Multi-path processing method and apparatus and communication system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a multi-path processing method and apparatus and a communication system. The method comprises: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message used for adding or changing a direct path and sent by a network device, and stopping a T304 timer once a random access process is successfully completed. Therefore, it is helpful for a remote terminal device to identify a direct path addition failure, and the remote terminal device can be prevented from ending a direct path addition or change process due to prematurely stopping T304 before direct path addition or change succeeds, so that a direct path can be reliably added or changed.

Description

Multipath processing method, device and communication system Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies. Background Art

[0002] In 3GPP Release 18, research is underway to support multipath solutions to enhance communication reliability and throughput. A multipath scenario involves a remote UE connecting to the same network device (e.g., a gNB) using both a direct path and an indirect path. For example, a direct path involves the UE connecting directly to the network device via the Uu interface; an indirect path involves the UE connecting to the network device via a Layer 2 (L2) UE-to-Network relay, such as a relay UE.

[0003] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is merely for convenience, to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because they are described in the background technology section of this application.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The inventors discovered that in some multipath scenarios, it is impossible to reliably add or change a direct path; the signaling details of adding or changing the path switch process in direct path scenarios and the configuration method of the primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device in direct path scenarios need to be further clarified.

[0006] In response to at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a multi-path processing method, apparatus, remote terminal device, network device, and communication system.

[0007] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing device is provided, which is configured in a remote terminal device, and the device includes: a receiving unit, which receives an RRC reconfiguration message sent by a network device to add or change a direct path; and a processing unit, which stops the 304 timer when the random access process is successfully completed.

[0008] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing device is provided, which is configured in a remote terminal device, wherein the device includes: a receiving unit, which receives first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device, the first configuration information including second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information, or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE, information element).

[0009] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing device is provided, configured in a remote terminal device, wherein the device includes: a communication unit that communicates with a network device via a first direct path and an indirect path; a receiving unit that receives fourth configuration information sent by the network device to change the first direct path to a second direct path; and a processing unit that configures a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device based on the fourth configuration information.

[0010] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing method is provided, which is applied to a remote terminal device, the method comprising: receiving an RRC reconfiguration message sent by a network device to add or change a direct path; and stopping a 304 timer when the random access process is successfully completed.

[0011] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing method is provided, which is applied to a remote terminal device, and the method includes: receiving first configuration information sent by a network device to add or change a direct path, the first configuration information including second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, the second configuration information and the third configuration information being included in the same or different special cell configuration information, or the third configuration information being included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell, or the third configuration information being included in a new information element.

[0012] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multipath processing method is provided, applied to a remote terminal device, the method comprising: communicating with a network device via a first direct path and an indirect path; receiving fourth configuration information sent by the network device to change the first direct path to a second direct path; and configuring a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device based on the fourth configuration information.

[0013] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing device is provided, which is configured in a network device, and the device includes: a sending unit, which sends first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path to a remote terminal device, wherein the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, and the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information, or the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell, or the third configuration information is included in a new information element.

[0014] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multipath processing device is provided, configured in a network device. The device includes: a communication unit that communicates with a remote terminal device via a first direct path and an indirect path; and a sending unit that sends fourth configuration information to the remote terminal device, which changes the first direct path to a second direct path, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0015] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path processing method is provided, which is applied to a network device, and the method includes: sending first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path to a remote terminal device, the first configuration information including second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, the second configuration information and the third configuration information being included in the same or different special cell configuration information, or the third configuration information being included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information being included in a new information element (IE).

[0016] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multipath processing method is provided, applied to a network device, the method comprising: communicating with a remote terminal device via a first direct path and an indirect path; and sending fourth configuration information to the remote terminal device to change the first direct path to a second direct path, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0017] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a remote terminal device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the multi-path processing method on the remote terminal device side.

[0018] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a network device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the multipath processing method on the network device side.

[0019] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, comprising the above-mentioned network device and / or the above-mentioned remote terminal device.

[0020] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that: a direct path can be reliably added or changed; or, the signaling details of the path switching process when adding or changing a direct path can be clearly specified; or, the setting method of the primary cell of the remote terminal device when changing the direct path can be clearly specified.

[0021] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0022] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0023] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0025] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a multipath scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path protocol stack structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a process for adding a direct path according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of a multi-path processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the process of step 703 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of a multi-path processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] 11 to 15 are schematic diagrams of a multi-path processing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a remote terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0038] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0039] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), etc., and / or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0040] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0041] Base stations may include, but are not limited to, NodeB (NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), and 5G base stations (gNB), among others. They may also include remote radio heads (RRHs), remote radio units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" may include some or all of their functions, and each base station may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. The term "cell" may refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), a station, and so on.

[0043] Among them, terminal devices may include but are not limited to the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

[0044] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measurement, including but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle-mounted communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, terminals that support edge links, and the like.

[0045] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which can be a base station or one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the user or terminal side, which can be a UE or one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, illustrating a situation using a remote terminal device, a relay terminal device, and a network device as an example. As shown in Figure 1 , communication system 100 may include a remote terminal device 101, a relay terminal device 102, and a network device 103. Remote terminal device 101 is connected to network device 103 via a direct path and an indirect path. For simplicity, Figure 1 illustrates only two terminal devices (one remote terminal device and one relay terminal device) and one network device as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present application, existing services or future services can be carried out between the network device 103 and the remote terminal device 101 and the relay terminal device 102. For example, these services may include, but are not limited to, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multipath scenario in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present application, a remote terminal device can communicate with a network device (e.g., a gNB) via both a direct path and an indirect path. For example, a remote terminal device can communicate with a network device via a Uu interface (direct path) and communicate with the same network device via a relay terminal device (indirect path).

[0049] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the multi-path protocol stack structure of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the direct path between the remote terminal device and the network device uses the Uu interface protocol stack, and the indirect path between the remote terminal device and the network device is transmitted via the L2UE-to-Network relay and uses the PC5 interface and Uu interface protocol stack.

[0050] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , the RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer, SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer, and PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer in the remote terminal device are equivalent to the RRC layer, SDAP layer, and PDCP layer in the network device. PDCP layer data of the remote terminal device can be sent to the network device via an indirect path through the relay terminal device. For example, the remote terminal device PDCP PDU (Protocol Data Unit) can be sent to the relay UE via the PC5-SRAP, PC5-RLC, PC5-MAC, and PC5-PHY on the PC5 interface via the sidelink. The relay UE then sends the data to the gNB via its own Uu interface protocol stack (Uu SRAP, Uu-RLC, Uu-MAC, and Uu-PHY). The gNB receives the data from the Uu interface protocol stack equivalent to the relay UE and sends it to the gNB's Uu-PDCP for processing.

[0051] Alternatively, the PDCP layer data of the remote terminal device can be sent to the network device through a direct path. For example, the remote terminal device PDCP PDU can be sent to the gNB via Uu-RLC, Uu-MAC and Uu-PHY. The Uu interface protocol stack on the gNB side that is equivalent to the remote UE receives the data and sends it to the Uu-PDCP of the gNB for processing.

[0052] In some embodiments, in a direct path and / or an indirect path, there may be one or more RLC (Radio Link Control) entities (Uu-RLC entity or PC5-RLC entity) associated with a PDCP entity of a radio bearer, which may be a split bearer or a bearer configured for duplication. Among these RLC entities, there may be a master RLC entity for transmitting at least a PDCP control PDU.

[0053] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , in the protocol stack on the gNB side, more than one Uu-MAC entity may be used to process data of a remote terminal device and a relay terminal device. The present application is not limited thereto, and a single Uu-MAC entity may also be used to process data of a remote terminal device and a relay terminal device.

[0054] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , in the protocol stack on the remote terminal device side, a PC5-MAC entity and a Uu-MAC entity can be used to process data of the indirect path and the direct path. The present application is not limited thereto, and a single MAC entity can also be used to perform the operations of PC5-MAC and Uu-MAC.

[0055] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , sending through a direct path (direct path) for example refers to the PDCP layer sending data to a Uu RLC bearer or channel or entity, and sending through an indirect path for example refers to the PDCP layer sending data to a SRAP entity of a PC5 interface and then sending the data through the RLC bearer or channel or entity of the PC5 interface.

[0056] In some embodiments, the data may be a PDCP SDU (Service Data Unit), a PDCP PDU, or an RLC SDU, etc.

[0057] In some embodiments, the gNB to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path is the same gNB as the gNB to which the remote terminal device is connected via an indirect path. The cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the direct path is the same cell as the cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the indirect path; or, the cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the direct path is different from the cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the indirect path, where the different cells may be same-frequency cells or different-frequency cells.

[0058] In some embodiments, for multipath scenario 1, the following situations may be supported:

[0059] A. The remote UE operating only on the direct path adds the indirect path under the same gNB.

[0060] B. The remote UE operating only on the indirect path adds the direct path under the same gNB.

[0061] C. The remote UE operating in multi-path releases the indirect path;

[0062] D. The remote UE operating in multi-path releases the direct path;

[0063] G. A remote UE operating in multipath changes to a new relay UE for the indirect path while keeping the direct path under the same gNB.

[0064] For scenario 1 (the remote terminal device and the relay device communicate via the PC5 interface / Sidelink), the following cases can be supported by separate releases and additions (B+D in separate reconfigurations):

[0065] E. The remote UE operating in multi-path changes the direct path to a different cell of the same gNB while using the serving relay UE for the indirect path under the same gNB.

[0066] For direct path augmentation, the following scenarios are supported:

[0067] As a baseline, direct path addition for multi-path is a path switch procedure in which the target configuration contains both paths.

[0068] Upon direct path addition for multi-path, one of the serving cells of the added direct path is configured as PCell for the remote UE.

[0069] For direct path changes, the following scenarios are supported:

[0070] Change of direct path while keeping the indirect path can be done with a release-and-add in a single RRC message. This does not exclude a gNB implementation from using separate release and add procedures instead.

[0071] Regarding the above-mentioned Case B (direct path addition) and Case E (direct path modification), both cases involve manipulation of the direct path. In some cases, it may not be possible to reliably add or modify a direct path.

[0072] Taking case B of adding a direct path as an example, the situation where a direct path cannot be added reliably is exemplified.

[0073] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a process for adding a direct path according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , a network device and a remote terminal device communicate via an indirect path. The network device sends a measurement configuration to the remote terminal device via the relay terminal device of the indirect path (401); the remote terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device via the relay terminal device of the indirect path (402); the network device decides to add a direct path based on the measurement report (403); the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the remote terminal device via the relay terminal device of the indirect path for adding a direct path (404); the remote terminal device performs random access (405); and the remote terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device (406). In 406, since the RRC reconfiguration complete message sent by the remote UE is carried by SRB1, if SRB1 is configured on the indirect path (SRB1 is only configured on the indirect path), split SRB1 (for example, the primary RLC entity of split SRB1 is configured on the indirect path), or duplication SRB1 (SRB1 is configured for repeated transmission, that is, the data of SRB1 is repeated at the PDCP layer and transmitted through the direct path and the indirect path), the RRC reconfiguration complete message may be sent to the gNB through the indirect path.

[0074] As mentioned above, the addition of a direct path can be achieved by using a path switch process. In 3GPP Release 17, the path switch process is described as shown in Table 1:

[0075] Table 1: Description of the path switching process

[0076] If sl-PathSwitchConfig is included in reconfigurationWithSync and the remote UE successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message on the indirect path (i.e., when the second "1>" condition in Table 1 is met), the remote UE's random access procedure on the direct path may not have successfully completed. According to the description in Table 1, when the second "1>" condition in Table 1 is met, the remote UE stops timer T304 and considers the path switch procedure to be complete. However, if the remote UE's random access procedure on the direct path fails, the remote UE cannot initiate the RRC reestablishment procedure to restore the connection. As a result, the direct path cannot be reliably added.

[0077] In case E, changing the direct path can be achieved by releasing the original direct path and then adding a new one. Adding a new direct path in case E is similar to adding a direct path in case B. The above description of case B also applies to case E.

[0078] For scenario B, the PCell of the added direct path may be different from the serving cell of the relay UE in the indirect path. In this case, the remote terminal device is unclear whether the direct path configuration and the indirect path configuration are included in the same spCellConfig (special cell configuration information).

[0079] For scenario E, where the direct path is changed from a first direct path and an indirect path (direct path 1 + indirect path) to a second direct path and an indirect path (direct path 2 + indirect path), the direct path change can be performed via a release and add in a single RRC message. However, further clarification is needed regarding how the PCell is configured during the process of releasing the original direct path and then adding the new one.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, only exemplary English expressions of signaling or messages are provided. The present application is not limited thereto, and the English expressions of signaling or messages may also be in other forms. For relevant content of the signaling or messages in the embodiments of the present application, reference may be made to the relevant communication protocols.

[0081] The following describes various implementations of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These implementations are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0082] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0083] The present application embodiment provides a multi-path processing method, which is applied to a remote terminal device. FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the multi-path processing method of the present application embodiment. As shown in FIG5 , the method includes:

[0084] 501, the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device; and

[0085] 502. Upon successful completion of the random access procedure, the remote terminal device stops 304 the timer.

[0086] It is worth noting that FIG5 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG5 above.

[0087] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device to add or modify a direct path, and stops timer 304 (T304) if the random access procedure is successfully completed according to the RRC reconfiguration message. This helps the remote terminal device identify a direct path addition failure and prevents the remote terminal device from prematurely stopping T304 and terminating the direct path addition or modification procedure before the direct path addition or modification is successful. Therefore, the direct path can be reliably added or modified.

[0088] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device can communicate with the network device via an indirect path. In this case, the remote terminal device can add a direct path under the same network device.

[0089] In some embodiments, a remote terminal device can communicate with the same network device via a first direct path and an indirect path (direct path 1 + indirect path). That is, the remote terminal device is connected to the same network device using the first direct path (direct path 1) and the indirect path, and the first direct path can be connected to a first cell of the network device. In this case, the remote terminal device can change the direct path, for example, changing the first direct path to a second direct path (direct path 2). The remote terminal device communicates with the network device via the second direct path and an indirect path (direct path 2 + indirect path), wherein the second direct path can be connected to a second cell of the network device that is different from the first cell.

[0090] In some embodiments, the first cell and / or the second cell may include one or more cells of the network device, which are configured as serving cells of the remote terminal device. The difference between the first cell and the second cell may mean that the serving cell of the remote terminal device included in the first cell is not completely the same as the serving cell of the remote terminal device included in the second cell. The present application is not limited to this, and the difference between the first cell and the second cell may also mean other things.

[0091] In some embodiments, in 501, in the case of adding a direct path, the remote terminal device may receive the RRC reconfiguration message through an indirect path; in the case of changing the direct path, the remote terminal device may receive the RRC reconfiguration message through an indirect path and / or a direct path before the change.

[0092] In some embodiments, after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message to add or modify a direct path, the remote terminal device may perform random access according to the RRC reconfiguration message to add or modify the direct path. For example, the RRC reconfiguration message may include first configuration information, and the remote terminal device performs the random access procedure according to the first configuration information. The first configuration information will be described later.

[0093] In some embodiments, in 502 , the remote terminal device stops T304 upon successfully completing the random access procedure.

[0094] For example, the remote terminal equipment successfully completing the random access process is a necessary condition for T304 to be stopped. In other words, when T304 is stopped, the remote terminal equipment successfully completes the random access process.

[0095] In this case, the description of the path switching process in the 3GPP standard can be modified as shown in Table 2:

[0096] Table 2: Description of the modified path switching process

[0097] For example, as shown in Table 2, if reconfigurationWithSync is included in the spCellConfig of the primary cell group or the secondary cell group, and the MAC of the NR cell group successfully completes the triggered random access process, if T304 of the cell group is in the running state, stop T304. The present application is not limited to this, and the description of the path switching process may also be other content.

[0098] In some embodiments, as shown in Table 2, the condition for stopping T304 may not include the successful transmission of an RRC reconfiguration complete message. That is, it does not matter whether the RRC reconfiguration complete message is successfully transmitted to the relay terminal device via an indirect path or is successfully transmitted to the network device via a direct path. For example, when the remote terminal device has not successfully transmitted the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device over an indirect path, or when the remote terminal device has not successfully transmitted the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device over a direct path, the 304 timer is stopped when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the condition for stopping T304 may also include the successful transmission of an RRC reconfiguration complete message.

[0099] In some embodiments, after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message to add or change a direct path, the remote terminal device may send an RRC reconfiguration complete message via an indirect path. For example, the remote terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device over an indirect path. The present application is not limited thereto, and after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message to add or change a direct path, the remote terminal device may also send an RRC reconfiguration complete message via a direct path. For example, the remote terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device via the added or changed direct path. Alternatively, the remote terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message both over an indirect path and over a direct path.

[0100] In some embodiments, when the remote terminal device successfully sends the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, the timer 304 is stopped when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure. In other words, when the remote terminal device successfully sends the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, the timer 304 continues to run when the remote terminal device has not successfully completed the random access procedure.

[0101] In this case, the description of the path switching process in the 3GPP standard can be modified as shown in Table 3:

[0102] Table 3: Description of the modified path switching process

[0103] For example, as shown in Table 3, if sl-PathSwitchConfig is included in reconfigurationWithSync in spCellConfig of the primary cell group, the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device on the indirect path, and the MAC of the NR cell group successfully completes the triggered random access process, when T304 of the cell group is in the running state, T304 is stopped. The present application is not limited to this, and the description of the path switching process may also be other content.

[0104] In some embodiments, when the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device over the added or modified direct path, the timer is stopped 304. Since the remote terminal device has successfully completed the random access procedure when the RRC reconfiguration complete message is successfully sent to the network device over the added or modified direct path, stopping the timer 304 in this case can avoid terminating the direct path addition or modification procedure due to premature stopping of T304, thereby ensuring reliable addition or modification of the direct path.

[0105] In some embodiments, it is possible to ensure that the RRC reconfiguration complete message is sent on the direct path in various ways. For example, the main RLC entity of the split SRB1 (split SRB1) can be configured on the added or changed direct path, or the non-split SRB1 (non-split SRB1) can be configured on the added or changed direct path. Thus, the indirect path will not be configured with a duplicate SRB1 (duplication SRB1, or split-SRB1 with duplication), a non-split SRB1, or a main RLC entity of a split SRB1. Therefore, the remote terminal device will not send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device through the indirect path, that is, the second "1>" condition in Table 1 will not be met, thereby avoiding the termination of the direct path addition or change process due to premature stopping of T304, and ensuring reliable addition or change of the direct path.

[0106] In some embodiments, the primary RLC entity of the split SRB1 may be used to carry the RRC reconfiguration complete message. By configuring the primary RLC entity of the split SRB1 on a direct path, it is possible to ensure that the RRC reconfiguration complete message is sent using the direct path.

[0107] In some embodiments, the non-split SRB1 being configured on the added or modified direct path may mean that the SRB1 is only configured on the direct path and is not configured on the indirect path.

[0108] In some embodiments, the signaling structure can be modified to ensure that timer 304 is not stopped until the random access procedure has successfully completed. For example, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) can be excluded from the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync). By excluding the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) from the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync), the second "1>" condition in Table 1 is not met. This prevents the direct path addition or modification process from being terminated prematurely due to T304, ensuring reliable addition or modification of the direct path.

[0109] In some embodiments, the side link path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) may include an identifier of the relay terminal device and / or configuration information of a timer T420 associated with the indirect path.

[0110] In some embodiments, when the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) is not included in the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync), the identity of the relay terminal device can still be notified to the remote terminal device. For example, the identity of the relay terminal device can be the layer 2 identity (Layer-2ID, L2ID) or C-RNTI of the relay terminal device, so that the remote terminal device can perform relevant configuration of the indirect path. This application does not limit the specific method of notifying the identity of the relay terminal device.

[0111] In some embodiments, in 502, successfully completing the random access procedure may include successfully completing various random access procedures. For example, in a non-contention-based random access procedure, when the remote UE successfully receives a random access response, the remote UE considers the random access procedure to be successfully completed; in a four-step contention-based random access procedure, when the remote UE considers that the contention resolution is successful, the remote UE considers the random access procedure to be successfully completed; in a two-step random access procedure, when Msg B is received, the remote UE considers that the random access procedure is successfully completed if a random access response is successfully received; and so on. For conditions for successfully receiving a random access response and / or successfully resolving contention, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0112] In some embodiments, as described above, the RRC reconfiguration message may include first configuration information, and the remote terminal device may perform the random access process according to the first configuration information.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first configuration information may include the second configuration information for the direct path and the third configuration information for the indirect path. In other words, in a multi-path scenario, during the path switching process of adding a direct path, the configuration information (e.g., the first configuration information) sent by the network device to the remote terminal device may include configuration information for both paths, namely, the second configuration information for the direct path and the third configuration information for the indirect path. The present application is not limited thereto, and the first configuration information may also include only the second configuration information for the direct path.

[0114] In some embodiments, when the first configuration information includes the second configuration information and the third configuration information, the second configuration information and the third configuration information may be included in the relevant signaling in various ways. For example, the second configuration information and the third configuration information may be included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the second configuration information and the third configuration information may be included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information may be included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information may be included in a new information element (IE).

[0115] In some embodiments, when the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE), the second configuration information may be included in special cell configuration information (spCellConfig).

[0116] In some embodiments, the second configuration information may include at least one of the following: common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), a 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information for random access (rach-ConfigDedicated).

[0117] In some embodiments, the third configuration information may include side link path switching configuration information (for example, represented as sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18 or sl-PathSwitchConfig, etc.). The side link path switching configuration information may include at least one of the following: an identifier of a relay terminal device of an indirect path (for example, represented as targetRelayUE-Identity-r17 or targetRelayUE-Identity), and / or a 420 timer (t420-r17 or t420).

[0118] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), in the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell (PCell) of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C-RNTI (Cell-RadioNetworkTemporaryIdentifier) ​​of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0119] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) may include the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information.

[0120] In some embodiments, in the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or, in the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or, the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0121] In some embodiments, when the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the SCell addition or modification list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0122] In some embodiments, the new IE may include side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or include an identifier of a relay terminal device of an indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) instead of T420.

[0123] In some embodiments, the new IE may be outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE may be included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0124] In some embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration message may include fourth configuration information related to changing the direct path; the remote terminal device may configure a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information.

[0125] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0126] In some embodiments, the configuration information for adding the second direct path may include first information for configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal device.

[0127] In some embodiments, the primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0128] In some embodiments, when configuring the primary cell (PCell) of a remote terminal device, the serving cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path can be first configured as the primary cell of the remote terminal device, and then the primary cell of the remote terminal device can be configured according to the first information.

[0129] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may release the first direct path and then add the second direct path during the process of changing the direct path.

[0130] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may perform two path switching processes during the process of changing a direct path. For example, a first path switching process may be performed to switch a first direct path and an indirect path to an indirect path, and a second path switching process may be performed to switch the indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path. The present application is not limited thereto, and the remote terminal device may perform a single path switching process during the process of changing a direct path. For example, a single path switching process may be performed to switch a first direct path and an indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path.

[0131] During the process of releasing the first direct path or during the first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the remote terminal device can configure the service cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path as the primary cell of the remote terminal device; during the process of adding the second direct path or during the second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the remote terminal device can configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device based on the first information.

[0132] In some embodiments, the service cell of the relay terminal device may include a primary cell or a secondary cell or any one of the service cells of the relay terminal device.

[0133] In some embodiments, during a process of releasing a first direct path or during a first path switching process of switching a first direct path and an indirect path to an indirect path, the remote terminal device may not configure a primary cell of the remote terminal device; however, during a process of adding a second direct path or during a second path switching process of switching an indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path, the remote terminal device may configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device based on the first information. In other words, the remote terminal device may configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device based on the first information only during a process of adding a second direct path or during a second path switching process of switching an indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path.

[0134] In some embodiments, during a path switching process of switching a first direct path and an indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path, that is, during a path switching process, the remote terminal device may configure a primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0135] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0136] It is worth noting that the above only describes the steps related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing method may also include other steps, and for the specific content of these steps, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0137] As can be seen from the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device to add or modify a direct path, and stops timer 304 (T304) upon successful completion of the random access procedure according to the RRC reconfiguration message. This helps the remote terminal device identify a direct path addition failure and prevents the remote terminal device from prematurely stopping T304 and terminating the direct path addition or modification process before the direct path addition or modification is successful. Thus, the direct path can be reliably added or modified.

[0138] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0139] The present application provides a multipath processing method for use on a remote terminal device. The contents identical to those of the first aspect are not repeated here. The second aspect can be implemented independently, or can be implemented in combination with the first aspect.

[0140] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a multipath processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes:

[0141] 601. A remote terminal device receives first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information for the direct path and third configuration information for an indirect path. The second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0142] It is worth noting that FIG6 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG6 above.

[0143] According to the above embodiment, in the scenario of adding or changing a direct path, by including the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or including the third configuration information in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell) or in a new information element (IE), the signaling details of the path switch process of adding or changing the direct path are clarified, which helps the remote terminal device to smoothly obtain the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path.

[0144] In some embodiments, the second configuration information may include at least one of the following: common configuration information of the special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of the remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), a 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information for random access (rach-ConfigDedicated). The present application is not limited thereto, and the second configuration information may also include other content.

[0145] In some embodiments, the third configuration information may include side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18). The side link path switching configuration information may include at least one of the following: an identifier of a relay terminal device of an indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or a 420 timer (t420-r17). The present application is not limited thereto, and the third configuration information and / or the side link path switching configuration information may also include other content.

[0146] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the second configuration information and the third configuration information may be included in the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig).

[0147] For example, the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) may include special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the IE of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig) includes synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync), and the structure of the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) may be as shown in Table 4:

[0148] Table 4: Structure of IE of synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync)

[0149] In some embodiments, as shown in Table 4, the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) may include second configuration information and third configuration information, and the second configuration information may correspond to spCellConfigCommon, newUE-Identity, t304 and rach-ConfigDedicated in Table 4; the third configuration information may correspond to sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18 in Table 4.

[0150] In some embodiments, the common configuration information of the special cell (spCellConfigCommon) may include the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path.

[0151] In some embodiments, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device may include the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the added or modified direct path.

[0152] In some embodiments, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) can be optional. In other words, the 420 timer (t420-r17) can be included or omitted in the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) IE. In other words, in the scenario of adding or modifying the direct path, the timer T420 associated with the indirect path can be configured or omitted for the remote terminal device.

[0153] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) may include two special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), namely, first special cell configuration information and second special cell configuration information. The first special cell configuration information may correspond to a direct path, and the second special cell configuration information may correspond to an indirect path. Each SpCellConfig IE may include reconfigurationWithSync, wherein the structure of the reconfigurationWithSync IE may be the same as or similar to the structure of the reconfigurationWithSync IE shown in Table 4.

[0154] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) may be an optional configuration. For example, in the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) may not appear.

[0155] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell in the second configuration information may be an optional configuration. For example, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell may not appear in the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path.

[0156] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device in the second configuration information may be an optional configuration. For example, in the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device may not appear. The present application is not limited to this. In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device may also appear. Among them, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device may indicate the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device. The present application is not limited to this. In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the dedicated configuration information (rach-ConfigDedicated) of random access and / or the 304 timer (t304) may also be optional configurations.

[0157] In some embodiments, the third configuration information may be included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell). For example, when the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the SCell addition or modification list (sCellToAddModList) may include at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) may include side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig). The structure of the IE of the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) may be as shown in Table 5:

[0158] Table 5: Structure of IE of synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync)

[0159] The present application is not limited thereto, and the third configuration information may also be included in other relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell).

[0160] In some embodiments, when the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the second configuration information may be included in the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig). For example, the second configuration information may be included in the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) IE of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig). In the reconfigurationWithSync IE, the side link path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) may or may not appear.

[0161] In some embodiments, the third configuration information may be included in a new information element (IE). For example, the new IE may include side link path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0162] In some embodiments, in the side link path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) of the new IE, the 420 timer (t420-r17) may be an optional configuration.

[0163] In some embodiments, the new IE may be outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE may be included in the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig) and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0164] In some embodiments, the second configuration information may be included in the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig) when the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE). For example, the second configuration information may be included in the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig). In the reconfigurationWithSync IE, the side link path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) may or may not appear.

[0165] In some embodiments, the configuration manner of the second configuration information and the third configuration information may be used when the serving cell (e.g., PCell) of the relay UE is different from the PCell of the remote UE. The present application is not limited thereto, and the configuration manner of the second configuration information and the third configuration information may also be used when the serving cell (e.g., PCell) of the relay UE is the same as the PCell of the remote UE.

[0166] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0167] It is worth noting that the above only describes the steps related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing method may also include other steps, and for the specific content of these steps, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0168] It can be seen from the above embodiments that in the scenario of adding or changing a direct path, by including the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or including the third configuration information in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell) or in a new information element (IE), the signaling details of the path switch process of adding or changing the direct path are clarified, which helps the remote terminal device to smoothly obtain the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path.

[0169] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0170] The present application provides a multipath processing method for use on a remote terminal device. The contents identical to those of the first and second aspects are not repeated here. The third aspect may be implemented independently, or in combination with the first and / or second aspects.

[0171] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a multipath processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method includes:

[0172] 701, the remote terminal device communicates with the network device through a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0173] 702. The remote terminal device receives fourth configuration information sent by the network device for changing the first direct path to a second direct path; and

[0174] 703. The remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information.

[0175] It is worth noting that FIG7 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG7 above.

[0176] According to the above embodiment, in the scenario of changing the direct path, the remote terminal device receives the fourth configuration information sent by the network device to change the first direct path to the second direct path, and configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information. This can clarify the configuration method of the primary cell of the remote terminal device in the scenario of changing the direct path, and help the remote terminal device to smoothly configure the primary cell.

[0177] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information may include configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding a second direct path.

[0178] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information may be included in one RRC message. The present application is not limited thereto, and the configuration information for releasing the first direct path and the configuration information for adding the second direct path in the fourth configuration information may also be sent respectively via two RRC messages.

[0179] In some embodiments, in the fourth configuration information, the configuration information of the second direct path may include first information for configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal device.

[0180] In some embodiments, the primary cell of the remote terminal device may be a cell in the second direct path. In other words, in a scenario where the direct path is changed, a serving cell of the changed direct path may be configured as the PCell of the remote terminal device.

[0181] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the process of 703 in an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , 703 may include:

[0182] 801, the remote terminal device configures the serving cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path as the primary cell of the remote terminal device; and

[0183] 802. The remote terminal device configures a primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0184] For example, during the process of changing the direct path, the remote terminal device may release the first direct path and add the second direct path. For example, the remote terminal device releases the first direct path according to the configuration information for releasing the first direct path included in the fourth configuration information, and adds the second direct path according to the configuration information for adding the second direct path included in the fourth configuration information.

[0185] Alternatively, the remote terminal device may perform two path switching processes during the process of changing the direct path. For example, a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to an indirect path and a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path may be performed respectively. For example, the remote terminal device may perform the first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to an indirect path based on the configuration information for releasing the first direct path included in the fourth configuration information, and may perform the second path switching process of switching the indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path based on the configuration information for adding the second direct path included in the fourth configuration information. The present application is not limited thereto. The remote terminal device may perform one path switching process during the process of changing the direct path, for example, switching the first direct path and the indirect path to a second direct path and an indirect path through one path switching process.

[0186] In the process of releasing the first direct path or in the first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path (direct path1+indirect path=>indirect path), the remote terminal device can execute 801, that is, configure the service cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path as the main cell of the remote terminal device; in the process of adding the second direct path or in the second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path (indirect path=>direct path2+indirect path), the remote terminal device can execute 802, that is, configure the main cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0187] In some embodiments, the service cell of the relay terminal device may include a primary cell or a secondary cell or any one of the service cells of the relay terminal device.

[0188] In some embodiments, in 703, in the process of releasing the first direct path or in the first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path (direct path1+indirect path=>indirect path), the remote terminal device may not configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device, that is, 801 may be omitted; in the process of adding the second direct path or in the second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path (indirect path=>direct path2+indirect path), the remote terminal device may configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0189] In some embodiments, in 703, the remote terminal device can configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information in the path switching process of switching the first direct path and indirect path to the second direct path and indirect path (direct path1+indirect path=>direct path2+indirect path), that is, in a path switching process.

[0190] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0191] It is worth noting that the above only describes the steps related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing method may also include other steps, and for the specific content of these steps, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0192] It can be seen from the above embodiment that in the scenario of changing the direct path, the remote terminal device receives the fourth configuration information sent by the network device to change the first direct path to the second direct path, and configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information. This can clarify the configuration method of the primary cell of the remote terminal device in the scenario of changing the direct path, and help the remote terminal device to smoothly configure the primary cell.

[0193] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0194] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing method, which is applied to a network device side. The contents that are the same as those of the embodiments of the first to third aspects are not repeated here.

[0195] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a multipath processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the method includes:

[0196] 901. The network device sends first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path to a remote terminal device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0197] It is worth noting that FIG9 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG9 above.

[0198] In some embodiments, the second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0199] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0200] and / or

[0201] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0202] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0203] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig),

[0204] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0205] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0206] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or

[0207] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0208] In some embodiments, when the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the add or modify list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0209] In some embodiments, the new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or includes the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0210] In some embodiments, the new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0211] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0212] It is worth noting that the above only describes the steps related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing method may also include other steps, and for the specific content of these steps, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0213] It can be seen from the above embodiments that in the scenario of adding or changing a direct path, by including the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or including the third configuration information in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell) or in a new information element (IE), the signaling details of the path switch process of adding or changing the direct path are clarified, which helps the remote terminal device to smoothly obtain the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path.

[0214] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0215] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing method, which is applied to a network device side. The contents that are the same as those of the embodiments of the first to fourth aspects are not repeated here.

[0216] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a multipath processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG10 , the method includes:

[0217] 1001, a network device communicates with a remote terminal device through a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0218] 1002. The network device sends fourth configuration information to the remote terminal device for changing the first direct path to a second direct path, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0219] It is worth noting that FIG10 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG10 above.

[0220] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0221] In some embodiments, the configuration information for adding the second direct path includes first information for configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0222] In some embodiments, the primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0223] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0224] It is worth noting that the above only describes the steps related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing method may also include other steps, and for the specific content of these steps, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0225] It can be seen from the above embodiment that in the scenario of changing the direct path, the network device sends the fourth configuration information for changing the first direct path to the second direct path to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information. This can clarify the configuration method of the primary cell of the remote terminal device in the scenario of changing the direct path, and help the remote terminal device to smoothly configure the primary cell.

[0226] Embodiments of the sixth aspect

[0227] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing device, which may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the remote terminal device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0228] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path processing device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the multi-path processing device 1100 includes:

[0229] A receiving unit 1101 receives an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device; and

[0230] The processing unit 1102 stops 304 the timer when the random access procedure is successfully completed.

[0231] In some embodiments, the apparatus 1100 further includes:

[0232] The sending unit 1103 sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message through an indirect path after the receiving unit 1101 receives the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path.

[0233] In some embodiments, when the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure, the processing unit 1102 stops the 304 timer; or

[0234] When the remote terminal device successfully sends the RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device has not successfully completed the random access procedure, the processing unit 1102 causes the 304 timer to continue running; or

[0235] When the remote terminal device has not successfully sent the RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure, the processing unit 1102 stops the 304 timer.

[0236] In some embodiments, the sending unit 1103 may also send an RRC reconfiguration complete message through the added or changed direct path after the receiving unit 1102 receives the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path.

[0237] In some embodiments, when the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device on the added or modified direct path, the processing unit 1102 stops the 304 timer.

[0238] In some embodiments, the primary RLC entity of the split SRB1 is configured on the added or modified direct path, or the non-split SRB1 is configured on the added or modified direct path.

[0239] In some embodiments, the path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) of the edge link is not included in the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync).

[0240] In some embodiments, the identity of the relay terminal device is notified to the remote terminal device.

[0241] In some embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration message includes first configuration information, and the remote terminal equipment performs the random access procedure according to the first configuration information.

[0242] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of the indirect path, and the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0243] In some embodiments, the second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0244] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0245] and / or

[0246] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0247] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0248] In some embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration message includes fourth configuration information related to changing the first direct path to a second direct path; and the processing unit 1102 configures a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information.

[0249] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0250] In some embodiments, adding the configuration information of the second direct path includes configuring first information of a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0251] In some embodiments, the primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0252] In some embodiments, in a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit 1102 configures a serving cell of a relay terminal device in the indirect path as a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0253] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit 1102 configures the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0254] In some embodiments, in a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit 1102 does not configure a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0255] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit 1102 configures the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0256] In some embodiments, during a path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit 1102 configures a primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0257] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0258] It should be noted that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing device 1100 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0259] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG11 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0260] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device to add or modify a direct path, and stops timer 304 (T304) if the random access procedure is successfully completed according to the RRC reconfiguration message. This helps the remote terminal device identify a direct path addition failure and prevents the remote terminal device from prematurely stopping T304 and terminating the direct path addition or modification procedure before the direct path addition or modification is successful. Therefore, the direct path can be reliably added or modified.

[0261] Embodiments of the seventh aspect

[0262] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing device, which may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the remote terminal device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the second aspect will not be repeated here.

[0263] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path processing device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the multi-path processing device 1200 includes:

[0264] A receiving unit 1201 receives first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, and the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0265] In some embodiments, the second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0266] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0267] and / or

[0268] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0269] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0270] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), in the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0271] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0272] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or,

[0273] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0274] In some embodiments, when the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the SCell addition or modification list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0275] In some embodiments, the new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or includes the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0276] In some embodiments, the new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0277] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0278] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing device 1200 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, please refer to the relevant art.

[0279] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG12 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0280] According to the above embodiment, in the scenario of adding or changing a direct path, by including the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or including the third configuration information in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell) or in a new information element (IE), the signaling details of the path switch process of adding or changing the direct path are clarified, which helps the remote terminal device to smoothly obtain the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path.

[0281] Embodiments of the eighth aspect

[0282] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing device, which may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the remote terminal device, and the contents identical to those in the embodiment of the third aspect will not be repeated.

[0283] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path processing device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , the multi-path processing device 1300 includes:

[0284] a communication unit 1301 , which communicates with the network device via a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0285] a receiving unit 1302 configured to receive fourth configuration information sent by the network device for changing the first direct path to a second direct path; and

[0286] The processing unit 1303 configures a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information.

[0287] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0288] In some embodiments, adding the configuration information of the second direct path includes configuring first information of a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0289] In some embodiments, the primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0290] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1303 configures the serving cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path as the primary cell of the remote terminal device, and then configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0291] In some embodiments, in a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit 1303 configures a serving cell of a relay terminal device in the indirect path as a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0292] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit 1303 configures the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0293] In some embodiments, the service cell of the relay terminal device includes the primary cell or the secondary cell or any one of the service cells of the relay terminal device.

[0294] In some embodiments, in a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit 1303 does not configure a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0295] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit 1303 configures the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0296] In some embodiments, during a path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit 1303 configures a primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0297] In some embodiments, after switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the communication unit 1301 communicates with the network device through the second direct path and the indirect path.

[0298] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0299] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing device 1300 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0300] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG13 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0301] According to the above embodiment, in the scenario of changing the direct path, the remote terminal device receives the fourth configuration information sent by the network device to change the first direct path to the second direct path, and configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information. This can clarify the configuration method of the primary cell of the remote terminal device in the scenario of changing the direct path, and help the remote terminal device to smoothly configure the primary cell.

[0302] Embodiments of the ninth aspect

[0303] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing device, which may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the network device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the fourth aspect will not be repeated here.

[0304] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path processing device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG14 , the multi-path processing device 1400 includes:

[0305] A sending unit 1401 sends first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path to a remote terminal device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, and the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0306] In some embodiments, the second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0307] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0308] and / or

[0309] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0310] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0311] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig),

[0312] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0313] In some embodiments, when the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0314] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or

[0315] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0316] In some embodiments, when the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the add or modify list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0317] In some embodiments, the new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or includes the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0318] In some embodiments, the new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0319] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0320] It should be noted that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing device 1400 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0321] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG14 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0322] According to the above embodiment, in the scenario of adding or changing a direct path, by including the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or including the third configuration information in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell) or in a new information element (IE), the signaling details of the path switch process of adding or changing the direct path are clarified, which helps the remote terminal device to smoothly obtain the second configuration information of the direct path and the third configuration information of the indirect path.

[0323] Embodiments of the tenth aspect

[0324] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path processing device, which can be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or assemblies configured on the network device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the fifth aspect will not be repeated here.

[0325] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path processing device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG15 , a multi-path processing device 1500 includes:

[0326] a communication unit 1501 that communicates with a remote terminal device via a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0327] The sending unit 1502 sends fourth configuration information for changing the first direct path to a second direct path to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0328] In some embodiments, the fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0329] In some embodiments, the configuration information for adding the second direct path includes first information for configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0330] In some embodiments, the primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0331] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0332] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path processing device 1500 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, please refer to the relevant art.

[0333] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG15 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0334] According to the above embodiment, in the scenario of changing the direct path, the network device sends fourth configuration information to the remote terminal device for changing the first direct path to the second direct path, so that the remote terminal device configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information. This can clarify the configuration method of the primary cell of the remote terminal device in the scenario of changing the direct path, and help the remote terminal device to smoothly configure the primary cell.

[0335] Embodiment of the eleventh aspect

[0336] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, and reference may be made to FIG1 . The contents identical to those in the first to tenth embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0337] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include: a remote terminal device 101 and / or a relay terminal device 102 and / or a network device 103 .

[0338] In an embodiment of the present application, the remote terminal device 101 is configured to execute the multi-path processing method described in the embodiments of the first aspect and / or the second aspect and / or the third aspect, the contents of which are incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0339] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device 103 is configured to execute the multi-path processing method described in the embodiments of the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect, the contents of which are incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0340] An embodiment of the present application also provides a remote terminal device.

[0341] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be a remote terminal device. As shown in Figure 16 , terminal device 1600 may include a processor 1601 and a memory 1602. Memory 1602 stores data and programs and is coupled to processor 1601. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunication or other functions.

[0342] For example, the processor 1601 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath processing method as described in the embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the processor 1601 may be configured to perform the following operations: receive an RRC reconfiguration message sent by a network device to add or modify a direct path; and stop the timer 304 upon successful completion of the random access procedure.

[0343] For another example, the processor 1601 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath processing method as described in the embodiment of the second aspect. For example, the processor 1601 may be configured to perform the following operations: receive first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device, the first configuration information including second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, the second configuration information and the third configuration information being included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information being included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information being included in a new information element (IE).

[0344] For another example, the processor 1601 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath processing method as described in the embodiment of the third aspect. For example, the processor 1601 may be configured to perform the following operations: communicate with a network device via a first direct path and an indirect path; receive fourth configuration information sent by the network device to change the first direct path to a second direct path; and configure a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device based on the fourth configuration information.

[0345] As shown in Figure 16 , the terminal device 1600 may further include: a communication module 1603, an input unit 1604, a display 1605, and a power supply 1606. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1600 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in Figure 16 , and the above components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 1600 may also include components not shown in Figure 16 , for which reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0346] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other network devices.

[0347] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 17 , network device 1700 may include a processor 1701 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory 1702 ; the memory 1702 is coupled to the processor 1701 . The memory 1702 may store various data and information processing programs, which are executed under the control of the processor 1701 .

[0348] For example, the processor 1701 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath processing method as described in the embodiment of the fourth aspect. For example, the processor 1701 may be configured to perform the following operations: sending first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path to a remote terminal device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information for the direct path and third configuration information for an indirect path, where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0349] For another example, the processor 1701 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath processing method as described in the embodiment of the fifth aspect. For example, the processor 1701 may be configured to perform the following operations: communicate with a remote terminal device via a first direct path and an indirect path; and send fourth configuration information to the remote terminal device to change the first direct path to a second direct path, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0350] In addition, as shown in FIG17 , network device 1700 may further include: a transceiver 1703 and an antenna 1705; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that network device 1700 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG17 ; in addition, network device 1700 may also include components not shown in FIG17 , and reference may be made to the prior art for details.

[0351] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a remote terminal device, the program causes the computer to execute the multi-path processing method described in the embodiments of the first aspect and / or the second aspect and / or the third aspect in the remote terminal device.

[0352] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the multi-path processing method described in the embodiments of the first aspect and / or the second aspect and / or the third aspect in a remote terminal device.

[0353] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program enables the computer to execute the multipath processing method described in the embodiments of the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect in the network device.

[0354] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the multi-path processing method described in the embodiments of the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect in a network device.

[0355] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0356] The method / apparatus described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in the figure, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0357] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0358] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0359] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0360] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following additional notes are also disclosed:

[0361] Method 1 on the remote terminal device side:

[0362] 1. A multipath processing method, applied to a remote terminal device, comprising:

[0363] receiving an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device; and

[0364] Upon successful completion of the random access procedure, the timer is stopped 304.

[0365] 2. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein the method further comprises:

[0366] After receiving the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path, an RRC reconfiguration completion message is sent through the indirect path.

[0367] 3. The method according to Supplement 1 or 2, wherein:

[0368] When the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure, stopping the 304 timer; or

[0369] When the remote terminal device successfully sends the RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device has not successfully completed the random access procedure, the 304 timer continues to run; or

[0370] When the remote terminal device has not successfully sent the RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure, the 304 timer is stopped.

[0371] 4. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising:

[0372] After receiving the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path, an RRC reconfiguration complete message is sent through the added or changed direct path.

[0373] 5. The method according to Supplement 1 or 4, wherein:

[0374] When the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the network device on the added or changed direct path, the 304 timer is stopped.

[0375] 6. The method according to Supplement 1 or 4, wherein:

[0376] The primary RLC entity of the split SRB1 is configured on the added or modified direct path, or the non-split SRB1 is configured on the added or modified direct path.

[0377] 7. The method according to Supplement 1 or 4, wherein:

[0378] The path switch configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) of the side link is not included in the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync).

[0379] 8. The method according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein:

[0380] The identification of the relay terminal device is notified to the remote terminal device.

[0381] 9. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0382] The RRC reconfiguration message includes first configuration information, and the remote terminal equipment performs the random access process according to the first configuration information.

[0383] 10. The method according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein:

[0384] The first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of the indirect path, wherein the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0385] 11. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0386] The RRC reconfiguration message includes changing fourth configuration information related to the direct path;

[0387] The method further comprises:

[0388] According to the fourth configuration information, a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device is configured.

[0389] Method 2 on the remote terminal device side:

[0390] 1. A multipath processing method, applied to a remote terminal device, comprising:

[0391] Receive first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0392] 2. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0393] The second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0394] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0395] and / or

[0396] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0397] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0398] 3. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0399] In the case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig),

[0400] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0401] 4. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0402] In a case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0403] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or,

[0404] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0405] 5. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0406] In the case where the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the SCell addition or modification list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0407] 6. The method according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0408] The new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0409] 7. The method according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

[0410] The new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0411] Method 3 on the remote terminal device side:

[0412] 1. A multipath processing method, applied to a remote terminal device, comprising:

[0413] communicating with the network device via a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0414] receiving fourth configuration information sent by the network device for changing the first direct path to a second direct path; and

[0415] According to the fourth configuration information, a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device is configured.

[0416] 2. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0417] The fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0418] 3. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0419] Adding the configuration information of the second direct path includes configuring first information of the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0420] 4. The method according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0421] The primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0422] 5. The method according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein configuring a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device comprises:

[0423] configuring the serving cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path as the primary cell of the remote terminal device; and

[0424] Configure the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0425] 6. The method according to Supplement 2 or 5, wherein:

[0426] In a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, configuring a serving cell of a relay terminal device in the indirect path as a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0427] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment is configured according to the first information.

[0428] 7. The method according to Supplement 5 or 6, wherein:

[0429] The service cell of the relay terminal device includes the primary cell or the secondary cell or any one service cell of the relay terminal device.

[0430] 8. The method according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein:

[0431] In a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, not configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0432] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment is configured according to the first information.

[0433] 9. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0434] In a path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment is configured according to the first information.

[0435] Device on the remote terminal equipment side (1):

[0436] 1. A multi-path processing device, configured in a remote terminal device, comprising:

[0437] A receiving unit receives first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device, wherein the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, and the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0438] 2. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0439] The second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0440] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0441] and / or

[0442] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0443] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0444] 3. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0445] In the case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig),

[0446] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0447] 4. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0448] In a case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0449] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or,

[0450] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0451] 5. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0452] In the case where the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the SCell addition or modification list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0453] 6. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0454] The new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0455] 7. The device according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

[0456] The new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0457] Device on the remote terminal equipment side (2):

[0458] 1. A multi-path processing device, configured in a remote terminal device, comprising:

[0459] a communication unit that communicates with the network device through a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0460] a receiving unit configured to receive fourth configuration information sent by the network device for changing the first direct path to a second direct path; and

[0461] A processing unit is configured to configure a primary cell (PCell) of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information.

[0462] 2. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0463] The fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0464] 3. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0465] Adding the configuration information of the second direct path includes configuring first information of the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0466] 4. The device according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0467] The primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0468] 5. The device according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0469] The processing unit configures the serving cell of the relay terminal device in the indirect path as the primary cell of the remote terminal device, and then configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

[0470] 6. The device according to Note 2 or 5, wherein:

[0471] In a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit configures a serving cell of a relay terminal device in the indirect path as a primary cell of the remote terminal device;

[0472] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit configures the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0473] 7. The device according to Note 5 or 6, wherein:

[0474] The service cell of the relay terminal device includes the primary cell or the secondary cell or any one service cell of the relay terminal device.

[0475] 8. The device according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0476] In a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit does not configure a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment;

[0477] In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit configures the primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0478] 9. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0479] In a path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit configures a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment according to the first information.

[0480] Method 1 on the network device side:

[0481] 1. A multipath processing method, applied to a network device, comprising:

[0482] First configuration information for adding or changing a direct path is sent to a remote terminal device, where the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0483] 2. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0484] The second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0485] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0486] and / or

[0487] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0488] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0489] 3. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0490] In the case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig),

[0491] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0492] 4. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0493] In a case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0494] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or

[0495] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0496] 5. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0497] In the case where the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the add or modify list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0498] 6. The method according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0499] The new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0500] 7. The method according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

[0501] The new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0502] Network-side method (2):

[0503] 1. A multipath processing method, applied to a network device, comprising:

[0504] communicating with a remote terminal device via a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0505] Fourth configuration information for changing the first direct path to a second direct path is sent to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0506] 2. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0507] The fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0508] 3. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0509] The configuration information for adding a second direct path includes first information for configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0510] 4. The method according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0511] The primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

[0512] Device on the network equipment side (1):

[0513] 1. A multipath processing device, configured in a network device, comprising:

[0514] A sending unit sends first configuration information for adding or changing a direct path to a remote terminal device, wherein the first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of an indirect path, and the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the third configuration information is included in relevant configuration information of a secondary cell (SCell), or the third configuration information is included in a new information element (IE).

[0515] 2. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0516] The second configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0517] Common configuration information of a special cell (spCellConfigCommon), identification information of a remote terminal device (newUE-Identity), 304 timer (t304), or dedicated configuration information of random access (rach-ConfigDedicated);

[0518] and / or

[0519] The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18), and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0520] The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), or the 420 timer (t420-r17).

[0521] 3. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0522] In the case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same special cell configuration information (spCellConfig),

[0523] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell includes the common configuration information of the primary cell of the added direct path, and / or, the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device includes the C_RNTI of the remote terminal device in the direct path, and / or, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) includes the identification of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17), and / or, the 420 timer (t420-r17) in the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) is optionally configured.

[0524] 4. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0525] In a case where the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in different special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), the cell group configuration information (CellGroupConfig) includes the first special cell configuration information and the second special cell configuration information,

[0526] In the IE of the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the first special cell configuration information corresponding to the direct path, the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig-r18) does not appear; and / or

[0527] In the IE of the synchronous reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) of the second special cell configuration information corresponding to the indirect path, the common configuration information (spCellConfigCommon) of the special cell does not appear, and / or the identification information (newUE-Identity) of the remote terminal device does not appear or indicates the C-RNTI of the remote terminal device in the service cell of the relay terminal device, and / or the 304 timer (t304) does not appear or is optionally configured.

[0528] 5. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0529] In the case where the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell (SCell), the add or modify list (sCellToAddModList) includes at least one secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig), and the secondary cell configuration information (SCellConfig) includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig).

[0530] 6. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0531] The new IE includes the side link path switching configuration information (sl-PathSwitchConfig) or the identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path (targetRelayUE-Identity-r17) but does not include T420.

[0532] 7. The device according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

[0533] The new IE is outside the special cell configuration information (spCellConfig), or the new IE is included in the special cell configuration information and outside the synchronization reconfiguration information (reconfigurationWithSync) included in the special cell configuration information.

[0534] Devices on the network side (2):

[0535] 1. A multipath processing device, configured in a network device, comprising:

[0536] a communication unit that communicates with the remote terminal device via a first direct path and an indirect path;

[0537] A sending unit is configured to send fourth configuration information for changing the first direct path to a second direct path to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device configures a primary cell (PCell) according to the fourth configuration information.

[0538] 2. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0539] The fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

[0540] 3. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0541] The configuration information for adding a second direct path includes first information for configuring a primary cell of the remote terminal equipment.

[0542] 4. The device according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0543] The primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

Claims

1. A multi-path processing device, configured in a remote terminal device, comprising: A receiving unit, configured to receive an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device; as well as The processing unit stops 304 the timer when the random access procedure is successfully completed.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The device also includes: A sending unit, which sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message through an indirect path after the receiving unit receives the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When the remote terminal device successfully sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure, the processing unit stops the 304 timer; or When the remote terminal device successfully sends the RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device over the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device has not successfully completed the random access procedure, the processing unit causes the 304 timer to continue running; or When the remote terminal device has not successfully sent the RRC reconfiguration completion message to the relay terminal device on the indirect path, and when the remote terminal device successfully completes the random access procedure, the processing unit stops the 304 timer.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The device also includes: A sending unit, which sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message through the added or changed direct path after the receiving unit receives the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: When the remote terminal device successfully sends the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network device on the added or modified direct path, the processing unit stops the 304 timer.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The master RLC entity of the split SRB1 is configured on the added or modified direct path, or the non-split SRB1 is configured on the added or modified direct path.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The edge link path switching configuration information is not included in the synchronization reconfiguration information.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The identification of the relay terminal device is notified to the remote terminal device.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The RRC reconfiguration message includes first configuration information, and the remote terminal equipment performs the random access process according to the first configuration information.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The first configuration information includes second configuration information of the direct path and third configuration information of the indirect path, the second configuration information and the third configuration information are included in the same or different special cell configuration information, or the third configuration information is included in the relevant configuration information of the secondary cell, or the third configuration information is included in a new information element.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The second configuration information includes at least one of the following: Public configuration information of special cells, identification information of remote terminal equipment, 304 timer, or dedicated configuration information of random access; and / or The third configuration information includes edge link path switching configuration information, and the edge link path switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the relay terminal device of the indirect path, or 420 timer.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The RRC reconfiguration message includes fourth configuration information related to changing the first direct path to the second direct path; The processing unit configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the fourth configuration information.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The primary cell is a cell in the second direct path.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The fourth configuration information includes configuration information for releasing the first direct path and configuration information for adding the second direct path.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: Adding the configuration information of the second direct path includes configuring the first information.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein: In a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit configures a serving cell of a relay terminal device in the indirect path as a primary cell of the remote terminal device; In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein: In a process of releasing the first direct path or in a first path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the indirect path, the processing unit does not configure a primary cell of the remote terminal device; In a process of adding the second direct path or in a second path switching process of switching the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit configures the primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein: In a path switching process of switching the first direct path and the indirect path to the second direct path and the indirect path, the processing unit configures a primary cell of the remote terminal device according to the first information.

19. A multipath processing method, applied to a remote terminal device, the method comprising: Receiving an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing a direct path sent by a network device; as well as Upon successful completion of the random access procedure, the timer is stopped 304.

20. A communication system, wherein: The communication system comprises: A network device that sends an RRC reconfiguration message to add or change a direct path to a remote terminal device; and The remote terminal equipment receives the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the direct path sent by the network equipment, and stops 304 the timer when the random access process is successfully completed.

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