Communication method, user equipment, network device, and communication system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, a user equipment (UE), a network device, and a communication system. The communication method comprises: by means of voice over wireless fidelity (VoWiFi) shared by a second UE on the basis of a device-to-device (D2D) link, establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a network device; by means of VoWiFi shared by a second UE on the basis of a D2D link, establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a network device, and on the basis of the first VoWiFi connection, performing a voice call; or by means of VoWiFi shared by a second UE on the basis of a D2D link, multiplexing a second VoWiFi connection to perform a voice call, the second VoWiFi connection being a connection established between the second UE and the network device, wherein when the first VoWiFi connection is established, authentication is performed with the network device by means of the second UE. The method is applied to a first UE, and improves the voice call quality in some poor WiFi coverage scenarios (or other scenarios).

Description

Communication method, user equipment, network equipment and communication system Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, user equipment, network equipment, and a communication system. Background Art

[0002] Among the mobile communication technologies currently under research, Voice over Wireless Fidelity (VoWiFi) has been proposed. Specifically, VoWiFi allows operators to leverage Wi-Fi hotspots to provide voice services to users. Through VoWiFi, users can access Wi-Fi and make and receive voice or video calls while using the mobile internet. Therefore, further improvements to the VoWiFi mechanism are needed.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, user equipment, network equipment, and communication system to further improve the VoWiFi mechanism.

[0005] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, applied to a first user equipment (UE), the method including one of the following situations:

[0006] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link;

[0007] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0008] The second VoWiFi connection is reused for a voice call via the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link; the second VoWiFi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device;

[0009] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0010] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, applied to a second user equipment UE, the method including:

[0011] Share VoWiFi with the first UE via the D2D link, and instruct the first UE to perform at least one of the following:

[0012] Establish the first Vowifi connection with the network device;

[0013] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a network device, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0014] Reusing a second VoWiFi connection for a voice call; wherein the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0015] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0016] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, applied to a network device, the method including one of the following situations:

[0017] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first user equipment UE;

[0018] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0019] multiplexing a second VoWiFi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0020] In the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE authenticates the second UE with the network device.

[0021] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment, where the user equipment is a first user equipment, and the first user equipment includes:

[0022] A first communication module, configured to establish a first VoWiFi connection with a network device through VoWiFi shared by a second user equipment UE based on a D2D link, and / or to conduct a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0023] The first UE reuses the Vowifi link established between the second UE and the network device; or, in the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0024] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment, where the user equipment is a second user equipment, and the second user equipment includes:

[0025] A sharing module, configured to share VoWiFi with a first user equipment UE via a D2D link, and instruct the first UE to establish a first VoWiFi connection with a network device, and / or to conduct a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0026] The first UE reuses the Vowifi link established by the second UE and the network device; or, during the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE performs authentication with the network device through the second UE.

[0027] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a network device, the network device comprising:

[0028] A second communication module, configured to establish a first VoWiFi connection with a first user equipment UE, and / or communicate with the first UE based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0029] The first UE establishes the first VoWiFi connection through VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link;

[0030] The first UE reuses the VoWiFi link established by the second UE and the network device; or, in the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE performs authentication with the network device.

[0031] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment, where the user equipment is a first user equipment, including:

[0032] one or more processors;

[0033] The first user equipment is used to execute the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment, where the user equipment is a second user equipment, including:

[0035] one or more processors;

[0036] The second user equipment is used to execute the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a network device, including:

[0038] one or more processors;

[0039] The network device is used to implement the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication system, including a first user device, a second user device, and a network device; wherein the first user device is configured to implement the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second user device is configured to implement the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method as described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] In the disclosed embodiment, a first UE can establish a first VoWiFi connection with a network device through VoWiFi shared by a second UE based on a D2D link. After establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the first UE can make a voice call through the first VoWiFi connection, thereby improving the voice call quality in some scenarios with weak Wi-Fi coverage (or other scenarios).

[0043] Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be given in part in the following description, which will become apparent from the following description or be learned through practice of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] FIG1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG2 is one of exemplary interaction diagrams of a method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG3 is a second exemplary interaction diagram of the method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG4 is a second exemplary interaction diagram of the method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] FIG5 is one of the flowcharts of an example provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] FIG6 is a second flow chart of an example provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG7 is a third flow chart of an example provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG9 is a second flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] FIG10 is a third flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a first user equipment proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a second user equipment proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0058] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, user equipment, network equipment, and a communication system.

[0061] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, applied to a first user equipment UE, the method including:

[0062] The method includes one of the following:

[0063] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link;

[0064] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0065] The second VoWiFi connection is reused for a voice call via the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link; the second VoWiFi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device;

[0066] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the first UE can establish a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link. After establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the first UE can make a voice call through the first VoWiFi connection, thereby improving the voice call quality in some Wi-Fi weak coverage scenarios (or other scenarios).

[0068] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the authenticating the second UE with the network device includes:

[0069] The authentication parameters of the first UE are sent to the second UE via the D2D link, and the second UE is instructed to send the authentication parameters to the network device.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the first UE can authenticate with the network device through the second UE, avoiding the step that the first UE needs to authenticate directly with the network side, and implement the Vowifi establishment process of the first UE.

[0071] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0072] To enable the D2D function, perform at least one of the following operations:

[0073] Display the first prompt information;

[0074] Searching for candidate UEs for establishing a D2D connection with the first UE;

[0075] The candidate UEs are sorted and displayed according to the Wi-Fi signal strength information of the candidate UEs.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the activation process of the VoWiFi sharing mechanism is improved.

[0077] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the device manufacturer identifier of the candidate UE is displayed; wherein the device manufacturer identifier is obtained from the process of establishing a D2D link with the candidate UE.

[0078] In the above embodiment, during the process of establishing the D2D link with the candidate UEs, the first UE 101 may obtain the device manufacturer identifier of each candidate UE, so as to facilitate the user to select the target device as the sharing end.

[0079] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0080] If the Wi-Fi signal strength of the first UE is greater than a first preset strength threshold, at least one of the following is performed:

[0081] Switching to a third VoWiFi connection of the first UE;

[0082] A second prompt message is displayed, and the second prompt message prompts switching back to the third Vowifi connection.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the disconnection mechanism of VoWiFi sharing is improved.

[0084] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, applied to a second user equipment UE, the method including:

[0085] Share VoWiFi with the first UE via the D2D link, and instruct the first UE to perform at least one of the following:

[0086] Establish the first Vowifi connection with the network device;

[0087] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a network device, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0088] Reusing a second VoWiFi connection for a voice call; wherein the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0089] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0090] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the authenticating the second UE with the network device includes:

[0091] The second UE receives the authentication parameters sent by the first UE through the D2D link, and sends the authentication parameters to the network device.

[0092] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0093] Turn on the D2D function and display the third prompt message;

[0094] The third prompt information includes at least one of the following:

[0095] The power consumption of the second UE will increase;

[0096] Other UEs may search for and use the Vowifi link of the second UE;

[0097] Disabling the Wi-Fi function may cause other UEs to lose Wi-Fi connections.

[0098] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0099] In the process of establishing the D2D link with another UE, the device manufacturer identifier of the second UE is sent to the other UE.

[0100] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0101] The D2D function is turned off and a fourth prompt message is displayed; the fourth prompt message prompts: there is a possibility that the Vowifi function of the first UE is disconnected.

[0102] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, applied to a network device, including one of the following situations:

[0103] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first user equipment UE;

[0104] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0105] multiplexing a second VoWiFi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0106] In the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE authenticates the second UE with the network device.

[0107] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0108] Receive the authentication parameters of the first UE sent by the second UE, and authenticate the first UE using the authentication parameters; wherein the first UE sends the authentication parameters to the second UE through the D2D link.

[0109] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user device, which is a first user device, and the first user device includes a first communication module; wherein the first user device is used to execute the optional implementation method of the first aspect.

[0110] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user device, which is a second user device and includes: a sharing module; wherein the above-mentioned second user device is used to execute the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0111] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a network device, the network device comprising:

[0112] The second communication module is configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0113] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first user equipment UE;

[0114] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0115] multiplexing a second VoWiFi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0116] In the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE authenticates the second UE with the network device.

[0117] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment, where the user equipment is a first user equipment, including:

[0118] one or more processors;

[0119] The first user equipment is used to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect.

[0120] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a user equipment, where the user equipment is a second user equipment, including:

[0121] one or more processors;

[0122] The second user equipment is used to execute an optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0123] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a network device, including:

[0124] one or more processors;

[0125] The network device is used to execute the optional implementation of the third aspect.

[0126] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication system, including a first user device, a second user device, and a network device; wherein, the first user device is configured to perform the optional implementation method as described in the first aspect, the second user device is configured as the optional implementation method as described in the second aspect, and the network device is configured as the optional implementation method as described in the third aspect.

[0127] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the optional implementation methods described in the first, second, and third aspects.

[0128] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect.

[0129] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first, second, and third aspects.

[0130] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, which includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first, second, and third aspects above.

[0131] It is understandable that the above-mentioned user equipment, network equipment, communication system, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip or chip system are all used to perform the method proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding method and will not be repeated here.

[0132] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a user device, a network device, and a communication system. In some embodiments, the terms communication method, signal transmission method, wireless frame transmission method, etc. are interchangeable, and the terms information processing system, communication system, etc. are interchangeable.

[0133] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0134] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0135] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0136] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0137] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0138] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0139] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0140] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0141] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0142] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0143] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0144] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0145] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0146] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0147] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0148] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0149] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0150] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.

[0151] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments may also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or reception point (TRP)" "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0152] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc.

[0153] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0154] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0155] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0156] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0157] As shown in FIG1 , a communication system 100 includes a first user equipment (UE) 101 , a second UE 102 , and a network device 103 .

[0158] In some embodiments, the first UE 101 and the second UE 102 include, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but are not limited thereto.

[0159] Specifically, the first UE 101 and the second UE 102 may be terminal devices or network devices equipped with a wireless fidelity (WiFi) chip. Optionally, the site device 101 may support multiple WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11bf, and 802.11bn, as well as the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network device 103 may include at least one of an access network device and a core network device.

[0161] In some embodiments, the access network device may be an access point for a mobile terminal to enter a wired network. The AP is equivalent to a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, the AP may be a terminal device or a network device with a wireless fidelity chip. Optionally, the AP may support multiple WLAN standards such as 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a, 802.11bf, 802.11bn, and support the next generation 802.11 protocol, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the core network device may be a device including one or more network elements, or may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each including all or part of the above one or more network elements. The network element may be virtual or physical. The core network, for example, includes at least one of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), the 5G Core Network (5GCN), and the Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0162] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0163] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0164] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other resource determination methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these systems. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0165] The various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as those using the 802.11 series of protocols. In a WLAN, a Basic Service Set (BSS) is a fundamental component of a WLAN. A BSS network consists of station devices with some association within a specific coverage area. One scenario of association is that stations communicate directly with each other in an ad hoc network, which is called an Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS). Another more common scenario is that in a BSS network, there is only one central station dedicated to managing the BSS, called an access point, and all other STAs in the network are associated with it. Other stations in the BSS network that are not the central station are called terminals, also called non-AP STAs. Terminals and non-AP STAs are collectively referred to as STAs. When describing STAs, there is no need to distinguish between APs and non-AP STAs. In the same BSS network, due to distance, transmission power, and other factors, a STA cannot detect other STAs that are farther away, and the two STAs are each other's hidden nodes.

[0166] 2 to 4 are interactive schematic diagrams illustrating a communication method according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0167] As shown in FIG2 , the above method is applied to a first UE, including step 201. Step 201 includes at least one of the following cases 1 to 3:

[0168] Case 1: A first VoWiFi connection is established with the network device through VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link.

[0169] In the second case, a first VoWiFi connection is established with the network device through VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and a voice call is made based on the first VoWiFi connection.

[0170] Case three: a second Vowifi connection is reused for a voice call through Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link; the second Vowifi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device.

[0171] Among them, in situations one and two, the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection is performed by authenticating the second UE with the network device.

[0172] The second UE 102 maintains a communication connection with the network device 103; for example, the second UE 102 is within the wireless local area network (WLAN) of the network device 103. It is understood that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link may be the link-related parameters of the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, or may be other VoWiFi-related content, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0173] The first UE 101 and the second UE 102 are in a D2D (Device to Device) link connection state. Specifically, after the first UE 101 and the second UE 102 establish a D2D link, they communicate directly via the D2D link. In a distributed network composed of D2D communication devices, each user node (D2D communication device) can send and receive signals and has the function of automatic routing (forwarding messages).

[0174] In some scenarios, for example, the first UE 101 is in an environment with weak WiFi signal coverage, such as a multi-layered wall partition, a basement, an elevator, etc.; or in a high-load WiFi environment, such as a shopping mall, a waiting room, a school / work area, etc.; or in an abnormal WiFi environment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the above scenarios, the first UE 101 can perform at least one of the aforementioned scenarios 1 to 3, and ultimately implement a voice call via VoWiFi, thereby improving the voice call quality in some scenarios with weak WiFi coverage (or the other scenarios mentioned above).

[0175] Specifically, in case one, a first Vowifi connection is established with a network device through Vowifi shared by the second UE based on a D2D link. For example, the second UE 102 shares Vowifi with the first UE 101 through a D2D link, that is, the second UE 102 serves as a sharing end and the second UE 102 serves as a receiving end. In some scenarios, the first UE 101 may not be able to communicate directly with the network device. For example, the first UE 101 may not have a direct communication function, such as a wearable device that does not have a SIM card. In this case, the first Vowifi connection with the network device 103 can be established through the Vowifi. Moreover, in the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, it is impossible to directly authenticate with the Vowifi. Therefore, as shown in FIG4 , the first UE 101 can authenticate with the network device 103 through the second UE.

[0176] In the second case, the second UE 102 establishes a first Vowifi connection with the network device through the Vowifi shared based on the D2D link, and / or a voice call is made based on the first Vowifi connection (as shown by the dotted arrow S1 + dotted arrow S2); for example, the second UE 102 shares Vowifi with the first UE 101 through the D2D link, that is, the second UE 102 serves as the sharing end and the second UE 102 serves as the receiving end. The first UE 101 establishes a first Vowifi connection with the network device 103 through the Vowifi. After establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE 101 can make a voice call through the first Vowifi connection, thereby improving the quality of voice calls in some Wi-Fi weak coverage scenarios (or the other scenarios mentioned above).

[0177] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the voice call can be a video call.

[0178] In the third scenario, the second UE 102 uses the VoWiFi shared over the D2D link to reuse the second VoWiFi connection for the voice call; the second VoWiFi connection is (pre-)established between the second UE 102 and the network device 103. That is, when the second UE 102 establishes the second VoWiFi connection with the network device 103, the first UE 101 can reuse the second VoWiFi connection for the voice call.

[0179] Furthermore, in case three, as shown in Figure 3, during the process of the first UE101 communicating with the network device 103 through the Vowifi, the first UE101 can reuse the Vowifi link established by the second UE102 and the network device 103; for example, if the first UE101 and the second UE102 devices use the same authentication parameters, such as the first UE101 is an eSIM device (such as an embedded SIM card, electronic SIM card) or a watch device, the Vowifi path (second Vowifi connection) established by the second UE102 can be directly reused for Vowifi service.

[0180] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device 103 is, for example, an N3IWF (Non-3GPP InterWorking Function) device, which is responsible for connecting an untrusted non-3GPP access network to the 5G core network.

[0181] In some embodiments, the authenticating the second UE with the network device includes:

[0182] Step 202 : Send the authentication parameters of the first UE 101 to the second UE 102 via the D2D link, and instruct the second UE 102 to send the authentication parameters to the network device 103 .

[0183] As shown in Figure 4, the first UE101 sends its authentication parameters to the second UE102 through the D2D link. After the second UE102 receives the authentication parameters sent by the first UE101 through the D2D link, it sends the authentication parameters to the network device 103, so that the network device 103 receives the authentication parameters of the first UE sent by the second UE102, and authenticates the first UE through the authentication parameters, avoiding the step that the first UE101 needs to authenticate directly with the network side, and realizing the Vowifi establishment process of the first UE101.

[0184] It is understood that the first UE 101 can instruct the second UE 102 to send the authentication parameters to the network device 103 by means of "implicit indication" or "explicit indication". For example, an implicit indication is when the first UE 101 sends its authentication parameters to the second UE 102 via a D2D link, which implicitly instructs the second UE 102 to send the authentication parameters to the network device 103. For example, an explicit indication is when the first UE 101 sends its authentication parameters to the second UE 102 via a D2D link, which can be instructing the second UE 102 to send the authentication parameters to the network device 103 via a signaling message or an identification bit.

[0185] In some embodiments, the process of enabling the VoWiFi sharing mechanism includes:

[0186] Step 203: The first UE 101 enables the D2D function and performs at least one of the following operations:

[0187] Display the first prompt information;

[0188] Searching for candidate UEs for establishing a D2D connection with the first UE;

[0189] The candidate UEs are sorted and displayed according to the Wi-Fi signal strength information of the candidate UEs.

[0190] Among them, turning on the D2D function can be used as an activation operation of the Vowifi sharing mechanism. Therefore, when turning on the D2D function, for example, the user manually turns on the D2D function or the first UE101 automatically turns on the D2D function in some Wifi weak coverage scenarios (or other scenarios mentioned above), the first UE101 can display a first prompt message, and the first prompt message, for example, prompts the user to turn on some risk information of the D2D function.

[0191] After the first UE 101 turns on the D2D function, it can also search for candidate UEs that establish a D2D connection with the first UE 101. The candidate UEs can be used as UEs for VoWiFi sharing. The candidate UEs can also be sorted and displayed according to their WiFi signal strength information for user selection.

[0192] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0193] The device manufacturer identifier of the candidate UE is displayed; wherein the device manufacturer identifier is obtained from the process of establishing a D2D link with the candidate UE.

[0194] In the process of establishing a D2D link with the candidate UE, the first UE 101 can obtain the device manufacturer identification of each candidate UE, so that the user can select the target device as the sharing end. Correspondingly, in the process of establishing the D2D link with other UEs, the second UE 102 sends the device manufacturer identification of the second UE 102 to the other UEs.

[0195] Optionally, referring to FIG. 5 , FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a VoWiFi sharing process of the first UE 101 ; as shown in FIG. 5 , the process includes:

[0196] In step 501 , the first UE 101 turns on the D2D function; then, step 502 or step 503 is executed.

[0197] Step 502: D2D reception determination: After the first UE 101 turns on the automatic start function, it will use artificial intelligence (AI) to open the connection. The determination is based on the WiFi signal. Step 5021: Automatically open VoWiFi sharing. If the current WiFi is judged to be high load / abnormal and cannot be restored, automatically open VoWiFi sharing. Step 5022: Automatically open VoWiFi sharing if the WiFi cut-in and cut-out threshold is met.

[0198] The authentication parameters are subsequently sent to the second UE 102 .

[0199] Step 503: The user manually selects D2D reception. The user of the first UE 101 manually turns on the function and selects Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for connection. The second UE 102 can detect the presence of a special flag bit in the data packet through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, allowing the first UE 101 to identify and quickly connect to the device with this function enabled.

[0200] Step 5031: The user manually searches for candidate devices that carry device manufacturer identification bits.

[0201] Step 5032: Sort the candidate devices by WiFi signal strength.

[0202] Step 5033: determine the risk and provide a risk prompt, such as a first prompt message.

[0203] After admission, the authentication parameters are subsequently sent to the second UE 102 .

[0204] After receiving the authentication parameters sent by the first UE 101 through the D2D link, the second UE 102 sends the authentication parameters to the network device 103, so that the network device 103 receives the authentication parameters of the first UE sent by the second UE 102 and authenticates the first UE through the authentication parameters.

[0205] In some embodiments, when the Wi-Fi signal strength of the first UE is greater than a first preset strength threshold, the first UE 101 performs at least one of the following:

[0206] Step 206 , switching to the third VoWiFi connection of the first UE 101 ;

[0207] Step 207: Display a second prompt message, wherein the second prompt message prompts switching back to the third Vowifi connection.

[0208] The first UE 101 can set a disconnect mechanism for VoWiFi sharing. When the first UE 101's own Wi-Fi signal coverage is good, for example, greater than a first preset strength threshold, it can actively switch to its own VoWiFi, i.e., the third VoWiFi connection. Alternatively, a second prompt message can be displayed to prompt the user to stop D2D reception of VoWiFi sharing and switch to the third VoWiFi connection.

[0209] As an example, as shown in Figure 7, the network device 103, the second UE 102, and the first UE 101 can all be disconnected from the current D2D relay VoWifi by the user manually turning off the D2D function; in addition, when the first UE 101's own WiFi signal coverage is good, for example, greater than the first preset strength threshold, it can actively switch to its own VoWifi and display a second prompt message, indicating that the current D2D relay VoWifi signal strength is lower than other WiFi, prompting the user that there is a better WiFi option.

[0210] In some embodiments, during the process of enabling the VoWiFi sharing mechanism, the method further includes:

[0211] Step 204: The second UE 102 turns on the D2D function and displays a third prompt message;

[0212] The third prompt information includes at least one of the following:

[0213] The power consumption of the second UE will increase;

[0214] Other UEs may search for and use the Vowifi link of the second UE;

[0215] Disabling the Wi-Fi function may cause other UEs to lose Wi-Fi connections.

[0216] Among them, the second UE102 can set the activation mechanism of Vowifi sharing: when the second UE102 turns on the D2D function, it displays a third prompt message to remind the user that power consumption increases, other devices can search and use permissions, and turning off the Wifi function may cause other devices to disconnect, etc.

[0217] It is understood that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the other UEs, i.e., UEs other than the second UE, may include, for example, the first UE.

[0218] In some embodiments, the process of disabling the VoWiFi sharing mechanism includes:

[0219] In step 205, the second UE 102 turns off the D2D function and displays a fourth prompt message; the fourth prompt message indicates that the VoWifi function of the first UE may be disconnected. If the second UE 102 turns off the D2D function switch, it indicates that the VoWifi function of each first UE may be disconnected.

[0220] Optionally, referring to FIG6 , the second UE 102 serves as a VoWiFi sharing terminal and needs to meet the conditions shown in FIG6 :

[0221] Turn on wifi and support the Vowifi function; and the second UE102 can perform permission control, such as the number of receiving devices shared by Vowifi, Vowifi sharing time, receiving end access restrictions, receiving end blacklist and other permissions.

[0222] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0223] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be replaced with each other.

[0224] In some embodiments, terms such as wireless access scheme and waveform may be used interchangeably.

[0225] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0226] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0227] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data after receiving it; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the recipient to respond to the content sent.

[0228] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 201 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 206 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 207 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 201 and step 202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step 206 and step 207 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0229] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2 .

[0230] FIG8 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0231] As shown in FIG8 , the above method may be applied to the first user equipment 101, and the above method includes:

[0232] Step 801: A first user equipment UE performs at least one of the following:

[0233] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link;

[0234] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0235] The second VoWiFi connection is reused for a voice call via the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link; the second VoWiFi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device;

[0236] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0237] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the authentication between the second UE and the network device includes:

[0238] Step 802: Send the authentication parameters of the first UE to the second UE via the D2D link, and instruct the second UE to send the authentication parameters to the network device.

[0239] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

[0240] Step 803: Enable the D2D function and perform at least one of the following operations:

[0241] Display the first prompt information;

[0242] Searching for candidate UEs for establishing a D2D connection with the first UE;

[0243] The candidate UEs are sorted and displayed according to the Wi-Fi signal strength information of the candidate UEs.

[0244] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

[0245] Step 804 : Display the device manufacturer identifier of the candidate UE; wherein the device manufacturer identifier is obtained from the process of establishing a D2D link with the candidate UE.

[0246] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, if the Wi-Fi signal strength of the first UE is greater than a first preset strength threshold, at least one of the following is performed:

[0247] Step 805: Switch to the third VoWiFi connection of the first UE;

[0248] Step 806: Display a second prompt message, wherein the second prompt message prompts switching back to the third Vowifi connection.

[0249] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 801 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 802 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 803 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 804 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 805 can be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 801 and step 802 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step 805 and step 806 can be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0250] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 8 .

[0251] FIG9 is a second flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0252] As shown in FIG9 , the above method may be applied to the second user equipment 102, and the above method includes:

[0253] Step 901: The second user equipment UE shares VoWiFi with the first UE via a D2D link.

[0254] Share VoWiFi with the first UE via the D2D link, and instruct the first UE to perform at least one of the following:

[0255] Establish the first Vowifi connection with the network device;

[0256] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a network device, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0257] Reusing a second VoWiFi connection for a voice call; wherein the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0258] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0259] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes

[0260] Step 902: The second UE receives the authentication parameters sent by the first UE through the D2D link, and sends the authentication parameters to the network device.

[0261] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

[0262] Step 903: Enable the D2D function and display the third prompt message;

[0263] The third prompt information includes at least one of the following:

[0264] The power consumption of the second UE will increase;

[0265] Other UEs may search for and use the Vowifi link of the second UE;

[0266] Disabling the Wi-Fi function may cause other UEs to lose Wi-Fi connections.

[0267] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

[0268] Step 904: During the process of establishing the D2D link with another UE, the device manufacturer identifier of the second UE is sent to the other UE.

[0269] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes:

[0270] Step 905: turn off the D2D function and display a fourth prompt message; the fourth prompt message prompts: there is a possibility that the VoWiFi function of the first UE is disconnected.

[0271] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 901 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 902 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 903 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 904 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step 905 may be implemented as an independent embodiment; the combination of step 901 and step 902 may be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0272] FIG10 is a third flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0273] As shown in FIG10 , the above method can be applied to a network device 103, including:

[0274] In step 1001, the network device performs one of the following operations:

[0275] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first user equipment UE;

[0276] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0277] multiplexing a second VoWiFi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0278] In the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE authenticates the second UE with the network device.

[0279] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes:

[0280] Step 1002: Receive the authentication parameters of the first UE sent by the second UE, and authenticate the first UE using the authentication parameters; wherein the first UE sends the authentication parameters to the second UE via a D2D link.

[0281] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned steps and embodiments. For example, step 1001 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 1002 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, or the combination of step 1001 and step 1002 may be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0282] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0283] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0284] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP); in another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0285] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first user equipment proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG11 , the first user equipment 1100 may include: a first communication module 1101 .

[0286] In some embodiments, the first communication module 1101 is configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0287] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link;

[0288] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with the network device through the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0289] The second VoWiFi connection is reused for a voice call via the VoWiFi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link; the second VoWiFi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device;

[0290] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0291] Optionally, the above-mentioned first communication module 1101 is used to execute at least one of the communication steps performed by the first user equipment 101 in any of the above methods (for example, step 201, step 202, step 203, step 206, step 207, step 801, step 803, step 804, step 805, step 806, but not limited to these), which will not be repeated here.

[0292] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second user equipment proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG12 , the second user equipment 200 may include: a sharing module 1201 .

[0293] In some embodiments, the sharing module 1201 is configured to share VoWiFi with the first UE via the D2D link, and instruct the first UE to perform at least one of the following:

[0294] Establish the first Vowifi connection with the network device;

[0295] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a network device, and conducting a voice call based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0296] Reusing a second VoWiFi connection for a voice call; wherein the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0297] In the process of establishing the first VoWiFi connection, the second UE is authenticated with the network device.

[0298] Optionally, the above-mentioned sharing module 1201 is used to execute at least one of the communication steps (for example, step 204, step 205, step 901, step 902, step 903, step 904, step 905, but not limited to these) performed by the second user device 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0299] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG13 , the network device 1300 may include: a second communication module 1301 configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0300] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first user equipment UE;

[0301] Establishing a first VoWiFi connection with a first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first VoWiFi connection;

[0302] multiplexing a second VoWiFi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second VoWiFi connection is established between the second UE and the network device;

[0303] In the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection, the first UE authenticates the second UE with the network device.

[0304] Optionally, the second communication module 1301 is used to execute at least one of the communication steps (such as step 1001 and step 1002, but not limited thereto) executed by the network device 103 in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0305] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 1400 (e.g., user equipment) proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Terminal 1400 can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a network device implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a terminal implementing any of the above methods. Terminal 1400 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0306] As shown in Figure 14, terminal 1400 includes one or more processors 1401. Processor 1401 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control communication devices (such as base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Terminal 1400 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0307] In some embodiments, the terminal 1400 further includes one or more memories 1402 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 1402 may be located outside the terminal 1400.

[0308] In some embodiments, the terminal 1400 further includes one or more transceivers 1404. When the terminal 1400 includes one or more transceivers 1404, the transceiver 1404 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step 202, step 802, step 902, and step 1002, but not limited thereto), and the processor 1401 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, step 201, steps 203 to 207, step 801, steps 803 to 806, step 901, steps 903 to 905, and step 1001, but not limited thereto).

[0309] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0310] In some embodiments, terminal 1400 may include one or more interface circuits 1403. Optionally, interface circuit 1403 is connected to memory 1402. Interface circuit 1403 may be configured to receive signals from memory 1402 or other devices, and may be configured to send signals to memory 1402 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 1403 may read instructions stored in memory 1402 and send the instructions to processor 1401.

[0311] The terminal 1400 described in the above embodiment may be a communication device such as a user device, but the scope of the terminal 1400 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the terminal 1400 may not be limited by FIG. 14 . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0312] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 1500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the terminal 1400 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 1500 shown in FIG15 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0313] The chip 1500 includes one or more processors 1501 , and the chip 1500 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0314] In some embodiments, chip 1500 further includes one or more 1503. Optionally, interface circuit 1503 is connected to memory 1502. Interface circuit 1503 can be used to receive signals from memory 1502 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to memory 1502 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 1503 can read instructions stored in memory 1502 and send the instructions to processor 1501.

[0315] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 1503 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step 202, step 802, step 902, step 1002, but not limited to these), and the processor 1501 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, step 201, step 203 to step 207, step 801, step 803 to step 806, step 901, step 903 to step 905, step 1001, but not limited to these).

[0316] In some embodiments, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver may be used interchangeably.

[0317] In some embodiments, chip 1500 also includes one or more memories 1502 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of memory 1502 may be external to chip 1500.

[0318] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the terminal 1400, the terminal 1400 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a transient storage medium.

[0319] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the terminal 1400, enables the terminal 1400 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0320] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first user equipment UE, characterized in that: The method includes one of the following: Establishing a first Vowifi connection with the network device through the wireless fidelity voice Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the device-to-device D2D link; Establishing a first Vowifi connection with a network device through the Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and making a voice call based on the first Vowifi connection; Through the Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, the second Vowifi connection is reused for voice calls; The second Vowifi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device; Among them, the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection is to authenticate the second UE with the network device.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The performing authentication with the network device through the second UE includes: The authentication parameter of the first UE is sent to the second UE through the D2D link, and the second UE is instructed to send the authentication parameter to the network device.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: To enable the D2D function, perform at least one of the following operations: Display the first prompt information; Find a candidate UE to establish a D2D connection with the first UE; The candidate UEs are displayed in order according to the wireless fidelity wifi signal strength information of the candidate UEs.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The device manufacturer identification of the candidate UE is displayed; wherein the device manufacturer identification is obtained from the process of establishing a D2D link with the candidate UE.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If the wifi signal strength of the first UE is greater than a first preset strength threshold, at least one of the following is performed: Switching to a third Vowifi connection of the first UE; A second prompt message is displayed, wherein the second prompt message prompts to switch back to the third Vowifi connection.

6. A communication method, applied to a second user equipment UE, characterized in that: The method comprises: Share Vowifi to the first UE via the D2D link, and instruct the first UE to perform at least one of the following: Establish the first Vowifi connection with the network device; Establishing a first Vowifi connection with a network device, and conducting a voice call based on the first Vowifi connection; Multiplexing a second Vowifi connection for a voice call; wherein the second Vowifi connection is established between the second UE and the network device; Among them, the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection is to authenticate the second UE with the network device.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The performing authentication with the network device through the second UE includes: The second UE receives the authentication parameter sent by the first UE through the D2D link, and sends the authentication parameter to the network device.

8. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Turn on the D2D function and display the third prompt information; The third prompt information includes at least one of the following: The power consumption of the second UE will increase; Other UEs may search for and use the Vowifi link of the second UE; Turning off the Wi-Fi function may cause other UEs to lose Wi-Fi connections.

9. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In the process of establishing the D2D link with other UEs, the device manufacturer identifier of the second UE is sent to the other UEs.

10. The communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The D2D function is turned off and a fourth prompt message is displayed; the fourth prompt message prompts: there is a possibility that the Vowifi function of the first UE is disconnected.

11. A communication method, applied to a network device, characterized in that: The method includes one of the following: Establishing a first Vowifi connection with a first user equipment UE; Establishing a first Vowifi connection with the first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first Vowifi connection; multiplexing a second Vowifi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second Vowifi connection is established between the second UE and the network device; The process of the first UE establishing the first Vowifi connection is performed by the second UE authenticating with the network device.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive the authentication parameters of the first UE sent by the second UE, and authenticate the first UE through the authentication parameters; wherein the first UE sends the authentication parameters to the second UE through the D2D link.

13. A user equipment, the user equipment being a first user equipment, characterized in that: The first user equipment comprises: The first communication module is configured to perform at least one of the following: Establishing a first Vowifi connection with the network device through the Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link; Establishing a first Vowifi connection with a network device through the Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, and making a voice call based on the first Vowifi connection; Through the Vowifi shared by the second UE based on the D2D link, a second Vowifi connection is reused for a voice call; the second Vowifi connection is a connection established between the second UE and the network device; Among them, the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection is to authenticate the second UE with the network device.

14. A user equipment, wherein the user equipment is a second user equipment, characterized in that: The second user equipment comprises: The sharing module is configured to share the Vowifi with the first UE through the D2D link, and instruct the first UE to perform at least one of the following: Establish the first Vowifi connection with the network device; Establishing a first Vowifi connection with a network device, and conducting a voice call based on the first Vowifi connection; Multiplexing a second Vowifi connection for a voice call; wherein the second Vowifi connection is established between the second UE and the network device; Among them, the process of establishing the first Vowifi connection is to authenticate the second UE with the network device.

15. A network device, characterized in that: The network equipment includes: The second communication module is configured to perform at least one of the following: Establishing a first Vowifi connection with a first user equipment UE; Establishing a first Vowifi connection with the first UE, and communicating with the first UE based on the first Vowifi connection; multiplexing a second Vowifi connection to provide a voice service for the first UE, where the second Vowifi connection is established between the second UE and the network device; The process of the first UE establishing the first Vowifi connection is performed by the second UE authenticating with the network device.

16. A user equipment, the user equipment being a first user equipment, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The first user equipment is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

17. A user equipment, wherein the user equipment is a second user equipment, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; The second user equipment is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

18. A network device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; Wherein, the network device is used to execute the communication method described in claim 11 or 12.

19. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes a first user device, a second user device, and a network device; wherein the first user device is configured to implement the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the second user device is configured to implement the communication method described in any one of claims 6 to 10, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method described in claim 11 or 12.

20. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that: When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or execute the communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, or execute the communication method according to claim 11 or 12.

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