Communication method, terminal device, and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a terminal device, and a storage medium, which can implement communication between terminal devices by means of a relay device. Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, comprising: receiving a first message from a network device, the first message being used for indicating a relay support capability of the network device; and, on the basis of the first message, determining first configuration information of a first terminal device, the first configuration information being used by the first terminal device to communicate with a second terminal device by means of a relay device. The present invention solves the problem of current network devices and terminal devices being unable to support communication between terminal devices, and can implement communication between terminal devices by means of a relay device.

Description

Communication method, terminal device and storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311294843.2 and invention name “A communication method, terminal device and storage medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a terminal device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0003] In wireless communication systems, user equipment (UE) can communicate data with each other through a network or directly without the aid of network equipment. The link between UEs is called a sidelink. When UEs communicate directly via a sidelink, the communication distance is limited due to factors such as insufficient hardware capabilities of the sending UE. This limits the use of sidelinks between the sending and receiving UEs.

[0004] Unicast communication is required between the sending and receiving UEs. To expand the sidelink communication range, data and signaling are transmitted between the sending and receiving UEs via a relay device. However, there is currently no solution for configuring the sending UE and the relay device, particularly for the base station's relay communication capabilities, which require interaction with the base station to provide configuration for the sending UE and the relay device.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a terminal device, and a storage medium, which can enable communication between terminal devices through a relay device.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0009] receiving a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device;

[0010] First configuration information of the first terminal device is determined according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0011] In the above scheme, the first terminal device receives the first message, and obtains the relay support capability of the network device by parsing the first message. When the first terminal device determines that the network supports relay, the first terminal device obtains the first configuration information. The first terminal device can configure the bearer required for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, which solves the problem that the current network equipment and terminal devices cannot support communication between terminal devices, and enables communication between terminal devices through the relay device.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device via a relay device. In the above solution, the network device can notify the first terminal device by displaying an indication, that is, the first message generated by the network device includes the first indication information, and after the first terminal device obtains the first indication information from the first message, the first terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, that the network device supports communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device via the relay device.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0014] Determine first quality of service (QoS) flow information between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0015] Sending a second message to the network device, where the second message includes the first QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement for the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0016] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0017] In the above scheme, the first terminal device can generate first QoS flow information and send the first QoS flow information to the network device through the second message. The network device obtains one or more first QoS flow identifiers and one or more first QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flow based on the first QoS flow information. The network device can generate first configuration information for the first terminal device based on the one or more first QoS flow identifiers and one or more first QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flow, thereby solving the problem that the first terminal device cannot configure the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second message further includes: an identifier of the relay device, and / or an identifier of the second terminal device.

[0019] In the above solution, the second message carries the identifier of the relay device and / or the identifier of the second terminal device, so that the network device determines the relay device and the second terminal device that perform device-to-device communication with the first terminal device.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0021] Sending a third message to the network device, where the third message includes the third QoS flow information, where the third QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and fourth QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the fourth QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0022] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0023] In the above scheme, the third message sent by the first terminal device to the network device includes the second information of the first QoS, so that the network device can obtain the identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and the fourth QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows by receiving the third message. The network device can generate first configuration information for the first terminal device based on the identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and the fourth QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows, thereby solving the problem that the first terminal device cannot configure the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0024] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the third message further includes: an identifier of the relay device, and / or an identifier of the second terminal device.

[0025] In the above solution, the third message carries the identifier of the relay device and / or the identifier of the second terminal device, so that the network device determines the relay device and the second terminal device that perform device-to-device communication with the first terminal device.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second message and the third message may be the same message, or different messages. For example, the third message may be independent of the second message, or the second message and the third message may be sent simultaneously.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message includes:

[0028] determining, according to the first message, that the network device supports communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0029] receiving first configuration information from the network device;

[0030] Determine the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device according to the first configuration information.

[0031] In the above scheme, the first terminal device obtains the first configuration information, and then the first terminal device can determine the configuration of the first bearer based on the configuration parameters included in the first configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0032] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer, wherein:

[0033] The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0034] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0035] In the above scheme, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the first terminal device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer, so that the first terminal device can obtain the mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer according to the first configuration information. The first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, and determine the association between the first bearer and the second bearer, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0036] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first configuration information further includes: configuration of the first bearer, a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer,

[0037] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0038] In the above scheme, the network device can notify the first terminal device of the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information.

[0039] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0040] receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information includes: configuration of a second bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0041] A correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer is determined according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0042] In the above scheme, the first terminal device can determine the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer by parsing the second configuration information. Combined with the parsing of the first configuration information by the first terminal device, it can be seen that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information. The first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer and the second bearer respectively. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can autonomously determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer by processing the first configuration information and the second configuration information, without the need for notification on the network device side, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0043] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0044] Determine an identifier of a second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, where the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0045] Second QoS flow information is sent to the network device, where the second QoS flow information includes an identifier of the second QoS flow and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow.

[0046] In the above solution, the first terminal device can send the second QoS flow information to the network device as a whole by taking the first bearer as a whole. For example, the first terminal device determines a second QoS flow, which corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to the second bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the first terminal device will correspond the first QoS flow corresponding to the second bearer as a whole to the second QoS flow. The first terminal device can also determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow. In another possible implementation, the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to multiple second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the first terminal device will correspond the first QoS flows corresponding to multiple second bearers to the second QoS flow as a whole. The first terminal device can also determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow. After the first terminal device determines the second QoS flow information, it sends the second QoS flow information to the network device. After the network device receives the second QoS flow information, the network device can determine the identifier of the second QoS flow and the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow. The first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, and determine the association between the first bearer and the second bearer, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device using the relay device.

[0047] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow includes:

[0048] Determine a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows;

[0049] The first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0050] The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0051] In the above scheme, the first terminal device can determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, for example, determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow based on the first QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second QoS flow, select the first QoS parameter requirement to generate the second QoS parameter requirement, and the first terminal device can generate the second QoS parameter requirement, so that the network device can allocate the Sidelink bearer configuration to the first terminal device according to the second QoS parameter requirement, and the first terminal device configures the first bearer based on the configuration of the Sidelink bearer.

[0052] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more second bearers, and the second bearers include bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0053] In the above scheme, one or more second bearers are configured between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the first terminal device determines that the second QoS flow corresponds to the one or more second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Through the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the one or more second bearers, the network device can configure the Sidelink bearer for the first terminal device according to the second QoS flow.

[0054] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first configuration information further includes: configuration of the first bearer, correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, and the first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0055] In the above scheme, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The first configuration information sent by the network device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information.

[0056] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0057] receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information includes: configuration of a second bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0058] A correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer is determined according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0059] In the above scheme, the first terminal device can determine the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer by parsing the second configuration information. Combined with the parsing of the first configuration information by the first terminal device, it can be seen that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information. The first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer and the second bearer respectively. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can autonomously determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer by processing the first configuration information and the second configuration information, without the need for notification on the network device side, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0060] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0061] A first request is sent to the network device, where the first request is used to request the network device to allocate relay transmission resources.

[0062] In the above scheme, after the first terminal device determines the configuration of the first bearer and the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer, when the first terminal device needs to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the first terminal device also needs to obtain relay transmission resources. In this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can generate a first request and send the first request to the network device, so that the network device receives the first request, and the network device can allocate relay transmission resources to the first terminal device according to the first request.

[0063] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message includes:

[0064] determining, according to the first message, that the network device supports communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0065] Acquire third configuration information from the first message, where the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0066] The first configuration information is determined according to the third configuration information.

[0067] In the above solution, the first terminal device is in an idle state. The first terminal device obtains the third configuration information. The first terminal device can then determine the configuration of a first bearer based on the configuration parameters included in the third configuration information. The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. For example, the first bearer can be a PC5 RLC bearer. In this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device using the relay device.

[0068] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the first configuration information according to the third configuration information includes:

[0069] The second configuration information is determined from the third configuration information according to the third QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow, the third QoS parameter requirement is the end-to-end QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow, and the second configuration information includes: a mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer, the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0070] In the above scheme, the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The first terminal device determines the third QoS parameter requirement as the end-to-end QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow. The third configuration information sent by the network device may include multiple Sidelink bearer configurations. The first terminal device selects a Sidelink bearer configuration from the third configuration information according to the third QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the first QoS flow as the second configuration information. The second configuration information includes: a mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. The first terminal device can determine the first configuration information through the second configuration information, and then configure the first bearer according to the first configuration information, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device using the relay device.

[0071] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the first configuration information according to the third configuration information further includes:

[0072] The first configuration information is determined based on the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer and the third configuration information, and the first configuration information includes: the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device, and / or the mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer.

[0073] In the above scheme, the first terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the multiple Sidelink bearer configurations included in the third configuration information sent by the network device, and the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. The first configuration information includes the configuration of the first bearer corresponding to the first QoS flow. The first terminal device can determine the configuration of the first bearer based on the configuration parameters included in the first configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0074] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0075] The first message includes the first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, determining that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0076] or,

[0077] The first message includes the first indication information, and the first message does not include the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, and sends a second request to the network device, where the second request is used to request the network device to send the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources.

[0078] In the above scheme, in addition to determining the first indication information in the first message, the first terminal device also needs to determine whether the first message includes the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. For example, if the first message does not include the third configuration information, the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, if the first message does not include the relay transmission resources, the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, if the first message does not include the third configuration information and relay transmission resources, the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The first terminal device can determine whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device through the message content carried in the first message, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device with the support of the network device.

[0079] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first message includes: second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0080] In the above scheme, when the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a second indication information. When the first terminal device obtains the second indication information from the first message, it can be determined that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0081] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first message does not include first indication information, which is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0082] The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0083] In the above scheme, the network device can also adopt an implicit indication method. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a first indication information and carry the first indication information through the first message. When the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device may not generate the first indication information. The first terminal device can determine that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device by not including the first indication information in the first message, so that the first terminal device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0084] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0085] The first message includes the first indication information, determining that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0086] The first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0087] In the above solution, the network device may determine that the first indication information is for one or more thresholds, so that the first message may indicate one or more thresholds. When the first terminal device obtains one or more thresholds from the first message, it determines that the network device supports the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device via the relay device. The network device may implicitly indicate whether it supports the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device via the relay device by whether it carries the thresholds.

[0088] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the one or more thresholds include a first threshold, and the method further includes:

[0089] The signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, triggering the selection of the relay device, or triggering the reselection of the relay device, or executing the discovery process.

[0090] In the above scheme, the first terminal device obtains a first threshold from the network device, and the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, triggering the selection of the relay device, or triggering the reselection of the relay device, or executing the discovery process, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device with the support of the network device.

[0091] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the one or more thresholds include a first threshold and a second threshold, and the method further includes:

[0092] When the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, triggering the selection of a relay device or executing a discovery process;

[0093] or,

[0094] When the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is less than or equal to the second threshold, reselection of the relay device is triggered, or a discovery process is executed.

[0095] In the above scheme, the first terminal device obtains the first threshold and the second threshold from the network device, and judges the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device and the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device respectively against the above thresholds, thereby triggering the selection of the relay device, or triggering the reselection of the relay device, or executing the discovery process, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device with the support of the network device.

[0096] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, including:

[0097] A first message is sent to a first terminal device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device.

[0098] In the above scheme, the network device can determine the first message and notify the first terminal device of the first message, thereby realizing that the network device notifies the first terminal device of the relay support capability of the network device. When the first terminal device determines that the network supports relay, the first terminal device obtains the first configuration information. The first terminal device can configure the bearer required for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device communicates with the second terminal device through the relay device, which solves the problem that the current network device and terminal device cannot support communication between terminal devices, and can realize communication between terminal devices through the relay device.

[0099] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0100] In the above scheme, the network device can notify the first terminal device by displaying an indication, that is, the first message generated by the network device includes the first indication information. After the first terminal device obtains the first indication information from the first message, the first terminal device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device based on the first indication information.

[0101] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0102] receiving a second message from the first terminal device, where the second message includes first quality of service QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirements are QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flows between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0103] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0104] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the second message further includes: an identifier of the relay device, and / or an identifier of the second terminal device.

[0105] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0106] receiving a third message from the first terminal device, the third message including the third QoS flow information, the third QoS flow information including identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and fourth QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the fourth QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0107] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0108] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0109] Determining the first configuration information based on the second message and the third message;

[0110] Send the first configuration information.

[0111] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer;

[0112] The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0113] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0114] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first configuration information includes: configuration of a first bearer, a correspondence between a first QoS flow and the first bearer, where the first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0115] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0116] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0117] Send second configuration information to the first terminal device, the second configuration information including: the configuration of the second bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0118] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0119] receiving a first request from the first terminal device, where the first request is used to request the network device to allocate relay transmission resources;

[0120] Configure relay transmission resources for the first terminal device according to the first request.

[0121] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first message includes the first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, where the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0122] The first message is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0123] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0124] receiving a second request from the first terminal device, where the second request is used to request the network device to send the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources;

[0125] Send the third configuration information to the first terminal device according to the second request, and / or configure relay transmission resources for the first terminal device according to the second request.

[0126] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0127] Determining that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0128] The first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0129] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the one or more thresholds include a first threshold,

[0130] The first threshold is used when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than the first threshold, triggering the first terminal device to select a relay device, or triggering the first terminal device to reselect a relay device, or triggering the first terminal device to perform a discovery process.

[0131] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the one or more thresholds include a first threshold and a second threshold.

[0132] The first threshold is used for triggering the first terminal device to select a relay device when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than the first threshold, or triggering the first terminal device to perform a discovery process;

[0133] or,

[0134] The second threshold is used to trigger the first terminal device to reselect the relay device or to trigger the first terminal device to perform a discovery process when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is less than the second threshold.

[0135] The communication method executed on the above-mentioned network device side and the communication method executed on the terminal device side are interactive. For details of the specific technical effects achieved, please refer to the description of the effects of various possible implementation methods in the first aspect mentioned above.

[0136] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0137] receiving a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device;

[0138] First configuration information of the relay device is determined according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0139] In the above scheme, when the relay device determines that the network supports relaying, the relay device obtains the first configuration information, and the relay device can configure the bearer required for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, which solves the problem that the current network equipment and terminal equipment cannot support communication between terminal devices, and enables communication between terminal devices through the relay device.

[0140] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0141] In the above scheme, the network device can notify the relay device by displaying an indication, that is, the first message generated by the network device includes the first indication information. After the relay device obtains the first indication information from the first message, the relay device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device based on the first indication information.

[0142] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0143] Determine first quality of service QoS flow information between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0144] Sending a second message to the network device, where the second message includes the first QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0145] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0146] In the above scheme, the relay device determines the first QoS parameter requirements between the relay device and the second terminal device based on one or more first QoS flows. The relay device generates a second message, which includes the first QoS flow information. The relay device sends the second message to the network device. The network device can receive the second message and determine the first QoS flow information by parsing the second message. The network device obtains the identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and the first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows based on the first QoS flow information. The network device can configure the sidelink bearer for the relay device based on the identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and the first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows, and generate the first configuration information for the relay device, thereby solving the problem that the relay device cannot configure the bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device.

[0147] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0148] Sending a first mapping relationship to the network device, where the first mapping relationship is used to indicate a first corresponding relationship, where the first corresponding relationship is used to indicate that one or more first QoS flows are configured on a first bearer, or a corresponding relationship between a first QoS flow and a second bearer;

[0149] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0150] The first bearer includes a bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0151] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0152] In the above scheme, the relay device determines that one or more first QoS flows correspond to a first bearer, or the first QoS flow corresponds to a second bearer, the relay generates a first mapping relationship, indicates the first corresponding relationship through the first mapping relationship, and the relay device sends the above-mentioned first mapping relationship to the network device, so that the network device determines the corresponding relationship between one or more first QoS flows and the first bearer, and the corresponding relationship between one or more first QoS flows and the second bearer by parsing the first mapping relationship. The network device can generate first configuration information for the relay device based on the first mapping relationship to solve the problem that the relay device cannot configure the bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device.

[0153] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message includes:

[0154] determining, according to the first message, that the network device supports communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0155] receiving first configuration information from the network device;

[0156] Determine the configuration of the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device according to the first configuration information.

[0157] In the above scheme, the first message can indicate the relay support capability of the network device. The relay device can obtain the relay support capability of the network device based on the first message. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate first configuration information, which is carried in the first message, so that the configuration of the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device can be determined, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0158] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer.

[0159] In the above solution, the second bearer is a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the second bearer is used for end-to-end communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The network device can indicate the mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer to the relay device. The relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the first configuration information, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0160] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer.

[0161] In the above scheme, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The first configuration information sent by the network device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer. In this implementation scenario, the network device can notify the relay device of the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the relay device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the relay device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information.

[0162] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0163] Determine an identifier of a second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, where the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0164] The second QoS flow information is sent to the network device, where the second QoS flow information includes an identifier of the second QoS flow and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow.

[0165] In the above scheme, the relay device can send the second QoS flow information to the network device as a whole, taking the first bearer as a whole. For example, the relay device determines the second QoS flow, and the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device. After the relay device determines the second QoS flow information, it sends the second QoS flow information to the network device. After the network device receives the second QoS flow information, the network device can determine the identifier of the second QoS flow and the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, so that the network device can configure the Sidelink bearer according to the second QoS flow. In this implementation method, the network device does not need to perceive the relationship between the first terminal device, the relay device and the second terminal device, and configures the Sidelink bearer according to the second QoS flow.

[0166] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow includes:

[0167] Determine a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows;

[0168] The first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0169] The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the second QoS flow between the relay device and the second terminal.

[0170] In the above scheme, the relay device can determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, for example, determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow based on the first QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second QoS flow, select the first QoS parameter requirement to generate the second QoS parameter requirement, and the relay device can generate the second QoS parameter requirement, so that the network device can allocate the Sidelink bearer configuration to the relay device according to the second QoS parameter requirement, and the relay device configures the first bearer based on the configuration of the Sidelink bearer.

[0171] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more second bearers, and the second bearers include bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0172] In the above scheme, one or more second bearers are configured between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the relay device determines that the second QoS flow corresponds to the one or more second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Through the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the one or more second bearers, the network device can configure the Sidelink bearer for the first terminal device according to the second QoS flow.

[0173] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first configuration information further includes: configuration of a first bearer, a correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, and the first bearer includes a bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device.

[0174] In the above scheme, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The first configuration information sent by the network device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer. In this implementation scenario, the network device can notify the relay device of the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the relay device determines the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the relay device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information.

[0175] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0176] receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information includes: configuration of a second bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0177] A correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer is determined according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0178] In the above scheme, the network device can send the configuration of the second bearer to the relay device, for example, the network device sends the second configuration information to the relay device, and the second configuration information includes the configuration of the second bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. The relay device can then determine the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer by parsing the second configuration information. Combined with the relay device's parsing of the first configuration information, it can be seen that the relay device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information. The relay device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer and the second bearer respectively. In the embodiment of the present application, the relay device can autonomously determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer by processing the first configuration information and the second configuration information, without the need for notification from the network device side, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0179] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message includes:

[0180] determining, according to the first message, that the network device supports communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0181] Acquire third configuration information from the first message, where the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0182] The first configuration information is determined according to the third configuration information.

[0183] In the above solution, the relay device is in an idle state, and the relay device can determine the configuration of the first bearer based on the configuration parameters included in the third configuration information, where the first bearer includes the bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the relay device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0184] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the first configuration information according to the third configuration information further includes:

[0185] The first configuration information is determined according to the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer and the third configuration information, where the first configuration information includes: the configuration of the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device.

[0186] In the above scheme, the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the relay device determines the third QoS parameter requirement as the end-to-end QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow, the third configuration information sent by the network device may include multiple Sidelink bearer configurations, and the relay device selects a Sidelink bearer configuration from the third configuration information according to the third QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the first QoS flow as the second configuration information. The relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer, and then determine the first configuration information, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0187] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0188] The first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, determining that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0189] or,

[0190] The first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, and sends a second request to the network device, where the second request is used to request the network device to send the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources.

[0191] In the above scheme, when the relay device is in an idle state, in addition to determining the first indication information in the first message, the relay device also needs to determine whether the first message includes the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. For example, the first message does not include the third configuration information, and the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, the first message does not include the relay transmission resources, and the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, the first message does not include the third configuration information and relay transmission resources, and the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The relay device can determine whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device through the message content carried in the first message, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0192] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first message includes: second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0193] In the above scheme, when the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a second indication information. When the relay device obtains the second indication information from the first message, it can be determined that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the relay device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0194] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first message does not include first indication information, which is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0195] In the above scheme, the network device can also adopt an implicit indication method. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a first indication information and carry the first indication information through the first message. When the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device may not generate the first indication information. The relay device does not include the first indication information in the first message, and can determine that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0196] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0197] The first message includes first indication information, determining that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0198] The first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0199] In the above scheme, the network device can determine that the first indication information is used for one or more thresholds, so that the first message can indicate one or more thresholds. When the relay terminal device obtains one or more thresholds from the first message, it determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The network device can implicitly indicate whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device by whether it carries the threshold. Alternatively, the first terminal device obtains the first indication information from the first message, but the first indication information does not include the threshold configuration, then it is assumed that the relay device has no threshold constraints during the relay communication process.

[0200] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the one or more thresholds include a third threshold, and the method further includes:

[0201] The signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is greater than or equal to the third threshold, triggering a discovery process for finding a second terminal device.

[0202] In the above scheme, the relay device obtains a third threshold from the network device, and the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is greater than or equal to the third threshold. The relay device triggers the discovery process, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device with the support of the network device.

[0203] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, including:

[0204] A first message is sent to a relay device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device.

[0205] In the above scheme, the network device can determine the first message, and the first terminal device notifies the first message, thereby realizing that the network device notifies the relay device of the relay support capability of the network device. When the relay device determines that the network supports relay, the relay device obtains the first configuration information. The relay device can configure the bearer required for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device communicates with the second terminal device through the relay device, which solves the problem that the current network device and terminal device cannot support communication between terminal devices, and enables communication between terminal devices through the relay device.

[0206] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0207] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0208] receiving a second message from the relay device, where the second message includes first quality of service (QoS) flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirements are QoS parameter requirements between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0209] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0210] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0211] Receiving a first mapping relationship from the relay device, where the first mapping relationship is used to indicate a first corresponding relationship, where the first corresponding relationship is used to indicate that one or more first QoS flows are configured on a first bearer, or a corresponding relationship between a first QoS flow and a second bearer;

[0212] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0213] The first bearer includes a bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0214] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0215] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0216] Determining first configuration information based on the second message and the first mapping relationship;

[0217] Send the first configuration information.

[0218] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer;

[0219] The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0220] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0221] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first configuration information further includes: a configuration of a first bearer, a correspondence between a first QoS flow and the first bearer, where the first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0222] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0223] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0224] Send second configuration information to the relay device, the second configuration information including: the configuration of the second bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0225] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0226] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0227] Determining that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0228] The first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0229] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the one or more thresholds include a third threshold,

[0230] The third threshold is used for the relay device to trigger a discovery process when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is greater than or equal to the third threshold, and the discovery process is used to find the second terminal device.

[0231] The communication method executed on the above-mentioned network device side and the communication method executed on the terminal device side are interactive. For details of the specific technical effects achieved, please refer to the description of the effects of various possible implementation methods in the first aspect mentioned above.

[0232] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal device, including:

[0233] A receiving module, configured to receive a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device;

[0234] A processing module is used to determine first configuration information of a first terminal device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with a second terminal device through a relay device.

[0235] In the above scheme, the first terminal device receives the first message, and obtains the relay support capability of the network device by parsing the first message. When the first terminal device determines that the network supports relay, the first terminal device obtains the first configuration information. The first terminal device can configure the bearer required for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, which solves the problem that the current network equipment and terminal devices cannot support communication between terminal devices, and enables communication between terminal devices through the relay device.

[0236] In the fifth aspect of the present application, the constituent modules of the terminal device may also execute the steps described in the aforementioned first aspect and various possible implementations. For details, please refer to the aforementioned description of the first aspect and various possible implementations.

[0237] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, including:

[0238] A sending module is used to send a first message to a first terminal device, where the first message is used to indicate the relay support capability of the network device.

[0239] In the sixth aspect of the present application, the constituent modules of the network device may also execute the steps described in the aforementioned second aspect and various possible implementations. For details, please refer to the aforementioned description of the second aspect and various possible implementations.

[0240] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a relay device, the relay device comprising:

[0241] A receiving module, configured to receive a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device;

[0242] A processing module is used to determine first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0243] In the seventh aspect of the present application, the constituent modules of the relay device may also execute the steps described in the aforementioned third aspect and various possible implementations. For details, please refer to the aforementioned description of the third aspect and various possible implementations.

[0244] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, the network device comprising:

[0245] a processing module, configured to generate a first message according to a relay support capability of the network device;

[0246] The sending module is used to send a first message to the relay device, where the first message is used to indicate the relay support capability of the network device.

[0247] In the eighth aspect of the present application, the constituent modules of the network device may also execute the steps described in the aforementioned fourth aspect and various possible implementations. For details, please refer to the aforementioned description of the fourth aspect and various possible implementations.

[0248] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: a terminal device as described in any one of the fifth aspects and a network device as described in any one of the sixth aspects.

[0249] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: a terminal device as described in any one of the seventh aspects and a network device as described in any one of the eighth aspects.

[0250] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, it enables the computer to execute any one of the methods described in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0251] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the methods described in the first to fourth aspects above.

[0252] In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may include entities such as a terminal device or a chip, and the communication device includes: a processor, a memory; the memory is used to store instructions; the processor is used to execute the instructions in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0253] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a terminal device, a network device, or a relay device to implement the functions involved in the above aspects, for example, sending or processing the data and / or information involved in the above methods. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data necessary for the terminal device, the network device, or the relay device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0254] FIG1a is a schematic diagram of a sidelink communication scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0255] FIG1b is a schematic diagram of a control plane protocol stack architecture for direct communication between UEs via a PC5 interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0256] FIG1c is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack architecture for direct communication between UEs via a PC5 interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0257] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a Discovery message protocol stack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0258] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture of a UE-to-UE Relay provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0259] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack of an L3 UE-to-UE relay provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0260] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack of an L2UE-to-UE relay provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0261] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a first terminal device and a second terminal device obtaining a sidelink bearer configuration in a connected state provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0262] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0263] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0264] FIG9 is a block diagram of an interaction process between a network device and a first terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0265] FIG10 is a block diagram of an interaction process between a network device and a relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0266] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0267] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0268] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0269] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0270] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0271] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0272] The embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0273] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, and this is merely a way of distinguishing the objects of the same attributes when describing them in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, so that the process, method, system, product or equipment comprising a series of units need not be limited to those units, but may include other units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

[0274] First, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are explained as follows:

[0275] Sidelink communication:

[0276] In a wireless communication system, UEs can communicate data with each other through the network, or directly without the aid of network equipment, as shown in Figure 1a. The interface between UEs is called the PC5 interface, similar to the Uu interface between UEs and base stations. The link between UEs is called the Sidelink, and a typical application scenario for Sidelink communication is the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) network. In the V2X network, each vehicle is a UE, and data can be transmitted directly between UEs via the Sidelink without going through the network, which can effectively reduce communication latency.

[0277] The control plane protocol stack for Sidelink communication is shown in Figure 1b. From top to bottom, it includes the RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer, the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer, the RLC (Radio Link Control) layer, the MAC (Media Access Control) layer, and the PHY (Physical Layer). The user plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 1c. From top to bottom, it includes the SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer, the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer, the RLC (Radio Link Control) layer, the MAC (Media Access Control) layer, and the PHY (Physical Layer). The UE performing Sidelink communication may be within the network coverage and the UE may be in any RRC state, for example, the RRC state may include an RRC connected state, an idle (Idle / Inactive) state or an out of coverage (OoC) state, or may be outside the network coverage.

[0278] During sidelink communication, a source Layer-2 ID (Source Layer-2 Identifier) ​​and a destination Layer-2 ID (Destination Layer-2 Identifier) ​​are used to identify the source and destination UEs. Sidelink supports broadcast, unicast, and multicast communication modes.

[0279] First, let's explain broadcasting as follows: Sidelink broadcast communication is similar to base station broadcasting, that is, the UE sends broadcast service data without encryption. Any other UE within the effective reception range that is interested in the broadcast service can receive the broadcast service data.

[0280] Unicast communication requires a unicast connection to be established between two UEs. After the unicast connection is established, the two UEs can communicate data based on a negotiated identifier. This data can be encrypted or unencrypted. Unlike broadcast, unicast communication is only possible between two UEs that have established a unicast connection.

[0281] Multicast communication refers to the communication between all UEs in a communication group. Any UE in the group can send and receive multicast service data within the group.

[0282] During sidelink communication, whether unicast, multicast, or broadcast, the sending UE includes the source L2 ID and destination L2 ID in the subheader and SCI (Sidelink control information) of each Sidelink MAC PDU (Media Access Control Protocol Data Unit) to ensure that data is transmitted from the sending end to the correct receiving end.

[0283] The source L2 ID is allocated by the transmitting UE. Depending on the communication type (unicast, multicast or broadcast) and standard (such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or NR (New Radio)), the transmitting UE will select different source L2 IDs. If the UE's Sidelink service type requires privacy protection to avoid being tracked and identified by other UEs, the source UE also needs to update the source L2 ID regularly. The destination L2 ID depends on the service type. The correspondence between the destination L2 ID and the broadcast / multicast / unicast service is defined through pre-configuration, application layer server or core network configuration. During the broadcast / multicast communication process, the transmitting UE (or source UE) determines the corresponding destination L2 ID based on the broadcast / multicast service type. The destination L2 ID is predefined by the protocol. During the unicast communication process, the source UE first needs to establish a unicast connection with the destination UE. During the unicast connection establishment process, the transmitting UE will first select a default destination L2 ID. The default destination L2 ID is related to the service type of the unicast communication. After the unicast connection is established, the source UE continues to use the default destination L2 ID for unicast communication.

[0284] Discovery Procedure:

[0285] A UE supporting proximity services searches for nearby UEs through a discovery process and performs sidelink communications with the nearby UEs.

[0286] Figure 2 shows the protocol stack for discovery messages. The UE's discovery protocol layer generates a discovery message, submits it to the PDCP protocol layer of the access stratum (AS), and then sends it to the peer UE through the underlying layers. The AS, which collectively includes the SDAP, RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, is a general term for these protocol layers.

[0287] The discovery process has two models: Model A and Model B. In Model A, UEs are classified into Announcing UEs and Monitoring UEs. An Announcing UE broadcasts a discovery message, also known as an announcement message. This message can carry specific information about the Announcing UE, such as the types of services it can provide. This information is used by surrounding UEs to determine whether they need the services provided by the Announcing UE. After a nearby Monitoring UE receives the announcement message, it determines whether to use the Announcing UE as the peer UE for sidelink communication based on the content of the discovery message.

[0288] In Model B, UEs are divided into two categories: discoverer UEs and discoveree UEs. A discoverer UE broadcasts a discovery message, also known as a solicitation message, which carries information about the services the discoverer UE is interested in. After the discoveree UE receives the solicitation message and finds that it meets the discoverer UE's service requirements, it sends a response message to the discoverer UE.

[0289] Similar to sidelink communications, discovery messages carry a source L2 ID and a destination L2 ID, which are used by UEs to send or receive discovery messages. The source L2 ID is assigned by the sending UE, while the destination L2 ID is a predefined or preconfigured default destination L2 ID. Note that this default destination L2 ID is different from the default destination L2 ID used in sidelink unicast communications and is used exclusively for discovery messages.

[0290] Radio Bearer (RB):

[0291] Radio bearer is a general term for a series of protocol entities and configurations allocated by the base station to the UE. It is a resource provided by Layer 2 for transmitting user data between the UE and the base station, including the PDCP protocol entity, RLC protocol entity, MAC protocol entity and a series of resources allocated by PHY. Radio bearers are divided into data radio bearers (DRB) and signaling radio bearers (SRB). The former is used to carry data and the latter is used to carry signaling messages. In the sidelink communication scenario, communication between UEs is carried out through sidelink radio bearers (SLRB), including sidelink data radio bearers (SL DRB) and sidelink signaling radio bearers (SL SRB). The protocol entities below the RLC layer are called RLC bearers, and the corresponding configurations are given in the RLC bearer configuration.

[0292] Unicast connection establishment:

[0293] UEs establish unicast connections through the unicast connection establishment process. The UE that initiates the unicast connection establishment process is called the initiating UE, and the peer UE of the initiating UE is called the target UE. During the unicast connection process, the initiating UE sends a unicast connection establishment request Direct communication request (DCR message) to the target UE, which carries the L2 ID of the initiating UE and target UE, as well as User Info (carrying information related to the upper application layer). After receiving the DCR message, the target UE determines whether it can receive the unicast connection establishment request based on the User Info in the DCR message. If so, it replies with a unicast connection establishment accept Direct communication accept (DCA message) to the initiating UE. Otherwise, it replies with a reject message to the initiation UE.

[0294] In order to expand the range of Sidelink communication, the communication standard is preparing to introduce terminal device to terminal device relay (UE-to-UE Relay). The architecture of the communication system adopted in the embodiment of the present application is shown in Figure 3. In the UE-to-UE Relay communication scenario, there is a need for unicast communication between the sender's UE 1 and the receiver's UE 2, and UE 1 and UE 2 transmit data and signaling through the relay device (Relay UE). Relay UE can be one or more UEs. In the embodiment of the present application, UE1 is also called remote UE, UE2 is also called the opposite remote UE, and the remote UE that initiates the establishment of the U2U relay connection is also called the source terminal device (source UE), and the opposite remote UE that the source UE hopes to establish a connection through the relay is also called the target terminal device (target UE).

[0295] There are two ways to implement UE-2-UE Relay: a relay method based on L3 (Layer 3) and a relay method based on L2 (Layer 2).

[0296] In the L3 U2U relay mode, user plane data is relayed at the Internet Protocol (IP) layer. The corresponding user plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 4. When the data packet sent by UE 1 to UE 2 is relayed by the Relay UE, the Relay UE needs to parse it to the IP layer and determine the forwarding destination UE 2 based on information such as the IP address.

[0297] In the L2 U2U relay mode, user-plane data is relayed below the PDCP layer. The user-plane protocol stack is shown in Figure 5. The relay UE only maintains the relayed PC5 RLC bearer (or PC5 relay RLC channel), which includes the RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer. In addition, an SRAP adaptation layer is added between the RLC layer and the PDCP layer. The adaptation layer's primary function is to multiplex and split bearers, enabling different radio bearers to be multiplexed onto a single RLC bearer or splitting radio bearer data multiplexed onto a single RLC bearer.

[0298] In the sidelink communication scenario, when the signal quality between UEs is poor or a sidelink connection cannot be established between UEs, if the UE supports U2U relay communication, it can initiate a discovery process to find a suitable relay UE in the vicinity and communicate with the peer UE through the relay UE.

[0299] The discovery of relays can be done through model A and model B. Taking model B as an example, in model B, the remote UE (or Source UE) broadcasts a discovery solicitation message, which carries the discovery message type, remote UE user information, peer remote UE (or Target UE) user information, and Relay Service Code (RSC). RSC is used to indicate the connection service that the UE-to-UE relay can or needs to provide to the Source UE during the UE-to-UE relay discovery process. The relay UE, Source UE, and Target UE can learn whether Layer-2 U2U relay service or Layer-3 U2U relay service should be provided based on the RSC.

[0300] After receiving the Discovery solicitation message from the Source UE, the Relay UE decides to act as a relay based on the RSC and broadcasts the Discovery solicitation message. The message includes the Discovery message type, Source UE user information, Relay UE user information, and Target UE user information. The Relay UE assigns an L2 ID as the source L2 ID of the solicitation message.

[0301] The Target UE receives the Target UE info in the solicitation message and finds that it matches the Target UE, so it replies with a Discovery Response message, using the relay UE source L2 address as the destination L2 ID of the Discovery Response message.

[0302] The relay UE then responds to the source UE with a Discovery Response message, which includes the discovery message type, source UE user information, relay UE user information, and target UE user information. The source UE may receive Discovery Response messages forwarded by multiple relay UEs, indicating that multiple relay UEs are willing to relay communications between the source UE and the target UE. At this point, the source UE selects a relay UE and establishes a relay connection with the target UE through the relay UE.

[0303] In NR SL unicast communication, when unicast communication is carried out between two UEs, the protocol stack of the user plane is as shown in the aforementioned Figure 1c. First, the Tx UE (i.e., the transmitting UE) generates a series of performance requirement parameters such as Quality of Service (QoS) parameters according to the requirements of the application (APP) layer, including: PQI (PC5 5QI), Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP), and Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR). Based on the QoS parameters, the UE maps the IP data or non-IP data arriving at the APP layer into a user service data flow (QoS flow). Then, the QoS flow enters the UE's access stratum (AS) and is transmitted in the form of a sidelink radio bearer (SLRB). As shown in Figure 1c, the AS layer includes SDAP, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0304] The user service data flow described above can also be referred to as a service data flow or QoS flow. This refers to a user service data flow that utilizes QoS parameters and is used to transmit data and enable interaction between users and the data network. Service quality, also known as quality of service (QoS), is a commonly used performance metric for communication systems or channels. Its definition varies across systems and services, and may include jitter, latency, packet loss rate, bit error rate, and signal-to-noise ratio. QoS measures the transmission quality and service effectiveness of a transmission system, assessing the service provider's ability to meet customer needs.

[0305] To ensure communication, the sending UE and the receiving UE need to have consistent SLRB bearer configurations to control the sending or receiving of data. The SLRB bearer configuration may include:

[0306] SDAP configuration: whether there is an SDAP header, whether it is the default SLRB, the mapping relationship between QoS flow and SLRB, and the communication mode (for example, unicast, multicast, or broadcast);

[0307] PDCP configuration: packet loss timer duration, PDCP sequence number length, out-of-order transmission, etc.

[0308] RLC configuration: RLC transmission mode, RLC sequence number length, maximum allowed ARQ retransmission times in RLC acknowledged mode (AM), etc.

[0309] LCH configuration: Parameters related to logical channel prioritization (LCP), such as logical channel priority, prioritized bit rate (PBR), bucket size duration (BSD), whether to allow the use of configured grant type 1, whether to enable HARQ feedback, the scheduling request (SR) resources associated with the LCH, and the logical channel group (LCG) to which it belongs.

[0310] When the UE is in different connection states, the SLRB bearer configuration method of NR SL is different. The following describes the SLRB bearer configuration process of the UE in different states.

[0311] SLRB configuration process for a UE in connected state:

[0312] As shown in Figure 6, in a connected state, a first terminal device and a second terminal device obtain a sidelink bearer configuration. For example, the first terminal device is a Tx UE and the second terminal device is a Rx UE. The interaction process between the first terminal device and the second terminal device mainly includes the following three steps:

[0313] Step 1. The first terminal device reports QoS information to the base station through SidelinkUEInformation (SUI).

[0314] Step 2. The base station determines the SLRB configuration based on the QoS information and sends the SLRB configuration information to the first terminal device.

[0315] Step 3. The first terminal device sends the SLRB configuration information to the second terminal device through the RRC reconfiguration sidelink message.

[0316] For example, when a Tx UE is in a connected state, it reports a QoS information list to the network via a SidelinkUEInformation (SUI) message. The QoS information list contains the identifier of each QoS flow (referred to as a QoS flow ID) and the corresponding QoS parameter requirements. Based on the QoS information reported by the Tx UE, the base station configures the SLRB bearer for the UE (referred to as SLRB configuration) and sends it to the Tx UE via an RRC configuration message.

[0317] After the Tx UE obtains the SLRB configuration from the base station, it sends the required SLRB configuration information to the Rx UE via the RRCReconfigurationSidelink message. After receiving the RRC message, the Rx UE can establish an SLRB bearer based on the received SLRB configuration information.

[0318] SLRB configuration process for idle (Idle / Inactive) state UE:

[0319] When the Tx UE is in the Idle / Inactive state, the Tx UE will configure the SLRB bearer according to the content of the system message (such as SIB12) sent by the network. Similarly, the Tx UE sends the SLRB configuration information to the Rx UE via the RRCReconfigurationSidelink message, as shown in step 3 of Figure 6.

[0320] SLRB configuration procedure for UE in out-of-coverage (OoC):

[0321] When the UE is in the OoC state, that is, when there is no Sidelink frequency coverage, the Tx UE obtains the SLRB configuration information from the pre-configuration information and sends the SLRB configuration information to the Rx UE through the RRCReconfigurationSidelink message.

[0322] In the UE-to-UE relay architecture, data sent by the remote UE (such as UE1 in Figure 3) to the remote UE (UE2 in Figure 3) needs to go through two paths. As shown in Figure 3, in order to ensure the end-to-end (E2E) QoS parameter requirements, after the connection between the remote UE and the relay UE is established, the relay UE first obtains the end-to-end QoS information (QoS flow information and each QoS flow parameter requirement) between the remote UEs and performs QoS division, that is, dividing the end-to-end QoS into the QoS parameter requirements on the first link (between UE1 and relay UE) and the second link (between relay UE and UE2).

[0323] When the source UE is in a connected state and acting as a transmitter, it reports QoS information to the gNB. The gNB then determines the appropriate SLRB bearer configuration based on the UE's reported information and sends it to the UE. In a U2U relay scenario, the UE may report QoS information for each link segment and request configuration from the base station. If the base station is unaware of UE-to-UE relay scenarios, it provides SLRB configuration for direct communication according to existing technologies. This means that the base station is unaware of the UE performing U2U relay communication.

[0324] In another possible implementation, the base station needs to support U2U relay capabilities so that the UE communicating with the base station can perform U2U relay communication. The embodiments of this application will provide a specific SLRB bearer configuration solution and solve the problem that the existing technology cannot configure U2U relay UE.

[0325] In some embodiments of the present application, the base station can participate in the configuration of the U2U relay as little as possible. The embodiments of the present application mainly consider the solution for the UE to obtain the relevant configuration of the U2U relay when the base station needs to support the U2U relay capability. For example, the embodiments of the present application provide specific feasible implementation plans such as the threshold configuration for relay UE selection, the bearer configuration required for U2U relay communication, and the resource configuration for sending and receiving messages (such as resource pool configuration). At the same time, it can reduce the influence of the base station on the configuration of the U2U relay.

[0326] In an embodiment of the present application, it is possible to interact between the base station and the UE, and to configure the UE in the U2U relay, while reducing the participation of the base station. Specifically, the base station indicates support for U2U relay in the system message. For example, the base station may indicate support for U2U relay through an implicit indication method such as a display indication or a threshold configuration. The UE establishes a U2U relay connection based on the indication of the base station and the threshold configuration of the base station. The QoS information reported by the connected UE is used for the base station to provide Sidelink bearer configuration or U2U relay dedicated configuration. In addition, the UE can also report a U2U relay indication to request the base station to allocate mode 1 resources. The idle UE determines the U2U relay configuration based on the Sidelink bearer configuration in the system message sent by the base station.

[0327] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various data processing 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) and other systems. The term "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably. A CDMA system can implement wireless technologies such as universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) and CDMA2000. UTRA can include wideband CDMA (WCDMA) technology and other CDMA variants. CDMA2000 can cover interim standard (IS) 2000 (IS-2000), IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA system can implement wireless technologies such as global system for mobile communication (GSM). The OFDMA system can implement wireless technologies such as evolved universal radio terrestrial access (evolved UTRA, E-UTRA), ultra mobile broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are UMTS and UMTS evolved versions. 3GPP's long term evolution (LTE) and various versions based on LTE evolution are new versions of UMTS using E-UTRA. The fifth generation (5 Generation, abbreviated as "5G") communication system and the new radio (NR) are the next generation communication systems under research. In addition, the communication system can also be applied to future-oriented communication technologies, and are all applicable to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0328] First, the system architecture applied in the embodiment of the present application is described. The embodiment of the present application is applicable to the communication scenario of UE to UE relay, as shown in Figure 7 below, which shows a structural diagram of a possible radio access network (RAN) in the embodiment of the present application. The RAN can be a base station access system of a 2G network (that is, the RAN includes a base station and a base station controller), or it can be a base station access system of a 3G network (that is, the RAN includes a base station and a radio network controller (RNC)), or it can be a base station access system of a 4G network (that is, the RAN includes an eNB and an RNC), or it can be a base station access system of a 5G network, or it can be a base station access system of a 6G network or a new radio (NR) network.

[0329] The embodiments of the present application may be applied to a U2U relay based on a layer 2 relay.

[0330] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to LTE systems, NR systems, next-generation wireless local area network systems, etc.

[0331] The embodiments of the present application can also be extended to multiple relay scenarios, where a remote UE establishes a U2U relay connection with a remote UE via multiple relay UEs, obtains communication configurations, and then conducts end-to-end communication. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application can also be extended to other types of UE-to-UE communication links between the remote UE and relay UEs, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc., which are not limited here.

[0332] Next, the functions of the network elements / modules involved in the embodiment of the present application are described. As shown in FIG8 , the communication system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0333] Access network equipment: This refers to the RAN nodes or devices that connect terminals to the wireless network. These devices are also called network equipment. For example, these network equipment include base stations, such as LTE eNBs, NR gNBs, or ng-eNBs. Access network equipment is connected to the core network EPC or 5GC.

[0334] A network device may be any device with wireless transceiver functions, or a chip provided in a device with specific wireless transceiver functions. The network device includes, but is not limited to, a base station (e.g., a base station BS, a base station NodeB, an evolved base station eNodeB or eNB, a base station gNodeB or gNB in ​​a fifth-generation 5G communication system, a base station in a future communication system, an access node in a WiFi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node), etc. A base station may be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, etc. Multiple base stations may support a network of one or more of the above-mentioned technologies, or a future-evolved network. The core network may support a network of one or more of the above-mentioned technologies, or a future-evolved network. A base station may include one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission receiving points (TRPs). A network device may also be a wireless controller, a centralized unit (CU), or a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. A network device may also be a server, a wearable device, or an in-vehicle device, etc. The following description is made by taking a base station as an example. The multiple network devices may be base stations of the same type or different types.

[0335] Base stations can communicate with terminal devices, or they can communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. Terminal devices can support communication with multiple base stations using different technologies. For example, a terminal device can support communication with base stations supporting LTE networks, base stations supporting 5G networks, and dual connectivity with both LTE and 5G network base stations. For example, a RAN node connects a terminal to a wireless network. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes include: gNB, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or HNB), baseband unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP). In a network structure, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) node, a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node.

[0336] A terminal device, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), or terminal, is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a chip within the device, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connection capabilities. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. The terminal device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be a low-complexity terminal device and / or a terminal device in coverage enhancement mode A.

[0337] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device refers to a device capable of sidelink communication, and is divided into two types: relay UE and remote UE. Relay UE is a terminal that supports providing relay services, and can also be called a relay device or relay terminal device; remote UE is a terminal that supports mutual communication through relay services.

[0338] For example, in a U2U relay scenario, the remote UE acts as the terminal device initiating services, and end-to-end communication is performed between remote UEs. Remote UEs can be divided into source UEs and target UEs. The source UE connects to gNB1, and the target UE connects to gNB2. A remote UE or relay UE can be in RRC connected, RRC idle, RRC inactive, or Out-of-Cell (OoC) state. The remote UE and relay UE are connected via a sidelink, and unicast communication is performed after the connection is established. The relay UE can assist the source UE and target UE in communication, thereby expanding the communication range and forwarding data between remote UEs.

[0339] The present application provides a communication method suitable for use in an end-to-end relay scenario. FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of an interaction process between a network device and a first terminal device provided in the present application. The first terminal device may be the aforementioned remote UE. The communication method provided in the present application mainly includes the following steps:

[0340] 901. A network device sends a first message to a first terminal device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device.

[0341] The network device determines whether it supports the first terminal device to communicate through the relay device, where communication can also be referred to as device-to-device communication. The network device determines the relay support capability of the network device, which can include whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate through the relay device, or whether the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate through the relay device. For example, the device-to-device communication of the first terminal device through the relay device can be U2U relay communication.

[0342] After the network device determines the relay support capability of the network device, the network device generates a first message. The first message may be a system message, or other types of messages, which are not limited here.

[0343] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can determine whether to support the terminal device to communicate through the relay device based on the network device's own capabilities. For example, the network device indicates support for U2U relay in a system message.

[0344] 902. A first terminal device receives a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device.

[0345] In an embodiment of the present application, a first terminal device is a remote terminal device that can communicate with a network device. For example, the first terminal device is in a connected state and receives a first message from the network device. After receiving the first message, the first terminal device can parse the first message and determine the relay support capability of the network device based on the indication in the first message.

[0346] 903. The first terminal device determines first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0347] Among them, the first terminal device receives the first message, and obtains the relay support capability of the network device by parsing the first message. When the first terminal device determines that the network supports relay, the first terminal device obtains the first configuration information. In the embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information can be used by the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. There are many ways to implement the first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes many contents. For details, please see the subsequent examples of the embodiment of the present application.

[0348] In an embodiment of the present application, after the first terminal device obtains the first configuration information, the first terminal device can configure the bearer required for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0349] In some embodiments of the present application, the first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0350] The network device may notify the first terminal device by displaying an indication, that is, the first message generated by the network device includes the first indication information. After the first terminal device obtains the first indication information from the first message, the first terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, that the network device supports the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device via the relay device. In the embodiments of the present application, the specific implementation of the first indication information is not limited. For example, the first indication information may be an indication field in a system message, and the first terminal device may obtain the first indication information by parsing the indication field.

[0351] Next, the implementation of the first indication information in the first message is described, for example, the first message is a system message. The system message may include SIB12, where SIB12 is a system message block for indicating sidelink communication related configurations.

[0352] The first indication information includes at least one of the following: layer 2 terminal device to terminal device relay information, layer 3 terminal device to terminal device relay discovery information.

[0353] The layer 2 terminal device to terminal device relay information is specifically L2 U2U relay capability support indication information, and the layer 3 terminal device to terminal device relay discovery information is specifically L3 U2U relay capability support indication.

[0354] Taking the base station supporting L3 U2U relay as an example, SIB12 carries sl-L3U2U-RelayDiscovery. When the value of sl-L3U2U-RelayDiscovery is enable, it means that the base station supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0355] The first message sent by the network device may include first indication information. Next, a specific application scenario in which the first terminal device determines the relay support capability of the network device based on the first indication information is described.

[0356] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0357] In some embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device is in a connected state, and the communication method performed by the first terminal device may further include the following steps:

[0358] The network device receives a third message from the first terminal device, where the third message includes third QoS flow information, where the third QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and fourth QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the fourth QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement for the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0359] The network device receives a second message from the first terminal device, where the second message includes first quality of service QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirements are QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flows between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0360] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0361] Correspondingly, the communication method executed by the first terminal device includes:

[0362] The first terminal device determines first quality of service QoS flow information between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0363] The first terminal device sends a second message to the network device, where the second message includes first QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows;

[0364] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0365] In one possible implementation, the first terminal sends the third QoS flow information to the relay device, the relay device divides the fourth QoS parameter requirements, and sends the divided first QoS parameter requirements to the first terminal device, so that the first terminal device determines the first quality of service QoS flow information.

[0366] The first terminal device and the second terminal device perform upper-layer interaction to obtain first QoS flow information. One or more QoS flows exist between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is defined as a first QoS flow, which can also be referred to as a "remote UE end-to-end QoS flow." The first QoS flow information includes an identifier for the first QoS flow and end-to-end QoS parameter requirements for the QoS flow.

[0367] Based on the description of the UE-to-UE relay architecture, the relay UE obtains the end-to-end QoS information between the remote UEs. The end-to-end QoS information includes QoS flow information and parameter requirements for each QoS flow. The relay UE performs QoS partitioning, i.e., partitioning the end-to-end QoS into QoS parameter requirements on the first link segment (between UE1 and the relay UE) and the second link segment (between the relay UE and UE2). The first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows included in the first QoS flow information are the divided QoS parameter requirements.

[0368] The first QoS flow information includes an identifier of the first QoS flow, for example, a first QoS flow identifier is QoS flow ID1. The first QoS flow information generated by the first terminal device includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows. Each first QoS flow has a corresponding first QoS parameter requirement, which can also be called a QoS performance requirement.

[0369] In some embodiments of the present application, the second message is specifically an RRC message. The network device can receive the second message and determine the first QoS flow information by parsing the second message. The network device obtains one or more first QoS flow identifiers and one or more first QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flow based on the first QoS flow information. The network device can configure the side link bearer for the first terminal device based on the one or more first QoS flow identifiers and one or more first QoS parameter requirements of the first QoS flow.

[0370] In some embodiments of the present application, the third message further includes: an identifier of the second terminal device, and / or an identifier of the relay device.

[0371] In some embodiments of the present application, the second message further includes: an identifier of the relay device, and / or an identifier of the second terminal device.

[0372] Among them, the first terminal device can first send a second message to the network device, and the second message can also indicate the identifier of the relay device, or the second message can indicate the identifier of the second terminal device, or the second message can also indicate the mapping relationship between the relay device and the second terminal device. For example, the second message also includes the identifier of the relay device and / or the identifier of the second terminal device. After receiving the second message, the network device parses the identifier of the relay device and the identifier of the second terminal device included in the second message, and can determine that there is an association relationship between the relay device and the second terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the second message carries the identifier of the relay device and / or the identifier of the second terminal device, so that the network device can determine the relay device and the second terminal device that communicate with the first terminal device between devices.

[0373] Among them, the first terminal device can first send a third message to the network device, and the third message can also indicate the identifier of the relay device, or the third message can indicate the identifier of the relay device, or the third message can also indicate the mapping relationship between the relay device and the second terminal device. For example, the third message also includes the identifier of the relay device and / or the identifier of the second terminal device. After receiving the third message, the network device parses the identifier of the relay device and the identifier of the second terminal device included in the third message, and can determine that there is an association relationship between the relay device and the second terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the second message carries the identifier of the relay device and / or the identifier of the second terminal device, so that the network device can determine the relay device and the second terminal device that communicate with the first terminal device between devices.

[0374] In some embodiments of the present application, the second message and the third message may be the same message, or different messages. For example, the third message may be independent of the second message, or the second message and the third message may be sent simultaneously.

[0375] For example, the identifier of the relay device may specifically include the relay UE L2 ID, and the identifier of the second terminal device may specifically include the remote UE L2 ID of the other end. The remote UE also needs to report to the base station that there is an association between the relay UE L2 ID and the remote UE L2 ID of the other end. In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0376] The network device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0377] The first message includes: first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0378] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0379] The network device determines the first configuration information based on the second message and the third message;

[0380] The network device sends first configuration information.

[0381] In some embodiments of the present application, step 903, in which the first terminal device determines the first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message, includes:

[0382] The first terminal device determines, according to the first message, that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0383] The first terminal device receives first configuration information from the network device;

[0384] The first terminal device determines the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device based on the first configuration information.

[0385] Among them, the first message can indicate the relay support capability of the network device, and the first terminal device can obtain the relay support capability of the network device according to the first message. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate first configuration information. For example, the first configuration information can be carried in the RRC message. For example, the first configuration information can specifically include Sidelink bearer configuration, or relay-specific configuration. The first terminal device obtains the first configuration information, and then the first terminal device can determine the configuration of the first bearer according to the configuration parameters included in the first configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. For example, the first bearer can be a PC5 RLC bearer. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0386] In some embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer, wherein:

[0387] The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0388] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0389] Among them, the second bearer is the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the second bearer is used for end-to-end communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the second bearer can also be called an end-to-end wireless bearer (hereinafter referred to as a wireless bearer). An example is as follows: based on the relationship between the remote UE and the relay UE, based on the end-to-end QoS information, that is, the above-mentioned third QoS flow information, the base station provides the remote UE with the configuration of the second bearer, and the configuration of the second bearer includes end-to-end SDAP and PDCP configuration. The SDAP configuration includes a mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer.

[0390] The network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The network device can indicate the mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer to the first terminal device. For example, the first configuration information sent by the network device includes: the configuration of the first bearer, the mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer, so that the first terminal device can obtain the mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer according to the first configuration information. The first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, and determine the association between the first bearer and the second bearer, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0391] As an example, the base station will determine the association relationship between the first QoS flow information and the second QoS flow information based on the identifier of the second terminal device indicated by the second message and the third message, and / or the identifier of the relay device, and determine the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the first bearer based on the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. The base station will ensure that the first QoS mapped on the same second bearer is mapped to the same first bearer, thereby ensuring that one or more second bearers are mapped to one first bearer. As an example, the base station provides U2U relay-specific configuration based on the divided QoS information between the remote UE and the relay UE, including the mapping relationship between the end-to-end radio bearer SRB / DRB and the PC5 RLC bearer, and the configuration information of the PC5 RLC bearer, for example, recording that data radio bearers (DRB) 1, DRB2, etc. can be configured.

[0392] As an example, the base station provides U2U relay-specific configuration based on the QoS information divided between the remote UE and the relay UE, including the mapping relationship between the end-to-end radio bearer and the PC5 RLC bearer, and the configuration information of the PC5 RLC bearer.

[0393] In some embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information further includes: configuration of the first bearer, correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer, wherein the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0394] In which, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the first configuration information sent by the network device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer. In this implementation scenario, the network device can notify the first terminal device of the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information.

[0395] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0396] The network device sends second configuration information to the first terminal device, and the second configuration information includes: the configuration of the second bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0397] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps:

[0398] The first terminal device receives second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information includes: configuration of the second bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0399] The first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0400] Among them, the second bearer is the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the network device can send the configuration of the second bearer to the first terminal device. For example, the network device sends the second configuration information to the first terminal device, and the second configuration information includes the configuration of the second bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. Then the first terminal device can determine the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer by parsing the second configuration information. Combined with the parsing of the first configuration information by the first terminal device, it can be known that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information. The first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer and the second bearer respectively. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can autonomously determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer by processing the first configuration information and the second configuration information, without the need for notification from the network device side, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0401] In the aforementioned embodiments, the network device is able to perceive the relationship between the first terminal device, the relay device, and the second terminal device. In other embodiments of the present application, the network device may not perceive the relationship between the first terminal device, the relay device, and the second terminal device, and the first terminal device completes the bearer configuration without the network device's perception.

[0402] Specifically, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps:

[0403] The first terminal device determines an identifier of a second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, where the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0404] The first terminal device sends second QoS flow information to the network device, where the second QoS flow information includes an identifier of the second QoS flow and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow.

[0405] The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement for the second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0406] Among them, the first terminal device can send the second QoS flow information to the network device as a whole for the first bearer. For example, the first terminal device determines the second QoS flow, and the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to the second bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the first terminal device will correspond the first QoS flow corresponding to the second bearer to the second QoS flow as a whole. The first terminal device can also determine the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, and there is no limitation on the specific configuration method of the second QoS parameter requirements. In another possible implementation method, the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to multiple second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the first terminal device will correspond the first QoS flows corresponding to multiple second bearers to the second QoS flow as a whole. The first terminal device can also determine the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, and there is no limitation on the specific configuration method of the second QoS parameter requirements.

[0407] After the first terminal device determines the second QoS flow information, it sends the second QoS flow information to the network device. After the network device receives the second QoS flow information, the network device can determine the identifier of the second QoS flow and the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, so that the network device can configure the Sidelink bearer according to the second QoS flow. In this implementation, the network device does not need to perceive the relationship between the first terminal device, the relay device, and the second terminal device, and configures the Sidelink bearer according to the second QoS flow.

[0408] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device determines the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, including:

[0409] The first terminal device determines the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second QoS flow;

[0410] The first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0411] The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal.

[0412] Among them, the first terminal device can determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, for example, determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second QoS flow, and select the first QoS parameter requirement to generate the second QoS parameter requirement. For example, when the first terminal device generates the second QoS parameter requirement, it can select from the first QoS parameter requirements according to at least one of the following requirements: select the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the highest priority as the second QOS parameter requirement, or select the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the lowest packet delay budget (PDB) as the second QOS parameter requirement, or select the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the highest guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR) requirement as the second QOS parameter requirement, or select the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the lowest packet error rate (PER) requirement as the second QOS parameter requirement, or select the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the lowest packet error rate (PER) requirement as the second QOS parameter requirement, or select the QoS parameter with the highest requirements (such as PDB, GFBR, PER, etc.) from multiple sets of QoS parameter information corresponding to multiple first QoS flows as the second QoS parameter requirement. The selection method of the second QoS parameter requirement is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0413] In some embodiments of the present application, the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more second bearers, and the second bearers include bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0414] In which, one or more second bearers are configured between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the first terminal device determines that the second QoS flow corresponds to the one or more second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Through the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the one or more second bearers, the network device can configure the Sidelink bearer for the first terminal device according to the second QoS flow.

[0415] In some embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information further includes: configuration of the first bearer, correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, and the first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0416] Among them, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the first configuration information sent by the network device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer. In this implementation scenario, the network device can notify the first terminal device of the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information. For example, the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer sent by the network device. Since the first terminal device also maintains the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, the first terminal device can finally determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer (such as the second configuration information mentioned above) and the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer.

[0417] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps:

[0418] receiving second configuration information from the network device, the second configuration information including: configuration of the second bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer including a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0419] A correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer is determined according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0420] Among them, the second bearer is the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the network device can send the configuration of the second bearer to the first terminal device. For example, the network device sends the second configuration information to the first terminal device, and the second configuration information includes the configuration of the second bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. Then the first terminal device can determine the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer by parsing the second configuration information. Combined with the parsing of the first configuration information by the first terminal device, it can be known that the first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information. The first terminal device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer based on the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer and the second bearer respectively. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can autonomously determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer by processing the first configuration information and the second configuration information, without the need for notification from the network device side, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0421] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0422] The network device receives a first request from the first terminal device, where the first request is used to request the network device to allocate relay transmission resources;

[0423] The network device configures relay transmission resources for the first terminal device according to the first request.

[0424] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps:

[0425] The first terminal device sends a first request to the network device, where the first request is used to request the network device to allocate relay transmission resources.

[0426] Among them, after the first terminal device determines the configuration of the first bearer and the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer, when the first terminal device needs to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the first terminal device also needs to obtain relay transmission resources. In this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can generate a first request and send the first request to the network device. The first request may include relay transmission resource indication information, so that the network device receives the first request. The network device can allocate relay transmission resources to the first terminal device according to the first request. The relay transmission resources can be called U2U relay transmission resources.

[0427] For example, the first request sent by the first terminal device includes the identifier of the relay device, and the network device parses the first request to obtain the identifier of the relay device, thereby allocating relay transmission resources for the first terminal device to communicate with the relay device. Optionally, the identifier of the relay device is a U2U relay-specific identifier.

[0428] For example, the base station is not aware that the remote UE performs U2U relay. Therefore, if the remote UE works in mode 1 and needs the base station to allocate U2U relay transmission resources, it needs to request the base station to allocate the resources.

[0429] The foregoing embodiment describes the interaction process between the first terminal device and the network device when the first terminal device is in a connected state. Next, the configuration process of the sidelink bearer when the first terminal device is in an idle state is described. Specifically, in some embodiments of the present application, step 903 determines the first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message, including:

[0430] The first terminal device determines, according to the first message, that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0431] The first terminal device obtains third configuration information from the first message, where the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0432] The first terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the third configuration information.

[0433] Among them, the first message can indicate the relay support capability of the network device, and the first terminal device can obtain the relay support capability of the network device according to the first message. For example, the remote UE can obtain the indication information that the base station supports U2U relay from the SIB message of the base station. In the case where the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate third configuration information, and the third configuration information can be carried in the first message. For example, the third configuration information may specifically include Sidelink bearer configuration. The first terminal device obtains the third configuration information, and then the first terminal device can determine the configuration of the first bearer according to the configuration parameters included in the third configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. For example, the first bearer can be a PC5 RLC bearer. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the first terminal device can use the relay device to communicate with the second terminal device.

[0434] In some embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device determines the first configuration information according to the third configuration information, including:

[0435] The first terminal device determines the second configuration information from the third configuration information based on the third QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the first QoS flow, where the third QoS parameter requirement is the end-to-end QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow. The second configuration information includes: the configuration of the second bearer, the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer, the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0436] Among them, the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the first terminal device determines the third QoS parameter requirement as the end-to-end QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow, the third configuration information sent by the network device may include multiple Sidelink bearer configurations, and the first terminal device selects a Sidelink bearer configuration from the third configuration information according to the third QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the first QoS flow as the second configuration information. The second configuration information includes: a mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer.

[0437] As illustrated below, the remote UE may determine a Sidelink bearer configuration based on the end-to-end third QoS parameter requirement and multiple Sidelink bearer configurations sent by the base station, and determine the SDAP configuration and the PDCP configuration according to the Sidelink bearer configuration.

[0438] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present application, the first terminal device determines the first configuration information according to the third configuration information, further comprising:

[0439] The first terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the first QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow and the third configuration information, where the first configuration information includes: the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. Alternatively, the first terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer and the third configuration information, where the first configuration information includes: the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device.

[0440] Among them, the second bearer is a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the multiple Sidelink bearer configurations included in the third configuration information sent by the network device, and the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. The first configuration information includes the configuration of the first bearer corresponding to the first QoS flow. The first terminal device can determine the configuration of the first bearer based on the configuration parameters included in the first configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. For example, the first bearer can be a PC5 RLC bearer. In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device using the relay device.

[0441] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0442] The network device receives a second request from the first terminal device, where the second request is used to request the network device to send third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources;

[0443] The network device sends third configuration information to the first terminal device according to the second request, and / or configures relay transmission resources for the first terminal device according to the second request.

[0444] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps:

[0445] The first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0446] or,

[0447] The first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. The first terminal device sends a second request to the network device, and the second request is used to request the network device to send third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources.

[0448] The first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device, that is, it is considered that the first terminal device cannot perform the above relay configuration process.

[0449] Among them, when the first terminal device is in an idle state, in addition to determining the first indication information in the first message, the first terminal device also needs to determine whether the first message includes the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. For example, the first message does not include the third configuration information, and the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, the first message does not include the relay transmission resources, and the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, the first message does not include the third configuration information and relay transmission resources, and the first terminal device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The first terminal device can determine whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device through the message content carried in the first message, so that the first terminal device can communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device with the support of the network device.

[0450] In other embodiments, when the first message includes the first indication information and does not include the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, since the first terminal device is in an idle state at this time, the first terminal device does not directly determine whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. Instead, the first terminal device switches to a connected state, and the first terminal device sends a second request to the network device, for example, the second request message includes an identifier of the relay terminal, to request the network device to send the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. The first terminal device receives the third configuration information and relay transmission resources sent by the network device, and can determine that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0451] In some embodiments of the present application, the first message includes: second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0452] Among them, when the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a second indication information. When the first terminal device obtains the second indication information from the first message, it can be determined that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0453] In some embodiments of the present application, the first message does not include first indication information, which is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0454] The first indication information is used to instruct the network device to support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0455] Among them, the network device can also adopt an implicit indication method. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a first indication information and carry the first indication information through the first message. When the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device may not generate the first indication information. The first terminal device does not include the first indication information in the first message, so that the network device can determine that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, and thus the first terminal device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0456] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0457] The network device sends fourth configuration information to the first terminal device, where the fourth configuration information includes one or more thresholds.

[0458] Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives fourth configuration information from the network device, and determines one or more thresholds indicated by the network device through the fourth configuration information.

[0459] The network device may notify the first terminal device of one or more thresholds by displaying an indication, so that the first terminal device can receive the one or more thresholds from the network device.

[0460] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device determines one or more thresholds that can be used by the first terminal device to determine whether to select a relay device, or to reselect a relay device, or to execute a discovery process.

[0461] Specifically, one or more thresholds may be used for the first terminal device to trigger the selection of a relay device when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to the threshold, or the first terminal device to trigger the reselection of the relay device, or the first terminal device to trigger the execution of a discovery process. Alternatively, one or more thresholds may be used for the first terminal device to trigger the selection of a relay device when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is less than or equal to the threshold, or the first terminal device to trigger the reselection of the relay device, or the first terminal device to trigger the execution of a discovery process.

[0462] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0463] The network device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0464] The first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0465] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps:

[0466] The first message includes first indication information, and the first terminal device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0467] The first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0468] Specifically, the network device may determine that the first indication information is used for one or more thresholds, so that the first message may indicate one or more thresholds. When the first terminal device obtains one or more thresholds from the first message, it determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The network device may implicitly indicate whether it supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device by whether it carries the threshold.

[0469] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method executed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps: the one or more thresholds include a first threshold, for example, the first threshold is threshold1.

[0470] The signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to a first threshold value, and the first terminal device triggers the selection of a relay device, or triggers the reselection of a relay device, or performs a discovery process.

[0471] An example is given below. In the case of applying a threshold, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the remote UE of the other end is less than or equal to Threshold1 (that is, the threshold condition is met), the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is selected based on the result of the discovery process; when the U2U relay has been established, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the current relay UE is less than or equal to Threshold1 (that is, the threshold condition is met), the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is reselected.

[0472] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the first terminal device further includes the following steps: the one or more thresholds include a first threshold and a second threshold, for example, the first threshold and the second threshold are threshold1 and threshold2 respectively.

[0473] When the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to a first threshold, the first terminal device triggers the selection of a relay device or performs a discovery process;

[0474] or,

[0475] When the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is less than or equal to the second threshold, the first terminal device triggers reselection of the relay device or performs a discovery process.

[0476] An example is given below. In the case of applying two different thresholds, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the target UE is less than or equal to Threshold1, the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is selected based on the result of the discovery process; when the U2U relay has been established, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the current relay UE is less than or equal to Threshold2, the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is reselected.

[0477] This embodiment of the present application provides a communication method suitable for use in an end-to-end relay scenario. FIG10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an interaction process between a network device and a relay device provided in this embodiment of the present application. The relay device may be the aforementioned relay UE. The communication method provided in this embodiment of the present application primarily includes the following steps:

[0478] 1001. A network device sends a first message to a relay device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device.

[0479] The network device determines whether to support terminal device communication through the relay device, which may also be referred to as device-to-device communication. The network device determines the relay support capability of the network device, which may include whether the network device supports the first terminal device communicating through the relay device, or whether the network device does not support the terminal device communicating through the relay device.

[0480] After the network device determines the relay support capability of the network device, the network device generates a first message. The first message may be a system message, or other types of messages, which are not limited here.

[0481] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can determine whether to support the terminal device to communicate through the relay device based on the network device's own capabilities. For example, the network device indicates support for U2U relay in a system message.

[0482] 1002. The relay device receives a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device.

[0483] In an embodiment of the present application, the relay device is a relay terminal device that can communicate with a network device. For example, the relay device is in a connected state and receives a first message from the network device. After receiving the first message, the relay device can parse the first message and determine the relay support capability of the network device based on the indication in the first message.

[0484] 1003. The relay device determines first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0485] Among them, the relay device receives the first message, and obtains the relay support capability of the network device by parsing the first message. When the relay device determines that the network supports relay, the relay device obtains the first configuration information. In the embodiment of the present application, the first configuration information can be used by the relay device to support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. There are many ways to implement the first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes many contents. For details, please see the subsequent examples of the embodiment of the present application.

[0486] In some embodiments of the present application, the first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0487] The network device may notify the relay device by displaying an indication, that is, the first message generated by the network device includes the first indication information, and after the first terminal device obtains the first indication information from the first message, the relay device determines, based on the first indication information, that the network device supports communication between the terminal device and the terminal device through the relay device. The specific implementation of the first indication information is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the first indication information may be an indication field in a system message, and the first terminal device may obtain the first indication information by parsing the indication field.

[0488] Next, the implementation of the first indication information in the first message is described, for example, the first message is a system message. The system message may include SIB12, where SIB12 is a system message block for indicating sidelink communication related configurations.

[0489] In some embodiments of the present application, a communication method performed by a relay device includes:

[0490] The relay device determines first quality of service QoS flow information between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0491] The relay device sends a second message to the network device, where the second message includes first QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirements are QoS parameter requirements between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0492] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0493] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0494] The network device receives a second message from the relay device, where the second message includes first quality of service (QoS) flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirements are QoS parameter requirements between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0495] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0496] Specifically, the relay device receives the third QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows sent by the first terminal device, and the relay device determines the first QoS parameter requirement between the relay device and the second terminal device based on the second QoS parameter requirement of the one or more first QoS flows, where the third QoS parameter requirement is the QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The relay device generates a second message, which includes the first QoS flow information, and sends the second message to the network device, for example, the second message is specifically an RRC message.

[0497] The network device can receive the second message and determine the first QoS flow information by parsing the second message. The network device obtains the identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and the first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows based on the first QoS flow information. The network device can configure the side link bearer for the relay device based on the identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and the first QoS parameter requirements of one or more first QoS flows.

[0498] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the relay device includes:

[0499] The relay device sends a first mapping relationship to the network device, where the first mapping relationship is used to indicate a first corresponding relationship, where the first corresponding relationship is used to indicate that one or more first QoS flows are configured on a first bearer, or a corresponding relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer;

[0500] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0501] The first bearer includes a bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0502] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0503] The correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer can be understood as indicating that one or more first QoS flows are configured on one second bearer.

[0504] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0505] The network device receives a first mapping relationship from the relay device, where the first mapping relationship is used to indicate a first corresponding relationship, where the first corresponding relationship is used to indicate that one or more first QoS flows are configured on a first bearer, or a corresponding relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer;

[0506] The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0507] The first bearer includes a bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device;

[0508] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0509] Specifically, the relay device determines that one or more first QoS flows correspond to a first bearer, or that the first QoS flow corresponds to a second bearer, and the relay generates a first mapping relationship, indicates the first corresponding relationship through the first mapping relationship, and the relay device sends the above-mentioned first mapping relationship to the network device, so that the network device determines the corresponding relationship between one or more first QoS flows and the first bearer, and the corresponding relationship between one or more first QoS flows and the second bearer by parsing the first mapping relationship. The network device can allocate a sidelink bearer configuration to the relay device based on the first mapping relationship.

[0510] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0511] The network device determines first configuration information based on the first message and the second message;

[0512] The network device sends first configuration information;

[0513] The first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer;

[0514] The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device;

[0515] The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0516] In some embodiments of the present application, the relay device determines the first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message, including:

[0517] The relay device determines, according to the first message, that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0518] The relay device receives first configuration information from the network device;

[0519] The relay device determines the configuration of the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device according to the first configuration information.

[0520] Among them, the first message can indicate the relay support capability of the network device. The relay device can obtain the relay support capability of the network device based on the first message. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate first configuration information. The first configuration information is carried in the configuration message, for example, it can be an RRC message. The relay device parses the first configuration information in the configuration message, so as to determine the configuration of the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0521] In some embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer.

[0522] Among them, the second bearer is the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the second bearer is used for end-to-end communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the second bearer can also be called an end-to-end wireless bearer (hereinafter referred to as a wireless bearer). An example is as follows: based on the relationship between the remote UE and the relay UE and based on the end-to-end QoS information, the base station provides the remote UE with the configuration of the second bearer, and the bearer of the second bearer is an end-to-end SDAP and PDCP configuration. The network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the network device can indicate the mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer to the relay device.

[0523] In some embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer.

[0524] Among them, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the first configuration information sent by the network device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer. In this implementation scenario, the network device can notify the relay device of the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer, so that the relay device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer through the first configuration information, and the relay device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer in combination with other obtained configuration information. For example, the relay device determines the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer and the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer based on the first configuration information, and determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer, and the first QoS flow and the second bearer can be obtained from the first terminal device side.

[0525] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the relay device further includes:

[0526] The relay device determines an identifier of a second QoS flow between the relay device and the second terminal device and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, where the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device;

[0527] The relay device sends second QoS flow information to the network device, where the second QoS flow information includes an identifier of the second QoS flow and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow.

[0528] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0529] The network device receives second QoS flow information from the relay device, where the second QoS flow information includes the second QoS flow and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow;

[0530] The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement for the second QoS flow between the relay device and the second terminal.

[0531] The relay device may send the second QoS flow information to the network device as a whole for the first bearer. For example, the relay device determines the second QoS flow, and the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to the first bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device. That is, the relay device corresponds the first bearer as a whole to the second QoS flow. The relay device may also determine the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, and there is no limitation on the specific method for configuring the second QoS parameter requirements.

[0532] The relay device may send the second QoS flow information to the network device as a whole for the second bearer. For example, the relay device determines a second QoS flow, and the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to the second bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. That is, the relay device regards the one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second bearer as a whole as the second QoS flow. The relay device may also determine the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, and there is no limitation on the specific method of configuring the second QoS parameter requirements.

[0533] After the relay device determines the second QoS flow information, it sends the second QoS flow information to the network device. After the network device receives the second QoS flow information, the network device can determine the identifier of the second QoS flow and the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow, so that the network device can configure the sidelink bearer according to the second QoS flow. In this implementation, the network device does not need to perceive the relationship between the first terminal device, the relay device, and the second terminal device, and configures the sidelink bearer according to the second QoS flow.

[0534] In some embodiments of the present application, the relay device determines the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, including:

[0535] The relay device determines the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second QoS flow;

[0536] The first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the relay device and the first terminal device;

[0537] The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement for the second QoS flow between the relay device and the first terminal device.

[0538] Among them, the relay device can determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, for example, determine the second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirement of one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the second QoS flow, and select the first QoS parameter requirement to generate the second QoS parameter requirement. For example, when the relay device generates the second QoS parameter requirement, it can select from the first QoS parameter requirements according to at least one of the following requirements: the first QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the highest priority as the second QoS parameter requirement, the first QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the lowest packet delay budget (PDB) as the second QoS parameter requirement, the first QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the highest guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR) requirement as the second QoS parameter requirement, the first QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow with the lowest packet error rate (PER) requirement as the second QoS parameter requirement, or from multiple sets of QoS parameter information corresponding to multiple first QoS flows, each requirement is selected according to the highest QoS parameter as the second QoS parameter requirement. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the selection method of the second QoS parameter requirement.

[0539] In some embodiments of the present application, the second QoS flow may also correspond to multiple second bearers, and the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. That is, the relay device can send the second QoS flow information to the network device as a whole for the multiple second bearers. For example, the relay device determines the second QoS flow, and the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the one or more first QoS flows correspond to multiple second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, that is, the relay device integrates the one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the multiple second bearers as the second QoS flow. The relay device can also determine the second QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the second QoS flow. The method for determining the second QoS parameter requirements refers to the above embodiment.

[0540] In which, one or more second bearers are configured between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the relay device determines that the second QoS flow corresponds to the one or more second bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Through the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the one or more second bearers, the network device can configure the Sidelink bearer for the first terminal device according to the second QoS flow information.

[0541] In some embodiments of the present application, the first configuration information further includes: configuration of the first bearer, correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, and the first bearer includes a bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device.

[0542] In which, the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The first configuration information sent by the network device to the relay device includes the configuration of the first bearer, the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer. In this implementation scenario, the relay device receives the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer notified by the first terminal device, and combines the correspondence between the second QoS flow and the first bearer, the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer, and the correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, so that the relay device can determine the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer.

[0543] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the relay device further includes:

[0544] The relay device receives a first correspondence from the first terminal device, where the first correspondence includes: a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer.

[0545] The foregoing embodiment describes the interaction process between the relay device and the network device when the relay device is in a connected state. Next, the configuration process of the sidelink bearer when the relay device is in an idle state is described. Specifically, in some embodiments of the present application, the relay device determines the first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message, including:

[0546] The relay device determines, according to the first message, that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0547] The relay device obtains third configuration information from the first message, where the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices;

[0548] The relay device determines the first configuration information according to the third configuration information, where the first configuration information includes: a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer; and / or a correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer.

[0549] Among them, the first message can indicate the relay support capability of the network device, and the relay device can obtain the relay support capability of the network device according to the first message. For example, the relay UE can obtain the indication information that the base station supports U2U relay from the SIB message of the base station. In the case where the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate third configuration information, and the third configuration information can be carried in the first message. For example, the third configuration information can specifically be a Sidelink bearer configuration. The relay device obtains the third configuration information, and then the relay device can determine the configuration of the first bearer according to the configuration parameters included in the third configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the relay device and the second terminal device. For example, the first bearer can be a PC5 RLC bearer. In the embodiment of the present application, the relay device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0550] In some embodiments of the present application, the relay device may further determine, according to the third configuration information, a correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer, including:

[0551] The relay device determines the correspondence between the first QoS and the first bearer based on the correspondence between the first QoS and the second bearer and the third configuration information. Based on the correspondence between the first QoS and the second bearer and the correspondence between the first QoS and the first bearer, the relay device determines the correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer.

[0552] In some embodiments of the present application, the relay device determines the first configuration information according to the third configuration information, further comprising:

[0553] The relay device determines first configuration information according to the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer and the third configuration information. The first configuration information includes: the configuration of the first bearer between the relay device and the first terminal device.

[0554] The second bearer is a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The relay device determines the first configuration information based on the multiple Sidelink bearer configurations included in the third configuration information sent by the network device, and the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer. The first configuration information includes the configuration of the first bearer corresponding to the first QoS flow. The relay device can determine the configuration of the first bearer based on the configuration parameters included in the first configuration information. The first bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device. For example, the first bearer can be a PC5 RLC bearer. In the embodiment of the present application, the relay device can configure the first bearer according to the instructions of the network device, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0555] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the relay device further includes:

[0556] The first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device, the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0557] or,

[0558] The first message includes first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. The relay device sends a second request to the network device, and the second request is used to request the network device to send third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0559] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0560] The network device receives a second request from the first terminal device, where the second request is used to request the network device to send third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources;

[0561] The network device sends third configuration information to the first terminal device according to the second request, and / or configures relay transmission resources for the first terminal device according to the second request.

[0562] Among them, when the relay device is in an idle state, in addition to determining the first indication information in the first message, the relay device also needs to determine whether the first message includes the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources. For example, the first message does not include the third configuration information, and the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, the first message does not include the relay transmission resources, and the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. For example, the first message does not include the third configuration information and relay transmission resources, and the relay device determines that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The relay device can determine whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device through the message content carried in the first message, so that the relay device can realize communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0563] In some embodiments of the present application, the first message includes: second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0564] Among them, when the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a second indication information. When the relay device obtains the second indication information from the first message, it can be determined that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the relay device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0565] In some embodiments of the present application, the first message does not include first indication information, which is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device communicating with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0566] The first indication information is used to instruct the network device to support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0567] Among them, the network device can also adopt an implicit indication method. When the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device can generate a first indication information and carry the first indication information through the first message. When the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, the network device may not generate the first indication information. The relay device does not include the first indication information in the first message, and can determine that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, so that the first terminal device no longer configures the Sidelink bearer.

[0568] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0569] The network device sends fourth configuration information to the relay device, where the fourth configuration information includes one or more thresholds.

[0570] Correspondingly, the relay device receives the fourth configuration information from the network device, and determines the one or more thresholds indicated by the network device through the fourth configuration information.

[0571] The network device may notify the relay device of one or more thresholds by displaying an indication, so that the relay device can receive the one or more thresholds from the network device.

[0572] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device determines one or more thresholds that can be used by the relay device to determine whether to trigger a discovery process and search for the second terminal device through the discovery process.

[0573] Specifically, one or more thresholds may be used to trigger the discovery process of the relay device when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is greater than or equal to the threshold, thereby enabling the relay device to support communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0574] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the relay device further includes:

[0575] The first message includes first indication information, and the relay device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0576] The first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0577] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication method performed by the network device further includes:

[0578] The network device determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device;

[0579] The first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is further used to indicate one or more thresholds.

[0580] Specifically, the network device may determine that the first indication information is used for one or more thresholds, so that the first message may indicate one or more thresholds. When the relay terminal device obtains one or more thresholds from the first message, it determines that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device. The network device may implicitly indicate whether the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device by whether it carries the threshold. Alternatively, the first terminal device obtains the first indication information from the first message, but the first indication information does not include the threshold configuration, then it is assumed that the relay device has no threshold constraints during the relay communication process.

[0581] In some embodiments of the present application, the one or more thresholds include a third threshold, for example, the first threshold is threshold3.

[0582] The third threshold is used when the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is greater than or equal to the third threshold, and the relay device triggers the discovery process, which is used to find the second terminal device.

[0583] Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present application, the one or more thresholds include a third threshold, and the communication method performed by the relay device further includes:

[0584] The signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is greater than or equal to a third threshold, and the relay device triggers a discovery process, which is used to find the second terminal device.

[0585] For example, a remote UE sends a discovery message (e.g., a discovery request message) to a relay UE to locate the remote UE. Upon receiving the discovery message, the relay UE measures the sidelink signal quality based on the discovery message and obtains the SD-RSRP. When the SD-RSRP exceeds a certain threshold, indicating good signal quality between the remote UE and the relay UE, the relay UE will continue broadcasting discovery messages to locate the remote UE.

[0586] To facilitate a better understanding and implementation of the above solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following examples are given for specific explanation using corresponding application scenarios.

[0587] Next, the technical solution provided by this application is introduced with two specific embodiments.

[0588] Example 1

[0589] In the first embodiment, the communication configuration method of the U2U relay is mainly based on the U2U relay capability indicated by the base station display. The specific solution is as follows.

[0590] On the base station side, if the base station supports U2U relay, the base station will carry a U2U capability indication in the system message to indicate to the UE in the base station that U2U relay is supported. Specifically, the base station carries the L2 U2U relay capability support indication and / or the L3 U2U relay capability support indication. The system message can be carried in SIB12, where SIB12 is a system message block used to indicate sidelink communication related configurations. The specific indications are as follows:

[0591] SIB12-IEs-r16::= SEQUENCE{

[0592] sl-L2U2N-Relay-r17 ENUMERATED{enabled} OPTIONAL,--Need R

[0593] sl-NonRelayDiscovery-r17 ENUMERATED{enabled}OPTIONAL,--Need R

[0594] sl-L3U2N-RelayDiscovery-r17 ENUMERATED{enabled}OPTIONAL,--Need R

[0595] sl-L2U2U-Relay-r17 ENUMERATED{enabled} OPTIONAL,--Need R

[0596] sl-L3U2U-RelayDiscovery-r17 ENUMERATED{enabled} OPTIONAL,--Need R

[0597] In another possible implementation, a capability indication is not introduced separately for L3 U2U relay. That is, when the base station supports L3 U2U relay, SIB12 carries an indication that the value of sl-L3U2U-RelayDiscovery is enable, which indicates that the base station supports L3 U2U relay.

[0598] When the base station supports L2 U2U relay, the base station can also provide U2U relay-related threshold configurations, including remote UE threshold configuration and relay UE threshold configuration.

[0599] The remote UE threshold configuration is primarily used by the remote UE to determine whether to trigger the sending of a discovery message or the discovery process, thereby searching for suitable nearby relay UEs and selecting and reselecting relay UEs. When a remote UE communicates directly with a peer remote UE via a sidelink, if the remote UE detects that the sidelink signal quality is less than or equal to a certain threshold, the discovery process is triggered to select a relay UE. When a remote UE communicates with a peer remote UE via a relay UE, if the link signal quality between the remote UE and the relay UE is less than or equal to a certain threshold, the discovery process is triggered to reselect the relay UE. The aforementioned thresholds can be the same or different.

[0600] The relay UE threshold configuration is used by the relay UE to determine whether it is the remote UE that is searching for the remote UE. In one possible scenario, the remote UE sends a discovery message (e.g., a discovery request message) to the relay UE to search for the remote UE. After receiving the discovery message from the remote UE, the relay UE measures the sidelink signal quality based on the discovery message and obtains SD (Sidelink Discovery)-RSRP. When SD-RSRP is greater than or equal to a certain threshold, it indicates that the signal quality between the remote UE and the relay UE is good, and the relay UE will continue to broadcast discovery messages to search for the remote UE.

[0601] First, the base station can include U2U relay-related threshold configurations in system messages, including remote UE threshold configurations of threshold 1 (for a single threshold) or threshold 1 and threshold 2 (for two thresholds), and / or relay UE threshold configurations of threshold 3. A remote UE in RRC idle or inactive state will select or reselect a relay UE based on the threshold configurations carried in the system message.

[0602] For example, in the case of applying a threshold, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the remote UE at the opposite end is less than or equal to Threshold1 (i.e., the threshold condition is met), the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is selected based on the result of the discovery process; when the U2U relay has been established, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the current relay UE is less than or equal to Threshold1 (i.e., the threshold condition is met), the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is reselected.

[0603] In the case of applying two different thresholds, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the target UE is less than or equal to Threshold1, the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is selected based on the result of the discovery process; when the U2U relay has been established, when the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the current relay UE is less than or equal to Threshold2, the discovery process is triggered and the relay UE is reselected.

[0604] When the base station does not provide a threshold configuration in the system message, there is no corresponding constraint by default, that is, the SL link signal quality between the remote UE and the remote UE or relay UE at the opposite end is assumed to meet the threshold condition by default under any circumstances, that is, the discovery process can be triggered to select and reselect the relay UE.

[0605] A relay UE in RRC idle or inactive state will perform a discovery process based on the threshold condition configuration in the system message. The logic is similar to the above. The discovery process performed by the relay UE includes model A and model B.

[0606] The remote UE performs a discovery process to find suitable candidate relay UEs in the vicinity and selects a target relay UE from among them. The remote UE establishes an end-to-end connection with the remote UE through the target relay UE. U2U configuration is also required for communication, including: end-to-end configuration between remote UEs (such as SDAP and PDCP protocol layer configuration for the sidelink radio bearer), configuration of the underlying PC5 RLC bearer (the PC5 RLC bearer configuration between the remote UE and relay UE includes RLC, MAC, and other configurations), and adaptation layer configuration (including the mapping relationship between PC5 RLC bearers and end-to-end radio bearers).

[0607] Depending on the RRC state, the UE obtains the U2U relay configuration in the following ways. The following describes how the U2U relay configuration is determined on the relay UE side:

[0608] 1. Configuration determination method for connected relay UE:

[0609] When the relay UE is in the connected state, it reports the divided QoS information. The base station provides the relay UE with sidelink bearer configuration based on the reported information. In this case, the base station does not have a dedicated U2U relay configuration. The relay UE needs to report the single-hop QoS information between the relay UE (as the transmitter) and the remote UE (as the receiver). The QoS information includes the QoS flow ID and the corresponding QoS parameter requirements.

[0610] In one possible approach, the QoS flow is an end-to-end QoS flow of the remote UE, and the QoS parameters are the QoS parameter requirements between the relay UE and the remote UE after QoS division of the relay UE. For example, the end-to-end delay requirement of QoS flow 1 is 3ms. After QoS division, the QoS requirement of QoS flow 1 between the relay UE and the remote UE is 1.5ms.

[0611] In addition, the relay UE also reports mapping information. The mapping relationship is used to indicate which QoS flows must be mapped to a bearer. The bearer refers to an end-to-end radio bearer or an RLC bearer.

[0612] Based on the requested QoS flow information and the QoS flow mapping information, the base station provides the relay UE with sidelink bearer configuration. For example, the sidelink bearer configuration method of the R16 protocol may be adopted, including SDAP, PDCP, and RLC bearer-related parameter configuration. The SDAP configuration of the sidelink bearer configuration includes the correspondence between the current sidelink bearer and the QoS flow. The multiple QoS flows may include QoS flows on multiple end-to-end radio bearers.

[0613] The relay UE determines the RLC bearer configuration and the mapping relationship of the adaptation layer between the relay UE and the remote UE based on the Sidelink configuration provided by the base station.

[0614] In mode 1 resource allocation, the base station allocates sidelink resources to the relay UE. The base station can also allocate U2U relay communication resources to the relay UE. Therefore, the base station also needs to know whether the relay UE is currently used for U2U relay communication. Alternatively, the base station can determine the current configuration for U2U relay based on the mapping between the QoS flow and radio bearer reported by the relay UE.

[0615] In another possible implementation, the relay UE reports the L2 ID of the remote UE (receiving end) to request U2U relay transmission resources, and the corresponding indication is used for U2U relay communication.

[0616] In another possible implementation, the relay UE first determines the mapping relationship between the radio bearer and the QoS flow. For example, after the remote UE determines the end-to-end SDAP configuration, it sends it to the relay UE and determines the QoS requirements that each radio bearer needs to meet. A radio bearer may contain multiple QoS flows with different QoS parameter requirements. The overall QoS parameter requirements of the radio bearer can be determined in the following way to ensure that the configuration between the relay UE and the remote UE can meet the QoS requirements of the end-to-end radio bearer as much as possible.

[0617] For example, the QoS parameter requirement of the current radio bearer may be determined by adopting at least one of the following five feasible manners.

[0618] 1) Determine the QoS parameters corresponding to the highest priority QoS flow as the QoS parameter requirements of the current radio bearer;

[0619] 2) Determine the QoS parameter requirements corresponding to the QoS flow with the lowest packet delay budget (PDB) as the parameter requirements of the current radio bearer;

[0620] 3) Determine the QoS parameters corresponding to the QoS flow with the highest guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR) requirement as the parameter requirements of the current radio bearer;

[0621] 4) Determine the QoS parameters corresponding to the QoS flow with the lowest packet error rate (PER) requirement as the parameter requirements of the current radio bearer;

[0622] 5) Determine that among the multiple sets of QoS parameter information corresponding to the multiple QoS flows, the highest QoS parameter is selected for each requirement as the parameter requirement for the current radio bearer.

[0623] Based on the above process, the relay UE will treat the radio bearer as a whole, that is, it is equivalent to combining multiple QoS flows into an integrated "QoS flow" and reporting it as an integrated "QoS flow". When reporting, the relay UE can also assign a temporary QoS flow ID, such as the ID of one of the QoS flows. Based on the reported "QoS flow information", the base station provides the relay UE with the sidelink bearer configuration, including the mapping between the "QoS flow ID" (which actually corresponds to the QoS flow on a radio bearer) and the sidelink bearer configuration.

[0624] Based on the sidelink configuration provided by the base station, the relay UE determines the RLC bearer configuration between the relay UE and the remote UE. The RLC bearer is used to transmit the radio bearer associated with the corresponding "QoS flow ID". In this implementation scenario, the base station behavior is consistent with the mechanism in R16 Sidelink. Therefore, if the base station needs to allocate sidelink transmission resources for U2U relay, the relay UE needs to report U2U relay related instructions.

[0625] In another possible implementation, the base station can provide the relay UE with dedicated U2U relay configuration. In this implementation scenario, based on the QoS information reported by the relay UE (including the QoS flow ID, the QoS parameter requirements of the QoS flow, and the mapping relationship between QoS and radio bearers), the base station provides the relay UE with the RLC bearer configuration between the relay UE and the remote UE and the mapping relationship configuration of the adaptation layer, wherein the mapping relationship configuration of the adaptation layer includes the end-to-end mapping relationship between the radio bearer and the RLC bearer.

[0626] 2. Configuration determination method for idle or inactive relay UE:

[0627] When the relay UE is in RRC idle or inactive, the relay UE can obtain the indication information that the base station supports U2U relay from the SIB message of the base station. In addition, the sidelink configuration information can also be obtained from the SIB message, and the sidelink configuration information includes the configuration information of the sidelink radio bearer. The sidelink radio bearer configuration includes SDAP configuration, PDCP configuration, and RLC bearer configuration, wherein the SDAP configuration includes the mapping relationship between QoS and radio bearer. Based on the result after QoS division and the determined end-to-end mapping relationship between radio bearer and QoS (the remote UE side determines the mapping relationship between end-to-end radio bearer and QoS and sends it to the relay UE side), the relay UE determines the bearer configuration 1 between the relay UE and the remote UE (the remote UE on the opposite end) from the sidelink configuration information in the SIB message. The bearer configuration 1 includes the configuration of one or more radio bearers, including: the correspondence between QoS flow and radio bearer or RLC bearer, and the configuration of PC5 RLC bearer. Based on the determined correspondence between QoS flows and RLC bearers, as well as the correspondence between end-to-end radio bearers and QoS, the relay UE ultimately determines the adaptation layer mapping relationship, that is, the correspondence between the end-to-end radio bearers and the PC5 RLC bearers between the relay UE and the remote UE.

[0628] In one possible implementation, the base station indicates support for U2U relay but fails to provide sidelink configuration information. In one possible scenario, the relay UE assumes the base station does not support U2U relay based on the absence of sidelink configuration information in the system message. In another possible implementation, the relay UE enters the connected state and requests the appropriate configuration from the base station in the same manner as in the connected state.

[0629] 3. Configuration determination method of OoC relay UE:

[0630] When the relay UE is in the Out-of-C state and has no connection with the base station, the relay UE can obtain the Sidelink configuration from the pre-configured information and determine the configuration of the PC5 RLC bearer based on the QoS division result.

[0631] Next, the method for determining the U2U relay configuration on the remote UE side is described.

[0632] First, the remote UE determines that the base station supports U2U relay based on the U2U relay capability indication indicated by the base station.

[0633] 1. Configuration determination method for connected remote UE:

[0634] The remote UE side will receive the QoS division result of the relay UE.

[0635] In one possible implementation, in the connected state, the remote UE reports end-to-end or single-hop QoS information and requests the base station to configure it. Specifically, the remote UE first reports to the base station the end-to-end QoS information and the QoS information divided between the remote UE (sender) and the relay UE (receiver). These two sets of QoS information each include QoS flow ID information corresponding to one or more QoS flows and the corresponding QoS parameter requirements.

[0636] In addition, when reporting end-to-end QoS information, the identification information of the remote UE, such as L2 ID, is also reported; when reporting QoS information between the remote UE and the relay UE, the identification information of the relay UE, such as the L2 ID of the relay UE, is also reported.

[0637] Here is a specific example:

[0638] End-to-end QoS information: remote UE L2 ID, {QoS flow ID1, QoS parameter requirement 1}, {QoS flow ID2, QoS parameter requirement 2}, {QoS flow ID3, QoS parameter requirement 3}.

[0639] Divided QoS information: relay UE L2 ID, {QoS flow ID1, QoS parameter requirement 4}, {QoS flow ID2, QoS parameter requirement 5}, {QoS flow ID3, QoS parameter requirement 6}.

[0640] In order to let the base station know that there is an association between the two QoS groups, that is, the QoS is divided into part of the end-to-end QoS or the remote UE communicates with the remote UE L2 ID of the opposite end through the indicated relay UE L2 ID, the remote UE also needs to report to the base station that there is an association between the relay UE L2ID and the remote UE L2 ID of the opposite end.

[0641] In one implementation, the base station provides sidelink bearer configurations for the remote UE based on two sets of configurations. Sidelink bearer configuration 1 corresponds to end-to-end QoS information, including the correspondence between end-to-end QoS flows and sidelink radio bearers. Sidelink bearer configuration 2 corresponds to the post-division QoS information between the remote UE and relay UE, including the correspondence between the QoS flows between the remote UE and relay UE and the sidelink radio bearers. Furthermore, a QoS flow configured for a sidelink radio bearer in sidelink bearer configuration 1 must also be on a sidelink radio bearer in sidelink bearer configuration 2.

[0642] In another possible implementation, the base station provides end-to-end SDAP and PDCP configuration for the remote UE based on the relationship between the remote UE and the relay UE and based on the end-to-end QoS information; based on the divided QoS information between the remote UE and the relay UE, the base station provides U2U relay-specific configuration, including the mapping relationship between the radio bearer and the PC5 RLC bearer, and the configuration information of the PC5 RLC bearer.

[0643] In another possible implementation, the base station does not need to be aware of the relationship between the remote UE, the relay UE, and the remote UE at the opposite end, and the base station only provides the Sidelink bearer configuration based on the QoS flow information.

[0644] Specifically, the remote UE first reports end-to-end QoS information, including QoS flow ID information and QoS parameter information corresponding to one or more QoS flows. It may also report identification information of the remote UE. Based on the reported information, the base station determines the sidelink bearer configuration for the remote UE. The remote UE then determines the end-to-end PDCP and SDAP configuration based on this information. The SDAP configuration includes a mapping between QoS flows and end-to-end radio bearers. Based on this mapping, the remote UE further reports the partitioned QoS information, but reports each radio bearer as a "QoS flow." Specifically, based on the QoS information on the radio bearer, the remote UE determines the QoS requirements and QoS flow ID for a single radio bearer, using the same determination method as the relay UE. The remote UE reports the determined "QoS flow" information. Based on the reported information, the base station provides the sidelink bearer configuration for the remote UE. Based on this bearer configuration, the remote UE determines the PC5 RLC bearer configuration and the adaptation layer mapping.

[0645] In the above implementation, the base station is unaware of the remote UE performing U2U relay. Therefore, if the remote UE is operating in Mode 1 and requires the base station to allocate U2U relay transmission resources, it must indicate this to the base station. Specifically, similar to the solution for relay UEs, when requesting U2U relay transmission resources, the relay UE's identification information is reported and indicated for U2U relay.

[0646] 2. Configuration determination method for idle or inactive remote UE:

[0647] The Remote UE determines the end-to-end SDAP configuration, PDCP configuration, and PC5 RLC bearer configuration based on the Sidelink configuration in the base station system message.

[0648] Specifically, the remote UE determines the SDAP configuration and PDCP configuration based on the end-to-end QoS parameter requirements and system message configuration; and further determines the configuration of the PC5 RLC bearer based on the mapping relationship between the determined QoS flow and the radio bearer.

[0649] In one possible implementation, if the base station indicates support for U2U relay but does not provide sidelink configuration, the remote UE may assume that the base station does not support U2U relay. Alternatively, the remote UE may enter a connected state and request configuration from the base station in the same manner as in the connected state. Alternatively, the remote UE may determine the sidelink configuration based on pre-configuration.

[0650] In another possible manner, the remote UE or relay UE is in a connected state, idle state, or inactive state, but the current base station does not support the U2U relay capability. In this case, the remote UE or relay UE cannot perform U2U relay-related processes, including executing the U2U relay UE discovery process, selecting and reselecting the relay UE, and configuring the U2U relay bearer.

[0651] 3. Configuration determination method of OoC remote UE:

[0652] The Remote UE performs U2U relay configuration based on pre-configuration.

[0653] It is understandable that the way in which the UE obtains the configuration in different states may be a combination of the above. For example, the base station provides the UE with U2U relay dedicated configuration through dedicated signaling, and provides the UE with Sidelink bearer configuration through system messages; or regardless of whether the UE is in a connected state or a non-connected state, the base station can only provide the Sidelink bearer configuration.

[0654] In another possible implementation, the base station also needs to provide a dedicated U2U relay resource pool for the UE. For idle or inactive UEs, if the base station does not provide the dedicated U2U relay resource pool, the UE is assumed not to perform U2U relay under the base station. Alternatively, the idle or inactive UE enters the connected state and requests resources from the base station, requesting the base station to allocate a U2U relay resource pool. For connected UEs, the UE can request the base station to configure U2U relay transmission resources based on the base station's support for U2U relay.

[0655] Different from the existing technology, the base station will indicate the support status of U2U relay in the system message and provide threshold configuration for the U2U relay process. In some implementation schemes of Example 1, the base station needs to provide end-to-end and single-hop configuration for the remote UE when it knows the connection relationship between the remote UE and the relay UE, so as to avoid different QoS not being configured on one bearer. In other implementation schemes, the remote UE regards the data on the same wireless bearer as a QoS flow and reports it to ensure that these QoS are always configured on one wireless bearer. In the latter scheme, when the base station is required to provide U2U relay transmission resources, the UE also needs to indicate the U2U relay indication to the base station.

[0656] Based on the above examples, it can be seen that the first embodiment provides a method for the remote UE and the relay UE to implement the U2U relay configuration process when the base station supports U2U relay and the base station reduces participation, and can meet the QoS requirements of the service data.

[0657] Example 2

[0658] In Example 2, the difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is first explained in that the base station does not carry a displayed U2U relay capability indication, but instead indicates whether the base station supports U2U relay through threshold configuration. Specifically, if the base station configures a remote UE threshold configuration or a relay UE threshold configuration, the remote UE or relay UE determines that the base station supports U2U relay. The threshold configurations for remote UE and relay UE are the same as in Example 1, i.e., the remote UE may include one or more remote UEs for selection and reselection, and the relay UE threshold is used to determine whether to perform a discovery process for the remote UE to find the target remote UE.

[0659] In one possible scenario, the system may configure a threshold for the remote UE and the relay UE through a system message or dedicated configuration. The threshold is included in the information element IE-thres, that is:

[0660] IE-thres::=SEQUENCE{

[0661] Threshold1 OPTIONAL,

[0662] Threshold2 OPTIONAL,

[0663] Threshold3 OPTIONAL,

[0664] }

[0665] Among them, OPTIONAL indicates that the threshold configuration is optional. When the base station supports U2U relay capability, the base station can carry the information element threshold (IE-thres) in the system message, where IE-thres can carry one or more of Threshold1 to Threshold3, or it can carry no threshold. Not carrying a threshold means that there is no constraint on the threshold. If the base station does not support U2U relay capability, IE-thres is not carried in the system message. If the system message sent by the base station received by the UE does not carry IE-thres, it is determined that the base station does not support U2U relay.

[0666] When the UE determines whether the base station supports or does not support U2U relay, the configuration process of the remote UE or relay UE is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0667] In another possible implementation, the base station indicates whether the threshold can be configured through a system message, such as SIB12. For example, the system message includes an indication indicating whether U2U relay is supported. If the indication is included, that is, the configurable threshold is supported, then U2U relay is supported. If the indication and the threshold configuration of the remote UE / relay UE are included, the remote UE and relay UE execute the U2U relay-related process according to the current threshold. If the indication is included but the threshold configuration of the remote UE / relay UE is not included, the remote UE and relay UE assume that there are no threshold constraints. If the indication is not included, the base station does not support the configuration of U2U relay.

[0668] In another possible implementation, if the system message contains indication information but does not contain the threshold configuration of the remote UE / relay UE, and the remote UE / relay UE needs to perform U2U relay and wants the base station to configure the threshold, it can enter the connected state and request the base station to configure the relevant threshold parameters.

[0669] Different from the existing technology, the base station does not have an explicit capability indication, but instead notifies the UE whether it supports the U2U relay capability through an implicit indication.

[0670] Based on the foregoing example, it can be seen that embodiment 2 applies an implicit indication to indicate whether the base station supports the U2U relay capability, for example, whether the threshold IE is configurable or whether the U2U relay capability is supported, so that the remote UE or relay UE establishes and configures the U2U relay based on the support status of the base station.

[0671] Based on the foregoing examples, it can be seen that the embodiments of the present application provide a method for configuring the interaction between the base station and the UE and the UE in the U2U relay while reducing the participation of the base station. Specifically, the base station indicates support for U2U relay in the system message (explicit indication or implicit indication of threshold configuration), and the UE establishes a U2U relay connection based on the indication of the base station and the threshold configuration of the base station. The UE in the connected state reports QoS information for the base station to provide Sidelink bearer configuration or U2U relay dedicated configuration; in addition, the UE can also report a U2U relay indication to request the base station to allocate mode 1 resources. The idle or inactive UE determines the U2U relay configuration based on the Sidelink bearer configuration in the base station system message.

[0672] Please refer to FIG. 11 , which is a flow chart of a terminal device in an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device is specifically a first terminal device, and the first terminal device includes:

[0673] The receiving module 1101 is configured to receive a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device;

[0674] The processing module 1102 is used to determine first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0675] Please refer to FIG. 12 , which is a flow chart of a network device in an embodiment of the present application. The network device includes:

[0676] The processing module 1201 is configured to generate a first message according to the relay support capability of the network device;

[0677] The sending module 1202 is used to send a first message to the first terminal device, where the first message is used to indicate the relay support capability of the network device.

[0678] Please refer to FIG. 13 , which is a flow chart of a relay device in an embodiment of the present application. The relay device includes:

[0679] A receiving module 1301 is configured to receive a first message from a network device, where the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device;

[0680] The processing module 1302 is used to determine first configuration information of the relay device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

[0681] The present application also provides a network device having a structure similar to that shown in FIG12 . The network device includes:

[0682] a processing module, configured to generate a first message according to a relay support capability of the network device;

[0683] The sending module is used to send a first message to the relay device, where the first message is used to indicate the relay support capability of the network device.

[0684] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that this application is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to this application, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by this application.

[0685] It should be noted that the information interaction, execution process, etc. between the modules / units of the above-mentioned device are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of the present application, and the technical effects they bring are the same as those of the method embodiment of the present application. For specific contents, please refer to the description in the method embodiment shown above in the present application, and no further details will be given here.

[0686] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores a program, and the program executes some or all of the steps recorded in the above method embodiment.

[0687] Next, another terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application is introduced. Referring to FIG. 14 , the terminal device 1400 includes:

[0688] Receiver 1401, transmitter 1402, processor 1403, and memory 1404 (wherein the number of processors 1403 in the terminal device 1400 may be one or more, and FIG14 takes one processor as an example). In some embodiments of the present application, the receiver 1401, transmitter 1402, processor 1403, and memory 1404 may be connected via a bus or other means, wherein FIG14 takes connection via a bus as an example.

[0689] Memory 1404 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to processor 1403. A portion of memory 1404 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). Memory 1404 stores an operating system and operating instructions, executable modules, or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof. The operating instructions may include various operating instructions for implementing various operations. The operating system may include various system programs for implementing various basic services and processing hardware-based tasks.

[0690] Processor 1403 controls the operation of the terminal device and may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). In specific applications, the various components of the terminal device are coupled together via a bus system. In addition to a data bus, the bus system may also include a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all bus systems are referred to as a bus system in the figure.

[0691] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by processor 1403. Processor 1403 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits or software instructions in processor 1403. The above processor 1403 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in storage media well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 1404 , and the processor 1403 reads the information in the memory 1404 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0692] The receiver 1401 may be used to receive input digital or character information, and to generate signal input related to the relevant settings and function control of the terminal device. The transmitter 1402 may include a display device such as a display screen, and the transmitter 1402 may be used to output digital or character information through an external interface.

[0693] In an embodiment of the present application, the processor 1403 is used to execute the communication method of the first terminal device.

[0694] Next, another network device provided in an embodiment of the present application is introduced. Referring to FIG. 15 , the network device 1500 includes:

[0695] Receiver 1501, transmitter 1502, processor 1503, and memory 1504 (wherein the number of processors 1503 in network device 1500 may be one or more, and FIG15 takes one processor as an example). In some embodiments of the present application, receiver 1501, transmitter 1502, processor 1503, and memory 1504 may be connected via a bus or other means, wherein FIG15 takes the bus connection as an example.

[0696] Memory 1504 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to processor 1503. A portion of memory 1504 may also include NVRAM. Memory 1504 stores an operating system and operating instructions, executable modules, or data structures, or subsets or extensions thereof. The operating instructions may include various operating instructions for implementing various operations. The operating system may include various system programs for implementing various basic services and processing hardware-based tasks.

[0697] Processor 1503 controls the operation of the network device and may also be referred to as a CPU. In specific applications, the various components of the network device are coupled together via a bus system. In addition to a data bus, the bus system may also include a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all bus systems are referred to as a bus system in the figure.

[0698] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by processor 1503. Processor 1503 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in processor 1503 or by software instructions. Processor 1503 can be a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. This storage medium is located in memory 1504. Processor 1503 reads information from memory 1504 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0699] In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 1503 is configured to execute the communication method of the aforementioned network device.

[0700] Next, another relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application is introduced. Referring to FIG. 16 , the relay device 1600 includes:

[0701] Receiver 1601, transmitter 1602, processor 1603, and memory 1604 (wherein the number of processors 1603 in the relay device 1600 may be one or more, and FIG16 takes one processor as an example). In some embodiments of the present application, the receiver 1601, transmitter 1602, processor 1603, and memory 1604 may be connected via a bus or other means, wherein FIG16 takes the bus connection as an example.

[0702] Memory 1604 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to processor 1603. A portion of memory 1604 may also include NVRAM. Memory 1604 stores an operating system and operating instructions, executable modules, or data structures, or subsets or extensions thereof. The operating instructions may include various operating instructions for implementing various operations. The operating system may include various system programs for implementing various basic services and processing hardware-based tasks.

[0703] Processor 1603 controls the operation of the relay device and may also be referred to as a CPU. In specific applications, the various components of the relay device are coupled together via a bus system. In addition to a data bus, the bus system may also include a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all of these buses are collectively referred to as a bus system in the figure.

[0704] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by processor 1603. Processor 1603 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in processor 1603 or by software instructions. Processor 1603 can be a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware components. The methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or executed. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. This storage medium is located in memory 1604. Processor 1603 reads information from memory 1604 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0705] In the embodiment of the present application, the processor 1603 is configured to execute the communication method of the aforementioned relay device.

[0706] In another possible design, the chip in the terminal includes: a processing unit and a communication unit. The processing unit may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit. The processing unit may execute computer-executable instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the chip in the terminal to perform any of the above-mentioned communication methods. Optionally, the storage unit is a storage unit within the chip, such as a register or cache. The storage unit may also be a storage unit within the terminal located outside the chip, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, or a random access memory (RAM).

[0707] The processor mentioned in any of the above places can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the above-mentioned first aspect method.

[0708] It should also be noted that the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, wherein the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment. In addition, in the drawings of the device embodiments provided in this application, the connection relationship between the modules indicates that there is a communication connection between them, which can be specifically implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0709] Through the description of the above embodiments, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware, and of course it can also be implemented by means of dedicated hardware including application-specific integrated circuits, dedicated CPUs, dedicated memories, dedicated components, etc. In general, all functions performed by computer programs can be easily implemented with corresponding hardware, and the specific hardware structures used to implement the same function can also be various, such as analog circuits, digital circuits, or dedicated circuits, etc. However, for the present application, software program implementation is a better implementation method in most cases. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a computer's floppy disk, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, or optical disk, etc., and includes a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0710] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product.

[0711] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, a computer, a server, or a data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, a computer, a server, or a data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid-state drive (SSD)).

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving a first message from a network device, wherein the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device; Determine first configuration information of a first terminal device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with a second terminal device via a relay device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message includes: first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through a relay device.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine first quality of service QoS flow information between the first terminal device and the relay device; Sending a second message to the network device, where the second message includes the first QoS flow information, where the first QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device; The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The second message further includes: an identifier of the relay device, and / or an identifier of the second terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending a third message to the network device, where the third message includes the third QoS flow information, where the third QoS flow information includes identifiers of one or more first QoS flows and fourth QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows, where the fourth QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The determining the first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message includes: Determining, according to the first message, that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device; Receiving first configuration information from the network device; Determine the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device according to the first configuration information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first configuration information includes: configuration of the first bearer, and a mapping relationship between the second bearer and the first bearer, wherein: The first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device; The second bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first configuration information further includes: configuration of the first bearer, a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the first bearer, The first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second configuration information from the network device, the second configuration information including: configuration of a second bearer, a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer including a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; A correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer is determined according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine an identifier of a second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow, where the second QoS flow corresponds to one or more first QoS flows, and the first QoS flow includes a QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; Sending second QoS flow information to the network device, where the second QoS flow information includes an identifier of the second QoS flow and a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The determining a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow includes: Determine a second QoS parameter requirement corresponding to the second QoS flow according to the first QoS parameter requirements of the one or more first QoS flows; The first QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device; The second QoS parameter requirement is a QoS parameter requirement of the second QoS flow between the first terminal device and the relay device.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The second QoS flow corresponds to one or more second bearers, and the second bearers include bearers between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The first configuration information also includes: configuration of a first bearer, a correspondence between a second QoS flow and the first bearer, and the first bearer includes a bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second configuration information from the network device, the second configuration information including: configuration of a second bearer, a correspondence between the first QoS flow and the second bearer; the second bearer including a bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; A correspondence between the first bearer and the second bearer is determined according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first request is sent to the network device, where the first request is used to request the network device to allocate relay transmission resources.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that The determining the first configuration information of the first terminal device according to the first message includes: Determining, according to the first message, that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device; Acquire third configuration information from the first message, where the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices; The first configuration information is determined according to the third configuration information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The determining the first configuration information according to the third configuration information includes: The second configuration information is determined from the third configuration information according to the third QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow, the third QoS parameter requirement is the end-to-end QoS parameter requirement of the first QoS flow, and the second configuration information includes: a mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer, the second bearer includes the bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the first QoS flow includes the QoS flow between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The determining the first configuration information according to the third configuration information further includes: The first configuration information is determined according to the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the second bearer and the third configuration information, wherein the first configuration information includes: the configuration of the first bearer between the first terminal device and the relay device, and / or the mapping relationship between the first bearer and the second bearer.

19. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first message includes the first indication information, and the first message does not include third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, and it is determined that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device, and the third configuration information is used for communication between terminal devices; or, The first message includes the first indication information, and the first message does not include the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources, and sends a second request to the network device, where the second request is used to request the network device to send the third configuration information and / or relay transmission resources.

20. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message includes: second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

21. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message does not include first indication information, which is used to indicate that the network device does not support the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device; The first indication information is used to indicate that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device.

22. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first message includes the first indication information, determining that the network device supports the first terminal device to communicate with the second terminal device through the relay device; The first indication information is also used to indicate one or more thresholds.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The one or more thresholds include a first threshold, the method further comprising: The signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, triggering the selection of a relay device, or triggering the reselection of a relay device, or executing a discovery process.

24. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The one or more thresholds include a first threshold and a second threshold, and the method further includes: When the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is less than or equal to the first threshold, triggering the selection of a relay device or executing a discovery process; or, When the signal quality of the link between the first terminal device and the relay device is less than or equal to the second threshold, reselection of the relay device is triggered, or a discovery process is executed.

25. A terminal device, characterized in that: The terminal device is specifically a first terminal device, and the first terminal device includes: A receiving module, configured to receive a first message from a network device, wherein the first message is used to indicate a relay support capability of the network device; A processing module is used to determine first configuration information of a first terminal device according to the first message, where the first configuration information is used for the first terminal device to communicate with a second terminal device via a relay device.

26. A terminal device, characterized in that: The terminal device is specifically a first terminal device, and the first terminal device includes: a processor and a memory; the processor and the memory communicate with each other; The memory is used to store instructions; The processor is configured to execute the instructions in the memory to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

28. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

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