Communication methods and communication devices

Abstract

This application provides a communication method and a communications apparatus, and relates to the field of wireless communications.SOLUTION: A first node may transmit first configuration information on a first frequency-hopping channel to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes (S501). The communication link includes a direct link between at least two second nodes, and the first node is a master node of at least one second node in the two second nodes corresponding to the direct link. In the method described above, the first node may configure a communication link between at least two second nodes. As such, conflicts between the resources of the direct link and the resources of the master and slave communication links can be avoided, thereby improving communication performance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and particularly to communication methods and apparatuses.

Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of global communication technologies, wireless communication technologies have been widely used in people's daily lives. For example, intelligent devices such as intelligent transportation devices, smart home devices, and robots all require the support of wireless communication technologies. In a wireless communication scenario, a specific communication area or communication range may include multiple communication domains. A communication domain may include a plurality of communication nodes having communication connection relationships. One of the plurality of communication nodes is a master communication node (hereinafter referred to as the master node), and the other nodes are slave communication nodes (hereinafter referred to as slave nodes). The master node may configure a master and slave communication link between the master node and the slave nodes in order to implement communication between the master node and the slave nodes.

[0003] In a communication domain, a slave node may communicate with another slave node in the communication domain in addition to the master node. Before a slave node communicates with another slave node, the slave node may configure a direct link between the slave node and the other slave node to implement communication between the slave nodes. Therefore, a conflict may occur between the resources of the direct link and the resources of the master and slave communication links. For example, the same resource may need to be used simultaneously by both the direct link and the master and slave communication links. As another example, a slave node may need to communicate with both the master node and another slave node simultaneously. If the resources of the direct link conflict with the resources of the master and slave communication links, the communication fails and the communication performance deteriorates.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and communication apparatus for avoiding conflicts between the resources of the direct link and the resources of the master and slave communication links, thereby improving communication performance.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the embodiments of this application employ the following technical solutions.

[0006] According to a first embodiment, a communication method is provided. The method includes the following, which will be described by using an example in which the execution body is a first node. The method includes the step of transmitting first configuration information on a first frequency hopping channel, the first configuration information being used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes, the communication link including a direct link between at least two second nodes, and the first node being the master node of at least one of the second nodes in the two second nodes corresponding to the direct link.

[0007] According to the method provided in the first method described above, the first node, acting as the master node of at least one second node, can communicate on the first frequency-hopping channel by using master-slave communication links to configure direct links between at least two second nodes, thereby enabling direct communication between at least two second nodes based on the configuration of the first node. This avoids contention between the resources of the direct links and the resources of the master-slave communication links, improving communication performance. Furthermore, in the method described above, all resources in the communication domain are managed and maintained by the master node, and the slave nodes do not need to configure the resources of the direct links, thereby reducing the complexity and power consumption of the slave nodes.

[0008] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of generating or obtaining first configuration information. According to the method described above, a first node can generate or obtain first configuration information so that at least two second nodes can communicate with each other based on the first configuration information.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first node is the master node of two second nodes corresponding to direct links. According to the method described above, the first node can establish direct links to its two slave nodes, and the slave nodes do not need to configure the resources for the direct links. This can reduce the complexity and power consumption of the slave nodes.

[0010] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group. The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication links in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link. According to the method described above, the first node may configure one or more of the following for nodes in at least two second nodes: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the first communication link in the first communication link group, or frequency hopping channel information, thereby enabling at least two second nodes to communicate with each other based on the information described above. The identifier for the first communication link or the identifier for the first communication link group may be used to identify the link. For example, in subsequent communication, after receiving a message, the second node may determine whether the message was transmitted on the first communication link or the first communication link group based on whether the message contains the identifier for the first communication link or the identifier for the first communication link group. The identifier for the first communication link or the identifier for the first communication link group may also be used as a frequency hopping randomization seed for the first communication link or the first communication link group. The second node determines the frequency hopping channel for sending and / or receiving messages transmitted on the first communication link or the first communication link group, based on the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group. According to the method described above, a first node can constitute at least one transmission opportunity group with respect to at least two nodes of second nodes, thereby enabling at least two nodes of second nodes to communicate with each other in at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0012] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity count information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, resources of the same sequence are used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message. Transmission opportunity count information includes the number of transmission opportunities in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group. Second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct transmission in the second transmission opportunity within at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity. According to the method described above, the first node can establish at least one transmission opportunity for at least two nodes in the second node, thereby enabling the nodes in the at least two second nodes to communicate with each other during at least one transmission opportunity.

[0013] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of sending a first message, the first message indicating that a fourth transmission opportunity group is available for use in a communication link and that the fourth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link. According to the method described above, the first node can, by using the first message, indicate to at least one of two second nodes that the fourth transmission opportunity group may be available for use in a communication link. In this way, the nodes in at least two second nodes can communicate in the fourth transmission opportunity group. The first configuration information may be semi-static configuration information and can be understood as being used to configure potentially available resources in a communication link. Not all of these potentially available resources are necessarily used in a communication link. Therefore, the first node may send the first message to indicate whether the fourth transmission opportunity group in the configured potentially available resources in the communication link is available for use in the communication link. The first node can flexibly adjust resource usage based on changes in the transmission and communication requirements of master and slave communication links, and / or direct links, thereby enabling a more dynamic allocation of resources to different links.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the step of sending the first message includes: initiating the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or transmitting the first message in a time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group. According to the method described above, the first node can dynamically indicate whether the fourth transmission opportunity group can be used for a direct link by initiating the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or transmitting the first message in a time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group. Thus, the first node can configure how the fourth transmission opportunity group is used based on the latest situation, thereby allowing the fourth transmission opportunity group to be more appropriately assigned to a different link.

[0015] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of sending a first message, the first message indicating that a third transmission opportunity is available for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link. According to the method described above, the first node can, by using the first message, indicate to at least one of two second nodes that the third transmission opportunity may be available for the communication link. In this way, the nodes in at least two second nodes can communicate on the third transmission opportunity. The first configuration information may be semi-static configuration information and can be understood as being used to configure potentially available resources in the communication link. Not all of these potentially available resources are necessarily used for the communication link. Therefore, the first node may send the first message to indicate whether a third transmission opportunity in the configured potentially available resources in the communication link is available for the communication link. The first node can flexibly adjust resource usage based on changes in the transmission and communication requirements of master and slave communication links, and / or direct links, thereby enabling a more dynamic allocation of resources to different links.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the step of sending the first message includes: initiating the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or transmitting the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the third transmission opportunity. According to the method described above, the first node can dynamically indicate whether the third transmission opportunity can be used for a direct link by initiating the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or transmitting the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the third transmission opportunity. Thus, the first node can configure a mode of using the third transmission opportunity based on the latest situation, thereby allowing the third transmission opportunity to be more appropriately assigned to different links.

[0017] In possible implementations, the first message is further used to synchronize at least two second nodes. According to the method described above, the nodes in at least two second nodes can be synchronized by utilizing the first message. The sending time of the first message is close to the time when at least two second nodes send and / or receive messages in the fourth sending opportunity group or the third sending opportunity. Therefore, when at least two second nodes send and / or receive messages in the fourth sending opportunity group or the third sending opportunity, the clock drift is small and the synchronization effect is good.

[0018] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of receiving communication link configuration request information, the communication link configuration request information being used to request the configuration of a communication link. According to the method described above, a first node may configure a communication link between at least two second nodes based on the communication link configuration request information.

[0019] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information includes one or more of the following: namely, link type information for the communication link, information indicating at least two second nodes, Communication link period information, communication link delay request information, communication link traffic volume information, or communication link resource request information. According to the method described above, the first node can appropriately configure the communication link between at least two second nodes based on one or more of the following: communication link type information, instruction information for at least two second nodes, communication link period information, communication link delay request information, communication link traffic volume information, or communication link resource request information, and optionally, based on relevant master and slave link communication information known by the first node, make maximum use of resources and avoid conflicts.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the step of transmitting first configuration information over a first frequency-hopping channel includes: transmitting first configuration information over a first frequency-hopping channel to a first slave node, wherein the first slave node is a node in at least two second nodes, and the first configuration information is used to configure a communication link between the first slave node and at least two second nodes other than the first slave node. The method further includes: transmitting second configuration information over a second frequency-hopping channel to a second slave node, wherein the second slave node is a second node in at least two second nodes, different from the first slave node, and the second configuration information is used to configure a communication link between the second slave node and at least two second nodes other than the second slave node. According to the method described above, the first node can transmit the first and second configuration information separately to the first and second slave nodes in a unicast manner to configure separate communication links between at least two second nodes, including the first and second slave nodes, for the first and second slave nodes. The first frequency-hopping channel for transmitting the first configuration information and the second frequency-hopping channel for transmitting the second frequency-hopping information may be the same frequency-hopping channel or may be different frequency-hopping channels. This is not limited to the present application.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the step of transmitting first configuration information over a first frequency-hopping channel includes: transmitting first configuration information over a first frequency-hopping channel to a second node group, wherein the second node group includes at least two second nodes. According to the method described above, the first node can transmit first configuration information to at least two second nodes in a multicast manner. Before transmitting first configuration information, the at least two second nodes first form a second node group, optionally establish a multicast link between the first node (master node) and the second node group, and then transmit first configuration information over the multicast link. The manner in which the second node group is formed and the multicast link is established may be pre-configured or may be configured by the first node. This is not limited to the present application.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method includes the following steps: namely, transmitting third configuration information, the third configuration information including instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, the third slave node being a node in at least two nodes, the third slave node being a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource being used to transmit control information for a communication link from the control node. According to the method described above, the first node may constitute a third slave node having specific direct link management or configuration functions and a resource for transmitting corresponding management signaling (e.g., control information for a communication link), thereby enabling the third slave node to manage or configure a communication link between at least two second nodes. The direct link is managed by the node using the direct link for communication, thereby reducing the slave node's dependency on the master node and the master and slave links, improving the flexibility of resource configuration and the independence of the direct link. When the third slave node receives the third configuration information, it can be understood that the third slave node may transmit control information for the first resource based on the third configuration information. If at least two of the second nodes, other than the third slave node, receive the third configuration information, that node may receive control information transmitted by the third slave node regarding the first resource based on the third configuration information.

[0023] A second aspect provides a communication method. This method will be described by using an example in which the execution body is a first slave node, and the first slave node is a node in at least two second nodes, the method comprising: receiving first configuration information from a first node on a first frequency hopping channel, the first configuration information being used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes, the at least two nodes including a target node, the communication link including a direct link between the target node and at least one second node, which is in the at least two second nodes but is different from the target node, and the first node is the master node of the target node; and communicating with at least one second node, which is in the at least two second nodes but is different from the target node, based on the first configuration information.

[0024] According to the method provided in the second embodiment, a first slave node (i.e., a target node), as a slave node of the first node, can communicate on a first frequency-hopping channel using master-slave communication links to receive first configuration information used by the first node to constitute a direct link between at least two second nodes, and based on the first configuration information, can communicate with nodes other than the first slave node at at least two second nodes. This avoids contention between the resources of the direct link and the resources of the master-slave communication links and improves communication performance. Furthermore, in the method described above, all resources in the communication domain are managed and maintained by the master node, and the slave node does not need to constitute the resources of the direct link, thereby reducing the complexity and power consumption of the slave node.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the first node is the master node of two second nodes corresponding to direct links. According to the method described above, the first node can establish direct links to its two slave nodes, and the slave nodes do not need to configure the resources for the direct links. This can reduce the complexity and power consumption of the slave nodes.

[0026] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: namely, an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resource of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link. According to the method described above, the nodes in at least two second nodes are Communicate with each other based on one or more of the identifier of the first communication link, the identifier of the first communication link group, the node identifier, the type information of the first communication link group, the type information of the communication link in the first communication link group, the initial time domain resource information, or the frequency hopping channel indication information. The identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group can be used for link identification. For example, in subsequent communications, after receiving a message, the second node can determine whether the message was sent in the first communication link or the first communication link group based on whether the message contains the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group. The identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group can also be used as the frequency hopping randomization seed for the first communication link or the first communication link group. The second node determines the frequency hopping channel for transmitting and / or receiving messages transmitted in the first communication link or the first communication link group based on the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the time domain resources of the communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time domain resource information includes one or more of the following. That is, the period information of the transmission opportunity group, the first time length information, or the information regarding the first start position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are consecutive in the time domain, the first time length information includes information indicating the time domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, the information regarding the first start position includes information indicating the time domain start position of the second transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group. According to the method described above, the nodes in at least two second nodes can communicate with each other in at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0028] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity number information, second time length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, resources of the same sequence are used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, the transmission opportunity number information includes the transmission opportunity number in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity. According to the method described above, nodes in at least two second nodes can communicate in at least one transmission opportunity.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the method further includes the following. That is, a step of receiving a first message, where the first message indicates that a fourth transmission opportunity group is used for a communication link and the fourth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link. According to the method described above, by using the first message, it can be determined that the fourth transmission opportunity group can be used for the communication link. In this way, nodes in at least two second nodes can communicate in the fourth transmission opportunity group. The first configuration information can be semi-static configuration information and can be understood to be used to configure potentially available resources in the communication link. Not all of these potentially available resources are used for the communication link. Therefore, the first node can send a first message to indicate whether the fourth transmission opportunity group in the potentially available resources configured in the communication link is available for the communication link. The first node can flexibly adjust the resource usage method based on the master and slave communication links and / or changes in the transmission and communication requirements of the direct link, thereby enabling more dynamic allocation of resources to different links.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the step of receiving the first message includes the following. That is, starting to receive the first message at the time-domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or receiving the first message in the time-domain resources that are adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group and before the fourth transmission opportunity group. According to the method described above, whether the fourth transmission opportunity group can be used for the direct link can be determined by starting to receive the first message at the time-domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group or by receiving the first message in the time-domain resources that are adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group and before the fourth transmission opportunity group. Therefore, the first node can configure the usage method of the fourth transmission opportunity group based on the latest situation, thereby enabling the fourth transmission opportunity group to be more appropriately allocated to different links.

[0031] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of receiving a first message, the first message indicating that a third transmission opportunity is available for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link. According to the method described above, by using the first message, it can be determined that a third transmission opportunity may be available for the communication link. In this way, nodes in at least two second nodes can communicate on the third transmission opportunity. The first configuration information may be semi-static configuration information and can be understood as being used to configure potentially available resources on the communication link. Not all of these potentially available resources are necessarily used on the communication link. Therefore, the first node may send a first message to indicate whether a third transmission opportunity in the potentially available resources configured on the communication link is available for the communication link. The first node can flexibly adjust resource usage based on changes in the transmission and communication requirements of master and slave communication links, and / or direct links. This allows resources to be allocated more dynamically to different links.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the step of receiving the first message includes: starting to receive the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or receiving the first message in a time domain resource adjacent to the third transmission opportunity before it occurs. According to the method described above, whether the third transmission opportunity is available for a direct link can be determined by starting to receive the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or by receiving the first message in a time domain resource adjacent to the third transmission opportunity before it occurs. Thus, the first node may configure itself to use the third transmission opportunity based on the latest circumstances, thereby allowing the third transmission opportunity to be more appropriately assigned to a different link.

[0033] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of synchronizing with nodes in at least two second nodes based on the first message. According to the method described above, nodes in at least two second nodes can be synchronized by using the first message. The time of sending the first message is close to the time when at least two second nodes send and / or receive messages in the fourth sending opportunity group or the third sending opportunity. Therefore, when at least two second nodes send and / or receive messages in the fourth sending opportunity group or the third sending opportunity, the clock drift is small and the synchronization effect is good.

[0034] In possible implementations, the method further includes the step of transmitting communication link configuration request information, which is used to request the configuration of a communication link. According to the method described above, the communication link configuration request information may be transmitted to a first node, which in turn may configure a communication link between at least two second nodes based on the communication link configuration request information.

[0035] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information includes one or more of the following: namely, link type information for the communication link, instruction information for at least two second nodes, period information for the communication link, delay request information for the communication link, traffic volume information for the communication link, and resource request information for the communication link. According to the method described above, one or more of the link type information for the communication link, instruction information for at least two second nodes, period information for the communication link, delay request information for the communication link, traffic volume information for the communication link, and resource request information for the communication link may be transmitted to the first node. In this way, the first node can appropriately configure the communication link between at least two second nodes based on the information described above, and optionally based on relevant master and slave link communication information known to the first node, thereby maximizing resource utilization and avoiding contention.

[0036] In possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving third configuration information, the third configuration information includes instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, the third slave node being a node in at least two nodes, the third slave node being a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource being used to transmit control information for a communication link from the control node. According to the method described above, the third configuration information may be received so that control information for a communication link can be transmitted over the first resource indicated by the third configuration information to manage or configure a communication link between at least two second nodes. Direct links are managed by the node using the direct link for communication, thereby reducing the dependency of slave nodes on the master node and on master and slave links, improving the flexibility of resource configuration and the independence of direct links.

[0037] A third aspect provides a communication method, which will be described by using an example in which the implementing entity is a third slave node. The method includes: receiving third configuration information, wherein the third configuration information includes instruction information for the third slave node and / or instruction information for the first resource; and transmitting communication link control information on the first resource to at least two second nodes other than the third slave node, wherein the communication link includes a direct link between at least two second nodes.

[0038] According to the method provided in the third embodiment, the first node may constitute a third slave node that manages or configures a direct link and resources for transmitting corresponding management signaling (e.g., control information), thereby enabling the third slave node to manage or configure communication links between at least two second nodes to avoid resource contention and improve communication performance. Furthermore, after the first node has determined the third slave node, the communication links between at least two second nodes may be configured by the third slave node and do not need to be configured by the first node. This reduces the complexity of resource management by the first node. In addition, the direct link is managed by the node using the direct link for communication, thereby reducing the slave node's dependence on the master node and the master and slave links, improving the flexibility of resource configuration and the independence of the direct link.

[0039] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the control information for the communication link includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resource of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link. According to the method described above, the third slave node may constitute one or more of the following: the identifier of the first communication link, the identifier of the first communication link group, the node identifier, the type information of the first communication link, the type information of the communication link in the first communication link group, the initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel instruction information for nodes in at least two second nodes, thereby enabling at least two second nodes to communicate with each other based on the information described above. The identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group may be used to identify the link. For example, in subsequent communication, after receiving a message, the second node may determine whether the message was transmitted on the first communication link or the first communication link group based on whether the message contains the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group. The identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group may also be used as a frequency-hopping randomization seed for the first communication link or the first communication link group.The second node determines the frequency hopping channel for sending and / or receiving messages transmitted on the first communication link or the first communication link group, based on the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of the communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: period information of the transmission opportunity group, first time length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group. According to the method described above, the third slave node can constitute at least one transmission opportunity group for nodes in at least two second nodes, thereby enabling the nodes in at least two second nodes to communicate with each other at least one time interval.

[0041] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity number information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity consists of the same sequence of resources used by the second node for transmitting at least one direct communication message and / or receiving at least one direct communication message in different transmission opportunities used by the second node for transmitting at least one direct communication message and / or receiving at least one direct communication message, the transmission opportunity number information includes the transmission opportunity number in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position of transmitting or receiving a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity. According to the method described above, the third slave node can configure at least one transmission opportunity for at least two nodes in the second node, thereby enabling the nodes in the at least two second nodes to communicate with each other during at least one transmission opportunity.

[0042] According to a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including a transmitting module configured to transmit first configuration information on a first frequency-hopping channel, the first configuration information being used to constitute a communication link between at least two second nodes, the communication link including a direct link between at least two second nodes, the first node corresponding to the communication device being the master node of at least one of the two second nodes corresponding to the direct link. The correspondence of the communication device to the first node can be understood as the communication device being the first node itself, or a component, chip, or integrated circuit located inside the first node.

[0043] In possible implementations, the communication device further includes a processing module, which is configured to generate or acquire first configuration information.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the first node is the master node for two second nodes that correspond to direct links.

[0045] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is either the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group.

[0047] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity count information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, resources of the same sequence are used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, the transmission opportunity count information includes the transmission opportunity count in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the transmit module is further configured to send a first message, which indicates that a fourth transmit opportunity group is used for the communication link and that the fourth transmit opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link.

[0049] In possible implementations, the send module is specifically configured to: initiate the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or transmit the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the send module is further configured to send a first message, which indicates that a third transmission opportunity is used for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the communication link's time-domain resources.

[0051] In possible implementations, the send module is specifically configured to: initiate the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or transmit the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the third transmission opportunity.

[0052] In possible implementations, the first message is further used to synchronize at least two second nodes.

[0053] In possible implementations, the communication device further includes a receiving module, which is configured to receive communication link configuration request information, and this communication link configuration request information is used to request the configuration of a communication link.

[0054] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information may include one or more of the following: communication link type information, instruction information for at least two second nodes, communication link period information, communication link delay request information, communication link traffic volume information, or communication link resource request information.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module is specifically configured to transmit first configuration information to a first slave node on a first frequency-hopping channel, the first slave node being a node in at least two second nodes, and the first configuration information is used to establish a communication link between the first slave node and at least two second nodes other than the first slave node. The transmitting module is further configured to transmit second configuration information to a second slave node on a second frequency-hopping channel, the second slave node being a second node in at least two second nodes, distinct from the first slave node, and the second configuration information is used to establish a communication link between the second slave node and at least two second nodes other than the second slave node.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module is specifically configured to transmit first configuration information to a second node group on a first frequency-hopping channel, the second node group including at least two second nodes.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module is further configured to transmit third configuration information, which includes instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, the third slave node being a node in at least two second nodes, the third slave node being a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource being used to transmit control information for the communication link from the control node.

[0058] According to a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a receiving module and a processing module. The receiving module is configured to receive first configuration information from a first node on a first frequency-hopping channel, the first configuration information being used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes, the at least two nodes including a target node, the communication link including a direct link between the target node and at least one second node within the at least two second nodes that is different from the target node, the first node being the master node of the target node. The processing module is configured to communicate with at least one second node within the at least two second nodes that is different from the target node, based on the first configuration information.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the first node is the master node for two second nodes that correspond to direct links.

[0060] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is either the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group.

[0062] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity count information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, resources of the same sequence acted upon by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message are constituted, the transmission opportunity count information includes the transmission opportunity count in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive a first message, which indicates that a fourth transmission opportunity group is used for the communication link and that the fourth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link.

[0064] In possible implementations, the receiving module is specifically configured to: initiate the reception of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or initiate the reception of the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive a first message, which indicates that a third transmission opportunity is used for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the communication link's time-domain resources.

[0066] In possible implementations, the receiving module is specifically configured to: initiate the reception of the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or receive the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the third transmission opportunity.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to synchronize with nodes in at least two second nodes based on the first message.

[0068] In possible implementations, the communication device further includes a transmitting module, which is configured to transmit communication link configuration request information, and the communication link configuration request information is used to request the configuration of a communication link.

[0069] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information may include one or more of the following: namely, link type information for the communication link, instruction information for at least two second nodes, period information for the communication link, delay request information for the communication link, traffic volume information for the communication link, or resource request information for the communication link.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive third configuration information, which includes instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, the third slave node being a node in at least two second nodes, the third slave node being a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource being used to transmit control information for the communication link from the control node.

[0071] According to the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a receiving module and a transmitting module. The receiving module is configured to receive third configuration information, which includes instruction information for a third slave node corresponding to the communication device and / or instruction information for a first resource. The transmitting module is configured to transmit control information for a communication link on the first resource to at least two second nodes other than the third slave node, and the communication link includes a direct link between at least two second nodes. The fact that the communication device corresponds to the third slave node can be understood as the communication device being a component, chip, or integrated circuit located inside the third slave node.

[0072] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the control information for the communication link includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resource of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link.

[0073] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is either the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group.

[0074] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity number information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, resources of the same sequence are used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, the transmission opportunity number information includes the transmission opportunity number in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0075] According to the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. This processor is configured to: be coupled to memory, read instructions in memory, and then, in accordance with the instructions, perform any of the methods described in the above aspects. The communication device may be a first node in the first aspect, or a device including a first node. Alternatively, the communication device may be a first slave node in the second aspect, or a device including a first slave node. Alternatively, the communication device may be a third slave node in the third aspect, or a device including a third slave node.

[0076] In a seventh aspect, in possible implementations, the communication device further includes a memory, which is configured to store necessary program instructions and data.

[0077] With respect to the seventh aspect, in possible implementations, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, if the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0078] According to the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instruction and to transmit the computer program or instruction to the processor. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction, enabling the communication device to perform any of the methods described above.

[0079] With respect to the eighth aspect, in possible implementations, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. If the communication device is optionally a chip system, it may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0080] According to the ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. This computer-readable storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of performing any of the methods described above.

[0081] According to the tenth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When this computer program product is executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of performing any of the methods described in the above aspects.

[0082] For technical effects achieved by any one of the possible implementations in the fourth through tenth aspects, please refer to the technical effects achieved by any one of the first through third aspects, or the technical effects achieved by any one of the possible and different implementations of the above aspects. Further details will not be described further in this specification.

[0083] According to the eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided. This communication system includes a first node configured to perform the method according to the first aspect and a first slave node configured to perform the method according to the second aspect.

[0084] With respect to the eleventh aspect, in possible implementations, the communication system further includes a third slave node configured to perform the method according to the third aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0085] [Figure 1A] This is a schematic diagram 1 showing a multipoint-to-multipoint communication link according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 1B] This is a schematic diagram 2 showing a multipoint-to-multipoint communication link according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 2A] This is a schematic diagram showing a transmission opportunity group according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2B] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a transmission opportunity according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2C] This is a schematic diagram showing a transmission pattern of a transmission opportunity according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 3A] This is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 3B] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a wide-area wireless communication scenario according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3C] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a local area wireless communication scenario according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3D] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication scenario in an intelligent terminal according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3E] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a V2X communication scenario according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] This figure shows the hardware configuration of a communication device according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic flowchart 1 illustrating a communication method according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic flowchart 2 illustrating a communication method according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram 1 showing the structure of a communication device according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram 2 showing the structure of a communication device according to one embodiment of this application. [Figure 9] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a communication device according to one embodiment of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0086] First, in order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the technical terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained.

[0087] 1. Communication links and communication link groups

[0088] In embodiments of this application, communication links may be used for communication between nodes. For example, a master node and a slave node may communicate with each other by using a master-slave communication link. Two slave nodes may communicate with each other by using a slave-slave communication link. In embodiments of this application, a slave-slave communication link refers to a direct link between slave nodes. That is, slave nodes may communicate with each other directly without being forwarded by a master node. This communication method may be called direct communication, and the communication link corresponding to direct communication may be called a direct link, and a direct link may also be alternatively called a direct communication link, a slave-slave link, or a direct communication link, etc. This is not limited to these terms.

[0089] In the embodiments of this application, communication links can be classified into several types, such as one-point-to-one-point communication links, one-point-to-multipoint communication links, or multipoint-to-multipoint communication links. One-point-to-one-point communication links are communication links between two nodes, such as a communication link between a master node and a slave node, or a direct link between two slave nodes. One-point-to-multipoint communication links are communication links between one node and multiple nodes, such as a communication link between a master node and multiple slave nodes, or a communication link between a slave node and multiple other slave nodes. Multipoint-to-multipoint communication links may include bidirectional communication links or mesh communication links.

[0090] A bidirectional communication link can be a communication link between two node groups. When both nodes in the two node groups are slave nodes, the bidirectional communication link is sometimes alternatively called a bidirectional direct link. As shown in Figure 1A, a bidirectional communication link is a communication link between node group 1 and node group 2. Node group 1 includes slave node 1, slave node 2, and slave node 3, and node group 2 includes slave node 4, slave node 5, and slave node 6. In Figure 1A, a node in node group 1 can communicate with a node in node group 2. For example, slave node 1 can communicate with one or more nodes in node group 2, and slave node 5 can communicate with one or more nodes in node group 1.

[0091] A mesh communication link can mean that each node in a node group can communicate with other nodes in the node group. When nodes in two node groups are slave nodes, a mesh communication link is sometimes alternatively called a mesh direct link. As shown in Figure 1B, a node group includes slave node 1, slave node 2, slave node 3, and slave node 4. Slave node 1 can communicate with slave node 2, slave node 3, and slave node 4. Slave node 2 can communicate with slave node 1, slave node 3, and slave node 4. Slave node 3 can communicate with slave node 1, slave node 2, and slave node 4. Slave node 4 can communicate with slave node 1, slave node 2, and slave node 3.

[0092] If a link is understood as a communication connection relationship between two nodes, then a one-point to multiple-point communication link or a multiple-point to multiple-point communication link can be understood as a communication link group containing multiple communications. Using Figure 1A as an example, the communication link between slave node 1 and slave node 4, the communication link between slave node 2 and slave node 5, and the communication link between slave node 3 and slave node 6 can form a communication link group. Using Figure 2A as an example, the communication link between slave node 3 and slave node 2, the communication link between slave node 3 and slave node 1, and the communication link between slave node 3 and slave node 4 can form a communication link group.

[0093] 2. Messages and direct communication messages

[0094] A message in this embodiment of the application includes predefined signals and / or configured signals and control information. Alternatively, a message in this embodiment of the application includes predefined signals and / or configured signals, control information, and data information. The predefined signals may be signals defined in a protocol or specification, or signals predefined in a particular way. The aforementioned signals may be used by the receiving node to perform operations such as dynamic gain control, synchronization, or channel estimation. The control information has one or more functions, such as assisting the receiving node in receiving data information in a message, providing feedback on whether a previously received message by the transmitting node has been received or not, and controlling the transmission flow, for example, assisting the receiving node in demodulating and decoding data information in a message, filtering and removing unnecessary content, and retransmitting and combining data information. The data information may be used for the transmission of service data and / or for signaling control.

[0095] In this embodiment of the present application, a direct communication message is one of the messages described above and may be a message transmitted and / or received between slave nodes. For example, a direct communication message is a message transmitted by a slave node over a contiguous time-domain resource (e.g., one or more contiguous time units) on a frequency-hopping channel and used for reception by at least one slave node.

[0096] 3. Transmission opportunity groups and transmission opportunities

[0097] In the embodiments of this application, a transmission opportunity group may be a segment of contiguous time-domain resources that is configured or pre-configured and used by a communication link or a group of communication links to transmit a message. For example, a transmission opportunity group may include at least one time unit. In the embodiments of this application, a time unit may be a slot, a mini-slot, or a time unit containing multiple slots (e.g., a subframe or frame), but is not limited to these. Different transmission opportunity groups in the time domain may be contiguous or discontinuous.

[0098] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing a transmission opportunity group according to one embodiment of the present application. Figure 2A shows three transmission opportunity groups, which are transmission opportunity group 201, transmission opportunity group 202, and transmission opportunity group 203, respectively. Each transmission opportunity group includes 10 milliseconds (ms), and the interval between two adjacent transmission opportunity groups is 50 milliseconds. When transmission opportunity group 201 is configured for a communication link between node 1 and node 2, node 1 and node 2 can communicate by using transmission opportunity group 201.

[0099] In this embodiment of the present application, a group of transmission opportunities includes at least one transmission opportunity, each transmission opportunity includes resources used to transmit at least one message on a communication link, and transmission opportunities within a group of transmission opportunities that are used on the same communication link have the same transmission pattern. That is, different transmission opportunities configured within a group of transmission opportunities and used on a single communication link or a group of communication links consist of the same sequence of resources used on the same node for transmitting and / or receiving messages. In other words, the node transmitting messages is the same across different transmission opportunities in a group of transmission opportunities, and the node transmits and / or receives messages in the same order across different transmission opportunities. For example, the object transmitting and / or receiving messages on the i-th resource is the same across different transmission opportunities in a group of transmission opportunities, and the transmission method of messages (such as uplink or downlink) transmitted and / or received on the i-th resource is the same, where i is a positive integer. A single resource includes one or more consecutive time units.

[0100] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram showing the transmission opportunities in the transmission opportunity group 201 described above. In Figure 2B, transmission opportunity group 201 includes transmission opportunity 2011 and transmission opportunity 2012. Transmission opportunity 2011 and transmission opportunity 2012 each contain four slots. Transmission opportunity 2011 starts from slot 2 in transmission opportunity group 201 and ends at slot 5. Transmission opportunity 2012 starts from slot 12 in transmission opportunity group 201 and ends at slot 15. Transmission opportunities 2011 and transmission opportunity 2012 are separated by six slots.

[0101] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram showing the transmission patterns for transmission opportunity 2011 and transmission opportunity 2012. In Figure 2C, transmission opportunity 2011 and transmission opportunity 2012 can be used on communication links 1 to 3 for sending messages. Communication link 1 is used for communication between slave node 1 (T1) and slave node 2 (T2), communication link 2 is used for communication between slave node 1 and slave node 3 (T3), and communication link 3 is used for communication between slave node 1 and slave node 4 (T4). The transmission pattern for transmission opportunity 2011 shown in Figure 20C is described below. That is, slave node 1 sends messages to slave node 2, slave node 3, and slave node 4 on resource 1. Slave node 2 sends messages to slave node 1, slave node 3, and slave node 4 on resource 2. Slave node 3 sends messages to slave node 1, slave node 2, and slave node 4 on resource 3. Slave node 4 sends messages to slave nodes 1, 2, and 3 on resource 4. The transmission pattern for transmission opportunity 2012 is the same as the transmission pattern for transmission opportunity 2011 and can be specifically described as follows: Slave node 1 sends messages to slave nodes 2, 3, and 4 on resource 5. Slave node 2 sends messages to slave nodes 1, 3, and 4 on resource 6. Slave node 3 sends messages to slave nodes 1, 2, and 4 on resource 7. Slave node 4 sends messages to slave nodes 1, 2, and 3 on resource 8.

[0102] It can be understood that the durations of two transmission opportunities having the same transmission pattern may be the same or different. This is not limited to the present application. In the present embodiments of the present application, a group of transmission opportunities may be referred to as an event, and a transmission opportunity may be referred to as a subevent.

[0103] 4. Frequency Hopping and Frequency Hopping Channels

[0104] In this embodiment of the present application, nodes can communicate with each other based on frequency hopping technology. A node may be a master node or a slave node. That is, communication may be performed between a master node and a slave node based on frequency hopping technology. Alternatively, communication may be performed between slave nodes based on frequency hopping technology.

[0105] The frequency band used for communication may be divided into multiple frequency-hopping channels, each corresponding to a center frequency. Frequency-hopping channels are sometimes also called frequency-hopping frequencies. Generally, a node uses a frequency-hopping channel when sending and / or receiving a message, and does not change the frequency-hopping channel during message transmission and / or reception. If a node sends and / or receives multiple messages, the frequency-hopping channel used changes over time. (This change over time is used only to reflect the change in the frequency-hopping channel, but the change is not limited to each instance.)

[0106] In possible implementations, both parties to a message may determine the frequency-hopping channel for sending the message by using a predefined frequency-hopping algorithm based on a frequency-hopping randomization seed and information about time-domain resources for sending the message. The frequency-hopping randomization seed may be the frequency-hopping identifier of the link where the message resides. The time-domain resource information for sending the message may be, for example, the slot number where the start of a transmission opportunity for sending the message is located, or the slot number where the start of a group of transmission opportunities for sending the message is located. Furthermore, to avoid frequency-hopping channels with strong interference or those with poor transmission performance for other reasons, some frequency-hopping channels may be made unavailable, and available frequency-hopping channels may be used for frequency hopping. This technique is called adaptive frequency hopping. In adaptive frequency hopping, both parties to a message may determine the frequency-hopping channel for sending the message by using a predefined frequency-hopping algorithm based on three types of information: the frequency-hopping identifier of the link where the message resides, information about time-domain resources for sending the message, and available frequency-hopping channels.

[0107] In possible implementations, frequency hopping channels are classified into general-purpose frequency hopping channels and broadcast-only frequency hopping channels based on whether or not they can be used to transmit messages other than broadcast messages (also known as connectionless transmission messages). For example, frequency hopping channels that can be used to transmit messages other than broadcast messages may be called general-purpose frequency hopping channels, while frequency hopping channels that cannot be used to transmit messages other than broadcast messages may be called broadcast-only frequency hopping channels.

[0108] 5. Types of communication links

[0109] In the present embodiment of this application, the types of communication links may include one-point to one-point communication links, one-point to multiple-point communication links, multiple-point to multiple-point communication links, communication links with high reliability guarantees, communication links with low reliability guarantees, communication links with feedback support, communication links without feedback support, communication links based on code block group (CBG) feedback, or communication links based on transport blocks (TB).

[0110] For descriptions of one-point-to-one communication links, one-point-to-multipoint communication links, and multipoint-to-multipoint communication links, please refer to the above descriptions of communication links and communication link groups. A highly reliable communication link may mean that, for a message, the transmitting node will only send the next message after the receiving node has successfully received the message by using the communication link. A low-reliability communication link may be a communication link that allows the transmission of certain data packets (e.g., data packets whose transmission failure count exceeds a threshold) to be abandoned if certain conditions are met, such as when the number of consecutive transmission failures exceeds a threshold. A communication link with feedback support may be a link in which, after receiving one or more messages by using the communication link, the receiving node can send feedback information corresponding to one or more messages to the transmitting node. A communication link without feedback support may be a link in which, after receiving a message by using the communication link, the receiving node does not send feedback information to the transmitting node. A communication link based on CBG feedback may be a link in which the receiving node sends feedback information to the transmitting node, and the feedback information includes information on whether the CBG in the TB sent by the transmitting node was transmitted correctly. A TB feedback-based communication link may be a link in which the receiving node sends feedback information to the transmitting node, which includes information about whether the TB sent by the transmitting node was transmitted correctly (but does not include information about whether the CBG within the TB was transmitted correctly).

[0111] In this embodiment of the present application, it may be understood that a receiving node may add feedback information to a message and send the message to the sending node. In addition to the feedback information, the message may further include other information, such as data sent by the receiving node to the sending node.

[0112] The implementation of the embodiment of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0113] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system 30 according to one embodiment of the present application. In Figure 3A, the communication system 30 may include one or more master nodes 301 (only one is shown), a slave node 302, and a slave node 303. Optionally, the communication system 30 may further include a slave node 304.

[0114] In Figure 3A, the master node and slave nodes can communicate with each other wirelessly or via wired means, and the slave nodes can also communicate with each other wirelessly or via wired means. The master node and slave nodes can be understood as two types of communication devices with communication capabilities, distinguished based on their logical function. In possible examples, the master node and slave nodes belong to the same communication domain. The master node can manage resources in the communication domain (e.g., time-domain resources or frequency-domain resources) and has the ability to schedule resources on the communication links between the master node and the slave nodes, and / or on the communication links between the slave nodes. The slave nodes communicate with the master node or other nodes by using the time-frequency resources allocated by the master node, according to the master node's scheduling. Messages transmitted by the master node may be received by pre-configured slave nodes or by designated slave nodes, and these messages are unicast messages on the master-slave communication links. Similarly, a message sent by a slave node may be received by a pre-configured slave node or by a designated slave node, and the message is a unicast message on a direct link. A message sent by a master node may be received by multiple pre-configured slave nodes or by an indicated slave node, and the message is a multicast message on a master-slave communication link. Similarly, a message sent by a slave node may be received by multiple pre-configured slave nodes or by a designated slave node, and the message is a multicast message on a direct link. A message sent by a master node may be received by any node, and the message is a broadcast message sent by the master node.Similarly, a message sent by a slave node may be received by any node, and that message is a broadcast message sent by the slave node.

[0115] Information transmitted between master nodes and slave nodes, or between slave nodes, includes service data and / or signaling. Information transmitted between master nodes and slave nodes is transmitted by messages sent between master nodes and slave nodes, and information transmitted between slave nodes is transmitted by messages sent between slave nodes.

[0116] Based on the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the communication system can be applied to a wide-area wireless communication scenario (see Figure 3B below). For example, a wide-area wireless communication scenario may include communication between network equipment and multiple terminal equipment. Alternatively, the communication system architecture can be applied to a local-area wireless communication scenario (see Figure 3C below). For example, a local-area wireless communication scenario may include communication between an access point (AP) and multiple stations. Alternatively, the communication system architecture can be applied to an in-vehicle wireless communication scenario (see Figure 3D below). For example, an in-vehicle wireless communication scenario may include communication between a head unit (e.g., a cockpit domain controller (CDC)) and a speaker, microphone, display, or mobile phone; communication between a mobile phone and a wearable device, such as a headset; or communication between a passive entry / passive start (PEPS) system and a mobile phone key or vehicle key.

[0117] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a wide-area wireless communication scenario according to one embodiment of the present application. In this application scenario, one network device and two terminal devices are used as an example. The terminal devices communicate with the network device wirelessly. The network device may function as a master node, and the two terminal devices may function as slave nodes. The network device may allocate time-frequency resources to the terminal devices, and the terminal devices may follow scheduling by the network device. Referring to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the network device may be the master node 301, and the two terminal devices may be any two nodes in slave node 302 to slave node 304.

[0118] Network equipment is access equipment that allows terminal equipment to access a communication system wirelessly and may provide wireless communication functionality to terminal equipment. Network equipment may be a base station, an evolved node B (eNodeB), a transmission point (TRP), a next-generation node B (gNB) in a 5G communication system, a base station in a future communication system, or an access node in a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, or it may be a module or unit base station that complements some functions of a base station, for example, a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). In embodiments of this application, the specific technologies and specific equipment configurations used by the network equipment are not limited.

[0119] Terminal equipment may also be called terminals, user equipment (UEs), mobile stations, or mobile terminals. Terminal equipment may include mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver functionality, virtual reality terminal equipment, augmented reality terminal equipment, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, terminals in remote surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes. In this application, the specific technologies and device forms used in terminal equipment are not limited.

[0120] Figure 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating a local area wireless communication scenario, i.e., another possible application scenario, according to one embodiment of the present application. In this application scenario, one access point (AP) and two stations are used as an example. The AP functions as a master node, and the stations function as slave nodes. The stations can access the AP by using Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi). In Figure 3C, a mobile phone is used as an example of a station. Referring to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the AP may be the master node 301, and the two stations may be any two nodes in slave nodes 302 to 304.

[0121] Figure 3D is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication scenario in an intelligent terminal, i.e., another possible application scenario, according to one embodiment of the present application. The intelligent terminal may be, for example, a vehicle. Vehicles include, but are not limited to, unmanned vehicles, intelligent vehicles (e.g., automated guided vehicles (AGVs)), electric vehicles, digital vehicles, or smart manufacturing vehicles. Multiple communication domains exist in the in-vehicle wireless communication scenario, and one communication domain may include one master node and at least one slave node.

[0122] In Figure 3D, the mobile phone, headset, and wearable device belong to a communication domain called the first communication domain. The mobile phone functions as the master node, and the headset and wearable device function as slave nodes. Referring to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the mobile phone may be the master node 301, and the headset and wearable device may be any two nodes in slave nodes 302 to 304. The CDC, display, microphone, soundbox, and mobile phone belong to a communication domain called, for example, the second communication domain. The CDC functions as the master node, and the display, microphone, soundbox, and mobile phone function as slave nodes. Referring to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the CDC may be the master node 301. The display, microphone, soundbox, and mobile phone may be slave nodes of master node 301. The PEPS system, mobile phone key, and vehicle key belong to a communication domain called, for example, the third communication domain. The PEPS system is used as the master node, and the mobile phone key and vehicle key are used as slave nodes. Referring to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the PEPS system can be the master node 301, and the mobile phone key and vehicle key can be any two nodes in slave node 302 to slave node 304.

[0123] When in-vehicle equipment in a vehicle is divided into multiple communication domains, it can be understood that there may be multiple factors for the division. For example, in-vehicle equipment may be divided based on the functions it implements. Furthermore, if multiple in-vehicle devices work together to implement a function (e.g., power function), these devices may be divided into communication domains. As another example, in-vehicle equipment may be divided based on its spatial location in the vehicle where it resides. As yet another example, in-vehicle equipment may be divided based on factors such as its spatial location in the vehicle and the functions it works together to complete. As yet another example, communication domains may be divided in terms of resources. For example, resources allocated by a node and used by that node to communicate with another node may be called a communication domain. In this case, the node is the master node in the communication domain, and another node that communicates with that node by using the communication domain (resource) is a slave node in the communication domain. It should be understood that the communication domains shown in Figure 3D are merely examples. Also, each communication domain may further include other in-vehicle equipment. For example, a third communication domain may further include a body control module (BCM).

[0124] It should be noted that a master node in one communication domain can also be used as a slave node in another communication domain. For example, a mobile phone in one communication domain can be used as a slave node in a second communication domain.

[0125] It should be noted that the system architectures and application scenarios described above are merely illustrative examples and do not constitute any limitation to the technical solutions provided in this application. For example, the system architecture shown in Figure 3A may be further applied to a vehicle-to-all (V2X) communication scenario. A schematic diagram of the V2X communication scenario may be shown in Figure 3E. Using an example application scenario that includes three terminal devices, the three terminal devices can communicate with each other by using side links (SLs). In this scenario, a terminal device configured to schedule resources may be used as a master node, and a terminal device configured to listen for resource scheduling may be used as a slave node. Referring to the communication system architecture shown in Figure 3A, the terminal device configured to schedule resources may be the master node 301, and the terminal device configured to listen for resource scheduling may be the slave node of the master node 301.

[0126] It should be noted that in the present embodiments of this application, the master node may be alternatively referred to as a grant (G) node, and the slave node may be alternatively referred to as a terminal (T) node.

[0127] Optionally, in these embodiments of the present application, each node in Figure 3A (e.g., a master node or a slave node) may be referred to as a communication device, and the nodes may be general-purpose devices or dedicated devices. This is not particularly limited to these embodiments of the present application.

[0128] Optionally, in these embodiments of the present application, the associated functions of all nodes in Figure 3A may be implemented by a single device, jointly by multiple devices, or by one or more functional modules in a single device. This is not particularly limited to these embodiments of the present application. It can be understood that the functions described above may be network elements in hardware devices, software functions operating on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0129] In a specific implementation, all nodes in Figure 3A may have the configuration shown in Figure 4, or may include the components shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to embodiments of this application. The communication device 40 includes at least one processor 401 and at least one communication interface 404, and is configured to implement the method provided in embodiments of this application. The communication device 40 may further include communication lines 402 and memory 403.

[0130] The processor 401 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to control the execution of the program of the solution in this application.

[0131] Communication line 402 may include a path for transmitting information between the components described above, such as a bus.

[0132] The communication interface 404 is configured to communicate with another device or communication network. The communication interface 404 may be any transceiver-type device, such as an Ethernet interface, a radio access network (RAN) interface, a radio local area network (WLAN) interface, a transceiver, a pin, a bus, or a transceiver circuit.

[0133] The memory 403 may be read-only memory (ROM), or another type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, or random access memory (RAM), or another type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions. Alternatively, the memory 403 may be, but not limited to, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or another compact disc storage device, optical disc storage device (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, or Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage medium, or another magnetic storage device, or any other medium accessible by a computer that can be used to transmit or store expected program code in the form of instructions or data structures. The memory may exist independently or be coupled to the processor 401 via a communication line 402. Alternatively, the memory 403 may be integrated with the processor 401. The memory provided in embodiments of this application may typically be non-volatile.

[0134] Memory 403 is configured to store computer-executable instructions for performing the solutions provided in embodiments of this application, and processor 401 controls the execution of these computer-executable instructions. Processor 401 is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in memory 403 to implement the methods provided in subsequent embodiments of this application. Alternatively, optionally, in these embodiments of this application, processor 401 may perform processing-related functions in the methods provided in subsequent embodiments of this application, and communication interface 404 may be responsible for communication with other devices or communication networks. This is not particularly limited to these embodiments of this application.

[0135] Optionally, the computer executable instructions in this embodiment of the application may also be referred to as application program code. This is not particularly limited to this embodiment of the application.

[0136] The coupling in this embodiment of the present application may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules in an electrical, mechanical, or other form, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules.

[0137] In one embodiment, the processor 401 may include one or more CPUs, for example, CPU0 and CPU1 in Figure 4.

[0138] In one embodiment, the communication device 40 may include a plurality of processors, for example, processors 401 and 407 in Figure 4. Each of the processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor as used herein may be one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores configured to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0139] In one embodiment, the communication device 40 may further include an output device 405 and / or an input device 406. The output device 405 is coupled to the processor 401 and can display information in several embodiments. For example, the output device 405 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, or a projector. The input device 406 is coupled to the processor 401 and can receive input from a user in several embodiments. For example, the input device 406 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touchscreen device, or a sensor device.

[0140] It can be understood that the configuration shown in Figure 4 does not constitute any constraints on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 4, the communication device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or several components may be combined, or different arrangements of components may be used.

[0141] The communication method in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The network elements in the following embodiments may have the components shown in Figure 4. Further details will not be described.

[0142] It should be noted that the communication methods provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to multiple fields, such as the field of unmanned driving, autonomous driving, driver assistance, smart driving, vehicle internet, vehicle smart internet, and vehicle sharing.

[0143] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application described below, the names of messages between nodes, or the names of each parameter in a message, are merely examples, and alternative names may be used in specific implementations. This is not particularly limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0144] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "and / or" can indicate that there are three relationships between the related objects. For example, A and / or B may represent the following three cases: that only A exists, that both A and B exist, or that only B exists. A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, expressions similar to "one or more of A, B, and C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" usually refer to one of the following: that only A exists, that both A and B exist, that both A and C exist, that both B and C exist, or that all of A, B, and C exist. Above, a total of three elements A, B, and C are used as examples to illustrate the optional items of this item. If there are more elements in the expression, the meaning of the expression can be obtained according to the rules described above.

[0145] To facilitate the description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, terms such as “first” and “second” may be used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between technical features having the same or similar functions. Terms such as “first” and “second” are not intended to limit the quantity or order of execution, nor do they indicate a clear difference. In the embodiments of this application, terms such as “example” or “for example” indicate illustration, diagram, or explanation. Any embodiment or design scheme described as “example” or “for example” should not be described as being preferable or having more advantages than another embodiment or design scheme. The use of terms such as “example” or “for example” is intended to present relative concepts in specific embodiments for ease of understanding.

[0146] In the embodiments of this application, the designations "First," "Second," "Third," "A," "B," "C," and "D" are used to distinguish between technical features, and it should be noted that there is no sequence or size order among the technical features described by "First," "Second," "Third," "A," "B," "C," and "D."

[0147] It should be understood that the same procedures, or procedures or technical features having the same function, in the embodiments of this application may be referenced to one another in different embodiments.

[0148] In embodiments of this application, it can be understood that a first or second node may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps are merely illustrative. In embodiments of this application, other steps or various variations of steps may be performed instead. Furthermore, these steps may be performed in an order different from the order presented in embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to perform all of the steps in embodiments of this application.

[0149] Figure 5 shows a communication method according to one embodiment of this application. This communication method includes S501 and S502.

[0150] S501: The first node transmits the first configuration information to the first slave node on the first frequency hopping channel. In response, the first slave node receives the first configuration information from the first node on the first frequency hopping channel.

[0151] The first node may be the master node of the first slave nodes, and the first slave node may be a slave node of the first node. That is, the first node may transmit first configuration information to the slave nodes of the first node on the first frequency hopping channel. For example, the communication system 30 shown in Figure 3A is used as an example, and the first node may be the master node 301 in the communication system 30. The first slave nodes may be slave node 302, slave node 303, or slave node 304.

[0152] The first frequency-hopping channel may be a general-purpose frequency-hopping channel to avoid congestion of the broadcast-only frequency-hopping channel caused by the first node's use of the broadcast-only frequency-hopping channel. For a description of frequency hopping and frequency-hopping channels, please refer to the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in the embodiments of this application. Further details are not described herein.

[0153] In possible implementations, the first frequency hopping channel is configured by the first node or another node before step S501 and is used for a communication link between the first node and the first slave node, or for transmitting communication messages between the first node and the first slave node.

[0154] The first configuration information may be used to configure a communication link between a first slave node and another slave node. The other slave node may or may not be a slave node of the first node. In other words, the first configuration information may be used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes. The at least two second nodes include the first slave node, and the other slave node is a node other than the first slave node among the at least two second nodes. All of the at least two second nodes may be slave nodes of the first node. Alternatively, some nodes of the at least two second nodes are slave nodes of the first node, and the other nodes of the at least two second nodes are not slave nodes of the first node. In this embodiment of the application, the number of other slave nodes is not limited. The communication link between at least two second nodes includes a direct link between at least two second nodes, i.e., a direct link between a first slave node and another slave node. The direct link may include one or more of the following direct links: That is, a one-point to one-point direct link, a one-point to multiple-point direct link, or a multiple-point to multiple-point direct link. For a description of one-point to one-point direct links, one-point to multiple-point direct links, and multiple-point to multiple-point direct links, please refer to the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in the embodiments of this application. Further details will not be described herein.

[0155] In possible implementations, the first node may be the master node of at least one of a group of second nodes corresponding to a direct link, or the first node may be the master node of a group of second nodes corresponding to a direct link.

[0156] For example, if at least two second nodes include the first slave node, slave node 2, and slave node 3, the direct links between at least two second nodes may include one or more of the following direct links: a direct link between the first slave node and slave node 2, a direct link between the first slave node and slave node 3, and a direct link between the first slave node, slave node 2, and slave node 3. The first node may be the master node of one or more of the first slave node, slave node 2, and slave node 3. For example, with respect to the direct link between the first slave node and slave node 2, the first node is the master node of at least one of the first slave node and slave node 2 corresponding to the direct link. With respect to the direct link between the first slave node, slave node 2, and slave node 3, the first node is the master node of at least one of the first slave node, slave node 2, and slave node 3 corresponding to the direct link.

[0157] If another slave node is a slave node of the first node, it can be understood that the first node may also transmit configuration information used to establish a communication link between the first slave node and the other slave to the other slave node. This configuration information may be transmitted by the first node in a unicast manner or in a multicast manner.

[0158] For example, another slave node is a second slave node, and configuration information is transmitted by the first node in a unicast manner. The first node may transmit the first configuration information to the first slave node on a first frequency-hopping channel and the second configuration information to the second slave node on a second frequency-hopping channel. That is, the first node may transmit configuration information to the first and second slave nodes separately to establish a communication link between them. The second frequency-hopping channel is a general-purpose frequency-hopping channel. The second frequency-hopping channel is established by the first node or another node before the first node transmits the second configuration information and is used as a communication link between the first node and the second slave node, or to transmit messages for communication between the first node and the second slave node. The first and second frequency-hopping channels may be the same or different. For a description of the second configuration information, see the description of the first configuration information below. The second and first configuration information may be the same or different.

[0159] In the embodiments of this application, "the second configuration information differs from the first configuration information" means that the content included in the second configuration information is different from the content included in the first configuration information. For example, if both the first and second configuration information include node identifiers, the node identifiers included in the second configuration information are different from the node identifiers included in the first configuration information. Specifically, the node identifiers included in the second configuration information are identifiers of first slave nodes in at least two second nodes, and the node identifiers included in the first configuration information are identifiers of second slave nodes in at least two second nodes.

[0160] For example, a first slave node and other slave nodes are included in a second node group, and configuration information is transmitted by the first node in a multicast manner, and the first node transmits the first configuration information to the second node group on a first frequency hopping channel. It can be understood that, before transmitting the first configuration information, at least two second nodes may first form a second node group, optionally establish a multicast link between the first node and the second node group, and then transmit the first configuration information over the multicast link. The manner in which the second node group is formed and the multicast link is established may be pre-configured or may be configured by the first node. This is not limited to the present application.

[0161] Optionally, before step S501, the first node generates or obtains first configuration information. For example, the first node generates or obtains first configuration information based on the current channel status. Alternatively, in step S500, the first node generates or obtains first configuration information based on the communication link configuration request information described later.

[0162] In possible implementations, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: the identifier of the first communication link, the identifier of the first communication link group, the node identifier, the type information of the first communication link, the type information of the communication link in the first communication link group, the initial time-domain resource information, or the frequency-hopping channel indication information.

[0163] The contents of the first configuration information will be explained in detail below.

[0164] 1. Identifier of the first communication link and identifier of the first communication link group

[0165] The identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group may be used to identify the link. For example, the identifier of the first communication link may be used to identify the first communication link, and the identifier of the first communication link group may be used to identify the link in the first communication link group.

[0166] In one example, in a subsequent communication process between at least two second nodes, after the second node receives a direct communication message, it may be determined whether the direct communication message is a message transmitted on the first communication link or the first communication link group, based on whether the direct communication message contains the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group.

[0167] In the design, the identifier of the first communication link or the identifier of the first communication link group may be used as an alternative frequency-hopping randomization seed for the first communication link or the first communication link group. For example, the identifier of the first communication link may be used as the frequency-hopping randomization seed for the first communication link. In a subsequent communication process between at least two second nodes, the frequency-hopping channel communication link through which a communication message is sent or received by using the first communication link before the second node sends or receives a communication message by using the first communication link may be determined based on the identifier of the first communication link and the time-domain resource information of the first communication link by using a predefined frequency-hopping algorithm.

[0168] The first communication link is a communication link between two of the at least two second nodes. The first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes. The first communication link or the first communication link group is included in the communication links between at least two second nodes. For a specific description of communication links and communication link groups, please refer to the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in the embodiments of this application. Further details are not described herein.

[0169] If a first communication link is configured in the first configuration information, it can be understood that the first configuration information may include an identifier for the first communication link, or if a first communication link group is configured in the first configuration information, the first configuration information may include an identifier for the first communication link group.

[0170] 2. Node Identifier

[0171] Node identifiers are used to identify at least one node in at least two secondary nodes, and do not associate any nodes other than at least two secondary nodes. Therefore, identifiers can be short. The identifier then directly indicates the node in communication messages and / or link configuration / reconfiguration or other link management signaling. This helps to shorten the length of messages / signalings.

[0172] For example, the node identifier is the identifier of the first slave node in at least two second nodes, and / or is few It may include identifiers for nodes other than the first slave node in the two second nodes.

[0173] After receiving the node identifier, the first slave node determines the identifier of the first slave node in at least two second nodes, and / or is fewAt the very least, identifiers for nodes other than the first slave node in the two second nodes can be determined, thereby enabling the first slave node to subsequently communicate with nodes other than the first slave node in at least two second nodes.

[0174] 3. Information on the type of the first communication link and information on the type of communication links in the first communication link group.

[0175] The type information for the first communication link may indicate the type of the first communication link. The type information for the communication links in the first communication link group may indicate the type of communication links in the first communication link group. For a description of the type of the first communication link, or the type of communication links in the first communication link group, please refer to the above-mentioned description of communication link types. Further details will not be explained again in this specification.

[0176] If a first communication link is configured in first configuration information, it can be understood that first configuration information may include type information for the first communication link. After receiving the type information for the first communication link, the first slave node may communicate with nodes other than the first slave node in at least two second nodes based on the type of the first communication link. If a first communication link group is configured in first configuration information, first configuration information may include type information for the communication links in the first communication link group. After receiving the type information for the communication links in the first communication link group, the first slave node may communicate with nodes other than the first slave node in at least two second nodes based on the type of communication links in the first communication link group.

[0177] 4. Initial time-domain resource information

[0178] The initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link configured in the first configuration information. The time-domain resources of the communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain. For a specific description of the transmission opportunity group, please refer to the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in the embodiments of this application.

[0179] In possible implementations, the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: period information of the transmission opportunity group, first time length information, or information about the first start position.

[0180] The periodic information of a transmission opportunity group may indicate the period of at least one transmission opportunity group, i.e., the time unit of the interval between two adjacent transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group. The transmission opportunity groups shown in Figure 2A are used as an example. At least one transmission opportunity group includes transmission opportunity group 201, transmission opportunity group 202, and transmission opportunity group 203, and the transmission opportunity group period of at least one transmission opportunity group is 60 ms.

[0181] The first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group. The first transmission opportunity group is included in at least one transmission opportunity group. In other words, the first time-length information may indicate the time-domain length of one or more transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0182] If the time-domain lengths of the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are the same, or if the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are periodic, then the first time-domain information may indicate a single time-domain length. If the time-domain lengths of the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are different, or if the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are not periodic, then the first time-domain information may indicate multiple time-domain lengths. The multiple time-domain lengths are the time-domain lengths of different transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0183] For example, at least one transmission opportunity group includes transmission opportunity group 1, transmission opportunity group 2, and transmission opportunity group 3. If the time domain lengths of transmission opportunity group 1, transmission opportunity group 2, and transmission opportunity group 3 are all 10 ms, the first time length information may indicate 10 ms. If the time domain length of transmission opportunity group 1 is 10 ms, the time domain length of transmission opportunity group 2 is 12 ms, and the time domain length of transmission opportunity group 3 is 14 ms, the first time length information may indicate 10 ms, 12 ms, and 14 ms.

[0184] The information regarding the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of a second transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group. The second transmission opportunity group is included in at least one transmission opportunity group. That is, the information regarding the first starting position may indicate the time-domain starting position of one or more transmission opportunity groups within at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0185] If the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are periodic, it can be understood that the information regarding the first starting position may indicate one time-domain starting position within at least one transmission opportunity group. After receiving the information regarding the first starting position, the first slave node can determine all time-domain starting positions within at least one transmission opportunity group based on the information regarding the first starting position and the periodicity of the transmission opportunity group. If the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are not periodic, the information regarding the first starting position may indicate all time-domain starting positions within at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0186] In one example, if the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are periodic, the information regarding the first starting position includes time units for the interval between the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group and the reference time domain position. If the transmission opportunity groups in at least one transmission opportunity group are not periodic, the information regarding the first starting position includes time units for the interval between each of the at least one transmission opportunity group and the reference time domain position. The reference time domain position may be pre-configured or predefined, or it may be configured by the first node. For example, the reference time domain position may be the time domain position of the first configuration information.

[0187] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity. The transmission opportunity is for sending at least one direct communication message and / or receiving at least one direct communication message, with a second node by It may be used. If the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least two transmission opportunities, the same sequence resources used by the second node are configured for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication in different transmission opportunities, and the source sequence may be configured by the first node or may be predefined. For a specific description of transmission opportunities, see the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in embodiments of this application.

[0188] In possible implementations, the initial time-domain resource information may further include one or more of the following: transmission opportunity information, second time-length information, or information about the second starting position.

[0189] The transmission opportunity count information includes the number of transmission opportunities in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group. The third transmission opportunity group is included in at least one transmission opportunity group. That is, the transmission opportunity count information may indicate the number of transmission opportunities in one or more transmission opportunity groups within at least one transmission opportunity group.

[0190] If the number of transmission opportunities is the same in different transmission opportunity groups within at least one transmission opportunity group, it can be understood that the transmission opportunity information may indicate the number of transmission opportunities in one transmission opportunity group. If the number of transmission opportunities is different in different transmission opportunity groups within at least one transmission opportunity group, the transmission opportunity information may indicate the number of transmission opportunities in each of the at least one transmission opportunity groups.

[0191] The second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity among at least one transmission opportunity. The first transmission opportunity is included in at least one transmission opportunity. In other words, the second time-length information may indicate the time-domain length of one or more transmission opportunities within at least one transmission opportunity.

[0192] If the time-domain lengths of transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are the same, or if the transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are periodic, it can be understood that the second time-domain information may represent one time-domain length. If the time-domain lengths of transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are different, or if the transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are not periodic, the second time-domain information may represent multiple time-domain lengths, each of which is the time-domain length of a different transmission opportunity in at least one transmission opportunity.

[0193] For example, at least one transmission opportunity includes transmission opportunity 1, transmission opportunity 2, and transmission opportunity 3. If the time domain lengths of transmission opportunity 1, transmission opportunity 2, and transmission opportunity 3 are all 5 slots, the second time length information may indicate 5 slots. If the time domain length of transmission opportunity 1 is 5 slots, the time domain length of transmission opportunity 2 is 4 slots, and the time domain length of transmission opportunity 3 is 6 slots, the second time length information may indicate 5 slots, 4 slots, and 6 slots.

[0194] Information regarding a second starting position includes a time-domain starting position used to transmit or receive a direct communication message in a second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity. The second transmission opportunity is included in at least one transmission opportunity. In other words, information regarding a second starting position may indicate a time-domain starting position in which a direct communication message is transmitted or received in one or more of at least one transmission opportunities.

[0195] If the transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are periodic, it can be understood that the information regarding the second starting position may indicate the time-domain starting position for sending or receiving a direct communication message in one of the at least one transmission opportunities. After receiving the information regarding the second starting position, the first slave node may determine, based on the information regarding the second starting position, the transmission opportunity count information, and the second time-length information, the time-domain starting position for sending or receiving a direct communication message each time in each of the at least one transmission opportunity. If the transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are not periodic, the information regarding the second starting position may indicate the time-domain starting position for sending or receiving a direct communication message in each of the at least one transmission opportunity.

[0196] For example, if the transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are periodic, the information regarding the second starting position includes time units for the interval between the reference time-domain position and the time-domain position in which a direct communication message is first sent or received in one of the at least one transmission opportunities. If the transmission opportunities in at least one transmission opportunity are not periodic, the information regarding the second starting position includes time units for the interval between the time-domain starting position and the reference time-domain position in which a direct communication message is first sent or received in each of the at least one transmission opportunities. The reference time-domain position may be pre-configured, pre-defined, or configured by the first node. For example, the reference time-domain position may be the time-domain position of the first configuration information.

[0197] In the present embodiments of this application, the first transmission opportunity group, the second transmission opportunity group, and the third transmission opportunity group are the same or different. The first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0198] The information contained in the first time-domain resource information (e.g., period information of the transmission opportunity group, first time length information, information about the first start position, transmission opportunity number information, second time length, or information about the second start position) may be predefined (e.g., defined in the protocol) or may be constructed by using another message. This is not limited to these.

[0199] 5. Frequency Hopping Channel Indication Information

[0200] The frequency hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency hopping channels in the communication link configured in the first configuration information. The available frequency hopping channels are those that can be used in the communication link. The frequency hopping channels may represent frequency domain resources. For a specific explanation, please refer to the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in the embodiments of this application.

[0201] For example, frequency hopping channel instruction information includes identifiers for frequencies corresponding to at least two available frequency hopping channels. Alternatively, frequency hopping channel instruction information includes identifiers for frequencies corresponding to unavailable frequency hopping channels. Unavailable frequency hopping channels are those that cannot be used for communication links. In this case, the first slave node can determine the available frequency hopping channels based on the configured frequency hopping channel list and frequency hopping channel instruction information. The frequency hopping channel list may indicate multiple frequencies. The frequency hopping channel list is either pre-configured (e.g., defined in the protocol) or configured by the first node. For example, the frequency hopping channel list indicates frequencies 1, 2, and 3. If the frequency hopping channel instruction information includes an identifier for frequency 1, the available frequency hopping channels are the frequency hopping channel corresponding to frequency 2 and the frequency hopping channel corresponding to frequency 3.

[0202] In another example, frequency hopping channel indication information contains N bits. Each of the N bits corresponds to one frequency hopping channel and indicates whether the frequency hopping channel is available or not. For example, if the value of a bit in the N bits is 0, it indicates that the frequency hopping channel corresponding to that bit is unavailable. If the value of a bit is 1, it indicates that the frequency hopping channel corresponding to that bit is available, and vice versa. For example, frequency hopping channel indication information contains 4 bits, where the first bit corresponds to frequency hopping channel 1, the second bit corresponds to frequency hopping channel 2, the third bit corresponds to frequency hopping channel 3, and the fourth bit corresponds to frequency hopping channel 4. If the value of the 4 bits is "0101", it indicates that frequency hopping channels 1 and 3 are unavailable frequency hopping channels, and frequency hopping channels 2 and 4 are available frequency hopping channels.

[0203] S502: The first slave node performs communication based on the first configuration information.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the first slave node communicates with another slave node using the time-domain resources and available frequency-hopping channels configured in the first configuration information.

[0205] Typically, there are multiple available frequency-hopping channels, as indicated by the frequency-hopping channel instruction information described above. It can be understood that a first slave node may determine one frequency-hopping channel from the multiple available channels according to a specific rule and communicate with another slave node on that frequency-hopping channel. Subsequently, over time, the first slave node may further determine a new frequency-hopping channel according to the rule and communicate with another slave node on that new frequency-hopping channel. For further details, please refer to the above explanation of frequency hopping and frequency-hopping channels. Further details will not be provided again in this specification.

[0206] According to the method shown in Figure 5, the first node communicates on the first frequency-hopping channel by using the communication link between the first node and the first slave node, and can configure a communication link between the first slave node and another slave node, thereby allowing the first slave node to communicate directly with another slave node based on the configuration of the first node. This avoids contention between the resources of the direct link and the resources of the master and slave communication links, improving communication performance. Furthermore, in the method shown in Figure 5, all resources in the communication domain are managed and maintained by the master node, and the slave nodes do not need to configure the resources of the direct link. This reduces the complexity and power consumption of the slave nodes.

[0207] In an optional implementation of the method shown in Figure 5, the first configuration information is semi-static configuration information and is used to configure potentially available resources in the communication link. Not all of these potentially available resources may be used for the communication link between the first slave node and other slave nodes. That is, the first node configures at least one transmit opportunity group (or at least one transmit opportunity) for the first slave node, but not all transmit opportunity groups (or all transmit opportunities) may be used for the communication link between the first slave node and other slave nodes. In this case, the first node may use a first message to indicate to the first slave node that the transmit opportunity group (or transmit opportunity) can be used for the communication link between the first slave node and other slave nodes. In the process described above, the first node can flexibly adjust the resource usage based on changes in the transmission and communication requirements of the master and slave communication links and / or direct links, thereby allowing resources to be allocated more dynamically to different links. For example, the method shown in Figure 5 may further include step S503.

[0208] S503: The first node sends the first message to the first slave node. In response, the first slave node receives the first message from the first node.

[0209] The first message may indicate that the fourth transmission opportunity group will be used for the communication link described above. In this way, after receiving the first message, the first slave node may determine, based on the first message, that the fourth transmission opportunity group can be used for the communication link described above. Alternatively, the first message may indicate that the third transmission opportunity will be used for the communication link. In this way, after receiving the first message, the first slave node may determine, based on the first message, that the third transmission opportunity can be used for the communication link described above.

[0210] The fourth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link, or the fourth transmission opportunity group is included in at least one transmission opportunity group. The third transmission opportunity is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link, or the third transmission opportunity is included in at least one transmission opportunity.

[0211] For example, if the first message indicates that the fourth transmission opportunity group is used for the aforementioned communication link, the first node will either begin sending the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or send the first message in a time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group. There are no resources used to send another message between the fourth transmission opportunity group and the time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group.

[0212] In another example, if the first message indicates that a third transmission opportunity is to be used for the communication link, the first node either begins sending the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or sends the first message in one go in a time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the third transmission opportunity. There are no resources available to send another message between the third transmission opportunity and the time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the third transmission opportunity.

[0213] In the design, if the first slave node does not receive the first message, the first slave node will not use the fourth transmission opportunity group or the third transmission opportunity to communicate with another slave node.

[0214] In yet another design, after receiving the first message, the first slave node synchronizes with another slave node based on the first message. In other words, the first message may be used further for synchronization between the first slave node and another slave node, or it may be used as a timing reference between the first slave node and another slave node. For example, the first message may contain a synchronization signal. After receiving the first message, the first slave node and another slave node may perform time-frequency synchronization based on the synchronization signal. The transmission time of the first message is close to the time when the first slave node or another slave node transmits and / or receives a message in the fourth or third transmission opportunity group. Therefore, when the first slave node or another slave node transmits and / or receives a message in the fourth or third transmission opportunity group, the clock drift is small and the synchronization effect is good.

[0215] Optionally, the first node sends a second message to the first slave node. In response, the first slave node receives the second message from the first node. The second message may indicate that the fifth transmission opportunity group is not used for the communication link described above. Thus, after receiving the second message, the first slave node may determine, based on the second message, that the fifth transmission opportunity group cannot be used for the communication link described above. Alternatively, the second message may indicate that the fourth transmission opportunity is not used for the communication link described above. Thus, after receiving the second message, the first slave node may determine, based on the second message, that the fourth transmission opportunity cannot be used for the communication link described above.

[0216] The fifth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link, or the fifth transmission opportunity group is included in at least one transmission opportunity group. The fourth transmission opportunity is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link, or the fourth transmission opportunity is included in at least one transmission opportunity.

[0217] For example, if the second message indicates that the fifth transmission opportunity group is not used for the aforementioned communication link, the first node will either begin sending the second message from the time domain start position of the fifth transmission opportunity group, or send the second message in a time domain resource that is in front of and adjacent to the fifth transmission opportunity group. There are no resources available for sending another message between the fifth transmission opportunity group and the time domain resource that is in front of and adjacent to the fifth transmission opportunity group.

[0218] In another example, if the second message indicates that the fourth transmission opportunity is not used for the communication link, the first node will either begin transmitting the second message from the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity, or transmit the second message in a time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity. There are no resources available to transmit another message between the fourth transmission opportunity and the time domain resources that are before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity.

[0219] In an optional possible implementation of the method shown in Figure 5, the first slave node sends communication link configuration request information to the first node, so that the first node can properly configure the communication link for the first slave node based on the communication link configuration request information in order to make the most of resources and avoid contention. For example, the method shown in Figure 2 may further include step S500.

[0220] S500: The first slave node transmits communication link configuration request information to the first node. In response, the first node receives communication link configuration request information from the first slave node.

[0221] Communication link configuration request information can be used to request the configuration of a communication link.

[0222] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information may include one or more of the following: communication link type information, instruction information for at least two second nodes, communication link period information, communication link delay request information, communication link traffic volume information, or communication link resource request information.

[0223] The link type information of a communication link may indicate the type of communication link. For a description of the types of communication links, please refer to the above-mentioned explanation of technical terms in the embodiments of this application. The information indicating at least two second nodes may indicate at least two second nodes, where at least two second nodes include nodes corresponding to the communication link. The periodic information of a communication link may indicate the periodicity of resource requests for the communication link. The delay request information of a communication link may indicate delay requests for the communication link. The traffic volume information of a communication link may indicate the traffic volume of the communication link. The resource request information of a communication link may indicate resource requests for the communication link, such as the amount or length of time units required by the communication link.

[0224] It can be understood that the communication link configuration request information described above is requested by the first slave node from the first node, or that the first slave node instructs the first node to provide information requested by the first slave node. After receiving the communication link configuration request information, the first configuration information transmitted by the first node to the first slave node may or may not be configured based on the information in the communication link configuration request information. This is not limited to the above.

[0225] The operation of the first node or first slave node in S500 to S503 may be performed by the processor 401 in the communication device 40 shown in Figure 4. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0226] In the method shown in Figure 5, the communication link between at least two second nodes is configured by the first node. In certain applications, the first node may alternatively determine one node from at least two second nodes, and the communication link between at least two second nodes may alternatively be configured by the node determined by the first node. In this way, the complexity of resource management by the first node can be reduced.

[0227] Figure 6 shows yet another communication method according to one embodiment of the present application. This communication method includes steps S601 and S602.

[0228] S601: The first node transmits the configuration information for the third to the third slave node. In response, the third slave node receives the configuration information for the third from the first node.

[0229] The first node may be the master node of the third slave node, and the third slave node may be the slave node of the first node. The third slave node may be one node in at least two second nodes. The third slave node may be a control node of at least two second nodes and may transmit control information for the communication link to nodes other than the third slave node in at least two second nodes. In this embodiment of the present application, the third slave node may be referred to as a node that manages slave nodes. That is, the third slave node may manage at least two second nodes and, for example, may establish a communication link between at least two second nodes.

[0230] For example, the communication system 30 shown in Figure 3A is used as an example, and the first node may be the master node 301 in the communication system 30. At least two second nodes include at least two of the slave nodes 302, 303, or 304. If at least two second nodes include slave nodes 302 and 303, the third slave node may be either slave node 302 or slave node 303. If at least two second nodes include slave nodes 302 and 304, the third slave node may be either slave node 302 or slave node 304. If at least two second nodes include slave nodes 303 and 304, the third slave node may be either slave node 303 or slave node 304. If at least two second nodes include slave nodes 302, 303, and 304, the third slave node may be either slave node 302, 303, or slave node 304.

[0231] In possible implementations, the third configuration information includes instruction information for the third slave node and / or instruction information for the first resource. The instruction information for the third slave node may indicate the third slave node. For example, the instruction information for the third slave node includes an identifier for the third slave node. The first resource may be used to transmit control information for the communication link from the control node. The communication link is a communication link between at least two second nodes. For a description of the communication link, see the corresponding description in step S501. Further details are not provided herein. The control information for the communication link may be used to configure the communication link between at least two second nodes. The communication link includes a direct link between at least two second nodes.

[0232] Optionally, the first node may further transmit the third configuration information to at least two second nodes other than the third slave node (e.g., a fourth slave node) to instruct these nodes on the third slave node and the first resource. Alternatively, after receiving the third configuration information, the third slave node may transmit the third configuration information to at least two second nodes other than the third slave node (e.g., a fourth slave node) using a second communication link or second communication link group between the third slave node and at least two second nodes other than the third slave node. The second communication link or second communication link group may be configured by the first node, the third slave node, or another node before the third slave node transmits the third configuration information. Subsequently, at least two second nodes other than the third slave node may receive communication link control information from the third slave node on the first resource.

[0233] In possible implementations, the first node or the third slave node may transmit third configuration information in a unicast or multicast manner.

[0234] S602: The third slave node transmits control information for the communication link on the first resource.

[0235] In a possible implementation, the third slave node generates or obtains control information for the communication link and transmits this information to at least two other second nodes on the first resource, excluding the third slave node (for example, a fourth slave node).

[0236] In possible implementations, the control information for the communication link includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first communication link, the identifier of the first communication link group, the node identifier, the type information of the first communication link, the type information of the communication link in the first communication link group, the initial time-domain resource information, or the frequency-hopping channel instruction information. For details, see the description of the first configuration information in the method shown in Figure 5. Further details will not be described again in this specification. That is, unlike the method shown in Figure 5, in the method shown in Figure 6, the communication links between at least two second nodes are configured by a third slave node.

[0237] Prior to step S602, it can be understood that resources may be pre-configured so that the third slave node can establish a communication link between at least two second nodes. The resources may be set by the first node or defined in a protocol, but are not limited to this. In this way, conflicts between resources configured by the third slave node and resources configured by another node can be avoided.

[0238] Optionally, after step S602, the third slave node sends a third message to at least two second nodes other than the third slave node, indicating that a group of transmission opportunities or transmission opportunities in a time-domain resource, which is configured by using the control information of the communication link, may be used for the communication link. See the corresponding description in step S503 for details. Further details are not described further herein.

[0239] According to the method shown in Figure 6, the first node may configure a third slave node having specific direct link management or configuration functions and resources for transmitting corresponding management signaling (e.g., control information for communication links), thereby enabling the third slave node to manage or configure communication links between at least two second nodes. For example, the third slave node may allocate resources to a communication link between at least two second nodes using resources allocated to at least two second nodes, thereby avoiding resource contention and improving communication performance. Furthermore, compared to the method shown in Figure 5, after the first node determines the third slave node, the communication link between at least two second nodes may be configured by the third slave node and does not need to be configured by the first node. This reduces the complexity of resource management by the first node. In the method shown in Figure 6, direct links are managed by nodes that use direct links for communication, thereby reducing the dependency of slave nodes on the master node and on master and slave links, improving the flexibility of resource configuration and the independence of direct links.

[0240] The operations of the first node or the third slave node in steps S601 and S602 may be performed by the processor 401 in the communication device 40 shown in Figure 4 by calling application program code stored in memory 403. This is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0241] It can be understood that the methods shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 may be combined with each other. For example, in the communication method provided in this embodiment of the application, steps S501 and S502 may be performed first, followed by steps S601 and S602. In other words, the first node may first establish a communication link between at least two second nodes. After the first node has determined a third slave node, the third slave node may establish a communication link between at least two second nodes. In one embodiment in which the method shown in Figure 5 is combined with the method shown in Figure 6, it can be understood that the first slave node and the third slave node may be the same or different. The communication link between at least two second nodes established by the first node may be the same as or different from the communication link between at least two second nodes established by the third slave node. For example, the initial time-domain resource information and / or frequency-hopping channel instruction information included in the first configuration information in step S501 is different from the initial time-domain resource information and / or frequency-hopping channel instruction information included in the communication link control information in step S602.

[0242] In the embodiments described above, it can be understood that the methods and / or procedures implemented by the first node may, alternatively, be implemented by components used in the first node (e.g., chips or circuits). The methods and / or procedures implemented by the first slave node may, alternatively, be implemented by components used in the first slave node (e.g., chips or circuits). The methods and / or procedures implemented by the third slave node may, alternatively, be implemented by components used in the third slave node (e.g., chips or circuits).

[0243] The above describes the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, primarily from the perspective of interaction between nodes. Correspondingly, embodiments of this application further provide a communication device. This communication device may be the first node in the embodiments of the method described above, a device including the first node described above, or a component that can be used as the first node. Alternatively, this communication device may be the first slave node in the embodiments of the method described above, a device including the first slave node, or a component that can be used as the first slave node. Alternatively, this communication device may be the third slave node in the embodiments of the method described above, a device including the third slave node described above, or a component that can be used as the third slave node. To implement the functions described above, it can be understood that the first node, the first slave node, or the third slave node, etc., may include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing each function. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, in combination with the example units and algorithmic operations described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented by hardware, or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed by hardware or by computer software-driven hardware depends on the specific application and the design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art may implement the functions described for each specific application using different methods, but such implementations should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0244] In this embodiment of the present application, the division of functional modules may be performed on a first node, a first slave node, or a third slave node based on the method examples described above. For example, each functional module may be obtained by division based on each corresponding function, or two or more functions may be integrated into a single processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in hardware form or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present application, the module division is an example and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementations, other division patterns may be used.

[0245] For example, if each functional module is obtained by division in an integrated configuration, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the communication device 70. The communication device 70 includes a transmitting module 701. The transmitting module 701 is also known as a transmitting unit and is configured to implement a transmitting function, and may be, for example, a transmitting circuit, transmitter, transmitter, or communication interface. Optionally, the communication device 70 further includes a receiving module 702. The receiving module 702 is also known as a receiving unit and is configured to implement a receiving function, and may be, for example, a receiving circuit, receiver, receiver, or communication interface.

[0246] For example, the communication device 70 is configured to implement the functions of the first node. The communication device 70 is, for example, the first node in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 or the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0247] The transmitting module 701 is configured to transmit first configuration information over a first frequency-hopping channel. The first configuration information is used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes. The communication link includes a direct link between at least two second nodes. The first node corresponding to the communication device 70 is the master node of at least one of the two second nodes corresponding to the direct link. When we say that the communication device 70 corresponds to the first node, it can be understood that the communication device 70 is the first node itself, or a component, chip, or integrated circuit within the first node.

[0248] In a possible implementation, the first node is the master node for two second nodes that correspond to direct links.

[0249] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link.

[0250] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is either the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group.

[0251] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity count information, second time-length information, or information about a second starting position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and different transmission opportunities constitute the same sequence of resources used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, the transmission opportunity count information includes the transmission opportunity count in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second starting position includes the time-domain starting position for transmitting or receiving a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0252] In a possible implementation, the transmit module 701 is further configured to transmit a first message, which indicates that a fourth transmit opportunity group is used for the communication link and that the fourth transmit opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link.

[0253] In a possible implementation, the transmit module 701 is specifically configured to: initiate the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmit opportunity group, or transmit the first message in a time domain resource that is prior to the fourth transmit opportunity group but adjacent to it.

[0254] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module 701 is further configured to transmit a first message, which indicates that a third transmission opportunity is used for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the communication time-domain resources.

[0255] In a possible implementation, the transmit module 701 is specifically configured to: initiate the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmit opportunity, or transmit the first message in a time domain resource that is prior to the third transmit opportunity and adjacent to the third transmit opportunity.

[0256] In possible implementations, the first message is further used to synchronize at least two second nodes.

[0257] In possible implementations, the communication device 70 further includes a receiving module 702. The receiving module 702 is configured to receive communication link configuration request information, which is used to request the configuration of a communication link.

[0258] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information includes one or more of the following: namely, link type information for the communication link, instruction information for at least two second nodes, period information for the communication link, delay request information for the communication link, traffic volume information for the communication link, and resource request information for the communication link.

[0259] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module 701 is specifically configured to transmit first configuration information to a first slave node on a first frequency-hopping channel, the first slave node being a node in at least two second nodes, and the first configuration information is used to establish a communication link between the first slave node and the nodes other than the first slave node in at least two second nodes. The transmitting module 701 is further configured to transmit second configuration information to a second slave node on a second frequency-hopping channel, the second slave node being a second node in at least two second nodes, distinct from the first slave node, and the second configuration information is used to establish a communication link between the second slave node and the nodes other than the second slave node in at least two second nodes.

[0260] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module 701 is specifically configured to transmit first configuration information to a second node group on a first frequency-hopping channel, the second node group including at least two second nodes.

[0261] In a possible implementation, the transmitting module 701 is further configured to transmit third configuration information, which includes instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, wherein the third slave node is a node in at least two second nodes, the third slave node is a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource is used to transmit control information for the communication link from the control node.

[0262] If the communication device 70 is configured to implement the functions of the first node, other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 70 can be referenced to the embodiments shown in Figure 5 or the relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown in Figure 6. Further details will not be described again.

[0263] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 70 may be configured as shown in Figure 4. For example, the processor 401 in Figure 4 may call computer executable instructions stored in memory 403, enabling the communication device 70 to perform the method in the embodiment of the method described above.

[0264] For example, the functions / implementation processes of the transmitting module 701 and the receiving module 702 in Figure 7 can be implemented by the processor 401 in Figure 4 by calling computer executable instructions stored in memory 403. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the transmitting module 701 and the receiving module 702 in Figure 7 can be implemented by the communication interface 404 in Figure 4.

[0265] For example, when each functional module is obtained by division in an integrated manner, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the communication device 80. The communication device 80 includes a receiving module 801 and a processing module 802. Receiving module 80 1 This is also known as a receiving unit and is configured to implement a receiving function, and may be, for example, a receiving circuit, receiver, receiver, or communication interface. Optionally, the communication device 80 further includes a transmitting module 803. The transmitting module 803 is also known as a transmitting unit and is configured to implement a transmitting function, and may be, for example, a transmitting circuit, transmitter, transmitter, or communication interface.

[0266] For example, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of the first slave node. The communication device 80 is, for example, the first slave node in the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

[0267] The receiving module 801 is configured to receive first configuration information from a first node on a first frequency hopping channel, the first configuration information is used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes, the at least two second nodes including the target node, the communication link includes a direct link between the target node and at least one second node located within the at least two second nodes but different from the target node, and the first node is the master node of the target node.

[0268] The processing module 802 is configured to communicate with at least one second node, which is different from the target node, among at least two second nodes, based on the first configuration information.

[0269] In a possible implementation, the first node is the master node for two second nodes that correspond to direct links.

[0270] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link.

[0271] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is either the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group.

[0272] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity count information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and different transmission opportunities constitute the same sequence of resources used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, the transmission opportunity count information includes the transmission opportunity count in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group, the second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the information about a second start position includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0273] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 801 is further configured to receive a first message, which indicates that a fourth transmission opportunity group is used for the communication link and that the fourth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link.

[0274] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 801 is specifically configured to: initiate reception of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or receive the first message in a time domain resource that is before and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group.

[0275] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 801 is further configured to receive a first message, which indicates that a third transmission opportunity is used for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link.

[0276] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 801 is specifically configured to: begin receiving the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or receive the first message in a time domain resource that precedes and is adjacent to the third transmission opportunity.

[0277] In a possible implementation, the processing module 802 is further configured to synchronize with nodes in at least two second nodes based on the first message.

[0278] In possible implementations, the communication device 80 further includes a transmitting module 803. The transmitting module 803 is configured to transmit communication link configuration request information, which is used to request the configuration of a communication link.

[0279] In possible implementations, communication link configuration request information may include one or more of the following: communication link type information, instruction information for at least two second nodes, communication link period information, communication link delay request information, communication link traffic volume information, and communication link resource request information.

[0280] In a possible implementation, the receiving module 801 is further configured to receive third configuration information, which includes instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, wherein the third slave node is a node in at least two second nodes, the third slave node is a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource is used to transmit control information for the communication link from the control node.

[0281] If the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of the first slave node, other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 80 can be referenced to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 5. Further details will not be provided.

[0282] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 80 may be configured as shown in Figure 8. For example, the processor 401 in Figure 4 may call computer executable instructions stored in memory 403, enabling the communication device 80 to perform the method in the embodiment of the method described above.

[0283] For example, the functions / implementation processes of the receiving module 801, the processing module 802, and the transmitting module 803 in FIG. 8 can be implemented by the processor 401 in FIG. 4 by calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403. Alternatively, the function / implementation process of the processing module 802 in FIG. 8 can be implemented by the processor 401 in FIG. 4 by calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403, and the functions / implementation processes of the receiving module 801 and the transmitting module 803 in FIG. 4 can be implemented by the communication interface 404 in FIG. 4.

[0284] For example, when each functional module is obtained by splitting in an integrated manner, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the communication device 90. The communication device 90 includes a receiving module 901 and a transmitting module 902. The receiving module 901, also known as a receiving unit, is configured to implement a receiving function and may be, for example, a receiving circuit, a receiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. The transmitting module 902, also known as a transmitting unit, is configured to implement a transmitting function and may be, for example, a transmitting circuit, a transmitter, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0285] For example, the communication device 90 is configured to implement the function of the third slave node. The communication device 90 is, for example, the third slave node in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

[0286] The receiving module 901 is configured to receive third configuration information, which includes instruction information of the third slave node corresponding to the communication device 90 and / or instruction information of the first resource. The fact that the third slave node corresponds to the communication device 90 can be understood as that the communication device 90 is the first node itself, or a component, chip, or integrated circuit inside the first node.

[0287] The transmitting module 902 is configured to transmit control information of the communication link to second nodes other than the third slave node in at least two second nodes on the first resource, and the communication link includes a direct link between at least two second nodes.

[0288] In a possible implementation, a communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, and the control information for the communication link includes one or more of the following: an identifier for the first communication link, an identifier for the first communication link group, a node identifier, type information for the first communication link, type information for the communication link in the first communication link group, initial time-domain resource information, or frequency-hopping channel indication information. The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes multiple communication links between at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link.

[0289] In a possible implementation, the time-domain resources of a communication link include at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information includes one or more of the following: periodic information of the transmission opportunity group, first time-length information, or information about the first starting position. All of the at least one transmission opportunity group are continuous in the time domain, the first time-length information includes information indicating the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the information about the first starting position includes information indicating the time-domain starting position of the second transmission opportunity group in at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is either the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group.

[0290] In a possible implementation, a transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, a time-domain resource for a communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information further includes one or more of the following: transmission opportunity count information, second time-length information, or information about a second start position. A transmission opportunity is used by a second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, resources of the same sequence are used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message; transmission opportunity count information includes the number of transmission opportunities in a third transmission opportunity group within at least one transmission opportunity group; second time-length information includes the time-domain length of the first transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity; and second start position information includes the time-domain start position for the transmission or reception of a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity of at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity.

[0291] If the communication device 90 is configured to implement the functions of a third slave node, other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 90 can be referenced to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6. Further details will not be provided.

[0292] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 90 may be configured as shown in Figure 4. For example, the processor 401 in Figure 4 may call computer executable instructions stored in memory 403, enabling the communication device 90 to perform the method in the embodiment of the method described above.

[0293] For example, the functions / actual processes of the receiving module 901 and transmitting module 902 in Figure 9 can be implemented by the processor 401 in Figure 4 by calling computer executable instructions stored in memory 403. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the receiving module 901 and transmitting module 902 in Figure 9 can be implemented by the communication interface 404 in Figure 4.

[0294] It should be noted that one or more of the modules or units described above may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. If any of the modules or units described above are implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor may be configured to execute program instructions and implement the method procedures described above. The processor may be integrated into a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or an ASIC, or it may be a standalone semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions and perform calculations or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0295] If the above-mentioned modules or units are implemented using hardware, the hardware may be any one or any combination of a CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, dedicated digital circuitry, hardware accelerator, non-integrated discrete device, or terminal equipment, and the hardware may or may not rely on software to perform the above-mentioned method procedures. Terminal equipment may be, for example, intelligent terminals, intelligent wearable devices, intelligent manufacturing equipment, intelligent transportation equipment, or intelligent home equipment.

[0296] Optionally, one embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system. The chip system includes at least one processor and an interface. The at least one processor is coupled to memory via the interface. When the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in memory, the method according to any one of the embodiments of the method described above is performed. In possible implementations, the chip system further includes memory. Optionally, the chip system may include a chip, or a chip and another discrete component. This is not particularly limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0297] Optionally, one embodiment of this application further provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the procedures in the embodiments of the method described above may be implemented by a computer program that instructs the relevant hardware. This program may be stored in the computer-readable storage medium described above. When the program is executed, the procedures in the embodiments of the method described above may be executed. The computer-readable storage medium may be an internal storage device of any of the embodiments described above, for example, a hard disk or memory of the communication device. Alternatively, the computer-readable storage medium may be an external storage device of the communication device, for example, a plug-in hard disk, a SmartMedia card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) card, or a flash card configured in the communication device. Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium may include both the internal and external storage devices of the communication device. The computer-readable storage medium is configured to store computer programs, as well as other programs and data required by the communication device. The computer-readable storage medium may be further configured to temporarily store data that is being output or should be output.

[0298] Optionally, one embodiment of this application further provides a computer program product. All or part of the steps in the embodiments of the method described above may be completed by a computer program that instructs the relevant hardware. This program may be stored in the computer program product described above. When the program is executed, it may include the steps of the embodiments of the method described above.

[0299] Optionally, one embodiment of this application further provides computer instructions. Related hardware (e.g., a computer, processor, access network equipment, mobility management network element, or session management network element) can be instructed through the computer instructions to complete all or part of the steps in the embodiments of the method described above. This program may be stored in the computer-readable storage medium described above, or in the computer program product described above.

[0300] The above-described explanation of implementation will enable those skilled in the art to understand that, for the purpose of convenience and concise explanation, the division of the functional modules described above is taken as an illustrative example. In actual applications, the functions described above can be assigned to different modules and implemented according to the requirements; that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to implement all or some of the functions described above.

[0301] It should be understood that in some embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed apparatus and methods may be implemented in other embodiments. For example, the embodiments of the described apparatus are merely examples. For example, the division into modules or units is merely a logical functional division, and other divisions may be possible in actual implementations. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another apparatus, and some functions may be ignored or not performed. Furthermore, the mutual or direct coupling or communication connection shown or described may be implemented by using some interfaces. Indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatus or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical or other forms.

[0302] Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separated, and parts shown as units may be one or more physical units, or may be located in one place, or may be dispersed in different places. Some or all of the units may be selected based on the actual requirements for achieving the objectives of the solution of the embodiment.

[0303] Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically independently, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. It's fine. The integrated unit may be implemented in hardware form or in the form of a software function unit.

[0304] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modification or substitution within the technical scope disclosed in this application shall be included within the scope of protection of this application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of this application shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to the first node, A step of transmitting first configuration information on a first frequency hopping channel, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure a communication link between at least two second nodes. Equipped with The communication link includes a direct link between the at least two second nodes, and the first node is the master node of at least one of the at least two second nodes corresponding to the direct link. method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first node is the master node of the at least two second nodes corresponding to the direct link.

3. The aforementioned communication link includes a first communication link or a first communication link group, The first configuration information is, The identifier of the first communication link, The identifier of the first communication link group, Node identifier, Information on the type of the first communication link, Information on the type of communication link in the first communication link group, Initial time domain resource information, or Frequency hopping channel indication information Includes one or more of the following: The first communication link is a communication link between two second nodes in the at least two second nodes, the first communication link group includes a plurality of communication links between the at least two second nodes, the node identifier is used to identify at least one node in the at least two second nodes, the initial time-domain resource information indicates the time-domain resources of the communication link, and the frequency-hopping channel indication information indicates the available frequency-hopping channels in the communication link. The method according to claim 1.

4. The time-domain resource of the communication link includes at least one transmission opportunity group, and the initial time-domain resource information is Periodic information of the aforementioned transmission opportunity group, The first time length information, or Information regarding the first starting position Includes one or more of the following: All of the at least one transmission opportunity groups are continuous in the time domain, the first time length information includes information indicating the time domain length of the first transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, the first start position information includes information indicating the time domain start position of the second transmission opportunity group in the at least one transmission opportunity group, and the first transmission opportunity group is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity group. The method according to claim 3.

5. The transmission opportunity group includes at least one transmission opportunity, the time-domain resource of the communication link includes at least two transmission opportunities, and the initial time-domain resource information is The quantity information of the aforementioned transmission opportunities, Second time length information, or Information regarding the second starting position This further includes one or more of the following: The transmission opportunity is used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, and in different transmission opportunities, the same sequence of resources is used by the second node for the transmission of at least one direct communication message and / or the reception of at least one direct communication message, the quantity information of the transmission opportunity includes the quantity of transmission opportunities in a third transmission opportunity group within the group of at least one transmission opportunity, the second time length information includes the time domain length of the first transmission opportunity in the at least one transmission opportunity, the information relating to the second start position includes the time domain start position for transmitting or receiving a direct communication message in the second transmission opportunity in the at least one transmission opportunity, and the first transmission opportunity is the same as or different from the second transmission opportunity. The method according to claim 4.

6. Steps include sending a first message, the first message indicating that a fourth transmission opportunity group is used for the communication link and that the fourth transmission opportunity group is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The step of sending the first message is, The steps include: starting the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the fourth transmission opportunity group, or transmitting the first message in a time domain resource that is before the fourth transmission opportunity group and adjacent to the fourth transmission opportunity group. The method according to claim 6, including the method described in claim 6.

8. A step of sending a first message, the first message indicating that a third transmission opportunity is used for the communication link and that the third transmission opportunity is included in the time-domain resources of the communication link. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

9. The step of sending the first message is, The steps include: starting the transmission of the first message at the time domain start position of the third transmission opportunity, or transmitting the first message in a time domain resource adjacent to the third transmission opportunity before the third transmission opportunity. The method according to claim 8, including the method described in claim 8.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first message is further used to synchronize the at least two second nodes.

11. A step of receiving communication link configuration request information, wherein the communication link configuration request information is used to request the configuration of the communication link. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

12. The communication link configuration request information includes the link type information of the communication link, the instruction information of the at least two second nodes, the period information of the communication link, the delay request information of the communication link, the traffic volume information of the communication link, or the resource request information of the communication link. The method according to claim 11, comprising one or more of the above.

13. The step of transmitting first configuration information on a first frequency hopping channel is: A step of transmitting the first configuration information to a first slave node on the first frequency hopping channel, wherein the first slave node is a node in the at least two second nodes, and the first configuration information is used to configure a communication link between the first slave node and nodes other than the first slave node in the at least two second nodes. Includes, The aforementioned method, A step of transmitting second configuration information to a second slave node on a second frequency hopping channel, wherein the second slave node is a node within the at least two second nodes and is different from the first slave node, and the second configuration information is used to configure a communication link between the second slave node and the nodes other than the second slave node in the at least two second nodes. Furthermore, The method according to claim 1.

14. The step of transmitting first configuration information on a first frequency hopping channel is: A step of transmitting the first configuration information to a second node group on the first frequency hopping channel, wherein the second node group includes at least two second nodes. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

15. A step of transmitting third configuration information, wherein the third configuration information includes instruction information for a third slave node and / or instruction information for a first resource, the third slave node being a node in at least two second nodes, the third slave node being a control node in at least two second nodes, and the first resource being used to transmit control information for the communication link from the control node. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

16. A communication device comprising at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instruction and transmit the computer program or instruction to the at least one processor, and the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction, thereby enabling the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instruction, wherein when the computer program or instruction is executed, the computer is able to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. A terminal device comprising a communication device configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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