operation of the first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal sending a Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (DRX) Media Access Control Layer Control Element (MAC CE) to the receiving terminal, the Sidelink DRX MAC CE being used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, or to stop operation of the first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal sending a Sidelink DRX MAC CE to the receiving terminal and sending feedback information that the Sidelink DRX MAC CE sent from the receiving terminal has been successfully received.

[0086] The processing module 602 is further used for stopping the operation of the first type of local timer in response to receiving instruction information transmitted from the receiving terminal, the instruction information being transmitted when the receiving terminal enters an inactive state.

[0087] Optionally, the indication information is sent triggered by the receiving terminal being unable to monitor the sidelink communication channel during an operation period of its own second type local timer.

[0088] Optionally, the timers include one or more of an inactivity timer, a wake-up timer, and a retransmission timer.

[0089] The communication device 600 is a receiving device. The transceiver module 601 is used to transmit instruction information to instruct the transmitting terminal that the receiving terminal is not in an active state, and the instruction information is used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, and the transmitting terminal is a terminal that communicates with the receiving terminal via sidelink.

[0090] The processing module 602 is used to directly stop the operation of the second type of local timer in the receiving terminal after sending instruction information to the transmitting terminal, or to receive feedback information that the instruction information fed back from the transmitting terminal has been successfully received, and to stop the operation of the second type of local timer in the receiving terminal.

[0091] The transceiver module 601 is further used for transmitting indication information to the third terminal in response to the receiving terminal being unable to monitor the sidelink communication channel during the operation period of the second type of local timer.

[0092] The transceiver module 601 is further used to receive a Sidelink DRX MAC CE sent from the transmitting terminal, and the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, or to receive a Sidelink DRX MAC CE sent from the transmitting terminal and send feedback information to the transmitting terminal when the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is successfully received.

[0093] Optionally, the timers include one or more of an inactivity timer, a wake-up timer, and a retransmission timer.

[0094] A communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application determines a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal, the receiving terminal being a terminal that performs sidelink with the transmitting terminal, and further determines an active state of the receiving terminal based on the state of the first type of local timer. Since the active state of a counterpart device in sidelink communication can be determined in the present application, it is possible to avoid discrepancies in the judgments on the active states of two devices performing sidelink communication, thereby reducing data transmission errors and power loss.

[0095] Please refer to Fig. 7, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 may be a transmitting terminal or a receiving terminal (such as a transmitting terminal or a receiving terminal in the above method embodiment), and may be a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc. that supports the terminal device to realize the above method. The device can be used to realize the method described in the above method embodiment, and specific reference can be made to the description in the above method embodiment.

[0096] The communication device 700 may include one or more processors 701. The processor 701 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or CU, etc.), execute a computer program, and process data of the computer program.

[0097] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include one or more memories 702, in which a computer program 704 may be stored, and the processor 701 may execute said computer program 704 to cause the communication device 700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 702 may further store data. The communication device 700 and the memory 702 may be provided separately or may be integrated together.

[0098] Optionally, the communication device 700 may include a transceiver 705 and an antenna 706. The transceiver 705 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., and is used to realize a transmission and reception function. The transceiver 705 may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., and may include a receiver for realizing a reception function, and a transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., and may include a transmitter for realizing a transmission function.

[0099] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include one or more interface circuits 707. The interface circuit 707 is used to receive and transmit code instructions to the processor 701. The processor 701 executes the code instructions to cause the communication device 700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0100] When the communication device 700 is a transmitting terminal, the processor 701 is used to execute steps S201 and S202 in FIG. 2, step S301 in FIG. 3, step S401 in FIG. 4, and the like.

[0101] When the communication device 700 is a receiving terminal, the transceiver 705 is used to execute step S501 in FIG. 5 and the like, and the processor 701 is used to execute step S502 in FIG.

[0102] In one implementation, the processor 701 may include a transceiver for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transmitting and receiving circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transmitting and receiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be provided separately or may be integrated together. The transmitting and receiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the transmitting and receiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit may be used for transmitting or conveying signals.

[0103] In one implementation, the processor 701 may have stored therein a computer program 703, which may be executed on the processor 701 to cause the communication device 700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The computer program 703 may be fixed to the processor 701, in which case the processor 701 may be implemented by hardware.

[0104] In one implementation, the communication device 700 may include circuitry capable of performing the functions of transmitting or receiving or communicating in the method embodiments. The processors and transceivers described herein may be implemented in integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), hybrid signal ICs, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processors and transceivers may be fabricated using a variety of IC process technologies, such as, for example, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), nMetal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), pMetal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0105] The communication device in the above embodiment description may be a terminal device (e.g., a transmitting terminal or a receiving terminal in the method embodiment), but the scope of the communication device described in this application is not limited thereto, and the configuration of the communication device is not limited to FIG. 7. The communication device may be an independent device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be as follows: (1) A standalone integrated circuit IC or chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) A collection of one or more integrated circuits, optionally including a storage member for storing data, computer programs, (3) ASICs, such as modems (4) Modules that can be incorporated into other devices; (5) Receivers, terminal equipment, smart terminal equipment, cellular phones, wireless devices, handhelds, mobile units, in-vehicle equipment, cloud equipment, artificial intelligence equipment, etc. (6)Others.

[0106] When the communication device may be a chip or a chip system, reference may be made to the structural schematic diagram of a chip shown in Fig. 8. The chip 800 shown in Fig. 8 includes a processor 801 and an interface 802. Among them, the processor 801 may be one or more, and the number of interfaces 802 may be multiple.

[0107] When the chip is used to realize the functions of the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application, The interface 802 is used to execute step S501 in FIG.

[0108] Optionally, the chip 800 further includes a memory 803 for storing necessary computer programs and data.

[0109] As can be further understood by those skilled in the art, various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functions are realized by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design requirements of the entire system. Those skilled in the art can realize the functions using various methods for each specific application, but such realization should not be understood as exceeding the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0110] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, the system including a communication device serving as a transmitting terminal device in the embodiment of FIG. 7 (e.g., a transmitting terminal in the embodiment of the method), or the system including a communication device serving as a receiving terminal device in the embodiment of FIG. 7 (e.g., a receiving terminal in the embodiment of the method).

[0111] The present application further provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the functionality of any of the above method embodiments.

[0112] The present application further provides a computer program product which, when executed by a computer, implements the functionality of any of the above method embodiments.

[0113] The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, the embodiment may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer programs are loaded and executed on a computer, they generate the flow or function described in the embodiments of the present application in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or may be transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer program may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc., integrated with one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the various numerals such as 1st, 2nd, etc. in the present application are merely divisions made for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, but also indicate the order of precedence.

[0114] In the present application, "at least one" may be described as "one" or "multiple", and "multiple" may be "two", "three", "four" or more, and is not limited thereto in the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the technical features are distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C", and "D", and there is no order or magnitude order between the technical features described as "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C", and "D".

[0115] The correspondence shown in each table in this application may be set or may be predefined. The values ​​of the information in each table are merely examples and may be set to other values ​​and are not limited in this application. When setting the correspondence between the information and each parameter, it is not necessary to set all the correspondences shown in each table. For example, the correspondences shown in some rows in the tables in this application may not be set. Also, for example, appropriate transformation adjustments such as division and merging may be performed based on the above tables. The names of the parameters shown in the titles of the above tables may use other names that are understandable to the communication device, and the values ​​or display methods of the parameters may be other values ​​or display methods that are understandable to the communication device. The above tables may use other data structures when implemented, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear tables, pointers, linked lists, trees, diagrams, structures, classes, heaps, hash lists, or hash tables.

[0116] Predefined in this application may be understood as defined, predefined, stored, pre-stored, pre-negotiated, pre-set, fixed, or pre-baked.

[0117] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, each example unit and algorithm step described in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware, or in a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical means. Those skilled in the art can realize the described functions using different methods for each specific application, but such realization should not be understood as going beyond the scope of the present application.

[0118] As can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, for convenience and conciseness of description, the specific operation processes of the above-described systems, devices and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the method embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0119] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present application, and the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto, and any modifications or replacements that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining an active state of a terminal, executed by a transmitting terminal, comprising: determining a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal, the receiving terminal being a terminal in sidelink communication with the transmitting terminal; determining an active state of the receiving terminal based on a state of the first type of local timer; The method further includes a step of stopping the operation of the first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal transmitting a Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (DRX) Media Access Control Layer Control Element (MAC CE) to the receiving terminal, the Sidelink DRX MAC CE being used to indicate that the receiving terminal is to enter an inactive state.

13. A method for determining an active state of a terminal, comprising:

2. and determining, in response to the first type local timer being in an operating state, that the receiving terminal is in an active state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the active state of a terminal is determined based on the active state of the terminal.

3. and stopping the operation of the first type of local timer in response to receiving instruction information transmitted from the receiving terminal, the instruction information being transmitted when the receiving terminal enters an inactive state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the active state of a terminal is determined based on the active state of the terminal.

4. The indication information is transmitted in response to a trigger that the receiving terminal is unable to monitor a sidelink communication channel during an operation period of the receiving terminal's second type local timer. The method for determining the activity state of a terminal according to claim 3.

5. the timers include one or more of an inactivity timer, a wake-up timer; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the active state of a terminal is determined based on the active state of the terminal.

6. 1. A method for determining an active state of a terminal executed by a receiving terminal, comprising: A step of transmitting instruction information to a transmitting terminal for instructing the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, the instruction information being used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, the transmitting terminal being a terminal that communicates with the receiving terminal via sidelink; The method further includes a step of receiving a Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from the transmitting terminal, the Sidelink DRX MAC CE being used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state.

13. A method for determining an active state of a terminal, comprising:

7. and further comprising the step of directly stopping the operation of a second type local timer in the receiving terminal after transmitting the instruction information to the transmitting terminal. The method for determining the activity state of a terminal according to claim 6.

8. and transmitting the indication information to the transmitting terminal in response to the receiving terminal being unable to monitor a sidelink communication channel during an operation period of a second type local timer. The method for determining the activity state of a terminal according to claim 6.

9. A communication device executed by a transmitting terminal, A processing module used to determine a state of a first type of local timer in a transmitting terminal corresponding to a receiving terminal and to determine an active state of the receiving terminal based on the state of the first type of local timer, the receiving terminal being a terminal that communicates in sidelink with the transmitting terminal; The processing module is further adapted to stop the operation of the first type of local timer in response to the transmitting terminal sending a Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (DRX) Media Access Control Layer Control Element (MAC CE) to the receiving terminal, the Sidelink DRX MAC CE being adapted to indicate that the receiving terminal enters an inactive state. A communication device comprising:

10. A communication device executed by a receiving terminal, comprising: A transceiver module used to transmit instruction information to a transmitting terminal to instruct the receiving terminal that the receiving terminal is not in an active state, the instruction information being used to instruct the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state, the transmitting terminal including a transceiver module being a terminal that communicates with the receiving terminal via sidelink; The transceiver module is further used for receiving a Sidelink DRX MAC CE transmitted from the transmitting terminal, and the Sidelink DRX MAC CE is used for instructing the receiving terminal to enter an inactive state. A communication device comprising:

11. A communications device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, the processor executing the computer program stored in the memory to cause the device to perform the method for determining an active state of a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A communication device comprising:

12. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, comprising: When said instructions are executed, a method for determining an active state of a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is realized. A computer-readable storage medium.

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