Message processing method and apparatus for multi-hop relay network (MHRN), and communication device

Abstract

A message processing method and apparatus for a multi-hop relay network (MHRN), and a communication device. The message processing method for an MHRN comprises: a first terminal receiving a first message, wherein the first terminal is a terminal in an MHRN; the first terminal determining whether the first message has been processed; and on the basis of a determination result indicating whether the first message has been processed, the first terminal processing the first message, wherein the first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

Description

Message processing method, device and communication equipment for multi-hop relay network MHRN

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202311119263.X filed on August 31, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application belongs to the field of communication technology, and specifically relates to a message processing method, apparatus and communication equipment for a multi-hop relay network (MHRN). Background Art

[0004] To expand wireless communications, research is underway in the related art into multi-hop UE-to-UE (U2U) networks (Layer 2 or L3) or multi-hop UE-to-Network (U2N) networks. In such MHRNs, any relay UE must forward messages received from other relay UEs, ensuring that a service request message from a remote user equipment (UE) is ultimately delivered to the target remote UE within the MHRN's coverage area.

[0005] However, when the relay UE in the MHRN forwards the same discovery message from the same remote UE, ping-pong forwarding or circular forwarding may occur, resulting in a discovery message storm, which not only wastes wireless resources but also causes interference and congestion of the resource pool used to send discovery messages.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a message processing method, apparatus, and communication device for a multi-hop relay network (MHRN), so that terminals in the MHRN can identify processed messages to determine whether a received message is a processed message or an unprocessed message, thereby avoiding repeated processing of the same message by the same terminal in the MHRN.

[0008] In a first aspect, a message processing method for an MHRN is provided, the method comprising:

[0009] A first terminal receives a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in the MHRN;

[0010] Determining, by the first terminal, whether the first message has been processed;

[0011] Processing, by the first terminal, the first message according to a determination result of whether the first message has been processed;

[0012] The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

[0013] In a second aspect, a message processing device of an MHRN is provided, the device comprising:

[0014] A first receiving module is configured to receive a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in the MHRN;

[0015] a determination module, configured to determine whether the first message has been processed;

[0016] a first processing module, configured to process the first message according to a determination result of whether the first message has been processed;

[0017] The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

[0018] In a third aspect, a terminal is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, a terminal is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive a first message, and the first terminal is a terminal in the MHRN; the processor is used to determine whether the first message has been processed, and to process the first message based on the judgment result of whether the first message has been processed; wherein the first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a program or instruction to implement the method described in the first aspect.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, which is stored in a storage medium and is executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the MHRN message processing method as described in the first aspect.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, a first terminal receives a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in an MHRN. The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message. The first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed before. The first terminal processes the first message based on the determination result of whether the first message has been processed. When a terminal in the MHRN receives a discovery message or a communication request message, it first determines whether the discovery message or communication request message has been previously processed. Different processing can be performed on processed and unprocessed first messages. This prevents the same terminal in the MHRN from repeatedly processing the same discovery message or communication request message. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG1a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-hop L2 / L3 U2N relay network applicable to embodiments of the present application;

[0025] FIG1b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-hop L2 / L3 U2U relay network that can be applied in embodiments of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-hop L2 / L3 U2N relay network;

[0027] FIG2 b is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack of a single-hop L2 U2N relay network;

[0028] FIG2 c is a schematic diagram of a control plane protocol stack for a single-hop L2 U2N relay network;

[0029] FIG3 a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-hop L2 / L3 U2U relay network;

[0030] FIG3 b is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack of a single-hop L2 U2U relay network;

[0031] FIG3 c is a schematic diagram of a control plane protocol stack for a single-hop L2 U2U relay network;

[0032] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of cyclic forwarding of the same message in the MHRN of the related art;

[0033] FIG5 is a flowchart of a message processing method of an MHRN provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a message processing device of an MHRN provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a relay terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0038] The terms "first", "second", etc. in this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects, for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "or" in this application represents at least one of the connected objects. For example, "A or B" covers three options, namely, Option 1: including A but not including B; Option 2: including B but not including A; Option 3: including both A and B. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0039] The term "indication" in this application can be either a direct indication (or explicit indication) or an indirect indication (or implicit indication). A direct indication can be understood as the sender explicitly informing the receiver of specific information, the operation to be performed, or the requested result, etc. in the instruction sent; an indirect indication can be understood as the receiver determining the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or making a judgment and determining the operation to be performed or the requested result, etc. based on the judgment result.

[0040] It is worth noting that the technology described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) or other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application are often used interchangeably, and the technology described can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as for other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes a New Radio (NR) system for illustrative purposes, and NR terminology is used in most of the following description, but these technologies can also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6th generation (6G) systems. th Generation, 6G) communication system.

[0041] Figures 1a and 1b show block diagrams of wireless communication systems of two MHRNs applicable to embodiments of the present application. The wireless communication system includes terminals and network-side devices. The terminals are further divided into remote terminals and relay terminals, and the number of relay terminals in the same MHRN is at least two. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) equipment, robot, wearable device, flight vehicle, vehicle user equipment (VUE), shipborne equipment, pedestrian user equipment (PUE), smart home (home appliances with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smart watches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart bracelets, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among them, the vehicle-mounted device may also be referred to as a vehicle-mounted terminal, a vehicle-mounted controller, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The network side device may include an access network device, which may also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device, a radio access network function or a radio access network unit. The access network device may include a base station, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AS) or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) node, etc.Among them, the base station can be referred to as Node B (NB), Evolved Node B (eNB), the next generation Node B (gNB), New Radio Node B (NR Node B), access point, Relay Base Station (RBS), Serving Base Station (SBS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Home Node B (HNB), Home Evolved Node B (home evolved Node B), Transmission Reception Point (TRP) or other appropriate terms in the field. As long as the same technical effect is achieved, the base station is not limited to specific technical vocabulary. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the base station in the NR system is used as an example for introduction, and the specific type of the base station is not limited.

[0042] In related technologies, there are the following single-hop relay networks:

[0043] 1. Single-hop Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3) UE to Network (U2N) relay

[0044] Single-hop L2 / L3 U2N relay was defined in Release 17 (R17), with improvements planned for Release 18 (R18), with discussions ongoing. A sidelink (SL) refers to the wireless link between UEs in NR / LTE, enabling direct data transmission between two UEs. The wireless link between sidelinks is also known as a proximity communication (PC5) link, running the PC5 protocol. Related technologies explore the use of UEs to provide relay services between UEs and network-side devices. For example, as shown in Figure 2a, the UE providing relay services is called a relay UE, while the UE receiving the ultimate service is called a remote UE. The link between the relay UE and the remote UE is a PC5 link, running the sidelink interface protocol. The link between the relay UE and the base station is a universal user network interface (Uu) link, running the Uu link protocol.

[0045] The sidelink radio interface control plane consists of the PC5 Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol, running above the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and Radio Link Control (RLC) layers, with the Media Access Control (MAC) and physical layers at the bottom. The sidelink radio interface user plane, from top to bottom, consists of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), PDCP, RLC, MAC, and physical layers.

[0046] Sidelink U2N relay includes L2 U2N relay and L3 U2N relay. The former refers to the relay UE forwarding the data of the remote UE at layer 2, and the latter refers to the relay UE forwarding the data of the remote UE at layer 3.

[0047] 1) For L2 U2N relay, its user plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 2b, and its control plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 2c. L2U2N relay introduces the Sidelink Relay Adaptation Protocol (SRAP) layer for data routing. This layer carries the local identification information of the remote UE (such as the local UE ID) and the radio bearer identification information between the remote UE and the base station. The relay UE uses this information to map the input logical channel to the output logical channel for forwarded data. For uplink protocol data units (PDUs) forwarded to the base station via the relay UE, the remote UE adds an SRAP header to the PDU to generate an SRAP PDU. After receiving the SRAP PDU, the relay UE forwards it based on the SRAP header. After receiving the SRAP PDU, the base station determines the corresponding PDCP entity based on the information carried in the SRAP header, removes the SRAP header, and submits the corresponding service data unit (SDU) to the PDCP entity. For the downlink PDU forwarded to the remote UE via the relay UE, the base station adds an SRAP header to the PDU to generate an SRAP PDU. After receiving the SRAP PDU, the relay UE forwards it according to the SRAP header. After receiving the SRAP PDU, the remote UE determines the corresponding PDCP entity based on the information carried by the SRAP header, removes the SRAP header, and submits the corresponding SDU to the PDCP entity.

[0048] 2) For L3 U2N relay, data is forwarded at the Internet Protocol (IP) layer, which is not described here.

[0049] 2. Single-hop L2 / L3 U2U relay

[0050] The specifications for single-hop L2 / L3 U2U fall within the scope of Release 18 and are currently under discussion. The UE-to-UE (U2U) relay transmission network architecture is shown in Figure 3a, comprising remote UE A, remote UE B, and a relay UE. Communication information from remote UE A to remote UE B must first be sent to the relay UE, which then forwards it to remote UE B. Similarly, communication information from remote UE B to remote UE A must first be sent to the relay UE, which then forwards it to remote UE A.

[0051] There are two types of U2U relays: one forwards data at layer 2, called L2 U2U relay, and the other forwards data at layer 3, called L3 U2U relay. The following briefly describes each:

[0052] 1) For L2 U2U relay, the user plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 3b, and the control plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 3c. For both the user plane protocol stack and the control plane protocol stack, the remote UE adds an adaptation (ADAPT) protocol layer between the PC5-PDCP layer and the PC5-RLC layer. The adaptation protocol layer is used to generate, receive, and forward data packets:

[0053] i) Generate an adaptation layer data packet: The transmitting remote UE determines an adaptation protocol header based on the U2U relay routing configuration and adds it to the PDCP PDU from the upper layer to generate an adaptation layer data packet. The adaptation protocol header contains at least identification information of the receiving remote UE (such as address information or ID information) and identification information of the radio bearer used to identify the data information carried (such as radio bearer ID information).

[0054] ii) Receiving an Adaptation Layer Data Packet: Upon receiving an Adaptation Layer Data Packet, the receiving remote UE determines whether it is the intended recipient based on the U2U relay adaptation layer configuration, including its own identification information and the radio bearer identification configuration between it and the transmitting UE. If the identification information in the received adaptation layer data packet exactly matches its own identification information, it determines that it is the intended remote UE for the data packet. It then determines the corresponding upper-layer protocol entity based on the radio bearer identification information carried in the data packet. Finally, it removes the adaptation layer protocol header and sends the data packet to the corresponding upper-layer protocol entity.

[0055] 2) For L3 U2U relay, data forwarding in Layer 3 relay occurs above Layer 2. The relay UE's radio access layer protocol does not handle the routing of forwarded packets. One possible implementation involves the relay UE submitting a forwarded packet from a remote UE to an upper layer, such as the IP layer. The IP layer then determines the destination remote UE for the packet based on the destination IP address carried in the packet's IP header and sends the packet to that destination UE.

[0056] The embodiments of the present application involve MHRN, such as a multi-hop L2 / L3 U2N network and a multi-hop L2 / L3 U2U network.

[0057] As shown in Figure 1a, in a multi-hop L2 / L3 U2N network, a remote UE can establish a wireless connection with a base station through multiple L2 / L3 U2N relay UEs connected in series. The uplink and downlink messages of the remote UE must be relayed by multiple L2 / L3 U2N relay UEs to complete the transmission between the remote UE and the base station.

[0058] As shown in Figure 1b, in a multi-hop L2 / L3 U2U network, a source remote UE can establish a wireless connection with a target remote UE through multiple L2 / L3 U2U relay UEs connected in series. Message transmission between the source remote UE and the target remote UE requires relaying through multiple L2 / L3 U2U relay UEs to complete.

[0059] In multi-hop L2 / L3 U2N networks and multi-hop L2 / L3 U2U networks, an adaptation layer will still be present to guide data forwarding and identify end-to-end data packets. The packet header format and routing mechanism of the adaptation layer should be modified as necessary based on those of single-hop L2 / L3 U2N networks and single-hop L2 / L3 U2U networks to accommodate multi-hop message forwarding and the transmission of corresponding response messages in multi-hop networks.

[0060] It should be noted that in the MHRN, any relay UE can forward a message received from another relay UE, so that a service request from a remote UE can eventually be transmitted to a target remote UE under the coverage of the MHRN.

[0061] However, there are at least two relay terminals in the MHRN. When the source remote UE forwards the discovery message through the MHRN, the discovery message may be cyclically forwarded or ping-pong forwarded between the at least two relay terminals, causing a discovery message storm. This not only wastes wireless resources but also causes interference and congestion of the resource pool used to send the discovery message.

[0062] For example, as shown in Figure 4, after remote UE X sends a discovery message, it is sent back to relay UE A in the order of relay UE A, relay UE B, relay UE C, and relay UE D. Alternatively, the discovery message may be sent back to relay UE A in the order of relay UE A, relay UE D, relay UE C, and relay UE B. Subsequently, relay UE A may forward the received discovery message again. This causes the same discovery message triggered by remote UE X to be forwarded multiple times by the same node along different paths. This looping and ping-pong forwarding of the same discovery message does not help expand the coverage of the discovery message, but instead consumes a large amount of radio resources.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, when a terminal in the MHRN receives a discovery message or a communication request message, it first determines whether the discovery message or communication request message has been previously processed. Different processing can be performed on the processed first message and the unprocessed first message. This prevents the same terminal in the MHRN from repeatedly processing the same discovery message or communication request message, thereby reducing the waste of wireless resources caused by repeatedly processing the same discovery message. For example, when a relay terminal in the MHRN receives a discovery message, it first determines whether the discovery message has been forwarded before. If so, it discards the discovery message; if not, it forwards the discovery message. For another example, when a target remote terminal in the MHRN receives a discovery message, it first determines whether it has previously responded to the discovery message. If so, it discards the discovery message; if not, it responds to the discovery message.

[0064] It should be noted that the MHRN in the embodiment of the present application includes: at least one of a multi-hop L2 U2U network, a multi-hop L3 U2U network, a multi-hop L2 U2N network, and a multi-hop L3 U2N network.

[0065] The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes in detail the MHRN message processing method, MHRN message processing device, and communication equipment provided in the embodiments of the present application through some embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 5 , an embodiment of the present application provides a message processing method for an MHRN, the execution subject of which may be a first terminal. As shown in FIG. 5 , the method includes the following steps:

[0067] Step 501: A first terminal receives a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in an MHRN, and the first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

[0068] Step 502: The first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed.

[0069] Step 503: The first terminal processes the first message according to the result of determining whether the first message has been processed.

[0070] In the embodiment of the present application, a wireless link is established between a source remote terminal and a base station or a target terminal through the discovery message and a communication request message, such as a direct communication request.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the source remote terminal sends a discovery message or a communication request message, the discovery message or the communication request message is forwarded by the relay terminal in the MHRN until it reaches the base station or the target terminal, and the base station or the target terminal responds to the discovery message or the communication request message.

[0072] At this time, the first terminal may include at least one of a relay terminal and a target terminal.

[0073] In some implementations, the first terminal processes the first message according to a determination result of whether the first message has been processed, including at least one of the following:

[0074] When determining that the first message is a processed message, the first terminal discards the first message;

[0075] When the first terminal determines that the first message is an unprocessed message, the first terminal performs a first process on the first message, where the first process includes at least one of the following:

[0076] forwarding the first message through the MHRN;

[0077] Submitting the first message to a Proximity Services (ProSe) protocol layer;

[0078] A first response message is generated based on the first message, and the first response message is sent through the MHRN.

[0079] It should be noted that discarding the first message in the embodiment of the present application may mean not forwarding or responding to the first message.

[0080] Scene 1

[0081] Assuming that the first terminal includes a relay terminal, the first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed, which may be that the first terminal determines whether the first message has been forwarded; the first terminal processes the first message based on the judgment result of whether the first message has been processed, which may include: the first terminal discards the first message when it determines that the first message has been forwarded, or, the first terminal forwards the first message through the MHRN or submits the first message to the ProSe protocol layer when it determines that the first message has not been forwarded.

[0082] In this application scenario, it is possible to avoid the same relay terminal from repeatedly forwarding the same first message.

[0083] Scene 2

[0084] Assuming that the first terminal includes a target terminal, the first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed, which may be that the first terminal determines whether the first message has been responded to; the first terminal processes the first message based on the judgment result of whether the first message has been processed, which may include: if the first terminal determines that the first message has been responded to, the first terminal discards the first message, or, if the first terminal determines that the first message has not been responded to, the first terminal responds to the first message, that is, generates a first response message based on the first message, and sends the first response message through the MHRN or submits the first message to the ProSe protocol layer.

[0085] In this application scenario, it is possible to avoid the target terminal from repeatedly responding to the same first message.

[0086] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned scenario 1 and scenario 2 can be combined. At this time, each relay terminal in the MHRN can determine whether the first message received by it is a forwarded message, and decide whether to perform the forwarding behavior based on its own judgment results. The target terminal in the MHRN can determine whether the first message received is a responded message, and decide whether to perform the response behavior based on the judgment result.

[0087] It should be noted that the relay terminal forwards the first message through the MHRN, which may be that the relay terminal forwards the first message to at least one next-hop node through the MHRN.

[0088] Among them, if the relay terminal forwards the first message to a next-hop node through the MHRN, then based on scenario one, the target remote terminal of the first message will usually only receive the first message once. At this time, the target remote terminal may not determine whether the received first message is a processed message, but directly respond to the first message.

[0089] However, if the relay terminal forwards the first message to at least two next-hop nodes through the MHRN, then based on scenario one, the target remote terminal of the first message may receive the first message from the MHRN through different forwarding paths. At this time, the target remote terminal needs to determine whether the first message received through the MHRN is a processed message, and thus respond to the first message only if the received first message is an unprocessed message.

[0090] In some implementations, the first terminal may perform at least one of identification and marking on the first message to determine whether the first message has been processed.

[0091] In one embodiment, identifying the first message may be identifying at least a portion of an information field in the first message, so as to determine whether the first message is a processed message based on the identified content or identifier.

[0092] In one embodiment, the first message may be marked by adding identification information to a designated information field of the first message by a source remote terminal or a relay terminal that provides access services to the source remote terminal. Subsequently, the relay terminal or the target remote terminal determines whether the first message is a processed message based on the identification information added in the first message.

[0093] Optionally, the first terminal determining whether the first message has been processed includes:

[0094] The first terminal extracts the content or identifier in the first information field of the first message to obtain first information;

[0095] The first terminal determines that the first message is a processed message when determining that the first information matches the second information, wherein the second information is content or an identifier in a second information field of the second message processed by the first terminal, and the second information field corresponds to the first information field; or

[0096] When determining that the first information does not match the second information, the first terminal determines that the first message is an unprocessed message.

[0097] In some implementations, the first information field and the second information field may be information fields configured or pre-configured by a network-side device or agreed upon by a protocol.

[0098] The above-mentioned second information field corresponds to the first information field. The second information field and the first information field may be the same information field, or the second information field and the first information field contain the same type of information. For example, if the first information field contains the identifier of the first message, the second information field contains the identifier of the second message.

[0099] For example, the first information domain is the domain where the first information is located, and the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0100] 1) an identifier of a first message, where the identifier is used to identify the first message in the MHRN;

[0101] 2) a random number or a random string; optionally, the random number or random string may be generated by the remote terminal or the relay terminal according to preset random number generation rules and parameters, and different discovery messages or communication request messages may carry different random numbers or random strings, so that different discovery messages or communication request messages can be distinguished based on the random number or random string;

[0102] 3) a layer 2 identifier of the source remote terminal of the first message, by which first messages from different source remote terminals can be distinguished;

[0103] 4) a layer 2 identifier of a target remote end of the first message, where the first message sent to different target remote ends can be distinguished by the layer 2 identifier of the target remote end, such as a target base station or a target remote UE;

[0104] 5) a temporary identifier associated with the source remote terminal of the first message, such as a temporary identifier generated by a relay terminal and associated with the source remote terminal, by which first messages from different source remote terminals can be distinguished;

[0105] 6) a temporary identifier associated with the target remote end of the first message, such as a temporary identifier associated with the target remote end generated by the relay terminal, by which the first messages sent to different target remote ends can be distinguished;

[0106] 7) identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message, such as at least one of the identification information such as the L2 ID and ProSe protocol layer ID of the source remote UE;

[0107] 8) identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message, such as at least one of the identification information such as the L2 ID and ProSe protocol layer ID of the target remote UE;

[0108] 9) Address information of the source remote terminal of the first message, such as the Internet Protocol (IP) address or Media Access Control (MAC) address of the source remote terminal;

[0109] 10) Address information of the target remote terminal of the first message, such as the IP address or MAC address of the target remote terminal;

[0110] 11) identification information related to the service of the first message;

[0111] 12) Local identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message, such as the local UE ID of the source remote terminal in the MHRN;

[0112] 13) Local identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message, such as the local UE ID of the source target remote terminal in the MHRN.

[0113] Corresponding to the first information, the second information in the second information field includes the same type of information content or identification information as the first information. For example, the first information includes the identifier of the first message, and the second information also includes the identifier of the processed message.

[0114] Optionally, the first terminal determines whether the first information matches the second information in the following manner:

[0115] When a first condition is met, the first terminal determines that the first information matches the second information;

[0116] The first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0117] The content in the first information field is consistent with the content in the second information field;

[0118] The identifier in the first information field is consistent with the identifier in the second information field;

[0119] or,

[0120] If a second condition is met, the first terminal determines that the first information does not match the second information;

[0121] The second condition includes at least one of the following:

[0122] The content in the first information field is inconsistent with the content in the second information field;

[0123] The identifier in the first information field is inconsistent with the identifier in the second information field.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first condition may include at least one of the following:

[0125] The address information of the source remote terminal in the first information field is the same as the address information of the source remote terminal in the second information field;

[0126] The address information of the target remote terminal in the first information field is the same as the address information of the target remote terminal in the second information field;

[0127] The identifier of the first message in the first information field is the same as the identifier of the second message in the second information field;

[0128] The random number or random string in the first information field is the same as the random number or random string in the second information field;

[0129] The layer 2 identifier of the source remote terminal of the first message in the first information field and the layer 2 identifier of the source remote terminal of the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same source remote terminal;

[0130] The layer 2 identifier of the target remote end of the first message in the first information field and the layer 2 identifier of the target remote end of the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same target remote end;

[0131] The temporary identifier associated with the source remote terminal of the first message in the first information field and the temporary identifier associated with the source remote terminal of the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same source remote terminal;

[0132] The temporary identifier of the target remote end associated with the first message in the first information field and the temporary identifier of the target remote end associated with the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same target remote end;

[0133] The identification information related to the service of the first message in the first information field and the identification information related to the service of the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same service;

[0134] The local identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message in the first information field and the local identification information of the source remote terminal of the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same source remote terminal;

[0135] The local identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message in the first information field and the local identification information of the target remote terminal of the second message in the second information field are used to identify the same target remote terminal.

[0136] It should be noted that the above-mentioned second condition is opposite to the first condition, that is, the second condition is met when the first condition is not met. The second condition will not be elaborated in detail here.

[0137] As an optional implementation, the method further includes:

[0138] When performing the first processing on the first message, the first terminal records the first information.

[0139] It should be noted that after the first message is subjected to the first processing, the first message becomes a processed second message. At this time, the first information of the recorded first message is used as the content in the second information to determine whether the subsequently received discovery message or communication request message is a processed message.

[0140] For example: for L2 U2U MHRN or L3 U2U MHRN, after the source remote UE sends a discovery message A through the MHRN, the relay terminal in the MHRN determines that the discovery message A is a message that has not been forwarded, and thus forwards the discovery message A through the MHRN. When the target remote UE receives the discovery message A for the first time through the MHRN, it determines that the discovery message A is a message that has not been responded to, and thus sends a response message corresponding to the discovery message A to the source remote UE through the MHRN, and records at least part of the content or identifier in the discovery message A; thereafter, if the target remote UE receives the discovery message A again through the MHRN, at this time, the target remote UE will determine that the discovery message A received again is a processed message based on at least part of the content or identifier in the discovery message A that has been recorded, and thus discard the discovery message A.

[0141] That is to say, each time after a discovery message or communication request message is processed for the first time, at least part of the content or identifier of the discovery message or communication request message can be recorded. At this time, the second information can include at least part of the content or identifier of all recorded discovery messages or communication request messages.

[0142] In this embodiment, when the first message is an unprocessed message, the first message is first processed and the first information is recorded so as to determine whether the same first message is received repeatedly later based on the recorded first information.

[0143] As an optional implementation, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0144] When recording the first information, the first terminal starts a first timer corresponding to the first message, and when the first timer times out, deletes the first information or determines that the first information is invalid; wherein the timing duration of the first timer is a preset duration;

[0145] The first terminal deletes the first information or determines that the first information is invalid at a first moment, and the first moment is after a second moment, and the interval between the first moment and the second moment is greater than or equal to a preset duration, wherein the second moment is the moment when the first terminal processes the first message or the moment when the first terminal records the first information.

[0146] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned preset duration can be a duration configured or pre-configured by the network side device or agreed upon in the protocol. The above-mentioned preset duration is usually greater than or equal to the first duration, which is the duration for forwarding the discovery message or communication request message and the corresponding response message through the MHRN to establish a wireless connection between the source remote terminal and the target remote terminal.

[0147] In one embodiment, the first information may be deleted or determined to be invalid after a preset time period after the second moment of recording the first information.

[0148] For example, when recording the first information, the second moment is recorded. When the interval between the second moment and the first moment is greater than or equal to a preset time, the first information is deleted or determined to be invalid.

[0149] Among them, the effectiveness of the first information means that the first information can be used to determine whether the newly received discovery message or communication request message is a processed or unprocessed message, and the invalidation of the first information means that the first information is not used to determine whether the newly received discovery message or communication request message is a processed or unprocessed message.

[0150] In another embodiment, when recording the first information, a corresponding first timer can be started, and the timing duration of the first timer is the preset duration. In this way, when the first timer times out, the first information corresponding to the first timer can be deleted or the first information corresponding to the first timer can be determined to be invalid.

[0151] It is worth mentioning that in some scenarios, the source remote UE may repeatedly send the same discovery message or communication request message. For example, after sending a discovery message or communication request message, if the source remote UE does not receive a corresponding response message within a certain period of time, or fails to successfully establish a wireless connection between the source remote UE and the target end, it may send the same discovery message or communication request message again. The target end may include a target base station or a target remote terminal. For example, in a U2U MHRN, the target end is a target remote terminal, and in a U2N MHRN, the target end is a target base station.

[0152] At this time, a preset time length can be introduced to manage the recorded first information, such as retaining the first information or determining that the first information is effective within the preset time length after recording the first information, and deleting the first information or determining that the first information is invalid after the preset time length.

[0153] In this way, after deleting the first information or determining that the first information is invalid, the first terminal no longer determines whether a newly received discovery message or communication request message is a processed message based on the first information. In other words, after deleting the first information or determining that the first information is invalid, even if the first terminal receives a discovery message or communication request message that is consistent with the first information again, it will still determine that the currently received discovery message or communication request message is an unprocessed message.

[0154] In some embodiments, the recorded first information may be stored in a first list, such as a relay terminal storing the first information corresponding to the forwarded first message in an identification information list of forwarded messages, or a target remote terminal storing the first information corresponding to the responded first message in an identification information list of responded messages. Upon receiving a discovery message or a communication request message, the relay terminal or the target remote terminal may extract the identification information of the discovery message or the communication request message and query the identification information list for the discovery message or the communication request message. If the identification information of the discovery message or the communication request message is found, it is determined that the discovery message or the communication request message is a processed message; if the identification information of the discovery message or the communication request message is not found, it is determined that the discovery message or the communication request message is an unprocessed message.

[0155] Optionally, the relay terminal or target remote terminal can also delete the identification information of the processed message recorded in the identification information list. For example, assuming that the corresponding second timer is started when recording the second identification information, the second identification information is deleted from the identification information list when the second timer times out.

[0156] As an optional implementation manner, the first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed, further comprising at least one of the following:

[0157] The first terminal determines that the first message is a processed message when it is determined that the first information matches the second information and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is less than the preset duration or the second timer is in a running state;

[0158] The first terminal determines, when no processing record of the first message is found, that the first message is an unprocessed message;

[0159] The first terminal determines that the first message is an unprocessed message when it is determined that the first information matches the second information and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is greater than or equal to the preset duration or the second timer times out or is not started;

[0160] Among them, the third moment is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or processes the second message corresponding to the second information, the fourth moment is the moment when the terminal receives the first message, and the fourth moment is later than the third moment; the second timer corresponds to the second message, and the start time is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or receives the second message, and the timing duration of the second timer is the preset duration.

[0161] In one embodiment, the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or processes the second message corresponding to the second information can be recorded as the third moment. When the first terminal subsequently receives the first message, the fourth moment of receiving the first message is compared with the third moment corresponding to the recorded second information to determine whether the time interval between the two is greater than or equal to the preset duration; if so, whether the first message is a processed message is not determined based on the second information, that is, even if the second information matches the first information, it can be determined that the first message is an unprocessed message; if not, whether the first message is a processed message is determined based on the second information.

[0162] In one embodiment, similar to the above-mentioned process of starting the first timer corresponding to the first message or first information when recording the first information, a second timer corresponding to the second message or second information can also be started when recording the second information, and the timing duration of the second timer is a preset duration.

[0163] In this way, after recording the second information and starting the corresponding second timer, it can be determined whether the corresponding second information is effective based on the status of the second timer, wherein the effectiveness of the second information means that the second information can be used to determine whether the first message is a processed message, and the invalidity of the second information means that the second information is not used to determine whether the first message is a processed message.

[0164] Optionally, when the second timer times out, the second information may be deleted or determined to be invalid.

[0165] In some other embodiments, the first terminal fails to find a processing record for the first message, which may be because the first terminal fails to find second information matching the first information in the recorded message processing records; or, the first terminal does not record any message processing records, for example: when the first terminal processes a discovery message for the first time, the first terminal does not have any processed discovery message, and thus there is no processing record for the processed discovery message.

[0166] In this embodiment, the second information is deleted or the second information is determined to be invalid when the second timer times out. After the second information is deleted, the second information naturally cannot be used to determine whether the subsequently received first message is a processed message. Similarly, after it is determined that the second information is invalid, the second information also cannot be used to determine whether the subsequently received first message is a processed message.

[0167] In this embodiment, the first message is determined to be a processed message only when it is determined that the first information matches the second information and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is less than the preset duration or the second timer is in the running state; in other words, if the first information does not match the second information, or although the first information matches the second information, but the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is greater than or equal to the preset duration or the second timer has timed out or is not started, then the first message will be determined to be an unprocessed message.

[0168] It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the first information may be content carried in a discovery message or a communication request message in the related art. In other embodiments, the first information may be content added to a discovery message or a communication request message by the first terminal.

[0169] As an optional implementation, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0170] When receiving the first message, the first terminal adds first identification information to the first information field of the first message, where the first identification information is used to identify the first message in the MHRN;

[0171] When receiving the second message, the first terminal adds the second identification information to the second information field of the second message, where the first identification information is used to identify the second message in the MHRN.

[0172] In one implementation, the first identification information may be added to the first information field of the first message by the source remote UE.

[0173] For example, when a remote UE in an MHRN network generates a discovery message or communication request message that needs to be forwarded by a relay UE, the remote UE explicitly or implicitly carries first identification information in the discovery message or communication request message, where the first identification information is used to identify the discovery message or communication request message in the MHRN network. Implicitly carrying the first identification information may involve carrying the first identification information through other information in the first message, such as using the address information of the source remote UE and the address information of the target remote UE as implicit first identification information.

[0174] In another implementation, the first identification information may be added to the first information field of the first message by a relay UE that provides access services to the source remote UE.

[0175] For example: After receiving the target message from the remote UE, the relay UE in the MHRN network generates a forwarding message based on the target message, where the forwarding message includes all or part of the content of the target message and explicitly or implicitly carries the first identification information in the forwarding message, wherein the target message and the forwarding message are discovery messages or communication request messages, and the first identification information is used to identify the discovery message or communication request message in the MHRN network.

[0176] The first identification information includes any identification information in the first information, which will not be described in detail here.

[0177] Similar to the above-mentioned addition of the first identification information to the first message, the second identification information is also added to the processed second message before processing. The second identification information includes any identification information in the second message.

[0178] In this way, the relay terminal or the target remote end can record the second identification information when processing the second message. When subsequently receiving the first message, the relay terminal or the target remote end can compare the recorded second identification information with the first identification information in the first message to determine whether the first message is a processed message. For example, if the second identification information in the second message matches the first identification information, the first message is determined to be a processed message.

[0179] In this embodiment, the first terminal can add first identification information that can identify the discovery message or communication request message in the MHRN to the discovery message or communication request message to be forwarded through the MHRN, so that before subsequently forwarding or responding to the discovery message or communication request message, the first identification information can be compared with the second identification information of the recorded processed second message to determine whether the current discovery message or communication request message is a processed message.

[0180] Optionally, the first terminal adds target identification information to the target information field by using at least one of the following methods:

[0181] The target identification information is added to the target information field through the ProSe-related protocol layer. For example, assuming that the ProSe-related protocol layer adds the first identification information to the first information field of the first message, and forwards the first message through the MHRN, after receiving the first message, the relay UE submits the first message to the ProSe-related protocol layer, and the ProSe-related protocol layer extracts the first identification information from the first message. Then, the relay UE determines whether to forward the discovery message / communication request based on the first identification information.

[0182] The target identification information is added to the target information field through the radio access network RAN ​​protocol layer. For example, assuming that the first identification information is added to the first information field of the first message through the RAN protocol layer and the first message is forwarded through the MHRN, after receiving the forwarded message, the relay UE submits the forwarded message to the RAN protocol layer, and the RAN protocol layer extracts the first identification information. Then, the relay UE determines whether to continue forwarding the forwarded message based on the first identification information.

[0183] Generate the target identification information by the RAN protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field by the ProSe-related protocol layer. For example, generate first identification information by the RAN protocol layer, submit the first identification information to the ProSe-related protocol layer, and add the first identification information to the first information field of the first message by the ProSe-related protocol layer.

[0184] Generate the target identification information through the ProSe-related protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the RAN protocol layer. For example, generate first identification information through the ProSe-related protocol layer, submit the first identification information to the RAN protocol layer, and add the first identification information to the first information field of the first message through the RAN protocol layer.

[0185] The target information field includes at least one item of the first information field and the second information field, and the target identification information includes at least one item of the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0186] In some implementations, the RAN protocol layer may include at least one of the following:

[0187] Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Sidelink Relay Adaptation Protocol (SRAP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and Physical layer.

[0188] In an embodiment of the present application, a first terminal receives a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in an MHRN. The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message. The first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed before. The first terminal processes the first message based on the determination result of whether the first message has been processed. When a terminal in the MHRN receives a discovery message or a communication request message, it first determines whether the discovery message or communication request message has been previously processed. Different processing can be performed on processed and unprocessed first messages. This prevents the same terminal in the MHRN from repeatedly processing the same discovery message or communication request message.

[0189] The message processing method for MHRN provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a message processing device of MHRN. In the embodiment of the present application, the message processing device of MHRN is taken as an example to illustrate the message processing method for MHRN.

[0190] Please refer to FIG. 6 , which shows a message processing device for an MHRN provided in an embodiment of the present application, which may be used in a first terminal. For example, the message processing device for the MHRN is a device in the first terminal.

[0191] As shown in FIG6 , the MHRN message processing device 600 includes the following modules:

[0192] A first receiving module 601 is configured to receive a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in the MHRN;

[0193] A determination module 602 is configured to determine whether the first message has been processed;

[0194] A first processing module 603 is configured to process the first message according to a determination result of whether the first message has been processed;

[0195] The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

[0196] Optionally, the judgment module 602 includes:

[0197] a first extraction unit, configured to extract content or an identifier in a first information field of the first message to obtain first information;

[0198] a first determining unit, configured to determine, when determining that the first information matches the second information, that the first message is a processed message, wherein the second information is content or an identifier in a second information field of the second message processed by the first terminal, and the second information field corresponds to the first information field;

[0199] The second determining unit is configured to determine that the first message is an unprocessed message when it is determined that the first information does not match the second information.

[0200] Optionally, the first processing module 603 includes at least one of the following:

[0201] a discarding unit, configured to discard the first message if it is determined that the first message is a processed message;

[0202] a first processing unit, configured to, if determining that the first message is an unprocessed message, perform a first processing on the first message, the first processing comprising at least one of the following:

[0203] forwarding the first message through the MHRN;

[0204] Submitting the first message to the Proximity Service (ProSe) protocol layer;

[0205] A first response message is generated based on the first message, and the first response message is sent through the MHRN.

[0206] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0207] an identifier of the first message;

[0208] Random numbers or random strings;

[0209] a layer 2 identifier of a remote terminal from which the first message originates;

[0210] a layer 2 identifier of a destination remote end of the first message;

[0211] A temporary identifier associated with the remote terminal from which the first message originates;

[0212] a temporary identifier associated with a target remote end of the first message;

[0213] identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message;

[0214] identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message;

[0215] address information of the remote terminal from which the first message originates;

[0216] address information of a target remote terminal of the first message;

[0217] identification information related to the service of the first message;

[0218] local identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message;

[0219] The local identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message.

[0220] Optionally, the first determining unit is configured to determine that the first information matches the second information when a first condition is met;

[0221] The first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0222] The content in the first information field is consistent with the content in the second information field;

[0223] The identifier in the first information field is consistent with the identifier in the second information field;

[0224] or,

[0225] The second determining unit is configured to determine that the first information does not match the second information when a second condition is met;

[0226] The second condition includes at least one of the following:

[0227] The content in the first information field is inconsistent with the content in the second information field;

[0228] The identifier in the first information field is inconsistent with the identifier in the second information field.

[0229] Optionally, the MHRN message processing device 600 further includes:

[0230] A recording module is used to record the first information when the first processing is performed on the first message.

[0231] Optionally, the MHRN message processing device 600 further includes at least one of the following:

[0232] A first deletion module is configured to start a first timer corresponding to the first message when recording the first information, and delete the first information or determine that the first information is invalid when the first timer times out; wherein the timing duration of the first timer is a preset duration;

[0233] The second deletion module is used to delete the first information or determine that the first information is invalid at a first moment, and the first moment is located after the second moment, and the interval between the first moment and the second moment is greater than or equal to a preset time length, wherein the second moment is the moment when the first terminal processes the first message or the moment when the first terminal records the first information.

[0234] Optionally, the determination module 602 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0235] If it is determined that the first information matches the second information, and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is less than the preset duration or the second timer is in a running state, determining that the first message is a processed message;

[0236] If no processing record of the first message is found, determining that the first message is an unprocessed message;

[0237] If it is determined that the first information matches the second information, and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is greater than or equal to the preset duration or the second timer times out or is not started, determine that the first message is an unprocessed message;

[0238] Among them, the third moment is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or processes the second message corresponding to the second information, the fourth moment is the moment when the terminal receives the first message, and the fourth moment is later than the third moment; the second timer corresponds to the second message, and the start time is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or receives the second message, and the timing duration of the second timer is the preset duration.

[0239] Optionally, the MHRN message processing device 600 further includes at least one of the following:

[0240] a first adding module, configured to, upon receiving the first message, add first identification information to the first information field of the first message, where the first identification information is used to identify the first message in the MHRN;

[0241] The second adding module is configured to add the second identification information to the second information field of the second message when the second message is received, where the first identification information is used to identify the second message in the MHRN.

[0242] Optionally, the first adding module or the second adding module adds the target identification information to the target information field by using at least one of the following methods:

[0243] Adding the target identification information to the target information field through a ProSe related protocol layer;

[0244] Adding the target identification information to the target information field through a radio access network RAN ​​protocol layer;

[0245] Generate the target identification information through the RAN protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the ProSe related protocol layer;

[0246] Generate the target identification information through the ProSe related protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the RAN protocol layer;

[0247] The target information field includes at least one item of the first information field and the second information field, and the target identification information includes at least one item of the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0248] Optionally, the first terminal includes at least one of the following:

[0249] a relay terminal of the first message;

[0250] a remote terminal that is a source of the first message;

[0251] The target remote terminal of the first message.

[0252] The MHRN message processing device in the embodiments of the present application can be an electronic device, such as an electronic device with an operating system, or a component in an electronic device, such as an integrated circuit or chip. The electronic device can be a terminal or other device other than a terminal. For example, the terminal can include but is not limited to the types of terminal 11 listed above, and the other device can be a server, a network attached storage (NAS), etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0253] The MHRN message processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0254] As shown in Figure 7, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device 700, including a processor 701 and a memory 702, and the memory 702 stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor 701. When the communication device 700 is a first terminal, the program or instruction is executed by the processor 701 to implement the various steps of the above-mentioned MHRN message processing method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0255] The present application also provides a terminal comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to execute a program or instruction to implement the steps of the method embodiment shown in FIG5 . This terminal embodiment corresponds to the aforementioned terminal-side method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation method of the aforementioned method embodiment is applicable to this terminal embodiment and can achieve the same technical effects. Specifically, FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal implementing an embodiment of the present application.

[0256] The terminal 800 includes but is not limited to: a radio frequency unit 801, a network module 802, an audio output unit 803, an input unit 804, a sensor 805, a display unit 806, a user input unit 807, an interface unit 808, a memory 809 and at least some of the components of the processor 810.

[0257] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terminal 800 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) to power various components. The power supply may be logically connected to the processor 810 via a power management system, thereby enabling the power management system to manage charging, discharging, and power consumption. The terminal structure shown in FIG8 does not limit the terminal. The terminal may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine certain components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be described in detail here.

[0258] It should be understood that in an embodiment of the present application, the input unit 804 may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 8041 and a microphone 8042, and the graphics processor 8041 processes image data of a static picture or video obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode. The display unit 806 may include a display panel 8061, and the display panel 8061 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, etc. The user input unit 807 includes a touch panel 8071 and at least one of other input devices 8072. The touch panel 8071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 8071 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 8072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, and a joystick, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving downlink data from a network-side device, the radio frequency unit 801 may transmit the data to the processor 810 for processing. Furthermore, the radio frequency unit 801 may send uplink data to the network-side device. Typically, the radio frequency unit 801 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, an amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low-noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like.

[0260] The memory 809 can be used to store software programs or instructions and various data. The memory 809 may mainly include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data, wherein the first storage area may store an operating system, applications or instructions required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.). In addition, the memory 809 may include a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory 809 in the embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0261] Processor 810 may include one or more processing units. Optionally, processor 810 integrates an application processor and a modem processor. The application processor primarily handles operations related to the operating system, user interface, and application programs, while the modem processor primarily processes wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the modem processor may not be integrated into processor 810.

[0262] The radio frequency unit 801 is configured to receive a first message, and the terminal 800 is a terminal in the MHRN;

[0263] Processor 810, configured to determine whether the first message has been processed, and process the first message based on the determination result of whether the first message has been processed;

[0264] The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

[0265] Optionally, the determining whether the first message has been processed, performed by the processor 810, includes:

[0266] extracting content or identifier in the first information field of the first message to obtain first information;

[0267] If it is determined that the first information matches the second information, determining that the first message is a processed message, wherein the second information is content or an identifier in a second information field of the second message processed by the first terminal, and the second information field corresponds to the first information field;

[0268] When it is determined that the first information does not match the second information, the first message is determined to be an unprocessed message.

[0269] Optionally, the processing of the first message according to the result of determining whether the first message has been processed, performed by the processor 810, includes at least one of the following:

[0270] If it is determined that the first message is a processed message, discard the first message;

[0271] If it is determined that the first message is an unprocessed message, perform a first process on the first message, where the first process includes at least one of the following:

[0272] forwarding the first message through the MHRN;

[0273] Submitting the first message to the Proximity Service (ProSe) protocol layer;

[0274] A first response message is generated based on the first message, and the first response message is sent through the MHRN.

[0275] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0276] an identifier of the first message;

[0277] Random numbers or random strings;

[0278] a layer 2 identifier of a remote terminal from which the first message originates;

[0279] a layer 2 identifier of a destination remote end of the first message;

[0280] A temporary identifier associated with the remote terminal from which the first message originates;

[0281] a temporary identifier associated with a target remote end of the first message;

[0282] identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message;

[0283] identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message;

[0284] address information of the remote terminal from which the first message originates;

[0285] address information of a target remote terminal of the first message;

[0286] identification information related to the service of the first message;

[0287] local identification information of the source remote terminal of the first message;

[0288] The local identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message.

[0289] Optionally, the processor 810 determines whether the first information matches the second information in the following manner:

[0290] If a first condition is met, determining that the first information matches the second information;

[0291] The first condition includes at least one of the following:

[0292] The content in the first information field is consistent with the content in the second information field;

[0293] The identifier in the first information field is consistent with the identifier in the second information field;

[0294] or,

[0295] If a second condition is met, determining that the first information does not match the second information;

[0296] The second condition includes at least one of the following:

[0297] The content in the first information field is inconsistent with the content in the second information field;

[0298] The identifier in the first information field is inconsistent with the identifier in the second information field.

[0299] Optionally, the processor 810 is further configured to record the first information when performing the first processing on the first message.

[0300] Optionally, the processor 810 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0301] When recording the first information, starting a first timer corresponding to the first message, and when the first timer times out, deleting the first information or determining that the first information is invalid; wherein the timing duration of the first timer is a preset duration;

[0302] At a first moment, the first information is deleted or the first information is determined to be invalid, the first moment is located after the second moment, and the interval between the first moment and the second moment is greater than or equal to a preset duration, wherein the second moment is the moment when the first terminal processes the first message or the moment when the first terminal records the first information.

[0303] Optionally, the determining whether the first message has been processed, performed by the processor 810, further includes at least one of the following:

[0304] If it is determined that the first information matches the second information, and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is less than the preset duration or the second timer is in a running state, determining that the first message is a processed message;

[0305] The first terminal determines, when no processing record of the first message is found, that the first message is an unprocessed message;

[0306] If it is determined that the first information matches the second information, and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is greater than or equal to the preset duration or the second timer times out or is not started, determine that the first message is an unprocessed message;

[0307] Among them, the third moment is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or processes the second message corresponding to the second information, the fourth moment is the moment when the terminal receives the first message, and the fourth moment is later than the third moment; the second timer corresponds to the second message, and the start time is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or receives the second message, and the timing duration of the second timer is the preset duration.

[0308] Optionally, the processor 810 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0309] When the first message is received through the radio frequency unit 801, first identification information is added to the first information field of the first message, where the first identification information is used to identify the first message in the MHRN;

[0310] When the second message is received through the radio frequency unit 801, the second identification information is added to the second information field of the second message, and the first identification information is used to identify the second message in the MHRN.

[0311] Optionally, the processor 810 adds the target identification information to the target information field by using at least one of the following methods:

[0312] Adding the target identification information to the target information field through a ProSe related protocol layer;

[0313] Adding the target identification information to the target information field through a radio access network RAN ​​protocol layer;

[0314] Generate the target identification information through the RAN protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the ProSe related protocol layer;

[0315] Generate the target identification information through the ProSe related protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the RAN protocol layer;

[0316] The target information field includes at least one item of the first information field and the second information field, and the target identification information includes at least one item of the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0317] Optionally, the terminal 800 includes at least one of the following:

[0318] a relay terminal of the first message;

[0319] a remote terminal that is a source of the first message;

[0320] The target remote terminal of the first message.

[0321] It can be understood that the implementation process of each implementation method mentioned in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, and achieve the same or corresponding technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0322] An embodiment of the present application also provides a readable storage medium, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the various processes of the above-mentioned MHRN message processing method embodiment are implemented, and the same technical effect can be achieved. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0323] The processor is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiment. The readable storage medium includes a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transitory readable storage medium.

[0324] An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-mentioned MHRN message processing method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0325] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0326] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium. The computer program / program product is executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-mentioned MHRN message processing method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0327] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the opposite order according to the functions involved. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0328] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of a computer software product plus a necessary general-purpose hardware platform, or of course, by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.) and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0329] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms of implementation methods without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims. These implementation methods are all within the protection of this application.

Claims

1. A message processing method for a multi-hop relay network MHRN, the method comprising: A first terminal receives a first message, where the first terminal is a terminal in the MHRN; Determining, by the first terminal, whether the first message has been processed; The first terminal processes the first message according to a determination result of whether the first message has been processed; The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first terminal processes the first message according to a result of determining whether the first message has been processed, including at least one of the following: When determining that the first message is a processed message, the first terminal discards the first message; When determining that the first message is an unprocessed message, the first terminal performs a first process on the first message, where the first process includes at least one of the following: forwarding the first message through the MHRN; Submitting the first message to the proximity service ProSe protocol layer; A first response message is generated based on the first message, and the first response message is sent through the MHRN.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed, including: The first terminal extracts the content or identifier in the first information field of the first message to obtain first information; The first terminal determines that the first message is a processed message when determining that the first information matches the second information, wherein the second information is the content or identifier in the second information field of the second message processed by the first terminal, and the second information field corresponds to the first information field; or When the first terminal determines that the first information does not match the second information, it determines that the first message is an unprocessed message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The first information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first message; Random numbers or random strings; a layer 2 identifier of a remote terminal from which the first message originated; a layer 2 identifier of a remote end to which the first message is directed; A temporary identifier associated with a source remote terminal of the first message; a temporary identifier associated with a target remote end of the first message; identification information of a source remote terminal of the first message; identification information of a target remote terminal of the first message; Address information of the source remote terminal of the first message; address information of a target remote terminal of the first message; identification information related to the service of the first message; Local identification information of a source remote terminal of the first message; The local identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The first terminal determines whether the first information matches the second information in the following manner: When a first condition is met, the first terminal determines that the first information matches the second information; The first condition includes at least one of the following: The content in the first information field is consistent with the content in the second information field; The identifier in the first information field is consistent with the identifier in the second information field; or, When a second condition is met, the first terminal determines that the first information does not match the second information; The second condition includes at least one of the following: The content in the first information field is inconsistent with the content in the second information field; The identifier in the first information field is inconsistent with the identifier in the second information field.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The method further comprises: When performing the first processing on the first message, the first terminal records the first information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The method further comprises at least one of the following: When recording the first information, the first terminal starts a first timer corresponding to the first message, and when the first timer times out, deletes the first information or determines that the first information is invalid; wherein the timing duration of the first timer is a preset duration; The first terminal deletes the first information or determines that the first information is invalid at a first moment, and the first moment is located after a second moment, and the interval between the first moment and the second moment is greater than or equal to a preset time length, wherein the second moment is the moment when the first terminal processes the first message or the moment when the first terminal records the first information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein: The first terminal determines whether the first message has been processed, further comprising at least one of the following: The first terminal determines that the first message is a processed message when it is determined that the first information matches the second information and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is less than the preset duration or the second timer is in a running state; The first terminal determines, when no processing record of the first message is found, that the first message is an unprocessed message; The first terminal determines that the first message is an unprocessed message when it is determined that the first information matches the second information and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is greater than or equal to the preset duration or the second timer times out or is not started; The third time is the time when the first terminal obtains the second information or processes the second message corresponding to the second information, the fourth time is the time when the terminal receives the first message, and the fourth time is later than the third time; the second timer corresponds to the second message, and the start time is the time when the first terminal obtains the first message. The timing of the second timer is the preset duration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein: The method further comprises at least one of the following: When receiving the first message, the first terminal adds first identification information to the first information field of the first message, where the first identification information is used to identify the first message in the MHRN; When receiving the second message, the first terminal adds the second identification information to the second information field of the second message, where the first identification information is used to identify the second message in the MHRN.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The first terminal adds the target identification information to the target information field by using at least one of the following methods: Adding the target identification information in the target information field through a proximity service ProSe related protocol layer; Adding the target identification information in the target information field through a radio access network RAN ​​protocol layer; Generate the target identification information through the RAN protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the ProSe related protocol layer; Generate the target identification information through the ProSe related protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the RAN protocol layer; The target information field includes at least one item of the first information field and the second information field, and the target identification information includes at least one item of the first identification information and the second identification information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The first terminal includes at least one of the following: a relay terminal of the first message; a remote terminal from which the first message originates; The target remote terminal of the first message.

12. A message processing device of a multi-hop relay network MHRN, used for a first terminal, the device comprising: A first receiving module, configured to receive a first message, wherein the first terminal is a terminal in the MHRN; A determination module, used to determine whether the first message has been processed; A first processing module, configured to process the first message according to a determination result of whether the first message has been processed; The first message is a discovery message or a communication request message.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The first processing module includes at least one of the following: a discarding unit, configured to discard the first message if it is determined that the first message is a processed message; A first processing unit is configured to perform a first processing on the first message when it is determined that the first message is an unprocessed message, wherein the first processing includes at least one of the following: forwarding the first message through the MHRN; Submitting the first message to the proximity service ProSe protocol layer; A first response message is generated based on the first message, and the first response message is sent through the MHRN.

14. The device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The judging module comprises: A first extraction unit, configured to extract content or identification in a first information field of the first message to obtain first information; a first determining unit, configured to determine that the first message is a processed message when it is determined that the first information matches the second information, wherein the second information is content or an identifier in a second information field of the second message processed by the first terminal, and the second information field corresponds to the first information field; or The second determining unit is configured to determine that the first message is an unprocessed message when it is determined that the first information does not match the second information.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The first information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first message; Random numbers or random strings; a layer 2 identifier of a remote terminal from which the first message originated; a layer 2 identifier of a remote end to which the first message is directed; A temporary identifier associated with a source remote terminal of the first message; a temporary identifier associated with a target remote end of the first message; identification information of a source remote terminal of the first message; identification information of a target remote terminal of the first message; Address information of the source remote terminal of the first message; address information of a target remote terminal of the first message; identification information related to the service of the first message; Local identification information of a source remote terminal of the first message; The local identification information of the target remote terminal of the first message.

16. The device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The first determining unit is configured to determine that the first information matches the second information when a first condition is met; The first condition includes at least one of the following: The content in the first information field is consistent with the content in the second information field; The identifier in the first information field is consistent with the identifier in the second information field; or, The second determining unit is configured to determine that the first information does not match the second information when a second condition is met; The second condition includes at least one of the following: The content in the first information field is inconsistent with the content in the second information field; The identifier in the first information field is inconsistent with the identifier in the second information field.

17. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The device also includes: A recording module is used to record the first information when the first processing is performed on the first message.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein: The device further comprises at least one of the following: a first deleting module, configured to start a first timer corresponding to the first message when recording the first information, and when the first timer times out, deleting the first information or determining that the first information is invalid; wherein the timing duration of the first timer is a preset duration; The second deletion module is used to delete the first information or determine that the first information is invalid at a first moment, the first moment is located after the second moment, and the interval between the first moment and the second moment is greater than or equal to a preset time, wherein the second moment is the moment when the first terminal processes the first message or the moment when the first terminal records the first information.

19. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein: The determination module is further configured to perform at least one of the following: In a case where it is determined that the first information matches the second information, and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is less than the preset duration or the second timer is in a running state, determining that the first message is a processed message; If no processing record of the first message is found, determining that the first message is an unprocessed message; In the case where it is determined that the first information matches the second information, and the time interval between the third moment and the fourth moment is greater than or equal to the preset duration or the second timer times out or is not started, determining that the first message is an unprocessed message; Among them, the third moment is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or processes the second message corresponding to the second information, the fourth moment is the moment when the terminal receives the first message, and the fourth moment is later than the third moment; the second timer corresponds to the second message, and the start time is the moment when the first terminal obtains the second information or receives the second message, and the timing duration of the second timer is the preset duration.

20. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein: The device further comprises at least one of the following: A first adding module is configured to add first identification information to the first information field of the first message when the first message is received, where the first identification information is used to identify the first message in the MHRN; The second adding module is used to add the second identification information in the second information field of the second message when the second message is received, wherein the first identification information is used to identify the second message in the MHRN.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein: The first adding module or the second adding module adds the target identification information to the target information field by using at least one of the following methods: Adding the target identification information in the target information field through a proximity service ProSe related protocol layer; Adding the target identification information in the target information field through a radio access network RAN ​​protocol layer; Generate the target identification information through the RAN protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the ProSe related protocol layer; Generate the target identification information through the ProSe related protocol layer, and add the target identification information to the target information field through the RAN protocol layer; The target information field includes at least one item of the first information field and the second information field, and the target identification information includes at least one item of the first identification information and the second identification information.

22. The device according to any one of claims 12 to 21, wherein: The first terminal includes at least one of the following: a relay terminal of the first message; a remote terminal from which the first message originates; The target remote terminal of the first message.

23. A terminal comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the message processing method of a multi-hop relay network MHRN as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 are implemented.

24. A readable storage medium storing a program or an instruction, wherein the program or the instruction, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the message processing method of a multi-hop relay network MHRN according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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