Information transceiving methods and apparatuses, and user equipment, communication device and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and particularly relates to information transceiving methods and apparatuses, and a user equipment, a communication device and a storage medium. An information transceiving method comprises: a first user equipment sending first information, wherein the first information is used for indicating a first number, and the first number is used for indicating the number of links or the number of relay user equipments required by the first user equipment to access a network node. On the basis of the present disclosure, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, by means of transmitting among user equipments first information for indicating a first number, each relay user equipment can indicate to other user equipments the number of links or the number of relay user equipments required by itself to access a network node, thereby facilitating a remote user equipment in selecting a relay user equipment having a better quality of service, and thus improving the performance of relay communication.

Description

Information sending and receiving method, device, terminal, communication equipment and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an information sending and receiving method, apparatus, terminal, communication equipment, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] To support direct communication between terminals, a sidelink communication method was introduced. Terminals can communicate directly through the PC-5 interface without the need for a base station or other network device to transfer the communication.

[0003] The UE to Network (U2N) relay architecture refers to an architecture in which a terminal can communicate with the base station through another terminal's relay rather than directly connecting to the base station. Terminals that are not connected to the base station are called remote terminals, and terminals that provide relay functionality are called relay terminals. U2N relay architectures can be categorized as single-hop and multi-hop. The multi-hop U2N relay architecture is one in which a remote terminal maintains a connection to the network via multiple relay terminals.

[0004] In a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, when a remote terminal accesses a network node through different relay hops, communication performance, such as Quality of Service (QoS), can vary. In this scenario, when a remote terminal selects a relay terminal to provide relay service, it must consider not only the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and the different relay terminals but also the number of relay terminals required to access the network node through the different relay terminals. However, it is currently unclear how a remote terminal or relay terminal determines the number of relay terminals required to access a network node in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide information sending and receiving methods, apparatuses, terminals, communication devices, and storage media to solve the technical problem in related technologies that a terminal in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture cannot determine the number of relay terminals required to access a network node.

[0007] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for sending and receiving information is proposed, which is executed by a first terminal. The method includes: sending first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0008] According to the second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for sending and receiving information is proposed, which is executed by a third terminal. The method includes: receiving first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0009] According to the third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information transceiver device is proposed, which includes: a transceiver module for sending first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0010] According to the fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information transceiver device is proposed, which includes: a transceiver module for receiving first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions so that the terminal executes the information sending and receiving method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0012] According to the sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions so that the communication device executes the information sending and receiving method of the above-mentioned first aspect, and / or the information sending and receiving method of the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0013] According to the seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, comprising a first terminal and a third terminal, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the information sending and receiving method of the first aspect, and the third terminal is configured to implement the information sending and receiving method of the second aspect.

[0014] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the information sending and receiving method of the first aspect and / or the information sending and receiving method of the second aspect.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal may transmit first information indicating a first quantity to other terminals, where the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node. Accordingly, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, by transmitting the first information indicating the first quantity between terminals, each relay terminal may indicate to other terminals the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node, thereby helping remote terminals select relay terminals with better service quality and improving relay communication performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0017] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG2 is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending and receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart showing a method for sending and receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart showing another method for sending and receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing an architecture of a multi-hop U2N relay according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of an information transceiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of another information transceiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, apparatus, terminal, communication device, and storage medium for sending and receiving information.

[0027] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a method for sending and receiving information, which is executed by a first terminal, and the method includes: sending first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0028] In the above embodiment, a first terminal may transmit first information indicating a first quantity to other terminals, where the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node. Accordingly, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, by transmitting the first information indicating the first quantity between terminals, each relay terminal may indicate to other terminals the number of links or relay terminals required for its access to a network node, thereby helping remote terminals select relay terminals with better service quality and improving relay communication performance.

[0029] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal is within the coverage of the first network node.

[0030] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number is 1; or, the first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number is 0.

[0031] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information further includes network information of the first network node.

[0032] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node.

[0033] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second information sent by a second terminal, wherein the second information is used to indicate a second quantity, and the second quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0034] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the first quantity according to the second quantity.

[0035] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first quantity based on the second quantity includes: determining the first quantity as the second quantity plus 1.

[0036] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second terminal includes at least one of the following: a terminal having a wireless link quality with the first terminal greater than or equal to a quality threshold; or a terminal having established a direct link connection with the first terminal.

[0037] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information further includes network information of the first network node; wherein the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information.

[0038] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes network information of a plurality of network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each piece of the network information.

[0039] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first number according to the second number includes: determining the first number according to a minimum second number in the second information sent by a plurality of second terminals.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, sending the first information includes: sending the first information when the first quantity is less than or equal to a quantity threshold.

[0041] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: if the first number is greater than or equal to a number threshold, disabling the relay function.

[0042] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is carried in a discovery signal.

[0043] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a method for sending and receiving information, which is executed by a third terminal, and the method includes: receiving first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the third terminal may receive first information indicating a first quantity sent by the first terminal, where the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. Accordingly, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, by transmitting the first information indicating the first quantity between terminals, each relay terminal may indicate to other terminals the number of links or relay terminals required for its access to the network node, thereby helping remote terminals select relay terminals with better service quality and improving relay communication performance.

[0045] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information further includes network information of the first network node.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node; the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information; wherein the second information is sent by the second terminal to the first terminal, and the second information is used to indicate a second number, and the second number is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first quantity is determined based on the second quantity.

[0048] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first number is the second number plus 1.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first terminal includes at least one of the following: a terminal having a wireless link quality with the third terminal greater than or equal to a quality threshold; or a terminal having established a direct link connection with the third terminal.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes network information of a plurality of network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each piece of the network information.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first number is the minimum second number among the second information sent by the plurality of second terminals.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first number is less than or equal to a number threshold.

[0053] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is carried in a discovery signal.

[0054] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an information transceiver device, the device comprising:

[0055] The transceiver module is used to send first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0056] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an information sending and receiving device, the device comprising:

[0057] The transceiver module is used to receive first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions to enable the terminal to execute the information sending and receiving method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, which includes: one or more processors; one or more memories for storing instructions; wherein the processor is used to call the instructions so that the communication device executes the method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0060] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which includes: a first terminal and a third terminal; wherein the first terminal is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and the third terminal is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods described in the first and second aspects, and the optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0064] It is understandable that the above-mentioned devices, terminals, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0065] The present disclosure provides information transceiving methods, devices, terminals, communication devices, and storage media. In some embodiments, the terms "information transceiving method" and "information processing method" and "communication method" are interchangeable; "terminal" and "information transceiving device" and "communication device" are interchangeable; and "information transceiving system" and "communication system" are interchangeable.

[0066] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional embodiments in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional embodiments of other embodiments.

[0067] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0068] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0069] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "aforementioned", "this", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc.

[0070] For example, when using articles such as “a”, “an”, and “the” in English in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0072] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0073] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0074] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0075] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restrictions should be constituted due to the use of prefixes.

[0076] For example, if the description object is "field," the ordinal number preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" does not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the modified "fields" are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of the "first field" and "second field." For another example, if the description object is "level," the ordinal number preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" does not restrict the priority of the "levels." For another example, the number of description objects is not restricted by the ordinal number and can be one or more. For example, in the case of "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device," "first device" and "second device" can be the same or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. For another example, if the description object is "information," "first information" and "second information" can be the same or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0077] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0078] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0079] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0080] In some embodiments, devices and the like can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those in the embodiments.

[0081] The recorded names, "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject" and other terms can be used interchangeably.

[0082] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0083] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station" "fixed station", "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0084] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0085] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0086] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0087] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0088] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0089] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0090] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a terminal 102 .

[0092] In some embodiments, terminal 101 and terminal 102 include, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but are not limited thereto.

[0093] In some embodiments, terminal 101 and terminal 102 may include two relay terminals.

[0094] In some embodiments, terminal 101 and terminal 102 may include a relay terminal and a remote terminal. The remote terminal may not be directly connected to the network device, but may communicate with the network device through the relay of another terminal. The relay terminal may include a terminal that provides relay services for the remote terminal.

[0095] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may further include a network device, wherein the network device may include at least one of the following: an access network device, a core network device.

[0096] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0097] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0098] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0099] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a device including one or more network elements, or may be multiple devices or device groups, each including all or part of the one or more network elements. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0100] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0101] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0102] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0103] FIG2 is an interactive diagram illustrating a method for sending and receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0104] As shown in FIG2 , the information sending and receiving method includes:

[0105] Step S201: The first terminal sends first information to the third terminal.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first terminal may include a relay terminal. For example, the first terminal may be any relay terminal in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture.

[0107] In some embodiments, the third terminal may include another relay terminal or a remote terminal other than the first terminal.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to indicate a first quantity.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first number may be used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0110] In some embodiments, there is a correlation between the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node and the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. In one possible implementation, the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node is one more than the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in a discovery signal.

[0112] In a possible implementation manner, sending the first information may include: broadcasting, multicasting, or unicasting a discovery signal carrying the first information.

[0113] In a possible implementation, in addition to the first information, the discovery signal may also carry information such as the terminal identifier of the first terminal and the serving cell identifier of the first terminal, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in other broadcast messages. In one possible implementation, the first information may be carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first terminal may be within the coverage of a first network node. The first network node may be a network node that the first terminal needs to access, and the first network node may also be a network node corresponding to a serving cell where the first terminal is located. In this case, the first terminal can directly access the first network node without going through another relay terminal.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number may be 1.

[0117] In another possible implementation manner, the first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number may be 0.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first information may further include network information of the first network node.

[0119] In a possible implementation manner, the network node may include any one of the following: a serving cell; a radio access network (RAN); or a base station.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the network node is a serving cell, and the network information may specifically include at least one of the following: a cell identifier of the serving cell; a public land mobile network (PLMN) of the serving cell; and a network slice identifier of the serving cell.

[0121] In one possible implementation, the network information of the first network node may be obtained through system information (SI) broadcast by a cell. That is, when the first terminal is within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal may directly obtain the network information of the first network node through the system information broadcast by the cell.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node. The first network node may be the network node that the first terminal needs to access, but the first network node is not the network node corresponding to the serving cell where the first terminal is located. In this case, the first terminal needs to access the first network node through another relay terminal. Therefore, the first terminal needs to know the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for other relay terminals to access the first network node, so that it can select which relay terminal to use to access the first network node.

[0123] In some embodiments, the information sending and receiving method may further include:

[0124] In step S202, the first terminal receives second information sent by the second terminal.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second terminal may include a relay terminal.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second information may be used to indicate a second number, and the second number may be used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0127] In some embodiments, the method may further include:

[0128] In step S203, the first terminal determines the first number according to the second number.

[0129] In a possible implementation manner, the first terminal determining the first number based on the second number may include: the first terminal determining the first number as the second number plus 1.

[0130] In some embodiments, the second terminal may include at least one of the following: a terminal whose radio link quality with the first terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold; or a terminal that has established a direct link connection with the first terminal. The radio link quality between the first terminal and the second terminal may be characterized by a direct link discovery signal reference signal received power (SD-RSRP) or a direct link communication signal reference signal received power (SL-RSRP).

[0131] In some embodiments, the first information may further include network information of the first network node; wherein the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information. That is, even if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal may determine the network information of the first network node based on the network information of the first network node included in the received second information, and may further send the first information including the network information of the first network node to other terminals.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first information may include network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information, wherein the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network corresponding to each of the network information.

[0133] In some embodiments, determining the first number based on the second number may include determining the first number based on a minimum second number in second information sent by multiple second terminals. That is, if a first terminal can access the same network node through multiple second terminals, and the second numbers included in the second information sent by the multiple second terminals may be different, the first terminal may select the second terminal corresponding to the minimum second number as a relay terminal for accessing the first network node, and may include the first number determined based on the minimum second number in the first information sent by itself.

[0134] In a possible implementation manner, the network node that the first terminal can access through the second terminal can be determined according to network information included in the second information sent by the second terminal.

[0135] In some embodiments, sending the first information may include: sending the first information if the first number is less than or equal to a number threshold. It should be noted that the above embodiment may also be described as not sending the first information if the first number is greater than the number threshold.

[0136] In some embodiments, the method may further include: if the first number is greater than or equal to a number threshold, disabling a relay function.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the quantity threshold may be specified by a standard or indicated by a higher level.

[0138] In some embodiments, the third terminal may receive the first information sent by the first terminal.

[0139] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S201 to S203. For example, step S201 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S201+S202 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S202+S203 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0140] In some embodiments, steps S201 , S202 , and S203 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0141] In some embodiments, step S201 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0142] In some embodiments, step S202 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0143] In some embodiments, step S203 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0144] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional embodiments described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2 .

[0145] In some embodiments, a sidelink communication method is introduced to support direct communication between terminals. Terminals can communicate directly via the PC-5 interface, without requiring a base station or other network device to relay messages. Depending on the correspondence between the sending and receiving terminals, a variety of transmission modes can be supported on the sidelink, such as unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0146] It should be noted that the direct link (sidelink) involved in the present disclosure can also be translated as side link, edge link, side link, etc., and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0147] In some embodiments, a UE-to-Network (U2N) relay architecture refers to an architecture in which a terminal can communicate with a base station through another terminal's relay rather than directly connecting to the base station. A terminal that is not connected to a base station can be referred to as a remote terminal, and a terminal that provides relay functionality can be referred to as a relay terminal. In one possible implementation, communication between a remote terminal and a relay terminal can be achieved via a direct link.

[0148] It should be noted that the relay terminal involved in the present disclosure can also be described as a terminal with a relay function, a terminal with a relay function enabled, a terminal providing a relay service, etc., and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0149] In some embodiments, the U2N relay architecture can be categorized as a single-hop U2N relay architecture and a multi-hop U2N relay architecture. A single-hop U2N relay architecture refers to an architecture in which a remote terminal maintains a connection to the network via a single relay terminal. A multi-hop U2N relay architecture refers to an architecture in which a remote terminal maintains a connection to the network via multiple relay terminals.

[0150] It should be noted that the multi-hop U2N relay involved in the present disclosure may also be referred to as a multi-path U2N relay, etc., and the present disclosure does not impose any limitation on this.

[0151] In some embodiments, in a single-hop U2N relay architecture, when a remote terminal selects a relay terminal to provide relay services for itself, the selection may generally be made based on the quality of wireless channels between the remote terminal and different relay terminals.

[0152] For example, for multiple relay terminals that have been discovered, when the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and the relay terminal is higher than a certain threshold, the remote terminal can determine the relay terminal as a candidate relay terminal; if multiple candidate relay terminals are determined, the remote terminal can select one candidate relay terminal from the multiple candidate relay terminals as a service relay terminal that provides relay services for itself, that is, the remote terminal can access the network node through the service relay terminal.

[0153] In some embodiments, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, when a remote terminal accesses a network node through different relay hops, the communication effect, such as the Quality of Service (QoS), may also be different.

[0154] In this case, when the remote terminal selects a relay terminal to provide relay services for itself, in addition to the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and different relay terminals, the remote terminal also needs to make a selection based on the number of relay terminals required to access network nodes through different relay terminals.

[0155] However, it is currently unclear how a remote terminal or relay terminal determines the number of relay terminals required to access a network node in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture.

[0156] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending and receiving information. Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for sending and receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method for sending and receiving information illustrated in this embodiment can be executed by a first terminal.

[0157] As shown in FIG3 , the information sending and receiving method may include the following steps:

[0158] In step S301, first information is sent, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first terminal may send the first information.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first terminal may include a relay terminal. For example, the first terminal may be any relay terminal in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture.

[0161] In some embodiments, the first number may be used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0162] For example, the first terminal is UE#1, and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is N1 (N1 is an integer greater than 0), that is, UE#1 can determine that the first number is N1, and UE#1 can send the first information containing N1.

[0163] In some embodiments, the first number may be used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. It should be noted that the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node may also be described as the number of relay hops required for the first terminal to access the network node, and this disclosure does not impose any limitation on this.

[0164] For example, the first terminal is UE#1, and the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network node is H1 (H1 is an integer greater than or equal to 0), that is, UE#1 can determine that the first number is H1, and UE#1 can send the first information containing H1.

[0165] In some embodiments, there is a correlation between the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node and the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. In one possible implementation, the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node is one more than the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. For example, if the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is N1, and the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network node is H1, then N1-1=H1.

[0166] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0167] Optionally, the third terminal may receive the first information sent by the first terminal.

[0168] In some embodiments, the third terminal may include another relay terminal or a remote terminal other than the first terminal.

[0169] In one possible implementation, the third terminal may be a relay terminal. After receiving the first information sent by the first terminal, the third terminal may determine the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node based on the first quantity included in the first information. In a further embodiment, the third terminal may also determine the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node based on the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the third terminal may be a remote terminal. After receiving the first information sent by the first terminal, the third terminal may determine, based on the first quantity included in the first information, the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. In a further embodiment, the third terminal may also select a relay terminal from multiple first terminals to provide relay services for itself based on the first quantity included in the first information sent by the multiple first terminals.

[0171] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first terminal may transmit first information indicating a first quantity to other terminals, where the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node. Accordingly, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, by transmitting the first information indicating the first quantity between terminals, each relay terminal may indicate to other terminals the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node, thereby helping remote terminals select relay terminals with better service quality and improving relay communication performance.

[0172] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in a discovery signal.

[0173] For example, UE#1 may carry the first information including N1 or H1 in a discovery signal, and send the discovery signal carrying the first information.

[0174] In a possible implementation manner, sending the first information may include: broadcasting, multicasting, or unicasting a discovery signal carrying the first information.

[0175] In a possible implementation, in addition to the first information, the discovery signal may also carry information such as the terminal identifier of the first terminal and the serving cell identifier of the first terminal, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0176] In the above embodiment, since in the U2N relay architecture, different relay terminals and between relay terminals and remote terminals can discover each other through the discovery process, after the discovery process is started, the terminal can send or receive a discovery signal, so the first information can be carried in the discovery signal, so that each relay terminal can promptly indicate to other terminals the number of links required for its own access to the network node or the number of relay terminals required during the discovery process, thereby allowing other terminals to promptly determine the number of links required for its own access to the network node or the number of relay terminals required, or, allowing the remote terminal to make a selection based on the number of links required for accessing the network node through different relay terminals or the number of relay terminals required.

[0177] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in other broadcast messages. In a possible implementation, the first information may be carried in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0178] For example, the first terminal is UE#1 and the third terminal is UE#3. UE#1 can carry the first information containing N1 or H1 in the RRC signaling, and can send the RRC signaling carrying the first information to UE#3 through the direct link connection established between UE#1 and UE#3.

[0179] In the above embodiment, for two terminals that have established a direct link connection, the first terminal may carry the first information in RRC signaling and send it to the third terminal via the direct link connection, so that the third terminal can promptly learn the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. In a further embodiment, the third terminal may also promptly determine the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node based on the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0180] In some embodiments, the first terminal may be within the coverage of a first network node. The first network node may be a network node that the first terminal needs to access, and the first network node may also be a network node corresponding to a serving cell where the first terminal is located. In this case, the first terminal can directly access the first network node without going through another relay terminal.

[0181] In a possible implementation, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number may be 1. In this case, since the first terminal can access the network without passing through other relay terminals, the only link required for the first terminal to access the first network node is the link between the first terminal and the base station corresponding to the first network node. Therefore, the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node is 1.

[0182] In another possible implementation, the first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number may be 0. In this case, since the first terminal can access the network without passing through other relay terminals, the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node is 0.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first information may further include network information of the first network node.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the network information may specifically include at least one of the following: a cell identifier of a serving cell; a public land mobile network (PLMN) of the serving cell; and a network slice identifier of the serving cell. For example, UE#1 is within the coverage of a first network node, the network information of the first network node is CellID_1, and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is 1 (i.e., N1=1). UE#1 may send first information including N1=1 and CellID_1.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the network information of the first network node may be obtained through system information (SI) broadcast by a cell. That is, when the first terminal is within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal may directly obtain the network information of the first network node through the system information broadcast by the cell.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node. The first network node may be the network node that the first terminal needs to access, but the first network node is not the network node corresponding to the serving cell where the first terminal is located. In this case, the first terminal needs to access the first network node through another relay terminal. Therefore, the first terminal needs to know the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for other relay terminals to access the first network node, so that it can select which relay terminal to use to access the first network node.

[0187] In some embodiments, the information sending and receiving method may further include:

[0188] In step S302, second information sent by a second terminal is received.

[0189] In some embodiments, the second terminal may send the second information; and the first terminal may receive the second information sent by the second terminal.

[0190] In some embodiments, the second terminal may include a relay terminal. For example, the second terminal may be any relay terminal other than the first terminal in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture.

[0191] In some embodiments, the second information may be used to indicate a second number, and the second number may be used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the second number may be used to indicate the number of links required for the second terminal to access the first network node. For example, the first terminal is UE#1, the second terminal is UE#2, and the number of links required for UE#2 to access the first network node is N2 (N2 is an integer greater than 0). That is, UE#2 may determine that the second number is N2, and UE#2 may send second information including N2; UE#1 may receive the second information sent by UE#2 and may determine, based on N2 included in the second information, that the number of links required for UE#2 to access the first network node is N2.

[0193] In another possible implementation, the second number may be used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node. For example, the first terminal is UE#1, the second terminal is UE#2, and the number of relay terminals required for UE#2 to access the first network node is H2 (H2 is an integer greater than or equal to 0). That is, UE#2 may determine that the second number is H2, and UE#2 may send second information including H2; UE#1 may receive the second information sent by UE#2 and may determine, based on H2 included in the second information, that the number of relay terminals required for UE#2 to access the first network node is H2.

[0194] In some embodiments, the method may further include:

[0195] In step S303 , the first quantity is determined according to the second quantity.

[0196] In some embodiments, after receiving the second information sent by the second terminal, the first terminal may determine the first number based on the second number included in the second information. That is, the first terminal may determine the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the first network node based on the number of links or relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0197] In a possible implementation, determining the first quantity based on the second quantity may include: determining the first quantity as the second quantity plus 1.

[0198] For example, the first terminal is UE#1 and the second terminal is UE#2. After receiving the second information including N2 from UE#2, UE#1 can determine that the first number is N1 = N2 + 1 based on the second number being N2. That is, if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal can access the first network node through the second terminal. In this case, the link required for the first terminal to access the first network node also includes the link between the first and second terminals, compared to the link required for the second terminal to access the first network node. Therefore, the first number can be one greater than the second number.

[0199] For example, the first terminal is UE#1 and the second terminal is UE#2. After receiving the second information including H2 from UE#2, UE#1 can determine that the first number is H1 = H2 + 1 based on the second number being H2. That is, if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal can access the first network node through the second terminal. In this case, the relay terminal required for the first terminal to access the first network node also includes the second terminal, compared to the relay terminal required for the second terminal to access the first network node. Therefore, the first number can be one greater than the second number.

[0200] In some embodiments, the second terminal may include at least one of the following: a terminal having a wireless link quality with the first terminal greater than or equal to a quality threshold; a terminal having established a direct link connection with the first terminal.

[0201] In one possible implementation, since the first terminal has established a direct link connection with the second terminal, the second terminal can send second information to the first terminal, and the first terminal can receive the second information sent by the second terminal, so that the first terminal can know the number of links required for the second terminal to access the first network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0202] In one possible implementation, because the quality of the wireless link between the first terminal and the second terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold, the second terminal can provide a relay service for the first terminal. The second terminal can send second information to the first terminal so that the first terminal can learn the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node. The first terminal can then determine the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for its own access to the first network node, or can choose whether to access the first network node through the second terminal.

[0203] The quality of the wireless link between the first terminal and the second terminal can be characterized by the reference signal received power of the direct link discovery signal (SD-RSRP) or the reference signal received power of the direct link communication signal (SL-RSRP). The measurement of SD-RSRP does not require a unicast connection to be established between the terminals, while the measurement of SL-RSRP requires a unicast connection to be established between the terminals.

[0204] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, even if the first terminal and the second terminal do not establish a direct link connection, if the quality of the wireless link between the first terminal and the second terminal is greater than or equal to the quality threshold, the first terminal can still receive the second information sent by the second terminal. For example, the second information can be included in the discovery signal sent by the second terminal. Accordingly, the first terminal can choose whether to access the first network node through the second terminal based on the second quantity included in the second information, thereby improving the relay communication performance of the multi-hop U2N architecture.

[0205] In some embodiments, the first information may further include network information of the first network node; wherein the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information. That is, even if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal may determine the network information of the first network node based on the network information of the first network node included in the received second information, and may further send the first information including the network information of the first network node to other terminals.

[0206] For example, UE#1 is not within the coverage of the first network node, and UE#1 can receive second information sent by UE#2, wherein the second information can be used to indicate a second quantity and the network information of the first network node, and the second quantity is used to indicate that the number of links required for UE#2 to access the first network node is N2 or the number of relay terminals required is H2, and the network information of the first network node is CellID_1; UE#1 can determine that the number of links required for itself to access the first network node is N1 or the number of relay terminals required is H1 based on the second quantity N2 or H2 contained in the second information, and UE#1 can determine that the network information of the first network node is CellID_1 based on the network information of the first network node contained in the second information; further, UE#1 can send first information containing N1 or H1, and CellID_1.

[0207] In some embodiments, the first information may include network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information, wherein the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network corresponding to each of the network information.

[0208] For example, the first information sent by UE#1 may include {N1=2, CellID_2} and {N1=3, CellID_3}, which is used to indicate that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 2 (that is, N1=2), and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 3 (that is, N1=3). Optionally, after UE#3 receives the first information sent by UE#1, it can be known that the network corresponding to CellID_2 or the network corresponding to CellID_3 can be accessed through UE#1 based on the network information of multiple network nodes contained in the first information. Optionally, after UE#3 receives the first information sent by UE#1, it can be known that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 2, and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 3 based on the first quantity corresponding to each of the network information contained in the first information.

[0209] For example, the first information sent by UE#1 may include {H1=1, CellID_2} and {H1=2, CellID_3}, which is used to indicate that the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 1 (that is, H1=1), and the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 2 (that is, H1=2).

[0210] In the above embodiment, when the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal may provide relay services for multiple network nodes including the first network node. Therefore, the first information sent by the first terminal may include network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information, so that the third terminal that receives the first information can know the multiple network nodes that can be accessed through the first terminal, as well as the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access each network.

[0211] In some embodiments, determining the first number based on the second number may include determining the first number based on a minimum second number in second information sent by multiple second terminals. That is, if a first terminal can access the same network node through multiple second terminals, and the second numbers included in the second information sent by the multiple second terminals may be different, the first terminal may select the second terminal corresponding to the minimum second number as a relay terminal for accessing the first network node, and may include the first number determined based on the minimum second number in the first information sent by itself.

[0212] In a possible implementation manner, the network node that the first terminal can access through the second terminal can be determined according to network information included in the second information sent by the second terminal.

[0213] For example, UE#1 can receive the second information sent by UE#2 and UE#4, wherein the second information sent by UE#2 includes {N2=1, CellID_1}, and the second information sent by UE#4 includes {N2=2, CellID_1}, that is, the number of links required for UE#2 to access the network corresponding to CellID_1 is 1, and the number of links required for UE#4 to access the network corresponding to CellID_1 is 2; therefore, UE#1 can determine that the first number is 2 (that is, N1=N2_min+1) based on the minimum second number (that is, N2=1).

[0214] In some embodiments, steps S301 , S302 , and S303 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0215] In some embodiments, sending the first information may include: sending the first information if the first number is less than or equal to a number threshold. It should be noted that the above embodiment may also be described as not sending the first information if the first number is greater than the number threshold.

[0216] In some embodiments, the method may further include: if the first number is greater than or equal to a number threshold, disabling a relay function.

[0217] In a possible implementation, the quantity threshold may be specified by a standard or indicated by a higher level.

[0218] In the above embodiment, when the first number is large, that is, when the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a certain network is large, the possibility that the relay service provided by the first terminal can meet the service quality requirements is low. In this case, even if the first terminal sends the first information to the remote terminal, the possibility of being selected as a relay terminal by the remote terminal is low. Therefore, the first terminal can choose not to indicate the first information to other terminals, thereby saving terminal power consumption. Optionally, the first terminal can directly disable its own relay function to further save terminal power consumption.

[0219] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending and receiving information. Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart illustrating another method for sending and receiving information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method for sending and receiving information illustrated in this embodiment can be executed by a third terminal.

[0220] As shown in FIG4 , the information sending and receiving method may include the following steps:

[0221] In step S401, first information sent by a first terminal is received, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first terminal may send the first information, and the third terminal may receive the first information sent by the first terminal.

[0223] In some embodiments, the first terminal may include a relay terminal, and the second terminal may include a relay terminal or a remote terminal. For example, the first terminal may be any relay terminal in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, and the third terminal may be another relay terminal in the multi-hop U2N relay architecture. For example, the first terminal may be any relay terminal in the multi-hop U2N relay architecture, and the third terminal may be a remote terminal in the multi-hop U2N relay architecture.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first number may be used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0225] For example, the first terminal is UE#1, the third terminal is UE#3, and UE#3 can receive the first information containing N1 sent by UE#1, where N1 is a first number (N1 is an integer greater than 0), used to indicate that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is N1.

[0226] In some embodiments, the first number may be used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0227] For example, the first terminal is UE#1, the third terminal is UE#3, and UE#3 can receive the first information containing H1 sent by UE#1, where H1 is a first number (H1 is an integer greater than or equal to), used to indicate that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is H1.

[0228] In some embodiments, there is a correlation between the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node and the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. In one possible implementation, the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node is one more than the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. For example, if the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is N1, and the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network node is H1, then N1-1=H1.

[0229] It should be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment in the present disclosure. The specific selection can be made as needed and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0230] In a further embodiment, the third terminal may be a relay terminal. After receiving the first information sent by the first terminal, the third terminal may determine the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node based on the first quantity included in the first information. In a further embodiment, the third terminal may also determine the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node based on the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0231] In a further embodiment, the third terminal may be a remote terminal. After receiving the first information sent by the first terminal, the third terminal may determine the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node based on the first number included in the first information. In a further embodiment, the third terminal may also select a relay terminal that provides relay services for itself from multiple first terminals based on the first number included in the first information sent by multiple first terminals. It should be noted that the third terminal may select a candidate relay terminal from multiple first terminals based on the first number, or may select a serving relay terminal from the candidate relay terminals based on the first number, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0232] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a third terminal may receive first information sent by a first terminal indicating a first quantity, where the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node. Accordingly, in a multi-hop U2N relay architecture, by transmitting the first information indicating the first quantity between terminals, each relay terminal may indicate to other terminals the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node, thereby helping remote terminals select relay terminals with better service quality and improving relay communication performance.

[0233] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in a discovery signal.

[0234] For example, UE#1 may carry the first information including N1 or H1 in a discovery signal and send the discovery signal carrying the first information; and UE#3 may receive the discovery signal carrying the first information.

[0235] In a possible implementation manner, sending the first information may include: broadcasting, multicasting, or unicasting a discovery signal carrying the first information.

[0236] In a possible implementation, in addition to the first information, the discovery signal may also carry information such as the terminal identifier of the first terminal and the serving cell identifier of the first terminal, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0237] In the above embodiment, since in the U2N relay architecture, different relay terminals and between relay terminals and remote terminals can discover each other through the discovery process, after the discovery process is started, the terminal can send or receive a discovery signal, so the first information can be carried in the discovery signal, so that each relay terminal can promptly indicate to other terminals the number of links required for its own access to the network node or the number of relay terminals required during the discovery process, thereby allowing other terminals to promptly determine the number of links required for its own access to the network node or the number of relay terminals required, or, allowing the remote terminal to make a selection based on the number of links required for accessing the network node through different relay terminals or the number of relay terminals required.

[0238] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in other broadcast messages. In a possible implementation, the first information may be carried in RRC signaling.

[0239] For example, the first terminal is UE#1, and the third terminal is UE#3. UE#1 can carry the first information containing N1 or H1 in the RRC signaling, and can send the RRC signaling carrying the first information to UE#3 through the direct link connection established between UE#1 and UE#3; UE#3 can receive the RRC signaling carrying the first information.

[0240] In the above embodiment, for two terminals that have established a direct link connection, the first terminal may carry the first information in RRC signaling and send it to the third terminal via the direct link connection, so that the third terminal can promptly learn the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node. In a further embodiment, the third terminal may also promptly determine the number of links or relay terminals required for its own access to the network node based on the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first terminal may be within the coverage of the first network node. In this case, the first terminal can directly access the first network node without passing through other relay terminals.

[0242] In a possible implementation, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number may be 1. In this case, since the first terminal can access the network without passing through other relay terminals, the only link required for the first terminal to access the first network node is the link between the first terminal and the base station corresponding to the first network node. Therefore, the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node is 1.

[0243] In another possible implementation, the first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number may be 0. In this case, since the first terminal can access the network without passing through other relay terminals, the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node is 0.

[0244] In some embodiments, the first information may also include network information of the first network node. In one possible implementation, the network information may specifically include at least one of the following: a cell identifier of a serving cell; a PLMN of a serving cell; or a network slice identifier of a serving cell.

[0245] In one possible implementation, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node; the network information of the first network node is obtained based on system information broadcast by the cell. For example, UE#1 is within the coverage of the first network node, the network information of the first network node is CellID_1, and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is 1 (i.e., N1=1). UE#1 can send first information including N1=1 and CellID_1; UE#3 can receive the first information including N1=1 and CellID_1, and determine that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network node is 1, and that the network information of the first network node is CellID_1.

[0246] In some embodiments, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node. In this case, the first terminal needs to pass through other relay terminals before it can directly access the first network node.

[0247] In one possible implementation, the first number may be determined based on the second number. The second number may be included in second information sent by the second terminal to the first terminal, and the second number is used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0248] In a possible implementation, the first number is the second number plus 1.

[0249] For example, the first terminal is UE#1 and the second terminal is UE#2. After receiving the second information including N2 from UE#2, UE#1 can determine that the first number is N1 = N2 + 1 based on the second number being N2. That is, if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal can access the first network node through the second terminal. In this case, the link required for the first terminal to access the first network node also includes the link between the first and second terminals, compared to the link required for the second terminal to access the first network node. Therefore, the first number can be one greater than the second number.

[0250] For example, the first terminal is UE#1 and the second terminal is UE#2. After receiving the second information including H2 from UE#2, UE#1 can determine that the first number is H1 = H2 + 1 based on the second number being H2. That is, if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal can access the first network node through the second terminal. In this case, the relay terminal required for the first terminal to access the first network node also includes the second terminal, compared to the relay terminal required for the second terminal to access the first network node. Therefore, the first number can be one greater than the second number.

[0251] In a possible implementation, the second terminal may include at least one of the following: a terminal having a radio link quality with the first terminal greater than or equal to a quality threshold; or a terminal having established a direct link connection with the first terminal.

[0252] In one possible implementation, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node; the network information of the first network node is determined based on second information sent by the second terminal to the first terminal, where the second information includes the network information of the first network node. That is, even if the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal can determine the network information of the first network node based on the network information of the first network node included in the received second information, and can further send the first information including the network information of the first network node to other terminals.

[0253] For example, UE#1 is not within the coverage of the first network node, and UE#1 can receive second information sent by UE#2, wherein the second information can be used to indicate a second quantity and the network information of the first network node, and the second quantity is used to indicate that the number of links required for UE#2 to access the first network node is N2 or the number of relay terminals required is H2, and the network information of the first network node is CellID_1; UE#1 can determine that the number of links required for itself to access the first network node is N1 or the number of relay terminals required is H1 based on the second quantity N2 or H2 contained in the second information, and UE#1 can determine that the network information of the first network node is CellID_1 based on the network information of the first network node contained in the second information; further, UE#1 can send first information containing N1 or H1, and CellID_1.

[0254] In some embodiments, the first information may include network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information, wherein the first quantity may be used to indicate the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network corresponding to each of the network information.

[0255] For example, the first information sent by UE#1 may include {N1=2, CellID_2} and {N1=3, CellID_3}, which is used to indicate that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 2 (that is, N1=2), and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 3 (that is, N1=3). After UE#3 receives the first information sent by UE#1, it can know that it can access the network corresponding to CellID_2 or the network corresponding to CellID_3 through UE#1 based on the network information of multiple network nodes contained in the first information. In addition, after UE#3 receives the first information sent by UE#1, it can know that the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 2, and the number of links required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 3 based on the first number corresponding to each of the network information contained in the first information.

[0256] For example, the first information sent by UE#1 may include {H1=1, CellID_2} and {H1=2, CellID_3}, which is used to indicate that the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 1 (that is, H1=1), and the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 2 (that is, H1=2). After UE#3 receives the first information sent by UE#1, it can know that it can access the network corresponding to CellID_2 or the network corresponding to CellID_3 through UE#1 based on the network information of multiple network nodes contained in the first information. In addition, after UE#3 receives the first information sent by UE#1, it can know that the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_2 is 1, and the number of relay terminals required for UE#1 to access the network corresponding to CellID_3 is 2 based on the first quantity corresponding to each of the network information contained in the first information.

[0257] In the above embodiment, when the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node, the first terminal may provide relay services for multiple network nodes including the first network node. Therefore, the first information sent by the first terminal may include network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information, so that the third terminal that receives the first information can know the multiple network nodes that can be accessed through the first terminal, as well as the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access each network.

[0258] In some embodiments, the first number is the minimum second number in the second information sent by multiple second terminals. That is, if the first terminal can access the same network node through multiple second terminals, and the second numbers included in the second information sent by the multiple second terminals may be different, the first terminal can select the second terminal corresponding to the minimum second number as a relay terminal for accessing the first network node, and can include the first number determined based on the minimum second number in the first information sent by itself.

[0259] For example, UE#1 can receive the second information sent by UE#2 and UE#4, wherein the second information sent by UE#2 includes {N2=1, CellID_1}, and the second information sent by UE#4 includes {N2=2, CellID_1}, that is, the number of links required for UE#2 to access the network corresponding to CellID_1 is 1, and the number of links required for UE#4 to access the network corresponding to CellID_1 is 2; therefore, UE#1 can determine that the first number is 2 (that is, N1=N2_min+1) based on the minimum second number (that is, N2=1).

[0260] In some embodiments, the first amount is less than or equal to a threshold amount.

[0261] In a possible implementation, the quantity threshold may be specified by a standard or indicated by a higher level.

[0262] Optionally, the first number is less than or equal to a number threshold, and the first terminal sends the first information. It should be noted that the above embodiment can also be described as the first number is greater than a number threshold, and the first terminal does not send the first information.

[0263] Optionally, if the first number is greater than or equal to a number threshold, the first terminal turns off a relay function.

[0264] In the above embodiment, when the first number is large, that is, when the number of links or relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a certain network is large, the possibility that the relay service provided by the first terminal can meet the service quality requirements is low. In this case, even if the first terminal sends the first information to the remote terminal, the possibility of being selected as a relay terminal by the remote terminal is low. Therefore, the first terminal can choose not to indicate the first information to other terminals, thereby saving terminal power consumption. Optionally, the first terminal can directly disable its own relay function to further save terminal power consumption.

[0265] In some embodiments, the first terminal may include at least one of the following: a terminal having a radio link quality with the third terminal that is greater than or equal to a quality threshold; or a terminal that has established a direct link connection with the third terminal. The radio link quality between the first terminal and the third terminal may be characterized by a direct link discovery signal reference signal received power (SD-RSRP) or a direct link communication signal reference signal received power (SL-RSRP).

[0266] In one possible implementation, since the first terminal has established a direct link connection with the third terminal, the first terminal can send first information to the third terminal, and the third terminal can receive the first information sent by the first terminal, so that the third terminal can know the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0267] In one possible implementation, because the quality of the wireless link between the first terminal and the third terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold, the first terminal can provide a relay service for the third terminal. The first terminal can send first information to the third terminal so that the third terminal can learn the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node. The third terminal can then determine the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for its own access to the first network node, or can choose whether to access the first network node through the first terminal.

[0268] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "code element", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0269] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be replaced with each other.

[0270] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)", "cell", "frequency carrier", "carrier frequency" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0271] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0272] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0273] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing an architecture of a multi-hop U2N relay according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0274] As shown in FIG. 5 , a multi-hop U2N relay architecture 500 may include a remote terminal 501 , a relay terminal 502 , a relay terminal 503 , and a base station 504 .

[0275] In some embodiments, the relay terminal 503 is within the coverage of the first network node corresponding to the base station 504 , and the remote terminal 501 and the relay terminal 502 are not within the coverage of the first network node corresponding to the base station 504 .

[0276] Example 1: The first terminal is the relay terminal 503, and the third terminal is the relay terminal 502.

[0277] In a first implementation manner of the first embodiment, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0278] Since relay terminal 503 is within the coverage of the first network node, relay terminal 503 can access the first network node without passing through other relay terminals. Therefore, relay terminal 503 can determine that the number of links required for itself to access the first network node is 1 (that is, the link between relay terminal 503 and base station 504). In addition, relay terminal 503 can determine the network information of the first network node based on the system information broadcast by the cell.

[0279] Furthermore, the relay terminal 503 may send first information to , where the first information may be used to indicate a first number, where the first number is used to indicate that the number of links required for the relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 1. Furthermore, the first information may further include network information of the first network node.

[0280] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 may receive the first information sent by the relay terminal 503 .

[0281] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can determine, based on the first number included in the first information, that the number of links required for the relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 1. Based on the network information of the first network node included in the first information, the relay terminal 502 can also determine a network corresponding to the network information of the first network node that can be accessed through the relay terminal 503.

[0282] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can also determine that the number of links required for itself to access the first network node is 2 based on the first number included in the first information (ie, access to the first network node also requires the link between the relay terminal 502 and the relay terminal 503).

[0283] In a second implementation manner of the first embodiment, the first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0284] Since the relay terminal 503 is within the coverage of the first network node, the relay terminal 503 can access the first network node without passing through other relay terminals. Therefore, the relay terminal 503 can determine that the number of relay terminals required for itself to access the first network node is 0 (that is, no other relay terminals are required between the relay terminal 503 and the base station 504). In addition, the relay terminal 503 can determine the network information of the first network node based on the system message broadcast by the cell.

[0285] Furthermore, the relay terminal 503 may send first information to , where the first information may be used to indicate a first number, and the first number is used to indicate that the number of relay terminals required for the relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 0. Furthermore, the first information may further include network information of the first network node.

[0286] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 may receive the first information sent by the relay terminal 503 .

[0287] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can determine, based on the first number included in the first information, that the number of relay terminals required for the relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 0. Based on the network information of the first network node included in the first information, the relay terminal 502 can also determine that the network corresponding to the network information of the first network node can be accessed through the relay terminal 503.

[0288] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can also determine, based on the first number included in the first information, that the number of relay terminals required for itself to access the first network node is 1 (ie, access to the first network node still needs to go through the relay terminal 503 ).

[0289] Embodiment 2: The first terminal is a relay terminal 502 , the second terminal is a relay terminal 503 , and the third terminal is a remote terminal 501 .

[0290] In a first implementation manner of the second embodiment, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0291] Since the relay terminal 502 is not within the coverage of the first network node, the relay terminal 502 needs to access the first network node through other relay terminals. Therefore, the relay terminal 502 does not know the network information of the first network node, nor the number of links required for itself to access the first network node.

[0292] Relay terminal 502 may receive second information sent by relay terminal 503. The second information may be used to indicate a second number, which may be used to indicate that the number of links required for relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 1. Furthermore, the second information may further include network information of the first network node.

[0293] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can determine, based on the second number included in the second information, that the number of links required for the relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 1. Based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information, the relay terminal 502 can also determine that the network corresponding to the network information of the first network node can be accessed through the relay terminal 503.

[0294] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can also determine that the first number is 2 based on the second number included in the second information, that is, determine that the number of links required for itself to access the first network node is 2 (that is, access to the first network node also requires passing through the link between the relay terminal 502 and the relay terminal 503).

[0295] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 may send first information, where the first information may be used to indicate the first quantity and network information of the first network node.

[0296] Furthermore, the remote terminal 501 may receive the first information sent by the relay terminal 502 .

[0297] Furthermore, based on the first number included in the first information, the remote terminal 501 can determine that the number of links required for the relay terminal 502 to access the first network node is 2. Based on the network information of the first network node included in the first information, the remote terminal 501 can also determine that the network corresponding to the network information of the first network node can be accessed through the remote terminal 501.

[0298] Furthermore, the remote terminal 501 can also determine that the number of links required for accessing the first network node is 3 based on the first number included in the first information (ie, accessing the first network node also requires passing through the link between the remote terminal 501 and the relay terminal 502).

[0299] In a second implementation manner of the second embodiment, the first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the network node.

[0300] Since the relay terminal 502 is not within the coverage of the first network node, the relay terminal 502 needs to access the first network node through other relay terminals. Therefore, the relay terminal 502 does not know the network information of the first network node, nor does it know the number of relay terminals required to access the first network node.

[0301] Relay terminal 502 may receive second information sent by relay terminal 503. The second information may be used to indicate a second number, which may be used to indicate that the number of relay terminals required for relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 0. Furthermore, the second information may further include network information of the first network node.

[0302] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 can determine, based on the second number included in the second information, that the number of relay terminals required for the relay terminal 503 to access the first network node is 0. Based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information, the relay terminal 502 can also determine that the network corresponding to the network information of the first network node can be accessed through the relay terminal 503.

[0303] Furthermore, relay terminal 502 can also determine that the first number is 1 based on the second number included in the second information, that is, it determines that the number of relay terminals required for itself to access the first network node is 1 (that is, access to the first network node also requires a hop through relay terminal 503).

[0304] Furthermore, the relay terminal 502 may send first information, where the first information may be used to indicate the first quantity and network information of the first network node.

[0305] Furthermore, the remote terminal 501 may receive the first information sent by the relay terminal 502 .

[0306] Furthermore, the remote terminal 501 can determine, based on the first number included in the first information, that the number of relay terminals required for the relay terminal 502 to access the first network node is 1. Based on the network information of the first network node included in the first information, the remote terminal 501 can also determine a network corresponding to the network information of the first network node that can be accessed through the remote terminal 501.

[0307] Furthermore, the remote terminal 501 can also determine that the number of relay terminals required for accessing the first network node is 2 based on the first number included in the first information (ie, accessing the first network node still requires a hop through the relay terminal 502).

[0308] Corresponding to the aforementioned embodiments of the information sending and receiving method, the present disclosure also provides embodiments of an information sending and receiving device.

[0309] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of an information transceiver device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the information transceiver device 600 includes a transceiver module 601 .

[0310] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is used to send first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0311] In some embodiments, the first terminal is within coverage of a first network node.

[0312] In some embodiments, the first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number is 1; or,

[0313] The first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number is 0.

[0314] In some embodiments, the first information further includes network information of the first network node.

[0315] In some embodiments, the first terminal is not in coverage of the first network node.

[0316] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is further used to receive second information sent by a second terminal, wherein the second information is used to indicate a second quantity, and the second quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

[0317] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

[0318] A processing module is configured to determine the first quantity according to the second quantity.

[0319] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to:

[0320] The first number is determined to be the second number plus 1.

[0321] In some embodiments, the second terminal includes at least one of the following:

[0322] a terminal whose radio link quality with the first terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold;

[0323] A terminal that has established a direct link connection with the first terminal.

[0324] In some embodiments, the first information further includes network information of the first network node; wherein the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node included in the second information.

[0325] In some embodiments, the first information includes network information of a plurality of network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each piece of the network information.

[0326] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to:

[0327] The first number is determined according to a minimum second number of second information sent by a plurality of second terminals.

[0328] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is configured to:

[0329] If the first quantity is less than or equal to a quantity threshold, the first information is sent.

[0330] In some embodiments, the processing module is further configured to:

[0331] If the first number is greater than or equal to a number threshold, the relay function is disabled.

[0332] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in a discovery signal.

[0333] It should be noted that the modules included in the information transceiver device are not limited to the modules described in the above embodiments, and may also include other modules, such as a storage module, a display module, etc.

[0334] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of another information transceiver device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG7 , the information transceiver device 700 includes a transceiver module 701 .

[0335] In some embodiments, the transceiver module is used to receive first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0336] In some embodiments, the first information further includes network information of the first network node.

[0337] In some embodiments, the first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node; the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node contained in the second information; wherein the second information is sent by the second terminal to the first terminal, and the second information is used to indicate a second quantity, and the second quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the second terminal to access the first network node or the number of relay terminals required.

[0338] In some embodiments, the first quantity is determined based on the second quantity.

[0339] In some embodiments, the first number is the second number plus one.

[0340] In some embodiments, the first terminal includes at least one of the following:

[0341] a terminal whose radio link quality with the third terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold;

[0342] A terminal that has established a direct link connection with the third terminal.

[0343] In some embodiments, the first information includes network information of a plurality of network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each piece of the network information.

[0344] In some embodiments, the first number is the minimum second number among the second information sent by multiple second terminals.

[0345] In some embodiments, the first amount is less than or equal to a threshold amount.

[0346] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in a discovery signal.

[0347] For the device embodiment, since it basically corresponds to the method embodiment, the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment. The device embodiment described above is only schematic, wherein the modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network node modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without paying any creative work.

[0348] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions to enable the terminal to execute the information sending and receiving method described in the first aspect, the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and / or the information sending and receiving method described in the second aspect, the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0349] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a communication device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the information sending and receiving method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and / or the information sending and receiving method described in the second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0350] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a communication system, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information sending and receiving method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the information sending and receiving method described in the second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0351] An embodiment of the present disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the information sending and receiving method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiment of the first aspect, and / or the information sending and receiving method described in the second aspect and the optional embodiment of the second aspect.

[0352] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0353] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0354] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0355] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 8100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 8100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment, etc.), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above methods. Communication device 8100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0356] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 8100 includes one or more processors 8101. The processor 8101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The processor 8101 is used to call instructions to enable the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0357] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more memories 8102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 8102 may be located outside the communication device 8100.

[0358] In some embodiments, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more transceivers 8103. When the communication device 8100 includes one or more transceivers 8103, the communication steps such as sending and receiving in the above method are performed by the transceiver 8103, and the other steps are performed by the processor 8101.

[0359] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0360] Optionally, the communication device 8100 further includes one or more interface circuits 8104, which are connected to the memory 8102. The interface circuits 8104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 8102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 8102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 8104 can read instructions stored in the memory 8102 and send the instructions to the processor 8101.

[0361] The communication device 8100 described in the above embodiment may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 8100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 8100 may not be limited by FIG8 . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0362] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 9200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 8100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 9200 shown in FIG9 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0363] The chip 9200 includes one or more processors 9201, and the processor 9201 is used to call instructions so that the chip 9200 executes any of the above methods.

[0364] In some embodiments, the chip 9200 further includes one or more interface circuits 9202, which are connected to the memory 9203. The interface circuit 9202 can be used to receive signals from the memory 9203 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory.

[0365] The memory 9203 or other devices send signals. For example, the interface circuit 9202 can read instructions stored in the memory 9203 and send the instructions to the processor 9201. Optionally, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0366] In some embodiments, the chip 9200 further includes one or more memories 9203 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 9203 may be located outside the chip 9200.

[0367] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on the communication device 8100, causes the communication device 8100 to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto, and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto, and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0368] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 8100, enables the communication device 8100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0369] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A method for sending and receiving information, characterized in that: The method is performed by a first terminal and includes: Sending first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access a network node.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first terminal is in coverage of a first network node.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first number is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number is 1; or, The first number is used to indicate the number of relay terminals required for the first terminal to access the first network node, and the first number is 0.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The first information further includes network information of the first network node.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first terminal is not in coverage of the first network node.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive second information sent by a second terminal, wherein the second information is used to indicate a second quantity, and the second quantity is used to indicate the number of links or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the first network node.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first number is determined based on the second number.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The determining the first quantity according to the second quantity includes: The first number is determined to be the second number plus 1.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The second terminal includes at least one of the following: a terminal whose radio link quality with the first terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold; A terminal that has established a direct link connection with the first terminal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that The first information includes network information of the first network node; wherein the network information of the first network node is determined according to the network information of the first network node included in the second information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first information includes network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that The determining the first quantity according to the second quantity includes: The first number is determined according to a minimum second number of second information sent by a plurality of the second terminals.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The sending of the first information includes: If the first quantity is less than or equal to a quantity threshold, the first information is sent.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the first number is greater than or equal to a number threshold, the relay function is disabled.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The first information is carried in a discovery signal.

16. A method for sending and receiving information, characterized in that: Executed by a third terminal, the method includes: First information sent by a first terminal is received, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first information further includes network information of the first network node.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first terminal is not within the coverage of the first network node; the network information of the first network node is determined based on the network information of the first network node contained in the second information; wherein the second information is sent by the second terminal to the first terminal, and the second information is used to indicate a second quantity, and the second quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the second terminal to access the first network node or the number of relay terminals required.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The first number is determined based on the second number.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first number is the second number plus 1.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that The first terminal includes at least one of the following: a terminal whose radio link quality with the third terminal is greater than or equal to a quality threshold; A terminal that has established a direct link connection with the third terminal.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that The first information includes network information of multiple network nodes and a first quantity corresponding to each of the network information.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The first number is the minimum second number among the second information sent by the plurality of second terminals.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 23, characterized in that The first quantity is less than or equal to a quantity threshold.

25. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 24, characterized in that The first information is carried in a discovery signal.

26. An information transceiver device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The transceiver module is used to send first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access the network node or the number of relay terminals required.

27. An information transceiver device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The transceiver module is used to receive first information sent by a first terminal, wherein the first information is used to indicate a first quantity, and the first quantity is used to indicate the number of links required for the first terminal to access a network node or the number of relay terminals required.

28. A terminal, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The processor is used to call instructions so that the terminal executes the information sending and receiving method described in any one of claims 1-15 or 16-25.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The processor is used to call instructions so that the communication device executes the information sending and receiving method described in any one of claims 1-15 or 16-25.

30. A communication system, characterized in that: It comprises a first terminal and a third terminal, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the information sending and receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and the third terminal is configured to implement the information sending and receiving method according to any one of claims 16 to 25.

31. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the information sending and receiving method described in any one of claims 1-15 or 16-25.

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