Path switching method, terminal and network-side equipment

Abstract

To provide a method for path switching which secures a communication quality, a terminal and a network-side apparatus.SOLUTION: A method includes a step S210 of performing switching between at least two paths by a first terminal in a case where a first condition is satisfied. The first condition includes at least one item of: that a path switching instruction, which is transmitted from a network-side apparatus, for instructing the first terminal to perform the switching between the at least two paths is received; that a path switching request for the first terminal to request the network-side apparatus to perform the switching between the at least two paths is transmitted to the network-side apparatus; that a regulation signal which is a signal corresponding to a target path which is one of the at least two paths is detected; that a signal detection result corresponding to the regulation signal is reported; and that the signal detection result satisfies a predefined condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - reference to related applications) This invention claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with an application number of 202110100043.7 and an invention title of "Method for Path Switching, Terminal and Network - side Device", which was filed with the Chinese Patent Office on January 25, 2021, and all the contents of this application are incorporated into this invention by reference.

[0002] This application belongs to the technical field of wireless communication, and specifically relates to a method for path switching, a terminal, and a network - side device.

Background Art

[0003] In related communication technologies, traffic transmission can be directly performed between terminals, or can be performed via a network - side device such as a core network or a base station. However, in communication scenarios such as subways and stations, due to wireless environment interference, etc., the connection between terminals or between a terminal and a network - side device becomes unstable, which may affect the communication quality.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a method for path switching, a terminal, and a network - side device that can solve the problem of affecting communication quality due to the instability of the connection between terminals or between a terminal and a network - side device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first embodiment, a path switching method is provided which is performed by a first terminal and includes the step of switching between at least two paths if a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: receiving a path switching instruction transmitted from a network-side device to instruct the first terminal to switch between the at least two paths; the first terminal sending a path switching request to the network-side device to request the network-side device to switch between the at least two paths; detecting a specified signal which is a signal corresponding to a target path which is one of the at least two paths; reporting a signal detection result corresponding to the specified signal; and the signal detection result satisfying a predefined condition.

[0006] In a second embodiment, a path switching method performed by a network-side device is provided, which includes the step of locating and / or activating a target path if a third condition is met, wherein the third condition includes any one of the following: sending a path switching instruction to the first terminal to instruct the first terminal to switch between at least two paths; receiving a path switching request sent from the first terminal to request the network-side device to switch between the at least two paths; or receiving a signal detection result announced from the first terminal to indicate transmission parameters corresponding to a target path, wherein the target path is one of the at least two paths, and the target path is the path corresponding to the path switching instruction, the path switching request, or the signal detection result.

[0007] In a third embodiment, a path switching device is provided, comprising a switching module used to switch between at least two paths when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: receiving a path switching instruction transmitted from a network-side device to instruct a first terminal to switch between the at least two paths; the first terminal sending a path switching request to the network-side device to request the network-side device to switch between the at least two paths; detecting a specified signal which is a signal corresponding to a target path which is one of the at least two paths; reporting a signal detection result corresponding to the specified signal; and the signal detection result satisfying a predefined condition.

[0008] In a fourth embodiment, a path switching device is provided, comprising a placement module used to place and / or activate a target path when a third condition is met, wherein the third condition includes any one of the following: sending a path switching instruction to the first terminal to instruct the first terminal to switch between at least two paths; receiving a path switching request transmitted from the first terminal to request a network-side device to switch between the at least two paths; or receiving a signal detection result announced from the first terminal to indicate transmission parameters corresponding to a target path, wherein the target path is one of the at least two paths, and the target path is the path corresponding to the path switching instruction, the path switching request, or the signal detection result.

[0009] In a fifth embodiment, a terminal is provided comprising a processor, memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the first embodiment are realized.

[0010] In a sixth embodiment, a network-side device is provided, comprising a processor, memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the second embodiment are realized.

[0011] In a seventh embodiment, a readable storage medium is provided that stores a program or instruction, and when the program or instruction is executed by a processor, it realizes a step of the method described in the first embodiment or a step of the method described in the second embodiment.

[0012] In the eighth embodiment, a chip is provided comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor executes a program or instruction for a network-side device to realize the method according to the first embodiment or the method according to the second embodiment.

[0013] In a ninth embodiment, a computer program product is provided, comprising a processor, memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, a step of the method according to the first embodiment is realized, or the method according to the second embodiment is realized. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] In the embodiments of this application, the first terminal switches between at least two paths when it receives a path switching instruction transmitted from a network-side device, or when it sends a path switching request to the network-side device, or when it notifies the signal detection result. This enables effective switching between paths and solves the problem of communication quality degrading due to unstable connections between terminals or between terminals and network-side devices. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1]This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a wireless communication system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. [Figure 2] This is a schematic flowchart of the path switching method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. [Figure 3] This is a schematic flowchart of a path switching method provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic flowchart of a path switching method provided in yet another exemplary embodiment of this application. [Figure 5a] This is a block diagram of a path switching device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. [Figure 5b] This is a block diagram of a path switching device provided in another exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6a] This is a block diagram of a path switching device provided in another exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6b] This is a block diagram of a path switching device provided in another exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram of a terminal provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram of the network-side equipment provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] In the following, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly described with reference to the drawings of the embodiments of this application. Naturally, the embodiments described are not all embodiments, but only a selection of embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0017] In the description and claims of this application, terms such as "first", "second", etc. are not for describing a specific order or sequence, but for distinguishing similar objects. It should be understood that such terms may be replaced with each other in appropriate cases so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. Also, the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object may be one or a plurality. In the description and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the symbol " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0018] It should be noted that the technologies described in the embodiments of this application are not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but are also applicable to other wireless communication systems and other systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). The terms “system” and “network” in the embodiments of this application are generally interchangeable, and the technologies described may be used with the above-mentioned systems and radiotelegraph technologies, or with other systems and radiotelegraph technologies. However, for illustrative purposes, the following description will use the New Radio (NR) system, and will primarily use NR terminology. Nevertheless, these technologies are applicable to systems other than NR, such as 6th Generation (6G) communication systems.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to the embodiment of this application. The wireless communication system comprises a terminal 11 and network-side equipment 12. Here, the terminal 11 may also be called terminal equipment or user equipment (UE), and may be a terminal-side device such as a mobile phone, tablet personal computer, laptop computer (also called a notebook computer), personal digital assistant (PDA), personal information terminal, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), wearable device, or in-vehicle device (VUE), pedestrian terminal (PUE), etc. Wearable devices include bracelets, earphones, glasses, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited to the embodiment of this application. The network-side equipment 12 may be a base station or a core network, and the base station may be referred to as a node B, advanced node B, access point, base transceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, wireless transceiver, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), B node, advanced B node (eNB), home B node, home advanced B node, wireless local area network (WLAN) access point, wireless fidelity (WiFi) node, transmitting / receiving point (TRP), or any other appropriate term in the field, and the base station is not limited to any particular technical term as long as the same technical effect can be achieved.

[0020] In the following, with reference to the drawings, the technical means provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail by specific embodiments and their use cases.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a schematic flowchart of a path switching method 200 provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method 200 may be executed by a first terminal. For example, it may be executed by hardware and / or software installed on the first terminal. The method 200 includes the following step S210.

[0022] In S210, when a first condition is satisfied, switch between at least two paths.

[0023] Here, the first condition includes at least one of the following (1)-(5).

[0024] (1) The first terminal receives a path switching instruction sent from a network-side device.

[0025] Here, the path switching instruction is for instructing the first terminal to switch between the at least two paths. In this embodiment, the path switching instruction may be determined based on the path transmission parameters reported by the first terminal by the network-side device, or may be determined by a pre-arranged protocol or the like. When the path switching instruction may be determined based on the path transmission parameters reported by the first terminal by the network-side device, if the transmission parameters indicate that the connection corresponding to the current path of the first terminal is unstable, the network-side device may send the path switching instruction to the first terminal to instruct the first terminal to switch the path, and it can be understood that the target path is one of the at least two paths.

[0026] (2) The first terminal sends a path switching request to the network-side device for requesting the network-side device to switch between the at least two paths.

[0027] Here, the path switching request may include one or more pieces of information, for example, in one possible implementation, the path switching request may include at least one of the following (2a)-(2i).

[0028] (2a) Identifier (Identity, ID) of the second terminal.

[0029] Here, the second terminal may be a terminal that directly transmits data with the first terminal, or it may be a terminal that transmits data with the first terminal via network-side equipment, and is not limited thereto.

[0030] (2b) Identifier of the target bearer corresponding to the target path.

[0031] (2c) Identifier of the target network corresponding to the target path.

[0032] Here, the target network may be, but is not limited to, a network between the first terminal and the second terminal or between the first terminal and the network-side equipment, such as a Wi-Fi network, a Bluetooth® network, a Sidelink network, a UU network, etc.

[0033] (2d) The target link that triggers a path switch.

[0034] Here, the target link may be a downlink, uplink, sidelink, etc.

[0035] (2e) The aforementioned target path.

[0036] Here, the target path may be one of the at least two paths, and may be specifically determined by the first terminal. For example, the target path may be determined by the terminal based on transmission parameters such as the communication quality of the path, or it may be predetermined by the network-side equipment and the first terminal, or it may be defined by a protocol, and is not limited thereto.

[0037] (2f) Causes of path switching.

[0038] Here, the causes of the aforementioned path switching may include, but are not limited to, the maximum permissible exposure (MPE / Specific Absorption Rate, SAR) of laser radiation, terminal power limitations, network coverage limitations, network throughput limitations, signal quality, insufficient battery level, etc.

[0039] For example, if the first terminal detects that the laser radiation to the human body is greater than a threshold while communicating, the first terminal can send a path switching request to the network-side device to request a path switch, thereby ensuring the communication quality of the first terminal and other terminals communicating with it.

[0040] (2h) Transmission method for the aforementioned path switching request.

[0041] Here, the path switching request is transmitted via a Medium Access Control-Control Element (MACCE), Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, Uplink Control Information (UCI) message, Non-Access Layer (NAS) message, or physical layer signaling (e.g., Scheduling Request (SR)).

[0042] (2i) First instruction information for indicating whether or not the network-side device is authorized to notify the path switching request.

[0043] Here, authorization by the network-side device may include the first network node (i.e., the network-side device) triggering a user authorization procedure and obtaining permission to broadcast before the first terminal sends a path switching request, or the second network node (i.e., the network-side device) triggering the first terminal to send a path switching request if the first terminal is in a mode corresponding to the authorization arrangement. The first network node may be the same or different, and is not limited herein.

[0044] It should be noted that, as one possible implementation, the first terminal may transmit the identifier of the second terminal and / or the target network identifier to the network-side device before transmitting the path switching request. This allows the network-side device to perform scheduled operations, such as associating terminals, based on the identifier of the second terminal and / or the target network identifier, and then perform path switching based on the associated terminals, thereby ensuring reliability during path switching.

[0045] (3) A specified signal is detected, which is a signal corresponding to the target path, which is one of the at least two paths mentioned above.

[0046] (4) The signal detection result corresponding to the specified signal was reported.

[0047] (5) The signal detection result satisfies the predefined conditions.

[0048] In (3)-(5) above, the specified signal may be a scheduling signal reference signal (RS) or the like corresponding to the target path. The scheduled signal may be defined by agreement between the network-side equipment and the first terminal, or by a protocol, etc., and is not limited thereto.

[0049] The signal detection result may optionally include Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), interference information, signal-to-noise and interference ratio (SINR), channel quality indicator (CQI), and the interference information may be related information on interference that other terminals or devices impose on the first terminal.

[0050] The aforementioned predefined conditions may be defined through consultation between the network-side equipment and the first terminal, or they may be defined by a protocol or the like. In this embodiment, the aforementioned predefined conditions may differ depending on the signal detection result. For example, the aforementioned predefined conditions may be set based on the reference signal received power, interference information, signal-to-interference power-to-noise ratio, etc., and are not limited thereto.

[0051] With respect to (2) and (4) above, it should be noted that the first terminal may switch paths locally directly after sending the path switching request or signal detection result, or it may switch paths after receiving the response information fed back from the network-side device, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0052] Furthermore, the target path may be determined through consultation between the terminal and the network-side equipment, pre-configured by the network-side equipment, or defined by a protocol, and is not limited thereto.

[0053] It is necessary to explain that the network-side equipment described in this embodiment may be a core network or a base station, etc. The first terminal and / or the second terminal may be a mobile phone, smart glasses, smart headset, smartwatch, etc., and for other details regarding the network-side equipment, the first terminal and the second terminal, refer to the introduction of the relationship between terminals and network-side equipment in the wireless communication system described above, and a detailed explanation will be omitted here to avoid repetition.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the first terminal receives a path switching instruction transmitted from a network-side device, or sends a path switching request to the network-side device, or notifies the signal detection result, it switches between at least two paths. This enables effective switching between paths and solves the problem of communication quality being affected due to unstable connections between terminals or between terminals and network-side devices.

[0055] Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart of a path switching method 300 provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the method 300 may be performed by a first terminal, for example, by hardware and / or software implemented in the first terminal, and the method 300 includes the following step S310.

[0056] In S310, if the first condition is met, a switch is made between at least two paths.

[0057] Here, regarding the implementation procedure of S310, you can refer to the relevant description in Method 200. In addition, as one possible implementation of this embodiment, the at least two paths may include the paths described in any one of the following (1)-(9).

[0058] (1) A first path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal.

[0059] In this case, the first terminal and the second terminal may be directly connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, SideLink, etc., to enable data transmission.

[0060] (2) A second path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal via the network-side equipment.

[0061] In this case, the connection between the first terminal and the second terminal is made via the network-side equipment, such as a UU connection.

[0062] In one possible implementation, when the first terminal switches to the second path, the first terminal may further perform at least one of (2a) or (2b) below to adapt to cases where uplink or downlink traffic dynamically switches between different paths.

[0063] (2a) Monitor the downstream scheduling traffic and determine whether it is necessary to receive and / or forward the downstream scheduling traffic based on the designated information corresponding to the downstream scheduling traffic.

[0064] Here, the designated information may include at least one of the following in the Downlink Control Information (DCI): the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), the dedicated DCI domain instruction, and a specific bit combination.

[0065] The specific bit combination can be, but is not limited to, a specific combination of values ​​instructed within a domain such as a resource allocation or a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process.

[0066] (2b) Monitor the uplink traffic and determine whether the uplink traffic should be transmitted and / or forwarded according to the scheduled rules.

[0067] Here, the scheduling rule may be determined based on the magnitude of the number of bits to transmit, the amount of remaining power reserve, etc. For example, the first terminal may transmit the uplink traffic when the number of bits to transmit is greater than the threshold, and the first terminal may forward the uplink traffic when the number of bits to transmit is not greater than the threshold, and this is not limited to such rules.

[0068] Furthermore, the aforementioned scheduling rules may be determined through consultation between the network-side equipment and the first terminal, or they may be set up by the network-side equipment or defined in a protocol.

[0069] In another possible implementation, when the first terminal switches to the second path and the first and second terminals are located in a designated group, or when the network-side device transmits a DCI message using a Single Cell Point To Multipoint (SC-PTM) method, the first terminal monitors the DCI message transmitted by the network-side device to the second terminal and can further decide whether to perform a path switch, transfer / receive traffic data, etc., based on the DCI message, which can be specifically performed based on the DCI message.

[0070] (3) A third path for causing the second terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission corresponding to the first terminal.

[0071] In this case, the uplink and downlink transmissions corresponding to the first terminal are separated; that is, in this embodiment, the terminal is defined to perform uplink-separated transmission between different paths. This further provides flexibility during path switching and ensures communication quality.

[0072] In one possible implementation, if the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal satisfies the second condition, the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal is substituted by the second terminal. Here, the first uplink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0073] In this embodiment, in order to ensure that the network-side equipment and the first terminal have a unified understanding of the proxy conditions (i.e., the second condition), the first terminal may transmit first information to the network-side equipment that includes the second condition for proxying the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal to the second terminal. In one possible implementation, the second condition may include at least one of the following (3a)-(3e).

[0074] (3a) The number of transmitted bits is greater than the first predetermined value.

[0075] (3b) The Power Headroom Report (PHR) is less than the second specified value.

[0076] Here, in (1) and (2) above, the first predetermined value and the second predetermined value may be set by the network-side equipment or defined by a protocol, and are not limited thereto.

[0077] (3c) Send information corresponding to a specific bearer.

[0078] (3d) Transmit information corresponding to a specific logical channel.

[0079] Here, the specific bearers and specific logical channels described in (3c) and (3d) above may be deployed by network-side equipment or defined by a protocol, and are not limited thereto. Among these, the specific logical channels may include PUSCH, PUCCH, etc.

[0080] (3e) Includes UCI

[0081] The second condition may include, but is not limited to, the items described in (3a)-(3e) above. For example, in one implementation, the first terminal may further announce a corresponding uplink limit, in which case, if the scheduling of the network-side equipment exceeds the corresponding uplink limit, the corresponding proxy procedure is triggered.

[0082] When the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal is substituted by the second terminal, it should be noted that the value of the designated parameter corresponding to the first uplink channel increases by a third predetermined value (e.g., delta) compared to the transmission by the first terminal, and the designated parameter is the minimum value of K1 and K2.

[0083] In the implementation procedure of the above means, it is understood that the first terminal needs to notify the network-side device of the third predetermined value (delta) so that the network-side device's scheduling satisfies the restriction corresponding to the minimum value in K1 / K2 + third predetermined value (delta). As a result, when the network-side device schedules PUSCH or PUCCH etc. with normal K1 / K2, if the second terminal transmits directly, the second terminal will transmit with K1 / K2, and if the first terminal transmits on its behalf, it will increment the received K1 / K2 value by Delta and transmit.

[0084] In contrast, when the first terminal transmits the second uplink channel on behalf of the second terminal, the value of the designated parameter corresponding to the second uplink channel increases by a third predetermined value compared to the transmission by the second terminal, and the designated parameter is the minimum value of K1 and K2.

[0085] In the above implementation means, when the uplink channel of the first terminal is substituted by the second terminal, all or part of the uplink transmission of the first terminal may be substituted by the second terminal, but is not limited thereto.

[0086] (4) A fourth path which includes the first path and the second path, and which, when the first path and the second path are held simultaneously, has a connection corresponding to the first path or a connection corresponding to the second path in a suspended state.

[0087] In this case, if both a UU connection and a sidelink connection are maintained between the first terminal and the second terminal, then either the UU connection or the sidelink is in a suspended state.

[0088] (5) A fifth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side device.

[0089] Here, the fifth path differs from the second path in that the first terminal does not need to transmit the data it transmits to the network-side device to the second terminal, whereas in the second path, the first terminal needs to transmit the data it transmits to the network-side device to the second terminal.

[0090] In one possible implementation, similar to the second path described above, when the first terminal switches to the fifth path, and the first and second terminals are located in a designated group, or when the network-side device transmits a DCI message using the SC-PTM method, the first terminal monitors the DCI message transmitted by the network-side device to the second terminal, and can further decide whether or not to perform a path switch, transfer / receive traffic data, etc., based on the DCI message, which can be specifically performed based on the DCI message.

[0091] (6) A sixth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side device via the second terminal.

[0092] Here, the sixth path differs from the first path in that the second terminal needs to transmit the data transmitted from the first terminal to the network-side equipment, whereas in the first path, the second terminal does not need to transmit the data transmitted from the first terminal to the network-side equipment.

[0093] (7) A seventh path for the first terminal to transfer data from the second terminal to the network-side device.

[0094] (8) An eighth path for the first terminal to act as an intermediary for the second terminal's uplink transmission.

[0095] (9) A ninth path obtained by swapping the order of the first terminal and the second terminal in a designated path which is one of the first to eighth paths.

[0096] For example, if the designated path is the first path, then the ninth path is for the second terminal to transmit data to the first terminal. For example, if the designated path is the second path, then the ninth path is for the second terminal to transmit data to the first terminal via the network-side equipment.

[0097] As one possible implementation, please refer again to Figure 3 based on the first to ninth passes listed above. The implementation procedure for S310 may also include steps S311 and S312, the contents of which are as follows.

[0098] In S311, if the first condition is met, the target path is determined depending on whether the first terminal and the second terminal are in different cells.

[0099] For example, if the first terminal and the second terminal are located in the same cell, the first terminal and the second terminal can apply the various paths described above successfully. However, if the first terminal is located in cell 1 and the second terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, the sixth path described above will not be applied to the path switching situation of the first terminal.

[0100] In this embodiment, depending on the communication scenario and transmission parameters, the target path may be one of the first to sixth paths.

[0101] In S312, the system switches to the target path.

[0102] Here, if the first terminal and the second terminal can successfully apply the various paths described above, the first terminal may switch from the current path to the target path, or it may directly initiate the target path, and there are no restrictions here.

[0103] Furthermore, in order to enable smooth path switching, the first terminal may transmit second information to the network-side device. Here, the second information includes at least one of the following (1)-(4).

[0104] (1) The relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, the relationship may be, but is not limited to, whether the first terminal and the second terminal have the same bearer, whether they are located in the same cell, whether they are banded together, etc.

[0105] In this embodiment, the first and second terminals, which are related, may synchronize the path switching when performing a path switch. It should be noted that depending on the switching trigger, the first and second terminals may be connected to different cells. Considering this problem, this embodiment proposes two solutions as shown in (1a) and (1b) below.

[0106] (1a) The first terminal can further decide whether to send directly to the cell or to forward to the second terminal and then send to the network-side device, depending on whether it and the second terminal are in different cells.

[0107] In this case, if the first terminal and the second terminal each transmit relevant information to their respective cells, the connection between the first terminal and the second terminal becomes unavailable.

[0108] (1b) The nodes cooperate to determine the forwarding relationship.

[0109] For example, in downlink scheduled traffic, the first terminal is located in cell 1 and the second terminal is located in cell 2. Traffic arriving in cell 1 is first forwarded to cell 2, then transmitted from cell 2 to the second terminal, and finally transmitted from the second terminal to the first terminal. Alternatively, in a predefined switching scenario, the first terminal / base station (gNB) informs the network-side equipment (core network) of the corresponding relationships and the relationships of the cells to which it belongs, and the core network transmits data packets to the corresponding cells based on the relationships and the relationships of the cells to which the first and second terminals belong.

[0110] Furthermore, for example, in the case of uplink traffic, the gNB may also forward the corresponding information as described in (1b), and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0111] (2) A network association method used to realize the aforementioned relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal. Here, the network association method is one of the following: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, SideLink, or UULink.

[0112] (3) Identifier information which is an identifier of a network and / or an identifier of a network device corresponding to the network association method.

[0113] (4) A first survey quantity corresponding to the target path. Here, the first survey quantity may include, but is not limited to, RSRP, interference conditions, SINR, CQI, etc.

[0114] In response, the network-side device can determine survey layout information based on the received second information and transmit the survey layout information to the first terminal. The first terminal then performs a survey based on the survey layout information to obtain the survey result, and further notifies the network-side device of the survey result. Here, the survey layout information may include network identifier information and / or a second survey quantity, and the second survey quantity and the first survey quantity may be the same or different.

[0115] The step of the first terminal reporting the survey results, which can be selected, (4a) The step of notifying the survey results by UCI on layer 1, (4b) The step of notifying the survey results by MAC CE on layer 2, (4c) The step of notifying the survey results by RRC on layer 3, The procedure may include at least one of the steps (4d) of notifying the survey results by a NAS message.

[0116] In this embodiment, it can be understood that the path switching instruction transmitted by the network-side device may be determined by the network-side device based on the measurement results.

[0117] Furthermore, in the path switching method according to the embodiment of this application, the network-side device can position and / or activate a target path after transmitting a path switching instruction, receiving a path switching request, or receiving a signal detection result, and the target path is the path corresponding to the path switching instruction, the path switching request, or the signal detection result.

[0118] Selectively, when the network-side device places and / or activates the target path, it may include at least one of the following (1)-(4):

[0119] (1) The first terminal and the second terminal are associated, and related information is transmitted between the network nodes corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0120] For example, the first terminal can directly transmit its own and the second terminal's RNTI information to the network-side device, and the network-side device associates the first terminal and the second terminal based on the RNTI information. In this embodiment, the "association" may be understood as banding or the like.

[0121] It should be noted that if the first terminal and the second terminal are associated by the core network, the core network needs to transmit banding information to the corresponding base station.

[0122] (2) Assign an identifier to the target bearer which is the bearer corresponding to the target path.

[0123] For example, the network-side equipment can assign a specific identifier to a bearer configured to forward traffic from the first terminal to the second terminal, or to a bearer configured to forward traffic from the second terminal to the first terminal, so that the second terminal can initiate forwarding to the first terminal based on the received traffic bearer information, or the first terminal can initiate forwarding to the second terminal based on the received traffic bearer information.

[0124] (3) The first terminal and the second terminal, after they have been associated, are placed with the same third information, including bearer information and / or RNTI (e.g., SC-PTM RNTI).

[0125] In this case, after locating and / or activating the target path, the network-side device may further transmit second instruction information to the first terminal to instruct it on the method of receiving and / or transmitting the transmission data.

[0126] For example, the network-side device can transmit the second instruction information using signaling such as RRC or MAC CE to instruct / notify the first terminal and / or the second terminal how to receive or transmit the corresponding data (e.g., uplink transmission, downlink transmission, sidelink transmission, etc.), for example, by sending it directly to the network-side device, receiving it directly from the network-side device, forwarding it from another terminal, receiving it from another terminal, or receiving it simultaneously from both links.

[0127] In the path switching methods described above, the switching procedure for switching between the at least two paths and the information dissemination procedure related to the switching procedure are permitted to the user and / or the network, and these will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0128] Figure 4 shows a schematic flowchart of the path switching method 400 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application, the method 400 may be executed by network-side equipment, for example, by hardware and / or software implemented in the network-side equipment, the network-side equipment may be a core network or a base station, etc. In this embodiment, the method 400 includes any one of the following:

[0129] In S410, the target path is positioned and / or activated when the third condition is met.

[0130] Here, the third condition above includes any one of the following (1)-(3): (1) A path switching instruction was sent to the first terminal to instruct it to switch between at least two paths. (2) The first terminal receives a path switching request transmitted from the first terminal, which requests the network-side device to switch between the at least two paths. (3) The system receives a signal detection result from the first terminal that indicates the transmission parameters corresponding to the target path.

[0131] Here, the target path described in S410 above may be one of the at least two paths, and the target path is the path corresponding to the path switching instruction, the path switching request, or the signal detection result.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the path is one of the following: a first path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal; a second path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal via the network-side equipment; a third path for causing the second terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission corresponding to the first terminal; a fourth path including the first and second paths, in which the connection corresponding to the first path or the connection corresponding to the second path is in a suspended state when the first and second paths are held simultaneously; a fifth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side equipment; a sixth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side equipment via the second terminal; a seventh path for the first terminal to transfer data from the second terminal to the network-side equipment; an eighth path for the first terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission of the second terminal; and a ninth path obtained by swapping the order of the first and second terminals in a designated path which is one of the first to eight paths.

[0133] In another possible implementation, the path switching request includes at least one of the following: an identifier for a second terminal; an identifier for a target bearer corresponding to the target path; an identifier for a target network corresponding to the target path; a target link on which the path switching is to occur; the cause of the path switching; a method for transmitting the path switching request; and first instruction information indicating whether the network-side equipment is authorized to broadcast the path switching request.

[0134] In yet another possible implementation, the step of locating and / or activating a target path includes at least one of the following steps: associating the first terminal with the second terminal and transmitting associated information between the network nodes corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal; assigning an identifier to a target bearer which is a bearer corresponding to the target path; and placing the same third information, including bearer information and / or a wireless network temporary identifier (RNTI), on the associated first terminal and the second terminal.

[0135] In yet another possible implementation, after the step of locating and / or activating a target path, the method further includes the step of transmitting second instruction information to the first terminal for instructing the first terminal on how to receive and / or transmit the transmission data.

[0136] In yet another possible implementation, prior to the step of receiving a path switching request or signal detection result transmitted from the first terminal, the method further includes the step of receiving an identifier of a second terminal and / or an identifier of a target network transmitted from the first terminal.

[0137] In yet another possible implementation, prior to the step of transmitting a path switching instruction to the first terminal, the method further includes the step of receiving second information transmitted from the first terminal, the second information including an association relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal, a network association scheme to be employed when realizing the association relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal, identifier information which is an identifier of a network and / or an identifier of a network device corresponding to the network association scheme, and at least one of a first measurement quantity corresponding to the target path.

[0138] In yet another possible implementation, the network association method includes one of the following: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, SideLink, or UULink.

[0139] In yet another possible implementation, prior to the step of transmitting a path switching instruction to the first terminal, the method further includes the step of receiving first information including a second condition for causing the second terminal to act as a proxy for the first upchannel corresponding to the first terminal.

[0140] In yet another possible implementation, the second condition includes at least one of the following: the number of transmitted bits is greater than a first predetermined value; the power reserve report PHR is less than a second predetermined value; information corresponding to a specific bearer is transmitted; information corresponding to a specific logical channel is transmitted; and uplink control information UCI is included.

[0141] In yet another possible implementation, prior to the step of transmitting a path switching instruction to a first terminal, the method further includes the steps of transmitting survey arrangement information including network identifier information and / or a second survey quantity to the first terminal, and the first terminal receiving a survey result obtained by surveying based on the survey arrangement information, wherein the path switching instruction is determined by the network-side equipment based on the survey result.

[0142] It is necessary to explain that the implementation procedures for each implementation form described in this embodiment may be explained by referring to the related descriptions in Method 200 and Method 300, and therefore, to avoid repetition, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0143] In this embodiment, the network-side device deploys and / or activates the target path when it sends a path switching instruction, receives a path switching request, or receives a signal detection result, thereby solving the problem of communication quality degrading due to unstable connections between terminals or between terminals and network-side devices.

[0144] Furthermore, in the path switching method provided in the embodiment of this application, the implementing entity may be a path switching device, or a control module for executing the path switching method in the path switching device. In the embodiment of this application, the path switching device provided in the embodiment of this application will be described as an example in which the path switching device executes the path switching method.

[0145] Figure 5a shows a block diagram of a path switching device 500 provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the device 50 comprising a switching module 510 used to switch between at least two paths when a first condition is met, the first condition including at least one of the following: receiving a path switching instruction transmitted from a network-side device to instruct a first terminal to switch between the at least two paths; the first terminal sending a path switching request to the network-side device to request the network-side device to switch between the at least two paths; detecting a specified signal which is a signal corresponding to a target path which is one of the at least two paths; reporting a signal detection result corresponding to the specified signal; and the signal detection result satisfying a predefined condition.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the path is one of the following: a first path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal; a second path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal via the network-side equipment; a third path for causing the second terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission corresponding to the first terminal; a fourth path including the first and second paths, in which the connection corresponding to the first path or the connection corresponding to the second path is in a suspended state when the first and second paths are held simultaneously; a fifth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side equipment; a sixth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side equipment via the second terminal; a seventh path for the first terminal to transfer data from the second terminal to the network-side equipment; an eighth path for the first terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission of the second terminal; or a ninth path obtained by swapping the order of the first and second terminals in a designated path which is one of the first to eight paths.

[0147] In yet another possible implementation, the path switching request includes at least one of the following: an identifier for a second terminal; an identifier for a target bearer corresponding to the target path; an identifier for a target network corresponding to the target path; a target link on which the path switching is to occur; the target path; the cause of the path switching; a transmission method for the path switching request; and first instruction information indicating whether the network-side equipment is authorized to notify the path switching request.

[0148] In yet another possible implementation, the cause of the aforementioned path switching includes at least one of the following: maximum allowable laser radiation exposure, terminal power limit, network coverage limit, and network throughput limit.

[0149] In yet another possible implementation, if the first condition is met, the switching procedure by which the switching module switches between at least two paths, and the information broadcasting procedure related to the switching procedure, are permitted to the user and / or the network.

[0150] In yet another possible implementation, referring to Figure 5b, the device 500 further comprises a first transmission module 520 used to transmit a second terminal identifier and / or a target network identifier to the network-side equipment.

[0151] In yet another possible implementation, the switching module 510 is used to perform the steps of determining a target path and switching to the target path, depending on whether the first terminal and the second terminal are in different cells.

[0152] In yet another possible implementation, the switching module 510 is used to cause the second terminal to substitute for the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal when the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal satisfies the second condition.

[0153] In yet another possible implementation, referring again to Figure 5b, the device 500 further comprises a second transmission module 530 used to transmit first information to the network-side equipment, including a second condition for proxying the first upchannel corresponding to the first terminal to the second terminal.

[0154] In yet another possible implementation, the second condition includes at least one of the following: the number of transmitted bits is greater than a first predetermined value; the power reserve report PHR is less than a second predetermined value; information corresponding to a specific bearer is transmitted; information corresponding to a specific logical channel is transmitted; and uplink control information UCI is included.

[0155] In yet another possible implementation, when the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal is substituted by the second terminal, the value of the designated parameter corresponding to the first uplink channel increases by a third predetermined value compared to the transmission by the first terminal, and the designated parameter is the minimum value of K1 and K2.

[0156] In yet another possible implementation, when switching to the second path, the switching module 510 is further used in at least one of the following steps: monitoring downlink scheduling traffic and determining whether the downlink scheduling traffic should be received and / or forwarded based on the designation information corresponding to the downlink scheduling traffic; and monitoring uplink traffic and determining whether the uplink traffic should be transmitted and / or forwarded based on the scheduling rules.

[0157] In yet another possible implementation, the designation information includes at least one of the following in the downlink control information DCI: the radio network temporary identifier RNTI, the dedicated DCI domain indicator, and the specific bit combination.

[0158] In yet another possible implementation, when switching to the second path, the device further includes a first receiving module 540 used to receive second instruction information transmitted from the network-side device for indicating the receiving method and / or transmission method of the transmission data.

[0159] In yet another possible implementation, when the target path is the second path or the fifth path, the switching module 510 is further used to monitor DCI messages that the network-side device transmits to the second terminal when the first terminal and the second terminal are located in a designated group, or when the network-side device transmits DCI messages using the SC-PTM method.

[0160] In yet another possible embodiment, referring again to Figure 5b, the device 500 further comprises a third transmission module 550 used to transmit second information to the network-side device, the second information including an association relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal, a network association scheme used to realize the association relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal, identifier information which is a network identifier and / or a network device identifier corresponding to the network association scheme, and at least one of the first measurement quantities corresponding to the target path.

[0161] In yet another possible implementation, the network association method includes one of the following: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, SideLink, or UULink.

[0162] In yet another possible implementation, referring again to Figure 5b, the device 500 further comprises a second receiving module 560 used to perform the steps of receiving survey layout information, including network identifier information and / or a second survey quantity, transmitted from a network-side device, and reporting the survey results obtained by surveying based on the survey layout information, wherein the path switching instruction is determined by the network-side device based on the survey results.

[0163] In yet another possible implementation, the second receiving module 560 is used in at least one of the following steps: reporting the measurement result by UCI on layer 1; reporting the measurement result by media access control layer control element MAC CE on layer 2; reporting the measurement result by radio resource control RRC on layer 3; and reporting the measurement result by NAS message.

[0164] The path switching device 500 in the embodiments of this application may be a device, or it may be a component, integrated circuit, or chip in a terminal. The device may be a portable terminal or a non-portable terminal. For example, a portable terminal may include, but is not limited to, the types of terminals 11 listed above, and a non-portable terminal may be a server, network attached storage (NAS), personal computer (PC), television (TV), ATM or kiosk, etc., and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0165] The path switching device 500 in the embodiments of this application may be a device having an operating system. The operating system may be the Android® operating system, the iOS operating system, or any other possible operating system, and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0166] The path switching device 500 provided in the embodiment of this application can realize each step realized in the method embodiment of Figures 2 and 3, and achieves similar technical effects, so a detailed explanation is omitted here to avoid repetition.

[0167] Figure 6a shows a path switching device 600 provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the device 60 comprising a placement module 610 used to place and / or activate a target path when a third condition is met, the third condition comprising any one of the following: sending a path switching instruction to the first terminal to instruct the first terminal to switch between at least two paths; receiving a path switching request transmitted from the first terminal to request the network-side equipment to switch between the at least two paths; or receiving a signal detection result announced from the first terminal to indicate transmission parameters corresponding to a target path, wherein the target path is one of the at least two paths, and the target path is the path corresponding to the path switching instruction, the path switching request, or the signal detection result.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the path is one of the following: a first path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal; a second path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal via the network-side equipment; a third path for causing the second terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission corresponding to the first terminal; a fourth path including the first and second paths, in which the connection corresponding to the first path or the connection corresponding to the second path is in a suspended state when the first and second paths are held simultaneously; a fifth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side equipment; a sixth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side equipment via the second terminal; a seventh path for the first terminal to transfer data from the second terminal to the network-side equipment; an eighth path for the first terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission of the second terminal; and a ninth path obtained by swapping the order of the first and second terminals in a designated path which is one of the first to eight paths.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the path switching request includes at least one of the following: an identifier for a second terminal; an identifier for a target bearer corresponding to the target path; an identifier for a target network corresponding to the target path; a target link on which the path switching is to occur; the cause of the path switching; a method for transmitting the path switching request; and first instruction information indicating whether the network-side equipment is authorized to broadcast the path switching request.

[0170] In yet another possible implementation, the placement module 610 is used in at least one of the following steps: associating the first terminal with the second terminal and transmitting related information between the network nodes corresponding to the first terminal with the second terminal; assigning an identifier to a target bearer which is a bearer corresponding to the target path; and placing the same third information, including bearer information and / or a wireless network temporary identifier RNTI, on the associated first terminal with the second terminal.

[0171] In yet another possible embodiment, referring to Figure 6b, the device 600 further comprises a fourth transmission module 620 that transmits a second instruction information to the first terminal for instructing the first terminal on the method of receiving and / or transmitting the transmission data.

[0172] In yet another possible implementation, referring again to Figure 6b, the device 600 further comprises a third receiving module 630 used to receive the identifier of the second terminal and / or the identifier of the target network transmitted from the first terminal.

[0173] In yet another possible implementation, the third receiving module 630 is further used to receive second information transmitted from the first terminal, the second information including an association between the first terminal and the second terminal, a network association scheme used to realize the association between the first terminal and the second terminal, identifier information which is an identifier of a network and / or an identifier of a network device corresponding to the network association scheme, and at least one of the first measurement quantities corresponding to the target path.

[0174] In yet another possible implementation, the network association method includes one of the following: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, SideLink, or UULink.

[0175] In yet another possible implementation, the third receiving module 630 is further used to receive first information including a second condition for proxying the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal to the second terminal.

[0176] In yet another possible implementation, the second condition includes at least one of the following: the number of transmitted bits is greater than a first predetermined value; the power reserve report PHR is less than a second predetermined value; information corresponding to a specific bearer is transmitted; information corresponding to a specific logical channel is transmitted; and uplink control information UCI is included.

[0177] In yet another possible implementation, referring again to Figure 6b, the device 600 further comprises a fifth transmitting module 640 used to transmit survey layout information including network identifier information and / or a second survey quantity to a first terminal, and a fourth receiving module 650 used to receive survey results obtained by the first terminal surveying based on the survey layout information, wherein the path switching instruction is determined by the network-side device based on the survey results.

[0178] In the embodiments of this application, the path switching device 600 may be a device, or it may be an element, integrated circuit, or chip in network-side equipment.

[0179] The path switching device 600 in the embodiments of this application may be a device having an operating system. The operating system may be the Android® operating system, the iOS operating system, or any other possible operating system, and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0180] The path switching device 600 provided in the embodiment of this application can realize each step realized in the embodiment of method 400 and achieves similar technical effects, and a detailed explanation is omitted here to avoid repetition.

[0181] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration for a terminal according to the embodiment of this application. The terminal 700 includes, but is not limited to, elements such as a high-frequency unit 701, a network module 702, an audio output unit 703, an input unit 704, a sensor 705, a display unit 706, a user input unit 707, an interface unit 708, a memory 709, and a processor 710.

[0182] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terminal 700 may further include a power supply (e.g., a battery) to power each component, and the power supply may be logically connected to the processor 710 by a power management system, thereby enabling functions such as charge / discharge management and power consumption management. The terminal structure shown in Figure 7 is not limiting, and the terminal may include more or fewer components than shown, or combinations of some components, or different component arrangements, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0183] In the embodiments relating to this application, it should be understood that the input unit 704 may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 7041 that processes static image or video image data acquired by an image acquisition device (e.g., a camera) in video acquisition mode or image acquisition mode, and a microphone 7042. The display unit 706 may include a display panel 7061, which may be arranged in the form of a liquid crystal display, organic light-emitting diode, etc. The user input unit 707 includes a touch panel 7071 and other input devices 7072. The touch panel 7071 is also called a touchscreen. The touch panel 7071 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. The other input devices 7072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, function buttons (e.g., volume control buttons, switch buttons, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, or an operating lever, and a detailed description is omitted here.

[0184] In the embodiments of this application, the high-frequency unit 701 receives downlink data from network-side equipment, processes it with the processor 710, and transmits uplink data to the network-side equipment. Typically, the high-frequency unit 701 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transmitter / receiver, a coupler, a low-noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like.

[0185] Memory 709 can be used to store software programs or commands and various data. Memory 709 may mainly include a program or command storage area and a data storage area capable of storing an operating system, applications or commands necessary for at least one function (e.g., audio playback function, image playback function, etc.). Memory 709 may also include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, of which the non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM), or flash memory. Examples include at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device.

[0186] The processor 710 may include one or more processing units, and can optionally integrate an application processor that primarily processes the operating system, user interface, and applications or commands, and a modem processor that primarily processes wireless communication, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the modem processor does not necessarily have to be integrated into the processor 710.

[0187] Here, the processor 710 is used to switch between at least two paths when a first condition is met, the first condition includes at least one of the following: receiving a path switching instruction from a network-side device to instruct the first terminal to switch between at least two paths; the first terminal sending a path switching request to the network-side device to request the network-side device to switch between at least two paths; detecting a specified signal which is a signal corresponding to a target path which is one of the at least two paths; reporting a signal detection result corresponding to the specified signal; and the signal detection result satisfying a predefined condition.

[0188] In the embodiments of this application, when a terminal receives a path switching instruction transmitted from a network-side device, or sends a path switching request to the network-side device, or notifies a signal detection result, it switches between at least two paths, thereby enabling effective switching between paths and solving the problem of communication quality being affected due to unstable connections between terminals or between terminals and network-side devices.

[0189] Figure 8 shows a network-side device 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The network-side device 800 includes an antenna 801, a high-frequency device 802, and a baseband device 803. The antenna 801 is connected to the high-frequency device 802. In the uplink direction, the high-frequency device 802 receives information via the antenna 801 and transmits the received information to the baseband device 803 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 803 processes the transmitted information and transmits it to the high-frequency device 802, which processes the received information and then transmits it via the antenna 801.

[0190] The above-mentioned frequency band processing device may also be a baseband device 803, and the method executed by the network-side equipment in the above embodiment can be implemented by the baseband device 803, which includes a processor 804 and a memory 805.

[0191] The baseband device 803 may include, for example, at least one baseband board on which multiple chips are installed, as shown in Figure 8, one of which chip is, for example, a processor 804 connected to memory 805 that calls a program in memory 805 to perform the operation of the network equipment shown in the above embodiment of the method.

[0192] The baseband device 803 may further include a network interface 806 for exchanging information with the high-frequency device 802, the interface being, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0193] Specifically, the network-side device of the embodiment of the present invention further comprises commands or programs stored in memory 805 and operable by processor 804, and the processor 804 calls the commands or programs in memory 805 to execute the methods performed by each module shown in Figures 6a and 6b, and can achieve similar technical effects, and a detailed explanation is omitted here as it will not be repeated.

[0194] The embodiments of this application further provide a readable storage medium that stores a program or instruction, and when the program or instruction is executed by a processor, it realizes each step of the above-described path switching method embodiment and achieves similar technical effects. A detailed explanation is omitted here to avoid repetition.

[0195] Here, the processor is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiment. The readable storage medium includes, for example, computer-readable storage media such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0196] The embodiment of this application provides a chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor executes a program or instruction for network-side equipment to realize each step of the above path switching method embodiment, and further provides a chip that can achieve similar technical effects, and a detailed explanation is omitted here so as not to be repeated.

[0197] It should be understood that the chip described in the embodiment of this application may be called a system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0198] The embodiment of this application provides a computer program product that includes a processor, memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, it realizes each step of the above-described path switching method embodiment and achieves similar technical effects. A detailed explanation is omitted here to avoid repetition.

[0199] It should be noted that, in this specification, the terms “including,” “consisting of,” or any other variation thereof are intended to include non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or apparatus including a set of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly stated, or elements specific to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element limited by the phrase “including one…” does not preclude the existence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus including that element. It should also be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatus in embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order illustrated or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the function, for example, the described method may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described by reference to one example may be combined in other examples.

[0200] From the above description of the embodiments, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented in the form of a combination of software and a necessary common hardware platform, although they may, of course, be implemented in hardware, but in many cases the former is a more preferred embodiment. Based on this view, the technical solutions of the present application can be implemented substantially or in part in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (e.g., ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes a number of instructions that cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to perform the methods of each embodiment of the present application.

[0201] Although embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the drawings, this application is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments. The above-described specific embodiments are merely illustrative and not limiting. Many forms that a person skilled in the art could make based on the suggestions of this application without departing from the spirit of this application and the scope of protection of the claims are all within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A path switching method performed by a first terminal, If the first condition is met, the process includes a step of switching between at least two paths, The step of switching between the aforementioned two paths is: The process includes determining a target path depending on whether the first terminal and the second terminal are in different cells, and switching to the target path. The target path is one of the at least two paths, and the target path is a third path that causes the second terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission corresponding to the first terminal. The aforementioned two paths further include, A first path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal, A second path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal via network-side equipment, A fourth path, which includes the first path and the second path, and which simultaneously holds the first path and the second path, and whose connection corresponding to the first path or the connection corresponding to the second path is in a suspended state, A fifth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side device, A sixth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side device via the second terminal, A seventh path for the first terminal to transfer data from the second terminal to the network-side device, An eighth path for the first terminal to act as an intermediary for the second terminal's uplink transmission, A path switching method comprising at least one term of a ninth path obtained by swapping the order of the first terminal and the second terminal in a designated path which is one of the first to eighth paths.

2. The first condition is, The network device has received a path switching instruction that instructs the first terminal to switch between the at least two paths. The first terminal has sent a path switching request to the network-side device to request that the network-side device switch between the at least two paths. The specified signal, which corresponds to the aforementioned target path, has been detected. The signal detection result corresponding to the aforementioned specified signal was reported. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following: the signal detection result satisfies a predefined condition.

3. The aforementioned path switching request includes: The identifier of the second terminal, The identifier of the target bearer corresponding to the aforementioned target path, The identifier of the target network corresponding to the aforementioned target path, The target link that triggers the path switch. The aforementioned target path, Causes of path switching Transmission method for the aforementioned path switching request, The first instruction information includes at least one item for indicating whether the network-side device is authorized to notify the aforementioned path switching request, The cause of the aforementioned path switching is, Maximum permissible exposure dose for laser radiation, Terminal power limit, Network coverage limitations, The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one network throughput limit.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a switching procedure for switching between the at least two paths and an information dissemination procedure related to the switching procedure are permitted to the user and / or to the network.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of transmitting the identifier of the second terminal and / or the target network identifier to the network-side device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of having the second terminal substitute for the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal if the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal satisfies the second condition.

7. Before the step of having the second terminal act as a proxy for the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal, The further step includes transmitting first information, including the second conditions for proxying a first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal to the second terminal, to the network-side device. and / or, The second condition is, The number of bits to be transmitted is greater than the first predetermined value. The power surplus report PHR is less than the second predetermined value. To transmit information corresponding to a specific bearer, To transmit information corresponding to a specific logical channel, The method according to claim 6, comprising at least one of the following: including uplink control information UCI.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein when the first uplink channel corresponding to the first terminal is substituted by the second terminal, the value of the designated parameter corresponding to the first uplink channel increases by a third predetermined value compared to the transmission by the first terminal, and the designated parameter is the minimum value of K1 and K2.

9. The process further includes the step of transmitting the second information to the network-side device, The second information mentioned above is, The relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal, A network association method to be used when realizing the aforementioned relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal, Identifier information which is the identifier of the network and / or the identifier of the network device corresponding to the aforementioned network association method, It includes at least one term of the first measurement quantity corresponding to the aforementioned target path, Or, The steps include receiving survey arrangement information, including network identifier information and / or a second survey quantity, transmitted from a network-side device, The process further includes the step of reporting the survey results obtained by surveying based on the survey arrangement information, wherein the path switching instruction is determined by the network-side equipment based on the survey results. The step of reporting the survey results is: The steps include: reporting the survey results via UCI on layer 1, The steps include: reporting the survey results by the media access control layer control element MAC CE on layer 2; The steps include: reporting the survey results by the wireless resource control RRC on layer 3, The method according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the steps of: reporting the survey results by a non-access layer NAS message.

10. A path switching method performed by a communication system including a first terminal and network-side equipment, The steps include: locating and / or activating the target path when the network-side device satisfies the third condition; The first terminal includes a step of switching between at least two paths if it satisfies the first condition, The step of switching between the aforementioned two paths is: The first terminal includes the step of switching to the target path, The target path is one of the at least two paths, and the target path is a third path for causing the second terminal to act as a proxy for the uplink transmission corresponding to the first terminal. The aforementioned two paths further include, A first path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal, A second path for the first terminal to transmit data to the second terminal via the network-side equipment, A fourth path, which includes the first path and the second path, and which simultaneously holds the first path and the second path, and whose connection corresponding to the first path or the connection corresponding to the second path is in a suspended state, A fifth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side device, A sixth path for the first terminal to transmit data to the network-side device via the second terminal, A seventh path for the first terminal to transfer data from the second terminal to the network-side device, An eighth path for the first terminal to act as an intermediary for the second terminal's uplink transmission, A path switching method comprising at least one term of a ninth path obtained by swapping the order of the first terminal and the second terminal in a designated path which is one of the first to eighth paths.

11. A terminal comprising a processor, memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the path switching method described in any one of claims 1 to 9 are realized.

12. A communication system comprising a processor, memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the path switching method described in claim 10 are realized.

Images