Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus, which are applied in the technical field of communications. In the present application, a first node may acquire time resource configuration information, and configure, on the basis of the time resource configuration information, a time resource for transmitting data of a first service between a first node and a second node, wherein the first node and the second node belong to the same network, and a path through which the data of the first service passes when being transmitted in the network comprises the first node and the second node. Since a time resource has a corresponding position in a time domain, configuring the time resource can enable a first node and a second node to cooperate with each other in terms of time during transmission of data of a first service, thereby shortening waiting during transmission and significantly reducing the latency of a network. Furthermore, by means of configuring a time resource, a node can know the time periods when the node itself is in idle periods and the time periods when the node itself is in transmission periods, so that the node can enter a low-power-consumption mode in the idle periods, thereby helping to prolong the service life of the node.

Description

A communication method and related device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular wireless communication technology, and specifically to a communication method and related devices. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication systems, a common way to achieve low power consumption is to shut down certain hardware components (such as the radio frequency and central processing unit) during periods when there's no communication demand. This is generally referred to as hibernation, while resuming hardware functionality and entering a working state is generally referred to as wakeup. Generally speaking, devices can be configured with wakeup times, during which they can handle connection events. Outside of these wakeup times, they enter sleep mode, where power consumption is relatively low and the device is unable to handle connection events. To conserve power, devices spend most of their time in sleep mode after establishing a connection.

[0003] Multiple devices can be networked to form a network, where devices can communicate with each other in either a connectionless or connected manner. Connectionless means that two devices in the network don't have a point-to-point connection, and messages are typically sent via broadcast. Connected means that two devices in the network have a point-to-point connection, and messages can be sent via point-to-point communication. In a multi-device network, after being sent by a source device, a message typically needs to be forwarded by one or more intermediate devices before reaching the destination device.

[0004] Currently, in some wireless network systems, intermediate devices don't have a sleep timer to ensure timely forwarding of messages from the source device to the next device. However, this results in high energy consumption for these intermediate devices, and the hardware operating for extended periods accelerates device aging. If these intermediate devices were also put to sleep, message forwarding within the network would be constrained by device wakeup times, which could easily result in latency (i.e., requiring devices to be awake before messages can be sent or received), making it difficult to guarantee end-to-end message transmission latency.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related devices that can reduce network communication delay and node power consumption.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising: obtaining time resource configuration information, and configuring time resources for transmitting data of a first service between a first node and a second node according to the time resource configuration information.

[0008] Optionally, the method may be applied to the first node, for example, executed by a hardware module and / or a software module in the first node. For ease of understanding, the following description is made by taking the first node as the subject executing the method as an example.

[0009] In this application, the first node and the second node belong to the same network, and both the first node and the second node support wireless communication technology and can support the transmission of a first service via a wireless communication connection. The first service is a service (or end-to-end service) transmitted between a node (referred to herein as a source node) and another node (referred to herein as a destination node) in the network, and the data of the first service passes through the first node and the second node when transmitted in the network. Furthermore, the transmission of the first service between the first node and the second node is wireless transmission.

[0010] In the present application, a node can determine the time resource for transmitting the first service through time resource configuration information. Since time resources have corresponding positions in the time domain, configuring the time resource for the first node and the second node to transmit the data of the first service enables the two nodes to cooperate with each other in time when transmitting the data of the first service, reducing the waiting time during the transmission process and significantly reducing the network delay. For example, taking the example of the second node sending the data of the first service to the second node, the first node and the second node can receive / send data within the configured time resource, thereby making the data of the first service smoothly transmitted between the first node and the second node, and reducing the transmission delay of the data of the first service.

[0011] Furthermore, by configuring time resources, nodes can understand the time periods during which they are idle. During these idle periods, the nodes can enter a low-power mode, such as sleep mode, or disable certain hardware or software functions. For example, during the time corresponding to the time resource for transmitting the first service, the first node and the second node can be awake, and during some or all of the time outside of the time corresponding to the time resource for transmitting the first service, the first node and the second node can enter sleep mode to reduce power consumption.

[0012] In short, the present application configures the time for nodes in the network to transmit business data through time resource configuration information, and can coordinate a low-latency transmission path between nodes. On the one hand, it is beneficial for multiple nodes to wake up and listen according to a unified sleep and wake-up cycle, effectively reducing the number of invalid wake-ups of downstream nodes, and reducing the waiting time of messages during network transmission. On the other hand, the node can enter a low-power mode in an idle state without frequently switching to a working state. Therefore, the present application can also effectively extend the wake-up cycle and reduce the number of node wake-ups in the same time, thereby reducing power consumption and helping to extend the service life of the node.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the time resource configuration information includes an offset (or first offset), where the offset indicates an offset relative to the first time position. Optionally, the offset may include one or more of a duration, a moment, a sequence number of a time unit, or a number of sequence numbers of time units. Similarly, the first time position may be a moment, a sequence number of a time unit, or the like.

[0014] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the time resource configuration information includes a time period. The first time position is a specified time within the time period. For example, the first time position is one or more of a start time, an end time, a midpoint time, a one-third dividing line time, etc. within the period.

[0015] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, obtaining time resource configuration information includes: when a logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node has been configured, querying the link information between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node, the link information including the time resource configuration information.

[0016] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, a logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node is established by the first communication layer of the first node. A logical link may also be referred to as a logical link, an access link, an association link, etc., which is not limited in this application. The first node may query the first communication layer for link information between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node, and receive the link information between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node provided by the first communication layer.

[0017] Optionally, link information queries are implemented using inter-layer primitives. For example, the first node sends a query request to the first communication layer, requesting the parameter information of the logical link, namely, the aforementioned link information, including time and resource configuration information. Optionally, the query request may include a flag for the logical link. In response, the first communication layer feeds back a query response to the second communication layer, providing feedback on the parameter information for the logical link.

[0018] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, obtaining the time resource configuration information includes: receiving a message sent by a previous-hop node of the first node, the message M1 including the time resource configuration information. For ease of distinction, the message is represented as message M1. Message M1 is also referred to as a first message in some descriptions.

[0019] The previous hop node is the node that sends the message M1 to the first node. In some solutions, the previous hop node of the first node refers to a node that is closer to the node requesting to establish the transmission path during the process of establishing the transmission path for the data of the first service.

[0020] In some scenarios, the data of the first service is transmitted through messages of the first service, which are also called data packets, or messages.

[0021] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the time resource configuration information further includes indication information of a size of a message of the first service (hereinafter referred to as message size).

[0022] In this embodiment, the node can determine the time resources for transmitting the first business in combination with the message size of the first business, which is conducive to the rational allocation of time resources and increases the reliability of the network. Consider a possible situation, when the message size of the first business is larger, the time it takes for the node to process the message of the first business is also increased accordingly. At this time, after receiving the message of the first business from the previous node, the node needs to spend more time processing the message of the first business before forwarding the message of the first business to the next node. Consider another possible situation, the size of the message of the first business may also affect the amount of time resources for transmitting the first business. For example, the larger the message of the first business is, the more time it takes for the first node and the second node to transmit the message of the first business each time. Therefore, the amount of time resources allocated to transmitting the first business can also be increased accordingly.

[0023] Furthermore, the information indicating the message size of the first service is carried in the aforementioned message M1. In this way, through the transmission of messages, a path for efficiently transmitting the data of the first service can be quickly coordinated in the network, reducing network communication delay and node power consumption.

[0024] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, message M1 further includes information indicating a bias constraint, where the bias constraint is used to constrain the temporal position of time resources for transmitting data of the first service. The bias constraint can be used to evaluate the rationality of the time resources allocated by the first node, thereby making the path established in the network for transmitting the first service more reasonable and more compliant with requirements, such as low latency requirements, thereby improving network latency.

[0025] Optionally, the time resource configuration information also includes indication information of the bias constraint.

[0026] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, message M1 further includes a bias constraint flag, which is used to indicate whether message M1 includes bias constraint indication information. In this implementation, after obtaining the bias constraint flag, the first node can determine whether it needs to read the bias constraint indication information, thereby facilitating the first node's determination of whether to execute the bias constraint. This improves the richness of information carried in the message, enhances the configuration flexibility and scalability of the bias constraint, and facilitates improved accuracy of information transmission and network quality.

[0027] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the message M1 also includes a link configuration indication, which is used to indicate whether the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node is configured, or the link configuration indication is used to indicate which nodes the first node needs to configure time resources with.

[0028] As a possible implementation, if a logical link between a first node and its previous-hop node is not configured, the first node may configure a logical link with the previous-hop node. Correspondingly, if a logical link between the first node and the previous-hop node of a second node is already configured, the first node does not need to configure a logical link with the previous-hop node.

[0029] In this implementation, after obtaining the link configuration indication, the first node can determine whether the link between itself and the previous hop node needs to be configured, so that the first node can configure resources according to the indication, so that the operation of configuring time resources can be performed by some nodes that meet the conditions, thereby improving the efficiency of time resource configuration, helping to achieve network compatibility with nodes of various types, different computing capabilities, and different identities, and improving the inclusiveness of the network.

[0030] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, when the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the second node has been configured, the time resource configuration information includes time information of the time resources between the first node and the previous hop node, and the time information is used to indicate the location of the time resources between the first node and the previous hop node for transmitting data of the first service.

[0031] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, when the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node is not configured, the time resource configuration information includes time information of the time resources used to transmit data of the first service between the previous hop node of the first node and the previous previous hop node of the first node.

[0032] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first node can select a block of time resources (referred to as the first time resource for easy distinction) within the time resources (or available time resources, or idle time resources) to allocate for transmitting data of the first service, or service messages.

[0033] As an example of a configuration process, the offset is used to indicate the starting offset within a period. Taking the time resource configuration information including the period and the offset as an example, the first node calculates the time resources required to send a service message for a period, and selects the time resources closest to the offset indicated by the offset from the idle time resources for allocation. In this way, the first node and the second node can coordinate a time resource closest to the offset during the idle time, which can reduce the waiting time during the message transmission process and significantly improve the end-to-end delay.

[0034] Furthermore, when the message M1 carries an offset constraint, the first node (e.g., the first communication layer in the first node) also needs to make a judgment: if the distance between the starting offset of the time resource within the period and the offset indicated by the offset is greater than or equal to the constraint value indicated by the offset constraint, then the allocation fails. It is understandable that when the offset between the selected time resource and the starting moment within the period is greater than the constraint value, after obtaining the data of the first service, the first node may need to wait for a long period of time before being able to pass it to the second node, resulting in an increase in end-to-end delay. Therefore, at this time, the time resource allocation failure can be indicated to facilitate reallocation of resources (e.g., using a new strategy to allocate time resources) or re-establishment of the transmission path of the first service to ensure that the first service has a lower delay during transmission.

[0035] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the operation of obtaining time resource configuration information is performed at the second communication layer, while the operation of configuring time resources is performed at the first communication layer. During configuration, the second communication layer of the first node can provide the time resource configuration information to the first communication layer, and after configuring the time resources, the first communication layer provides the configuration result to the second communication layer. Optionally, the second communication layer can be at a higher level than the first communication layer. Exemplarily, the second communication layer can be a network layer or a basic service layer, and the first communication layer can be an access layer.

[0036] In some possible implementations, information transmission between the first communication layer and the second communication layer requires the use of corresponding inter-layer primitives. Exemplarily, the first node sends a first request to the first communication layer and provides time resource configuration information, where the first request is used to request configuration (including time resource configuration) for a logical link between the first node and the second node.

[0037] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, before configuring the transmission resources between the first node and the second node, a point-to-point logical link has not been established between the first node and the second node, and the first request can be used to establish a logical link for a transmission channel to the first communication layer, for example, called a link establishment request.

[0038] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, before configuring transmission resources between the first node and the second node, a point-to-point logical link already exists between the first node and the second node, that is, a point-to-point connection is established. In this case, the first request can be used to update the configuration of the corresponding logical link for a transmission channel, for example, referred to as a link update request.

[0039] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining a first resource configuration result, the resource configuration result including time information of a first time resource, the first time resource being a time resource configured for transmitting data of a first service between a first node and a second node. The resource configuration result may include one or more information such as an initial offset, an end offset, an occupied duration, or an identification (ID) of the first time resource. Exemplarily, the resource configuration result may include an offset at which the occupation of the first time resource ends within a period. Furthermore, the resource configuration result may also provide feedback on the establishment and / or update of a logical link, for example, the resource configuration result may also include one or more of information indicating whether the time resource is allocated successfully, information indicating whether the logical link is established successfully, information indicating whether the configuration of the logical link is updated successfully, an identification of the logical link, etc.

[0040] Optionally, the first resource configuration result is provided to the second communication layer of the first node using an inter-layer primitive. Exemplarily, the first communication layer of the first node sends a first response to the second communication layer, where the first response is used to provide feedback on the processing of the first request.

[0041] Exemplarily, the first request is used by the connection management function unit to apply to the access layer to establish an access layer link connection for a transmission channel, and to provide reference information (i.e., time resource configuration information) for the time resource configuration of the logical link. The first response is used by the access layer to feedback to the connection management function unit the establishment status of the logical link corresponding to the dynamic transmission channel, and to feedback information on the configured time resources. Another exemplary embodiment is used by the first request to apply to the connection management function unit to update the configuration of the corresponding logical link for a transmission channel, and to update the reference information (i.e., updated time resource configuration information) of the time resource configuration of the logical link. The first response is used by the access layer to feedback to the corresponding connection management function unit an update response of the logical link corresponding to the dynamic transmission channel, and to feedback information on the configured time resources.

[0042] Optionally, in the above two examples, the time resource configuration information can be carried in the first request and provided to the first communication layer, or the first request and the time resource configuration information can be carried in different messages and sent to the access layer. Further, optionally, the connection function unit is located at a communication layer higher than the access layer.

[0043] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first node is a node running a time synchronization protocol, and the time synchronization protocol can ensure that the first node and other nodes (such as the previous hop node) have consistent understanding of time.

[0044] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first node does not support or is not running a time synchronization protocol. In this case, the first node can use its local clock to ensure that it and other nodes have a consistent understanding of time. For example, the first node queries the configuration information of the previous hop and uses its local clock to ensure that both nodes have a consistent understanding of time.

[0045] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining a forwarding table, where the forwarding table is used to indicate a transmission path between the first node and the second node.

[0046] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: transmitting data of the first service to the second node within the time indicated by the first time resource. In the above embodiment, the first and second nodes can transmit data packets to downstream nodes hop by hop based on an established path, and resources are transferred between the first and second nodes within a coordinated time, thereby reducing communication latency. For example, the data packet can be a sleep or wake-up instruction for an application, enabling each hop network node along the service transmission path to be uniformly sleep or wake up.

[0047] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the time information of the first time resource includes an offset of the first time resource, where the offset of the first time resource is an offset of the first time resource relative to a second time position, where the second time position is the same as the first time position or is related to the first time position.

[0048] Exemplarily, the first time position and the second time position are positions at the start time of a time period, that is, the start time of each time period. Furthermore, exemplarily, the first time position is positions at the start time of a time period, while the second time position is positions at the end time of the time period. Since the length of a time period can be predefined, the duration between the first time position and the second time position is the length of one time period.

[0049] Exemplarily, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset, which is used to indicate the offset between the time resource to be configured and the starting time of the cycle (i.e., the first time position). The time information of the first time resource includes the starting offset of the first time resource in the cycle, that is, the offset between the first time resource and the starting time of the cycle (i.e., the second time position, which is the same as the first time position).

[0050] Optionally, the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset satisfies the offset constraint. For example, when the distance between the start offset within the period of the first time resource and the offset indicated by the first offset is less than or equal to the constraint value indicated by the offset constraint, the time resource allocation is successful. In this case, the first time resource can be used as a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

[0051] Alternatively, if the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset does not satisfy the offset constraint, allocation of the time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node fails. For example, allocation fails if the distance between the start offset within the period of the first time resource and the offset of the first indication is greater than the constraint value indicated by the offset constraint.

[0052] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, when resource allocation fails, the first node may feed back indication information of the resource allocation failure to the previous-hop node.

[0053] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the bias constraint may be carried in the message M1. Furthermore, the bias constraint is provided by the second communication layer to the first communication layer, and the above-mentioned determination process of whether the bias constraint is satisfied is performed in the first communication layer.

[0054] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, in a transmission path of the first service, the second node is a next-hop node of the first node. In this manner, the first node can configure time resources for a link between itself and the next-hop node, negotiate a time for transmitting data of the first service between itself and the next-hop node, and thereby reduce communication latency.

[0055] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, configuring the time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information includes: configuring the time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information and the processing capability of the first node.

[0056] In the above implementation, when configuring time resources, the first node can configure them based on its own processing capabilities, thereby improving the rationality of resource allocation, increasing the utilization of time resources, and reducing the waiting time for messages. For example, if a message is transmitted between the previous hop node and the first node between t0 and t1, and the first node needs t2 to process the message, the time resource between the first node and the next hop node can be after (t1+t2), for example, between (t1+t2) and t3.

[0057] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending time information of the first time resource to the second node. Exemplarily, the time information of the first time resource may be carried in a message and sent to the second node. To facilitate distinguishing between messages, the message carrying the time information of the first time resource is referred to as message M2. Message M2 is also referred to as a second message in some descriptions. In the above implementation, after configuring the time resource for transmitting the first service between itself and the next-hop node, the first node may also send the time resource information to the next-hop node.

[0058] Optionally, the time information of the first time resource is used to configure the time resource for transmitting the first service data between the second node and the second node's next-hop node. When the first service data passes through the next-hop node and the next-next-next node, the next-hop node can configure the time resource for transmitting the first service data between itself and the next-next-next-hop node based on the information in the message M2 or by querying the configuration of the logical link with the first node. As the message is transmitted hop by hop along the path, a path with coordinated time resources is successfully established between all nodes along the routing direction, thereby improving the network's communication latency.

[0059] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, in the transmission path of the first service, the second node is a previous-hop node of the first node. In this implementation, the first node can configure time resources for the link between the previous-hop node and itself, negotiate the time for transmitting data of the first service between the previous-hop node and itself, and thus reduce communication latency.

[0060] Considering that in some possible scenarios, the second node may not have the ability to configure time resources or cannot configure time resources due to other reasons, the time resource configuration information can be provided to the next-hop node (i.e., the first node), and the next-hop node can configure the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service between the current node and the next-hop node. This allows the operation of configuring time resources to be performed by some nodes that meet the conditions, improving the efficiency of time resource configuration. It can also make the network compatible with nodes of different types, different computing capabilities, and different identities, thereby improving the network's inclusiveness.

[0061] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: configuring, based on the time information of the first time resource, a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and a third node. The third node is a next-hop node of the first node in the transmission path of the first service, and the first node, the second node, and the third node belong to the same network. In the above implementation, the first node can configure the time resource between the previous-hop node and the first node, or can configure the time resource between the first node and the next-hop node.

[0062] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first node can configure the time resources between the first node and the second node based on the time resource configuration information carried in the message M1, and then configure the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node based on the time information of the time resources configured for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

[0063] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining a second resource configuration result. The second resource configuration result includes time information of a second time resource, where the second time resource is a time resource configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node. Furthermore, the method further includes: transmitting the data of the first service with the third node within a time indicated by the second time resource.

[0064] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending information about a second time resource to a third node, where the time information about the second time resource is used to configure a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the third node and the next hop node of the second node. Optionally, the information about the second time resource can be carried in a message and sent to the third node. For ease of distinction, the message carrying the information about the second time resource is referred to as message M3. That is, sending the information about the second time resource to the third node includes: sending message M3 to the third node, where message M3 includes the time information about the second time resource. Message M3 is also referred to as a second message in some descriptions.

[0065] It can be seen that as the message is transmitted hop by hop along the path, a time resource-coordinated path is successfully established between all nodes along the routing direction, improving the communication latency of the network.

[0066] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, comprising: obtaining time resource configuration information, and sending the time resource configuration information and a link configuration indication to a second node. The time resource configuration information is associated with a time resource for transmitting data of a first service between a first node and a previous hop node of the second node. The link configuration indication is used to indicate a request to configure a logical link between the first node and the second node.

[0067] Optionally, the time resource configuration information and the link configuration indication may be carried in a message and sent to the second node, so that the message is referred to as message M4 for easy identification.

[0068] In this implementation, the first node provides the time resource configuration information to the second node and instructs the second node to perform link configuration. This allows the second node to configure the time resources for transmitting the first service data between the first node and the second node based on the time resource configuration information. In other words, the first node and the second node need to configure the time for transmitting the first service data, but the first node does not perform the configuration itself. Instead, it provides the time resource configuration information to the second node, which then configures it. In this way, the first and second nodes can reach an agreement on the time for transmitting the first service data, reducing communication latency.

[0069] Considering that in some possible scenarios, the first node may not be able to configure time resources or may be unable to do so due to other circumstances, the above method allows the configuration of time resources to be performed by nodes that meet some of the requirements, such as the second node. This helps improve the efficiency and flexibility of time resource allocation. Furthermore, this method of configuring time resources enables the network to be compatible with nodes of different types, computing capabilities, and identities, thereby enhancing network inclusiveness.

[0070] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the time resource configuration information includes time information of time resources between the first node and the previous hop node, where the time information is used to indicate the location of time resources between the first node and the previous hop node for transmitting data of the first service.

[0071] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset, where the first offset is used to indicate an offset relative to the first time position. Optionally, the first offset is an offset between an end time of a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the previous hop node and a start time of a period.

[0072] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the time resource configuration information includes a time period, and the first time position is a start time of the time period.

[0073] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, obtaining time resource configuration information includes: when a logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node has been configured, querying the link information between the first node and the previous hop node, the link information including the time resource configuration information.

[0074] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, obtaining time resource configuration information includes receiving time resource configuration information sent by a previous-hop node of the first node. Optionally, the time resource configuration information may be sent within a message. For ease of distinction, the message carrying the time resource configuration information is referred to as message M5. Message M5 is also referred to as a second message in some descriptions.

[0075] In some scenarios, the data of the first service is transmitted through messages of the first service, which are also called data packets, or messages.

[0076] In yet another possible implementation of the second aspect, the time resource configuration information further includes indication information of a message size of the first service.

[0077] Optionally, the indication information of the message size of the first service is carried in the message M5.

[0078] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, message M5 further includes indication information of a second bias constraint, where the second bias constraint is used to constrain the temporal position of a time resource for transmitting data of the first service. The method further includes: determining the first bias constraint based on the indication information of the second bias constraint, and message M4 further includes indication information of the first bias constraint.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the first node can receive the indication information of the second bias constraint sent by the previous hop node, and determine the first bias constraint between the first node and the next hop node based on the indication information of the second bias constraint, and carry the indication information of the first bias constraint in the message M4 and send it to the next hop node.

[0080] Optionally, the first bias constraint and the second bias constraint are the same. Alternatively, the first bias constraint and the second bias constraint are different.

[0081] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the message M5 further includes a second bias constraint flag, where the second bias constraint flag is used to indicate whether the message M5 includes indication information of the first bias constraint.

[0082] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, the message M4 further includes a first bias constraint flag, where the first bias constraint flag is used to indicate whether the message M4 includes indication information of the first bias constraint.

[0083] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication device is configured to implement any method of the first aspect; or to implement any method of the second aspect.

[0084] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor. When the processor calls a computer program or instruction in a memory, the method of any one of the first aspect or the method of any one of the second aspect is implemented.

[0085] It should be noted that the processor described in the fourth aspect above can be a processor specifically used to execute these methods (for convenience of distinction, it is called a dedicated processor), or it can be a processor that executes these methods by calling a computer program, such as a general-purpose processor.

[0086] Optionally, the computer program may be stored in a memory. For example, the memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same device or provided on separate devices. This application does not limit the type of memory or the configuration of the memory and the processor.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the at least one memory is located outside the communication device.

[0088] In another possible implementation, the at least one memory is located within the communication device.

[0089] In another possible implementation, part of the at least one memory is located inside the communication device, and another part of the memory is located outside the communication device.

[0090] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a logic circuit and an interface, wherein the logic circuit and the interface are coupled;

[0091] The interface is used to input data to be processed, and the logic circuit processes the data to be processed according to the method of any one of the first aspect or any one of the second aspect to obtain processed data. The interface is also used to output the processed data.

[0092] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store instructions or computer programs; when the instructions or computer programs are executed, any method of the first aspect is implemented, or any method of the second aspect is implemented.

[0093] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when the instruction or computer program is executed, implements any method of the first aspect, or implements any method of the second aspect.

[0094] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal, which includes the communication device of any one of aspects 3 to 5. Furthermore, the terminal can be an intelligent terminal or transportation tool such as a vehicle, a drone, or a robot.

[0095] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising a first node and a second node, wherein the first node and the second node are in communication connection, wherein the first node is used to implement any method of the first aspect, or to implement any method of the second aspect.

[0096] Furthermore, the communication system further includes a third node, the first node, the second node and the third node may belong to the same network, and the first node, the second node and the third node may be located on the same transmission path of the first service. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0097] The following is an introduction to the drawings used in the embodiments of this application.

[0098] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system with a star topology;

[0099] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a communication system having a tree-like multi-hop topology;

[0100] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a connection situation of a wireless BMS scenario;

[0101] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system with a mesh topology;

[0102] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a connection situation of a smart home scene;

[0103] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an information transmission path;

[0104] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a communication process;

[0105] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of information indicating a time provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a time resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0108] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a connection relationship provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0109] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a message format provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0110] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of another time resource provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0111] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0112] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0113] FIG16 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0114] FIG17 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0115] FIG18 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0116] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0117] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0118] The following is an introduction to some terms that may be used in the embodiments of this application.

[0119] 1. Node

[0120] A node is a device with communication capabilities, including but not limited to one or more of user equipment, network equipment, and industrial equipment. User equipment includes one or more of handheld terminals, wearable terminals, vehicles, in-vehicle devices, sensor devices, smart home devices, or leisure and entertainment devices. Handheld terminals include but are not limited to mobile phones, tablets, or laptops. Wearable devices include but are not limited to headphones, smart bracelets, smart watches, or smart glasses. Vehicles include but are not limited to vehicles, ships, aircraft, rail transit (such as subways and high-speed trains), or logistics robots (such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs)). In-vehicle devices include but are not limited to domain controllers (DCs), screens, microphones, speakers, electronic keys, keyless entry, starter system controllers, battery management systems (BMSs), battery packs, or battery cells. Sensor devices include but are not limited to cameras, radars, lidars, light sensors, temperature sensors, or humidity sensors. Smart home devices include but are not limited to projectors, smart TVs, smart refrigerators, smart home gateways, and security devices. Entertainment devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, mixed reality (MR) devices, massage chairs, home theaters, game consoles, or 4D cinema cabins. Network devices include, but are not limited to, routers, switches, or base stations. Industrial equipment such as industrial robots or robotic arms.

[0121] It should be understood that the communication method, communication device, communication system or node of the embodiments of the present application are applicable to a variety of networks, for example, a wired communication network, a wireless communication network, or a network comprising a combination of wired and wireless communication. For example, the wireless communication network includes a network connected by the following communication technologies: SparkLink (or NearLink), 802.11b / g, Bluetooth (blue tooth), Zigbee, radio frequency identification technology (RFID), ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, or a wireless short-range communication system. And / or, the wireless communication network includes a long-range connection technology including a communication technology based on long term evolution (long term evolution), fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems, 5th-Generation, referred to as 5G or 5G technology), global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) and other wireless communication technologies. For another example, the wired communication network includes a network connected by the following communication technologies: one or more of fiber optic connection technology, vehicle-mounted wired communication technology, controller area network (CAN), local interconnect network bus (LIN), CAN flexible data-rate (CAN FD), or vehicle-mounted Ethernet.

[0122] The nodes in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various scenarios such as smart cars, smart homes, smart terminals, smart manufacturing, smart exhibition halls, mobile internet (MI), industrial control, self-driving, transportation safety, or the Internet of Things (IoT). In some application scenarios or certain network types, similar devices with communication capabilities may not be called nodes. However, for the convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present application, devices with communication capabilities are collectively referred to as nodes.

[0123] 2. Communication system

[0124] A communication system is a system that transmits information using electrical signals (or optical signals). It usually includes multiple nodes that communicate with each other to transmit information. The nodes in the communication system may have different identities or different capabilities.

[0125] For example, a communication system includes a management node and a terminal node. A management node is a node with both communication and management capabilities. Management capabilities include communication management capabilities, such as nodes capable of performing management functions such as connection management, resource scheduling, or information security management. In some implementations, a management node is a node capable of sending data scheduling information. In some communication systems, a management node may also be referred to as a G node, access point, authorization node, or control node.

[0126] Terminal nodes, also known as T-nodes, are also nodes with communication capabilities and can transmit services to and from management nodes. In some scenarios, terminal nodes are nodes that receive data scheduling information and send data based on the data scheduling information. Exemplarily, terminal devices may include user equipment (UE), such as barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensors, global positioning systems (GPS), lidars, batteries, and other devices.

[0127] It should be understood that the identities of management nodes and terminal nodes are not absolute, but are merely exemplary names used to facilitate the distinction between the operations performed by communicating nodes in a possible connection scenario. In some implementations, a node may be both a terminal node and a management node. In some scenarios, a node may belong to two or more communication domains simultaneously, acting as a terminal node in some communication domains and a management node in others. To facilitate understanding, such nodes are represented as G(T) nodes in some embodiments.

[0128] 3. Topology of the communication system

[0129] The topology of the communication system can be a star structure, a tree structure, a mesh structure, etc.

[0130] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system with a star topology. The communication system shown in Figure 1 includes a G node and multiple T nodes (e.g., T1 node, T2 node, ..., Tn node), each T node is connected to a G node, and the connection relationship is represented by a dotted line. The communication between the G node and the T node can be a two-way unicast or broadcast communication. Optionally, the topology shown in Figure 1 can be applicable to in-vehicle communication scenarios. As an application example of the communication topology shown in Figure 1, the G node can be a telematics box (T-BOX), and the T node can be a user terminal in the car. The user terminal can be, for example, a mobile phone, a headset, a speaker, an in-vehicle device, etc. The T-BOX can also be called a remote in-vehicle terminal or an Internet of Vehicles communication terminal. For example, the T-BOX can establish a communication connection with a mobile phone to realize control such as opening and locking doors, controlling windows, and switching air conditioners.

[0131] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system with a tree-like multi-hop topology. The communication system shown in Figure 2 includes nodes G1, G2, G3, T1, T2, T3, and T4. Specifically, nodes T1 and T2 are connected to nodes G2, nodes T3 and T4 are connected to nodes G3, and nodes G2 and G3 are connected to nodes G1. Node G1 can serve as the master management node, and G1 can connect nodes G2 and G3. Node G2 can be represented as G2(T), and node G3 can be represented as G3(T). Taking node G2 as an example, for communication between node G2 and node G1, node G2 can function as a T node, and node G1 can function as a G node. For communication between node G2 and node T1, node G2 can function as a G node, and node T1 can function as a T node. In conjunction with Figure 2, communication between G nodes and T nodes can be bidirectional unicast or broadcast. Communication between T nodes is forwarded by G nodes, and the information sent during this communication can be unicast and / or broadcast.

[0132] Alternatively, the structure shown in Figure 2 can be applied to energy storage management scenarios or in-vehicle communication scenarios, such as wireless battery management system (BMS) scenarios or tire pressure monitoring scenarios. A wireless BMS scenario is shown in Figure 3 . In Figure 3 , the battery array management system (BAMS) serves as the general management node, i.e., the G1 node; the battery cluster management system (BCMS) serves as the G(T) node; and the battery management unit (BMU) serves as the T node.

[0133] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system with a mesh topology. The communication system shown in Figure 4 includes a G1 node, a G2 node, a G3 node, a G4 node, a T1 node, a T2 node, and a T3 node. Specifically, the T1 node connects to the G2 node, the T2 node connects to the G4 node, the G4 node can connect to both the G2 node and the G3 node, the G2 node connects to the G1 node, and the G3 node connects to the G1 node. Optionally, in some cases, a T node can connect to multiple G nodes, for example, a T1 node can also connect to a G4 node. Specifically, the G1 node can serve as the master management node, and the G2, G3, and G4 nodes can serve as G(T) nodes. Optionally, the structure shown in Figure 4 can be applied to smart home scenarios. A smart home scenario is shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5, the gateway / customer premises equipment (CPE) serves as the master management node, the sub-router, large screen, mobile phone, and air conditioner serve as G(T) nodes, and the water heater, smart curtains, speakers, microphone, printer, and smart door lock serve as T nodes. The structure shown in FIG4 can also be applied to low-power large-scale sensor networks, for example, in low-power large-scale sensor networks, the root node can be used as the general management node, the backbone node can be used as the G(T), and the terminal node can be used as the T node.

[0134] The above explanations of technical terms may be optionally applied to the following embodiments.

[0135] When nodes form a network, the nodes in the network communicate with each other in a connectionless or connected manner. When communicating in a network, after information is sent by the source node, it usually needs to be forwarded by intermediate nodes before it can reach the destination node. Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of an information transmission path. The network includes nodes N1 to N7, and there are many possible designs for their connection relationships and the identities of each node. Please refer to the relevant description above for details. Among them, when node N1 communicates with node N5, it can be achieved through the path of "N1-N2-N3-N4-N5". The information transmission between the two is forwarded by intermediate nodes, namely nodes N2, N3 and N4.

[0136] To achieve low power consumption, nodes in the network typically have a sleep timer. During this time, the node shuts down some hardware (such as the radio frequency and central processing unit) to save energy. While a device is in sleep mode, its power consumption is relatively low and it cannot process connection events. Typically, a wake-up timer is defined for the device, during which it can process connection events. Because each node in the network has different roles and loads, the time periods during which they are awake vary. This means that information forwarding at the node is constrained by device wake-up times, resulting in latency and making it difficult to guarantee end-to-end transmission latency for network messages.

[0137] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of a communication process. When information (such as business data) needs to be sent from node N1 to node N5, there are four communication stages, namely stage #1 from node N1 to node N2, stage #2 from node N2 to node N3, stage #3 from node N3 to node N4, and stage #4 from node N4 to node N5. Among them, the transmission of each communication stage requires both the sending and receiving ends to be in the awake state. For example, when node N2 receives information from node N1, it needs to wait for node N3 to be awake before it can continue to forward the information to it for stage #2. The more nodes a path passes through, the higher the possibility of a longer delay.

[0138] To reduce network latency, some solutions eliminate sleep timers for network nodes or management nodes (such as the aforementioned G nodes). This approach allows information to be promptly forwarded to the next node after passing through a node along the path. However, this approach significantly increases node power consumption and causes node hardware to remain in an active state for extended periods, leading to rapid node aging.

[0139] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and related devices, which can reduce network communication delay and reduce node power consumption.

[0140] The method of the embodiment of the present application is introduced below.

[0141] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method can be applied to a communication system, such as one or more communication systems in Figures 1 to 6 above. The communication method shown in Figure 8 may include step S801 and / or step S802. It should be understood that for the convenience of description, the description is given in the order of steps S801 to S802, and it is not intended to limit the execution to the above order. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of execution, execution time, number of executions, etc. of the above one or more steps. Steps S801 to S802 are as follows:

[0142] Step S801: The first node obtains time resource configuration information.

[0143] The first node is an exemplary name used to distinguish a node. For example, in conjunction with FIG6 , the first node may be the aforementioned node N1, node N2, or other nodes.

[0144] In the embodiment of the present application, the first node belongs to a node in the transmission path of the first service, that is, the data of the first service can pass through the first node when it is transmitted in the network. The first service here refers to a service (or end-to-end service) transmitted between a certain node (referred to herein as the source node) and another node (referred to herein as the destination node) in the network, and the data of the first service can pass through the first node when it is transmitted in the network. In conjunction with Figure 6, if the current node N1 needs to perform a service with node N5, which is regarded as the first service, a transmission channel for transmitting the first service needs to be established between node N1 and node N5, that is, the transmission path of the first service. This transmission path can pass through multiple nodes between node N1 and node N5, for example, through one or more nodes among node N1, node N2, node N3, node N4, node N5 and node N7. It should be noted that the data of the first service should be understood in a broad sense, for example, including one or more of instructions related to the first service (such as wake-up instructions), service data, or synchronization information. Optionally, the data of the first service is encapsulated in a message (or packet, data packet) for transmission, that is, the data of the first service is transmitted via the message of the first service. In some solutions, the data of the first service can be replaced with the message of the first service or the data packet of the first service.

[0145] Time resource configuration information refers to information used to configure time resources, including but not limited to one or more of a time instant, a sequence number of a time unit, and the like. In some embodiments, the time resource configuration information includes time information of time resources between a first node and a previous-hop node, where the time information indicates the location of time resources between the first node and the previous-hop node for transmitting data for the first service. In other embodiments, the time resource configuration information includes time information of time resources between the previous-hop node of the first node and the previous-previous-hop node of the first node for transmitting data for the first service.

[0146] The content of the time resource configuration information is exemplarily described below.

[0147] In one scenario, the time resource configuration information may include information indicating a time. Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of information indicating a time provided in an embodiment of the present application. Time resources are divided into periods, and each block of time resources can be represented by a starting offset and an ending offset within the period. The time resource configuration information may include information indicating a time t, and the first node may allocate a block of time resources within the period for transmitting data for the first service based on the time t.

[0148] In another case, time can be pre-divided into units, and the time resource configuration information includes information indicating the sequence number of the time unit. For example, a communication system pre-defines the length of a radio frame to be 20.833 μs and supports resource allocation in the time domain using radio frames as scheduling units. At this time, a block of time resources can be determined by the sequence number of the radio frame. Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of a time resource provided by an embodiment of the present application. The time resource configuration information includes indication information of the radio frame sequence number "3". The first node allocates the block of time resources indicated by the radio frame sequence number (3) as the time resource for transmitting data of the first service based on the position of the radio frame sequence number "3" in the time domain.

[0149] Furthermore, the time resource configuration information may also include one or more of the following: duration (eg, message cycle, length information of a time unit), number of sequence numbers of time units, indication information of bias constraints, and the like.

[0150] For ease of understanding, the following lists several types of information that may be included in time resource configuration information:

[0151] a) Offset, or first offset, is used to indicate an offset relative to a first time position. Optionally, the first offset may include one or more of a moment, a sequence number of a time unit, and the like. Similarly, the first time position may be a moment, a sequence number of a time unit, and the like. For example, the first time position may be the position of the starting moment of a time period. In conjunction with Figure 9, the first offset may be the offset of moment t relative to the starting moment t0 within the period. As can be seen, the first offset may be used to indicate a time position in the time domain, i.e., a moment.

[0152] b) Periodicity: This describes the interval at which time resources are repeated, i.e., the duration. As shown in Figure 9, the time resource configuration information may include the time period T. Of course, in some solutions, the time period may be predefined and not included in the time resource configuration information. For example, in Figure 10, in some solutions, time resources are repeated based on a superframe period, with a superframe duration of 1 ms (for example only).

[0153] In some solutions, data can be encapsulated in message transmission. For example, data for the first service can be transmitted using periodic messages (also known as messages, data messages, etc.). Optionally, the time period is indicated by a message period, which is the transmission period of the messages for the first service. For example, a message for the first service can be transmitted every 1ms.

[0154] Optionally, the aforementioned first time position may be a specified time within the time period, for example, one or more of the start time, end time, midpoint time, and one-third dividing line time within the period.

[0155] c) Message size, which is used to indicate the size of the service message of the first service. It is understandable that in some cases, when the message of the first service is larger, the time length for the node to process the message of the first service also increases accordingly. Then, after receiving the message of the first service from the previous node, the node needs to spend more time processing the message of the first service, so the time resources allocated to it and the next hop need to be slightly delayed to improve resource utilization. In some other cases, the size of the message of the first service may also affect the amount of time resources for transmitting the first service. For example, the larger the message of the first service is, the more time it takes for the first node and the second node to transmit the message of the first service each time, so the time resources allocated to transmitting the first service can also be increased accordingly.

[0156] d) An offset constraint is used to constrain the temporal position of the time resources used to transmit the data for the first service. This offset constraint allows for evaluating the rationality of the time resources allocated by the first node, thereby making the path established in the network for transmitting the first service more reasonable and more compliant with requirements, such as low latency, thereby improving network latency.

[0157] e) Bias constraint flag (constraint), used to indicate whether there is a constraint on the location of the configured time resource when configuring the time resource.

[0158] The time resource configuration information illustrated above is only an example. In a specific implementation, the time resource configuration information may include more or less information than the above-listed information. The combination of multiple information will not be described here one by one.

[0159] The above describes the specific content of time resource information by way of example. The following describes how to obtain time resource configuration information. The first node may obtain time resource configuration information in one or more of the following ways: obtaining by query, receiving information provided by other nodes, generating information based on the needs of the first service, or pre-defining information. The following are four implementation methods for obtaining time configuration information:

[0160] Implementation method 1: First, query the link information between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node, and the link information includes time resource configuration information. Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of a connection relationship provided by an embodiment of the present application. A transmission path passing through node N1, node N2 and node N3 needs to be established in the network. During the path establishment process, the link from node N1 to node N2 has been configured, as shown in Figure 11, and its time resources are t1 to t2 in each time period, where the start time of the period can be regarded as t0, and the end time of the period can be regarded as t t At this moment, the length of the cycle is T.

[0161] The link information includes information about the time resource configuration parameters of the link, and the link information can be queried in the nodes at both ends of the link. Taking the first node N2 as an example, by querying the configuration of the time resource of the link between node N2 and the previous hop node (i.e., node N1), the time resource configuration information for configuring the link between node N2 and the next hop node (i.e., node N3) can be obtained. Exemplarily, the link information may include the offset of the end moment of the time resource between node N1 and node N2 relative to the start moment within the cycle, i.e., the offset of t2 relative to the time t0, and the offset can be used as the time resource configuration information obtained by node N2. Of course, the link information may also include the offset of the start moment of the cycle, the time resource between node N1 and node N2, etc., and this information may also be included in the time resource configuration information.

[0162] In some possible scenarios, the protocol stack used by the first node to implement communication includes multiple communication layers, each communication layer being used to implement different communication functions. For example, the multiple communication layers may include an access layer, a network and transport layer, and an application layer. In some possible implementations, time resource coordination is implemented at the second communication layer, and link information is stored at the first communication layer. When obtaining time resource configuration information, the first node may use inter-layer primitives to send a request to the first communication layer to obtain link information. The inter-layer primitives may include one or more of the query request, query response, first request, or first response described herein.

[0163] Exemplarily, link information queries are implemented using inter-layer primitives. For example, a first node sends a query request to the first communication layer, requesting the parameter information of a logical link, namely, the aforementioned link information, including time resource configuration information. In response, the first communication layer feeds back a query response to the second communication layer, providing feedback on the parameter information of the logical link.

[0164] In some embodiments, a query request, also known as an access link parameter query, is used by the connection management function unit to query the first communication layer for parameter information of the logical link corresponding to the transmission channel, including the time resource configuration information of the logical link. A query response, also known as an access link parameter response, is used by the first communication layer to feedback parameter information of the logical link corresponding to the transmission channel to the connection management function unit, including the time resource configuration information of the logical link. In the above example, the connection function unit is used to implement the resource coordination function on the communication path of the service, and it can be located at a communication layer higher than the first communication layer. Exemplarily, the first communication layer is the access layer, and the connection function unit is located at the network layer or the service layer.

[0165] Implementation method 2: The first node receives the time resource configuration information sent by the previous hop node of the first node, where the previous hop refers to the node that sends the time resource configuration information to the first node. For example, the first node and the previous hop node can transmit the time resource configuration information in a connected or disconnected manner. In conjunction with Figure 6, when node N1 needs to establish a path for transmitting the first service with N6, the source node (i.e., node N1) or the intermediate node can send the time resource configuration information in a connected or disconnected manner, and the node that receives the time resource configuration information can configure the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service between itself and the second node.

[0166] In a possible implementation, the time resource configuration information may be carried in a message, and the message is conveniently identified as message M1. Message M1 is also referred to as the first message in some expressions.

[0167] In some solutions, message M1 may carry some or all of the time resource configuration information. For example, message M1 may carry information indicating a time and / or information indicating a duration. For another example, message M1 may include one or more of: offset indication information, time period indication information, link configuration indication information, message size indication information, offset constraint indication information, and an offset constraint flag.

[0168] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of the format of a message provided in an embodiment of the present application. The message may include one or more of the following information:

[0169] (1) Offset, used to indicate the starting offset within a period. For example, the length of the offset field is 2 bytes.

[0170] (2) Message periodicity: This is used to indicate the period of service messages and can be used as the period for configuring time resources.

[0171] (3) Message size: used to indicate the size of the service message.

[0172] (4) Offset constraint, used to indicate the constraint value of the starting offset within the period (optionally carried when the C field is set to 1). For example, when the configured offset exceeds the constraint value, the configuration fails.

[0173] (5) S field. The S field is used to carry link configuration indication, or status information. The link configuration indication is used to indicate whether the logical link between the current node and the previous hop node of the current node is configured, that is, to indicate whether the current node needs to configure the time resources of the previous hop. Exemplarily, the length of the value of the S field is 2 bits. When the value of the S field is the first value (such as 00), it indicates that the access layer configuration has been completed and the current node only needs to configure the time resources of the next hop. When the value of the S field is the second value (such as 01), it indicates that the access layer configuration is requested and the current node needs to configure the time resources of the previous hop and the next hop. The remaining values ​​can be reserved for subsequent use.

[0174] (6) The C field is used to indicate whether there is a constraint on the offset. For example, the length of the C field is 1 bit. When the C field takes the third value (such as 0), it indicates that there is no constraint on the offset. When the C field takes the fourth value (such as 1), it indicates that there is a constraint on the offset.

[0175] Optionally, the above information may be carried in an option of the message, which may further include option length, option type, and other fields. In some solutions, the message may further include a next header and header extension length.

[0176] Optionally, the message may also include a time unit number or other parameters related to synchronization with the next hop node, so as to facilitate node alignment and understanding of time. The time unit number may be, for example, a superframe number or a radio frame number.

[0177] Implementation method three: The first node generates time resource configuration information based on the needs of the first service. In some solutions, when the first node is the source node or initiating node of the first service, the first node can generate time resource configuration information based on the needs of the first service and configure the time resources for transmitting data of the first service between itself and the next hop node based on the time resource configuration information.

[0178] Implementation mode 4: time resource configuration information is predefined. For example, when the first node is the source node or initiating node of the first service, the first node can use default time resource configuration information as the time resource for transmitting data of the first service between itself and the next hop node.

[0179] It should be noted that the above implementations can be combined without being mutually exclusive. For example, the message M1 received by the first node can carry information such as the offset, message period, message size, offset constraint, and offset constraint flag. The first node can also query the link information between the first node and the previous hop node, where the link information includes the offset. During configuration, the first node can combine the message M1 and the link information to obtain the time resource configuration information required to configure the time resource.

[0180] Step S802: The first node configures time resources according to the time resource configuration information.

[0181] The time resource includes a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

[0182] As an implementation method for configuring time resources, the first node can select a time resource from available time resources (e.g., idle time resources) based on the time resource configuration information and allocate it for transmitting data for the first service. For ease of description, the time resource allocated by the first node for transmitting data for the first service between the first node and the second node is hereinafter referred to as time resource S1.

[0183] Optionally, the length of the allocated time resource S1 can be indicated by time resource configuration information, or determined based on the message size of the service, or determined based on the processing capability of the first node, or the length of the time resource can be determined based on a preset unit length of the time resource. In addition, the above methods for determining the length of the time resource S1 can also be combined, for example, based on the message size of the first service and the processing capability of the first node.

[0184] As an allocation example, the configuration information of the time resource includes information indicating the moment. Combined with Figure 9, the time resource configuration information includes information indicating the moment t. The first node can select a block of time resources (represented by a square with slashes) after the position of the moment t (including the moment t) to allocate for transmitting data of the first service.

[0185] As another allocation example, the time resource configuration information includes an offset, or a first offset, which is used to indicate the starting offset within a period. The period can be included in the time resource configuration information, or the period can be a predefined or default period. The first node calculates the time resources required for sending a service message for a period, and selects the time resources closest to the offset indicated by the offset from the idle time resources for allocation. In conjunction with Figure 13, the resources at the time position indicated by the offset are occupied. At this time, the time resources closest to the offset indicated by the offset can be selected from the idle time resources for allocation. Exemplarily, the starting offset of the time resource S1 within the period can be expressed as offset_b, and the ending offset within the period can be expressed as offset_o. Optionally, offset_b is greater than or equal to offset.

[0186] 9, 11 and other schemes, it can be seen that the time for transmitting the data of the first service can be coordinated in advance between the first node and the second node through the time resource configuration information, so that the data of the first service can be transmitted smoothly between the first node and the second node, thereby reducing the transmission delay of the data of the first service.

[0187] As a possible implementation, the difference between the offset of time resource S1 and the first offset satisfies the offset constraint. For example, the offset constraint indicates a first constraint value. When the distance between the start offset within the period of time resource S1 and the offset indicated by the offset is less than, equal to, or less than the constraint value indicated by the offset constraint, time resource allocation is successful. In this case, time resource S1 can be used as a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

[0188] Alternatively, if the difference between the offset of time resource S1 and the first offset does not satisfy the offset constraint, the configuration of the time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node fails. For example, when the time resource configuration information includes an offset constraint, the first node also needs to determine: if the distance between the starting offset (i.e., offset_b) within the period of time resource S1 and the offset indicated by offset is greater than or equal to the constraint value indicated by the offset constraint, then the allocation fails. For example, in conjunction with Figure 12, if the offset constraint is 10 milliseconds (ms), the first offset (i.e., offset) is 5ms, and the offset (i.e., offset_b) at the starting moment of time S1 is 17ms, then the difference between 17ms and 5ms (=12ms) is greater than the offset constraint (10ms), and the allocation fails.

[0189] Optionally, when resource allocation fails, the first node may feed back indication information of the resource allocation failure to the previous hop node.

[0190] As mentioned earlier, the communication function of the first node may be implemented by multiple communication layers. During configuration, the second communication layer of the first node can provide time resource configuration information to the first communication layer as reference information for configuring time resources. After configuring the time resources, the first communication layer provides the configuration results to the second communication layer. Information transmission between the first communication layer and the second communication layer requires the use of corresponding inter-layer primitives. For example, the second communication layer of the first node sends a first request to the first communication layer and provides time resource configuration information. The first request is used to request configuration of the logical link between the first node and the second node.

[0191] In one possible scenario, before configuring transmission resources between the first node and the second node, a point-to-point logical link has not yet been established between the first node and the second node. For example, the first node and the second node communicate in a connectionless manner. In this case, the first request can be used to establish a logical link for a transmission channel, such as a link establishment request. In another possible scenario, before configuring transmission resources between the first node and the second node, a point-to-point logical link exists between the first node and the second node, i.e., a point-to-point connection has been established. In this case, the first request can be used to update the configuration of the corresponding logical link for a transmission channel, such as a link update request.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the first node is a node running a time synchronization protocol, such as the Network Time Protocol. In this case, when the first node obtains time resource configuration information, such as when it receives a message from a previous-hop node, it can ensure that the first node and other nodes (e.g., the previous-hop node) have consistent understanding of time.

[0193] In a possible implementation, the first node does not support or run a time synchronization protocol. In this case, the first node can ensure consistent understanding of time by combining the local clock with the consistent parameter information of the wireless physically connected transceiver node.

[0194] In some cases, the first node may determine a configuration result, referred to herein as a first resource configuration result. The first resource configuration result includes time information of the time resource S1. The time information of the time resource S1 includes information indicating a time position of the time resource S1, such as one or more of information indicating a start time of the time resource S1, information indicating an end time of the time resource S1, a duration of the time resource S1, and information indicating intermediate times of the time resource S1.

[0195] As a possible solution, the time information of the first time resource includes an offset of the first time resource, and the offset of the first time resource is an offset of the first time resource relative to the second time position. The second time position is the same as the first time position or the second time position is related to the first time position. Exemplarily, the first time position and the second time position are the positions of the starting moment of the time period, that is, the starting moment of each time period. Another exemplary embodiment is that the first time position is the position of the starting moment of the time period, and the second time position is the position of the ending moment of the time period. Since the length of the time period can be predefined, the duration of the interval between the first time position and the second time position is the period length of one time period.

[0196] Exemplarily, in conjunction with Figure 13, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset, which is used to indicate the offset between the time resource to be configured and the starting moment in the cycle (i.e., the first time position). The time information of the first time resource includes the starting offset of the time resource S1 in the cycle, that is, the offset from the starting moment in the cycle (i.e., the second time position, which is the same as the first time position). The time information of the time resource S1 includes the ending offset (i.e., offset_o) of the time resource S1 in the cycle. As another example, the time information of the time resource S1 includes the starting offset (i.e., offset_b) of the time resource S1 in the cycle and the duration of the time resource S1 in the cycle.

[0197] As another example, with reference to FIG11 , the time resource S1 configured by the first node is, for example, time from t3 to t4 within each time period. The time information of the time resource S1 includes time position information indicating time t4, such as a radio frame number, time information, etc. Alternatively, the time information of the time resource S1 may further include time position information indicating time t3 and the duration from t3 to t4.

[0198] In some schemes, the first resource configuration result can also indicate the establishment and / or update status of the logical link, for example, the resource configuration result also includes one or more of information indicating whether the time resources are allocated successfully, information indicating whether the logical link is established successfully, information indicating whether the configuration of the logical link is updated successfully, the ID of the logical link, etc.

[0199] Optionally, the first resource configuration result is generated at the first communication layer, and the first communication layer provides it to the second communication layer using inter-layer primitives. Exemplarily, the first communication layer of the first node sends a first response to the second communication layer, where the first response is used to provide feedback on the processing of the first request. Exemplarily, the first request is used by the connection management function unit to request from the access layer to establish an access layer link connection for a transmission channel and provide reference information (i.e., time resource configuration information) for the time resource configuration of the logical link. The first response is used by the access layer to provide feedback to the connection management function unit on the establishment of the logical link corresponding to the dynamic transmission channel and information on the configured time resources. Furthermore, exemplarily, the first request is used by the connection management function unit to request from the access layer to update the configuration of the corresponding logical link for a transmission channel and update the reference information (i.e., updated time resource configuration information) of the time resource configuration of the logical link. The first response is used by the access layer to provide feedback to the corresponding connection management function unit on the update response of the logical link corresponding to the dynamic transmission channel and information on the configured time resources. In both of the above examples, the connection function unit is located at a communication layer higher than the access layer.

[0200] In some possible implementations, the first node may determine a forwarding table that indicates a transmission path between the first node and a second node, thereby forming a coordinated high-level forwarding path on the first node. The forwarding table may include information about the next-hop node of the current node, and may optionally also include information about the source node, the destination node, and the first service. The node information may include, for example, a node ID or a node network address, and the first service information may include, for example, a service identifier or a time resource identifier for the service.

[0201] In some possible implementations, the first node can transmit data of the first service to the second node within the time indicated by the time resource S1. The first node and the second node can transmit data packets to the downstream node hop by hop based on the established path, and the resources are transmitted between the first node and the second node within the coordinated time to reduce communication delay. For example, in conjunction with Figure 11, taking the time resource configured between node N2 and node N3 for transmitting data of the first service as between t3 and t4 within the cycle as an example, node N2 and node N3 transmit data of the first service between t3 and t4 within the cycle. At this time, t3 to t4 within the cycle is the time indicated by the configured time resource. Exemplarily, the data of the first service includes a sleep and wake-up instruction of the application, which is transmitted hop by hop on the service path, so that each hop network node on the service transmission path can be uniformly sleep or wake up.

[0202] As mentioned earlier, the link between a first node and its previous hop node can be configured. However, in some scenarios, the link between a first node and its previous hop node may not be configured with time resources. In other words, the second node may be the previous hop node of the first node, or the next hop node of the first node. The following describes these two scenarios:

[0203] In case 1, the second node is the next hop node of the first node. Referring to Figure 11, if the first node is node N2, the second node can be node N3. In this way, the first node can configure the time resources for the link between itself and the next hop node, negotiate the time for transmitting the first service data between itself and the next hop node, and reduce communication latency.

[0204] In some schemes, when configuring time resources, the first node can configure it in combination with its own processing capabilities, improve the rationality of resource allocation, improve the utilization rate of time resources, and reduce the waiting time of messages. As a possible implementation, the first node configures the time resources for transmitting the data of the first business between the first node and the second node based on the time resource configuration information and the processing capability of the first node. In conjunction with Figure 11, if the time resources configured between node N2 and node N1 (previous hop) for transmitting the data of the first business are the time resources between t1 and t2, the time resource configuration information obtained by node N2 contains information indicating the time t2. Since it takes a certain amount of time for node N2 to process the message, the time resources configured by node N2 between node N2 and node N3 (next hop) are the time resources between t3 and t4, and t3 is later than t2. Alternatively, the aforementioned t1, t2, t3 and t4 can also be expressed using the offset between the start time within the cycle. In this case, the start offset within the cycle of the time resource between node N2 and node N3 is greater than the end offset within the cycle of the time resource between node N2 and node N1.

[0205] In some scenarios, the first node can also send the time information of time resource S1 to the next-hop node. For example, if the second node is the next-hop node of the first node, the first node can send the time information of time resource S1 to the second node. For example, the time information of time resource S1 can be carried in a message sent to the second node. To facilitate distinguishing between messages, the message carrying the time information of time resource S1 is referred to as message M2. Message M2 is also referred to as the second message in some descriptions.

[0206] For example, message M2 may carry information indicating the time position of time resource S1, including information indicating the moment or duration, etc. For another example, message M2 may include one or more of information indicating an offset, information indicating a time period, information indicating a message size, information indicating an offset constraint, and an offset constraint flag.

[0207] It is understood that the format of message M2 can be described in the relevant description of Figure 12. For example, the offset carried in message M2 can be the end time offset of the period of time resource S1 (i.e., offset_o). Furthermore, the end time offset of the period of time resource S1 can be used as the first offset when the next hop node configures the time resource.

[0208] Optionally, the time information of time resource S1 is used to configure the time resources for transmitting the first service data between the second node and its next-hop node. When the first service data passes through the next-hop node and the next-next-next node, the next-hop node can configure the time resources for transmitting the first service data between itself and the next-next-next-hop node based on the information in message M2 or by querying the configuration of the logical link with the first node. As the message is transmitted hop by hop along the path, a path with coordinated time resources is successfully established between all nodes along the routing direction, thereby improving network communication latency.

[0209] Please refer to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of another communication process provided by an embodiment of the present application. By pre-coordinating the transmission resources between nodes through time resource configuration information, the waiting delay of the nodes during forwarding can be significantly reduced, thereby improving network performance. On the one hand, it is beneficial for multiple nodes to perform wake-up listening according to a unified sleep-wake-up cycle, effectively reducing the number of invalid wake-ups of downstream nodes, and reducing the waiting time of messages during network transmission. On the other hand, under the premise of end-to-end delay constraints, it can effectively extend the wake-up cycle and reduce the number of node wake-ups within the same time, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0210] In the second scenario, in the transmission path of the first service, the second node is the previous hop node of the first node. In this implementation, the first node can configure the time resources of the link between the previous hop node and itself, negotiate the time for transmitting the data of the first service between the previous hop node and itself, and reduce communication latency.

[0211] Taking into account some possible solutions, the second node may not have the ability to configure time resources (referred to as configuration capability) or cannot configure time resources due to other circumstances. For example, the second node may be a T node. See the relevant description of Figures 1 to 5 above. In some solutions, the T node does not have the ability to allocate resources in the communication domain. As some possible implementations, the second node that does not have the configuration capability provides the time resource configuration information to the next hop node (i.e., the first node), and the next hop node configures the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service between the current node and the next hop node. In this way, the operation of configuring time can be performed by some nodes that meet the conditions, thereby improving the efficiency of time resource configuration, and also making the network compatible with nodes of various types, different computing capabilities, and different identities, thereby improving the inclusiveness of the network.

[0212] Furthermore, in the second scenario above, if the first node has a next-hop node, the first node can also configure time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the next-hop node. As a possible implementation, taking the third node as the next-hop node of the first node as an example, the first section configures time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node based on the time information of time resource S1, and the first, second, and third nodes belong to the same network.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the first node may configure a time resource between the first node and the second node based on the time resource configuration information carried in message M1. Then, based on the time information for the time resource configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node, the first node may configure a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node. For ease of description, the time resource configured by the first node for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node is referred to as time resource S2.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the first node may determine a second resource configuration result. The second resource configuration result includes time information for a time resource S2, which is a time resource configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node. The time information for the time resource S2 includes information indicating the time location of the time resource S2, such as one or more of information indicating the start time of the time resource S2, information indicating the end time of the time resource S2, the duration of the time resource S2, and information indicating intermediate moments of the time resource S2. For related descriptions, refer to the aforementioned description of the time information for the time resource S1.

[0215] Furthermore, within the time indicated by the time resource S2, the first node and the third node transmit data of the first service.

[0216] In a possible implementation, the first node sends information about time resource S2 to the third node. The time information about time resource S2 is used to configure time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the third node and the next hop node of the second node.

[0217] Optionally, the information about time resource S2 can be carried in a message and sent to the third node. For ease of distinction, the message carrying the information about time resource S2 is referred to as message M3. That is, sending the information about time resource S2 to the third node includes sending message M3 to the third node, where message M3 includes the time information about time resource S2. Message M3 is also referred to as the second message in some descriptions.

[0218] It can be seen that as the message is transmitted hop by hop along the path, a time resource-coordinated path is successfully established between all nodes along the routing direction, improving the communication latency of the network.

[0219] In the embodiment shown in FIG8 , a node can determine the time resource for transmitting the first service using time resource configuration information. Time resources have corresponding locations in the time domain. Configuring the time resource for transmitting data for the first service between the first node and the second node enables the two nodes to coordinate their timing when transmitting the data for the first service, reducing latency during transmission and significantly reducing network latency.

[0220] Furthermore, by configuring time resources, nodes can understand the time periods during which transmission is idle. During these idle periods, the nodes can enter a low-power mode, such as sleep mode, or shut down some hardware or software functions, thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the network and extending the service life of the nodes. For example, during the time corresponding to the time resource for transmitting the first service, the first node and the second node can be in an awake state, and during part or all of the time outside the time corresponding to the time resource for transmitting the first service, the first node and the second node can enter sleep mode, reducing power consumption and helping to extend the service life of the nodes.

[0221] In the embodiment shown in FIG8 , the first node has the ability to configure time resources. For example, in a communication system including G-nodes and T-nodes, the aforementioned first node is a G-node and has the ability to send data scheduling information. However, in some cases, the first node may not have the ability to configure time resources, such as in the case of a T-node. The following describes a method for implementing time resource configuration when the first node does not have the configuration capability, in conjunction with FIG15 . It should be understood that the logic, terminology, etc. in the embodiment shown in FIG15 can refer to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG8 .

[0222] Please refer to Figure 15, which is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method can be applied to a communication system, such as one or more communication systems in Figures 1 to 6 above. The communication method shown in Figure 15 may include one or more steps from step S1501 to step S1503. It should be understood that for the convenience of description, the description is given in the order of steps S1501 to S1503, and it is not intended to limit the execution to the above order. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of execution, execution time, number of executions, etc. of the above one or more steps. Steps S1501 to S1503 are as follows:

[0223] Step S1501: The first node obtains time resource configuration information.

[0224] The time resource configuration information is associated with a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the previous hop node of the second node. The first node and the second node are nodes in a transmission path of the first service, and subsequent transmission of the first service in the network may pass through the first node and the second node.

[0225] The time resource configuration information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the time instant, the sequence number of the time unit, etc. Furthermore, the time resource configuration information may also include one or more of the duration (e.g., message period, length information of the time unit), the sequence number of the time unit, indication information of the bias constraint, etc.

[0226] In some possible implementations, the time resource configuration information includes one or more of a bias, a time period (or a message period), a message size, a bias constraint, a bias constraint flag, and the like.

[0227] Optionally, the first node may obtain the time resource configuration information in one or more of the following ways: obtaining by query, receiving from other nodes, generating according to the needs of the first service, or predefining. The following examples illustrate several ways to obtain the time resource configuration information:

[0228] Implementation method 1: The first node queries the link information between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node, where the link information includes time resource configuration information.

[0229] Exemplarily, in conjunction with Figure 11, node N2 (considered as the first node) can query the link information between node N2 and node N1 (the previous hop node of the first node). For example, the link information can include information indicating the end time (t2) of the time resource (referred to as time resource S3 for easy distinction) between node N1 and node N2, such as the offset of the end time of time resource S3 relative to the start time within the period, that is, the offset of t2 relative to time t0. Optionally, the link information also includes one or more of information indicating the start time (t1) of time resource S3, information indicating its intermediate time (the middle time between t1 and t2), information indicating the duration, and information indicating the period (T) of time resource S3. Accordingly, the aforementioned information can be used as the time resource configuration information obtained by the first node query. For example, node N2 will use the offset of the end time of time resource S3 between node N1 and node N2 as the first offset in the time resource configuration information.

[0230] Implementation method 2: The first node receives time resource configuration information sent by a previous hop node of the first node. The previous hop here refers to the node that sends the time resource configuration information to the first node.

[0231] Optionally, the time resource configuration information may be carried in a message M5 and sent. For the content of the message M5, please refer to the above description of the message shown in FIG12 .

[0232] Exemplarily, the time resource configuration information may include an end time offset of the time resource S3. For example, the node N2 uses the end time offset of the time resource S3 as the first offset in the time resource configuration information.

[0233] Implementation method three: the first node generates time resource configuration information according to the requirements of the first service.

[0234] Implementation method 4: time resource configuration information is predefined.

[0235] For information included in the first time resource, please refer to the description of the time resource configuration information in step S801.

[0236] Step S1502: The first node sends time resource configuration information to the second node.

[0237] Accordingly, the second node can receive the time resource configuration information. In some solutions, the time resource configuration information can be carried in a message M4 and sent to the second node. For the content of the message M5, please refer to the above description of the message shown in Figure 12.

[0238] Optionally, the message M4 may further include information indicating a time, and / or information indicating a duration, etc. For example, the message M4 may include one or more of information indicating a bias, information indicating a time period, information indicating a message size, information indicating a bias constraint, and a bias constraint flag.

[0239] Optionally, the first node may send a link configuration indication to the second node, where the link configuration indication is used to indicate a request to configure a logical link between the first node and the second node.

[0240] Exemplarily, the link configuration information may be represented by a field in message M4, such as the S field shown in Figure 12. When the S field in message M4 is 0, it indicates that the second node configures a logical link with the previous hop (ie, the first node).

[0241] Step S1503: The second node configures time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information.

[0242] As an implementation method of configuring time resources, the first node can select a time resource (referred to as the first time resource for easy distinction) from the available time resources (for example, idle time resources) based on the time resource configuration information and allocate it for the first node and the second node to transmit data of the first service.

[0243] As an allocation example, the configuration information of the first time resource includes information indicating the time. Combined with Figure 9, the time resource configuration information includes information indicating the time t. The second node can select a time resource (represented by a square with slashes) at the time t to allocate for transmitting data of the first service.

[0244] As another allocation example, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset, where the first offset indicates a starting offset within a period. The period may be included in the time resource configuration information, or the period may be a predefined or default period. The second node calculates the time resources required for sending service packets for a period and selects, from among the available time resources, a time resource closest to the first indicated offset for allocation.

[0245] As a possible implementation, the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset satisfies the offset constraint. Alternatively, if the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset does not satisfy the offset constraint, configuring the time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node fails.

[0246] Optionally, when resource allocation fails, the second node may feed back indication information of the resource allocation failure to the previous hop node.

[0247] Optionally, the communication function of the second node may be implemented by multiple communication layers. During configuration, the second communication layer of the second node may provide time resource configuration information to the first communication layer, and the first communication layer provides the configuration result to the second communication layer after configuring the time resource.

[0248] In some cases, the second node may determine a configuration result, which is referred to herein as a first resource configuration result. The first resource configuration result includes time information of the time resource configured by the second node, which is referred to as time resource S4 for easy distinction.

[0249] Furthermore, within the time indicated by the time resource S4, the first node and the second node transmit data of the first service.

[0250] For related descriptions, please refer to the description of the aforementioned step S802.

[0251] The embodiments shown in Figures 8 and 15 above provide a variety of possible solutions. Some of these possible designs are exemplarily described below in conjunction with Figures 16, 17, or 18. It should be understood that the logic, terminology, and other aspects of the embodiments shown in Figures 16, 17, or 18 can refer to those described above. Furthermore, the various embodiments of the present application, such as those shown in Figures 8, 15, 16, 17, and 18, and their possible implementations, can be combined.

[0252] Please refer to Figure 16, which is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method can be applied to a communication system comprising a first node, a previous hop node of the first node, and a next hop node of the first node. The first node has a configuration capability, and a logical link (i.e., logical link 1) between the previous hop node of the first node and the first node has been configured.

[0253] The communication method shown in Figure 16 may include one or more steps from step S1601 to step S1604. It should be understood that for the convenience of description, the description is given in the order of steps S1601 to step S1604, and is not intended to limit the execution to the above order. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of execution, execution time, number of executions, etc. of the above one or more steps. Steps S1601 to step S1604 are as follows:

[0254] Step S1601: The previous-hop node sends a message M1 to the first node.

[0255] Correspondingly, the first node receives the message M1 sent by the previous-hop node of the first node, and parses the message to obtain the carried content.

[0256] Message M1 includes time resource configuration information. As a possible implementation, message M1 includes information indicating a time, thereby indicating the temporal location of the time resource configured for transmitting data of the first service. This information indicating the time is related to the configuration of time resources between the first node and another node. In other words, this information indicating the time can be considered as time resource configuration information. Furthermore, message M1 may also include information indicating a duration. This information indicating the duration can also be related to the configuration of time resources between the first node and another node and, therefore, can also be considered as time resource configuration information.

[0257] As a possible implementation, the message M1 may include one or more of the following: bias indication information, time period indication information, message size indication information, link configuration indication, bias constraint indication information, and bias constraint flag. For related descriptions, please refer to the above description of the message structure shown in Figure 12.

[0258] Optionally, the message M1 includes an S field, and the value of the S field is a first value, indicating that the previous hop node of the first node has completed access layer configuration, and the first node only needs to configure time resources between the first node and the next hop.

[0259] Optionally, since the previous hop node of the first node has the configuration capability, the logical link 1 has been configured. The first node may perform step S1602 as follows:

[0260] Step S1602: The first node queries the link information between the first node and the previous hop node.

[0261] The link information may include time resource configuration information, and the related description can be found in the above.

[0262] Optionally, the query process can be implemented through inter-layer primitives. For related descriptions, please refer to the above.

[0263] Step S1603: The first node configures time resources according to the time resource configuration information.

[0264] The time resource configuration information used here may be information carried in the message, or obtained by querying the previous-hop access layer information of the first node. Alternatively, part of the information may be carried in the message (e.g., one or more of the message size, offset constraint, and message period), and part of the information (e.g., the first offset or time period) may be obtained by querying the previous-hop access layer information of the first node.

[0265] As an example of a possible configuration process, the time resource configuration information includes information indicating a first time instant. The first node may select a resource from available time resources based on the first time instant and configure it as a time resource for transmission between the first node and the next hop node. For a schematic diagram of the configuration process, see the description of step S802 or step S1502 above.

[0266] Optionally, when a logical link (referred to as logical link 2 for easy distinction) has been established between the first node and the next-hop node, the first node may update the configuration of logical link 2, thereby establishing a transmission channel for transmitting the first service.

[0267] Optionally, when a logical link has not been established between the first node and the next-hop node, the first node may establish and configure a logical link 2 with the next-hop node, thereby obtaining a communication for transmitting the first service.

[0268] As a possible implementation, the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset satisfies the offset constraint. Alternatively, if the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset does not satisfy the offset constraint, configuring the time resource between the first node and the next hop node fails.

[0269] Optionally, when resource allocation fails, the first node may feed back indication information of the resource allocation failure to the previous hop node.

[0270] Optionally, the communication function of the first node may be implemented by multiple communication layers. During configuration, the second communication layer of the first node may provide time resource configuration information to the first communication layer, and the first communication layer provides the configuration result to the second communication layer after configuring the time resource.

[0271] In some cases, the first node may determine a configuration result, where the first resource configuration result includes time information of the time resource configured by the first node.

[0272] Furthermore, within the time indicated by the time resource configured by the first node, the first node and the second node transmit data of the first service.

[0273] The relevant description can be found above.

[0274] Step S1604: The first node sends a message M2 to the next-hop node.

[0275] Optionally, the message M2 includes time resource configuration information, where the time resource configuration information is used to configure a logical link between the next-hop node and the next-next-hop node.

[0276] As an example implementation process of the embodiment shown in Figure 16, the first node obtains information such as message size, message period, offset, and offset constraint based on message parsing, or obtains the above information by querying link information. During configuration, the first node, based on its own processing capabilities, sends an access link establishment request (or link update request) to the access layer and provides the above information as reference information to the access layer for time resource configuration. After configuration is complete, the first node obtains message M2 based on the response information fed back by the access layer and forwards it to the next hop node.

[0277] Exemplarily, the offset of the end time within the period of the configured time resource information is used as the value of the offset field in message M2. The message size, message period, offset constraint, offset constraint flag, etc. in message M2 can refer to the values ​​of the corresponding fields in message M1. The value of the link configuration indication field can be determined based on the actual configuration of the first node. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 16, the value of the link configuration indication field in message M2 can indicate that the first node has completed the access layer configuration, and the next-hop node only needs to configure the time resource with its next hop.

[0278] In the embodiment shown in Figure 16, the first node has configuration capabilities and can configure the logical link between the first node and the next hop node based on time resource configuration information, and provide time resource configuration information for the time resource configuration between the next hop and the next next hop. Through time resource configuration, each node on the path can transmit data more efficiently, reducing end-to-end latency. Furthermore, because the time for node data transmission is preconfigured, the node's sleep and wake-up are more intelligent, effectively reducing the number of invalid node wake-ups and effectively extending the wake-up cycle.

[0279] Please refer to Figure 17, which is a flow chart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method can be applied to a communication system comprising a first node, a previous hop node of the first node, and a next hop node of the first node. Wherein, the first node has configuration capability, and the logical link (i.e., logical link 1) between the previous hop node of the first node and the first node is not configured. For example, the previous hop node of the first node may not have configuration capability.

[0280] The communication method shown in Figure 17 may include one or more steps from step S1701 to step S1703. It should be understood that for the convenience of description, the description is given in the order of steps S1701 to step S1703, and is not intended to limit the execution to the above order. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of execution, execution time, number of executions, etc. of the above one or more steps. Steps S1701 to step S1703 are as follows:

[0281] Step S1701: The previous-hop node sends a message M1 to the first node.

[0282] Accordingly, the first node receives the message M1 sent by the previous hop node of the first node and parses it to obtain the content carried. For example, the first node can parse and obtain information such as the link configuration indication, the bias constraint flag, the message size, the message period, the bias, and the bias constraint. The value of the S field carrying the link configuration indication can be 01, indicating that the time resource of the previous hop is not configured.

[0283] Message M1 includes time resource configuration information. For related description, see step S1601.

[0284] Step S1702: The first node configures time resources according to the time resource configuration information.

[0285] The logical link 1 between the first node and the previous hop node is not configured, and the first node can configure the time resource with the previous hop according to the time resource configuration information.

[0286] Exemplarily, the message carries an offset field, and the first node configures the time resource of the previous hop access link according to the offset indicated by the offset field.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the first node configures time resources based on the time resource configuration information and the processing capability of the first node. For example, the first node sends an access link update request to the access layer (taking the case where logical link 1 has been established as an example) based on the offset in the time resource configuration information to configure the time resources of the previous hop access link. For example, when logical link 1 is not established, the first node sends an access link establishment request to the access layer based on the offset in the time resource configuration information and the processing capability of the node itself to establish logical link 1 and configure the time resources of logical link 1.

[0288] Furthermore, after the first node completes the time resource configuration with the previous hop, it sends an access link establishment request to the access layer based on the time information of the time resources between the previous hop and the processing capability of this node, establishes a link with the next hop (i.e., logical link 2) and configures it.

[0289] Step S1703: The first node sends a message M3 to the next-hop node.

[0290] Optionally, the message M3 includes time resource configuration information, where the time resource configuration information is used to configure a logical link between the next-hop node and the next-next-hop node.

[0291] Exemplarily, after the configuration is completed, the first node fills the corresponding fields in the message M3 according to the time information of the time resource between the first node and the next hop, and forwards the message to the next hop node. Exemplarily, the offset of the end time within the period of the time resource information between the configuration and the next hop is used as the value of the offset field in the message M3. The message size, message period, offset constraint, offset constraint flag, etc. in the message M3 can refer to the values ​​of the corresponding fields in the message M1. The value of the link configuration indication field can be determined according to the actual configuration of the first node. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 16, the value of the link configuration indication field in the message M2 can indicate that the first node has completed the access layer configuration, and the next hop node only needs to configure the time resource with its next hop. For related descriptions, please refer to the embodiment shown in Figure 16 above.

[0292] In the embodiment shown in Figure 17, the first node has configuration capabilities and can configure the logical links between the previous and next hop nodes based on time resource configuration information, and provide time resource configuration information for the time resource configuration between the next hop and the next-next hop. Through time resource configuration, each node on the path can transmit data more efficiently, reducing end-to-end latency. Furthermore, because the time for node data transmission is preconfigured, the node's sleep and wake-up are more intelligent, effectively reducing the number of invalid node wake-ups and effectively extending the wake-up cycle.

[0293] Please refer to Figure 18, which is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method can be applied to a communication system comprising a first node, a previous hop node of the first node, and a next hop node of the first node. Wherein, the first node does not have configuration capability, and the logical link (i.e., logical link 1) between the previous hop node of the first node and the first node has been configured, for example, the previous hop node of the first node has configuration capability.

[0294] The communication method shown in Figure 18 may include one or more steps from step S1801 to step S1803. It should be understood that for the convenience of description, the description is given in the order of steps S1801 to step S1803, and it is not intended to limit the execution to the above order. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order of execution, execution time, number of executions, etc. of the above one or more steps. Steps S1801 to step S1803 are as follows:

[0295] Step S1801: The previous-hop node sends a message M5 to the first node.

[0296] Correspondingly, the first node receives the message M5 sent by the previous hop node of the first node and parses it to obtain the content carried. For example, the first node can parse and obtain information such as link configuration indication, bias constraint flag, message size, message period, bias, and bias constraint.

[0297] The status field may be 00, indicating that the time resource of the previous hop has been configured.

[0298] Message M5 includes time resource configuration information. For related description, see step S1601.

[0299] Optionally, since the previous hop node of the first node has the configuration capability, the logical link 1 has been configured. The first node may perform step S1802 as follows:

[0300] Step S1802: The first node queries the link information between the first node and the previous hop node.

[0301] The link information may include time resource configuration information, and the related description can be found in the above.

[0302] Optionally, the query process can be implemented through inter-layer primitives. For related descriptions, please refer to the above.

[0303] Step S1803: The first node sends a message M4 to the next-hop node.

[0304] Among them, the message M4 includes time resource configuration information and link configuration indication. The link configuration indication is used to indicate that the next hop node needs to configure a logical link with the first node, and the time resource configuration information is used to configure the time resource of the logical link between the next hop node and the next-next-hop node.

[0305] Exemplarily, the first node obtains information such as link configuration indication, bias constraint flag, message size, message period, bias, bias constraint, etc. according to message M5, or the first node initiates access link establishment to the access layer to query the configuration information of the previous hop to obtain information such as message period and bias. The first node uses the local clock to ensure that its understanding of time is consistent with that of the previous hop node. Furthermore, the first node fills in the corresponding fields (for example, the S field is set to 01 and carries the offset field) in message M4 in combination with the processing capability of this node, and forwards it to the next hop node. For relevant descriptions, please refer to the above. Optionally, message M4 may also include the superframe number of the access layer or other relevant parameters synchronized with the next hop node, so as to facilitate the understanding of the time of the next hop node to align with the first node.

[0306] In the embodiment shown in Figure 18, the first node may not be able to configure time resources or may be unable to do so due to other circumstances. However, in the above method, the operation of configuring time resources can be performed by nodes that meet the requirements, such as the next-hop node. This helps improve the efficiency and flexibility of time resource configuration. Furthermore, this method of configuring time resources enables the network to be compatible with nodes of different types, computing capabilities, and identities, thereby improving network inclusiveness.

[0307] The above describes in detail the method of the embodiment of the present application. The following provides an apparatus of the embodiment of the present application.

[0308] It should be understood that the division of the units in the device provided in the embodiments of the present application is only a division of logical functions, and in actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. In addition, the units in the device can be implemented in the form of a processor calling software. For example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and instructions are stored in the memory. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of each unit of the device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device.

[0309] Alternatively, the units in the device may be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units may be implemented by designing the hardware circuits, which may be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which implements the functions of some or all of the above units by designing the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. For another example, in another implementation, the hardware circuit may be implemented by a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which may include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationships between the logic gate circuits may be configured through configuration files, thereby implementing the functions of some or all of the above units.

[0310] In an embodiment of the present application, each unit in the device may be one or more processors (or processing circuits) configured to implement the above method, such as: CPU, (graphics processing unit, GPU), neural network processing unit (neural network processing unit, NPU), tensor processing unit (tensor processing unit, TPU), deep learning processing unit (deep learning processing unit, DPU), microprocessor (micro processor unit, MPU), digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), ASIC, FPGA, or a combination of at least two of these processor forms.

[0311] In addition, the various units in the above devices can be fully or partially integrated together, or can be implemented independently. In one implementation, these units are integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC). The SOC may include at least one processor for implementing any of the above methods or implementing the functions of the various units of the device. The type of the at least one processor may be different, for example, including a CPU and an FPGA, or including a CPU and an artificial intelligence processor, or including a CPU and a GPU, etc. Several possible devices are listed below.

[0312] Please refer to Figure 19, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the communication device 190 can be an independent device, such as a node. Alternatively, the communication device 190 can also be a device in an independent device (such as a node), such as a chip or an integrated circuit. The communication device 190 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figures 8, 15, 16, 17, or 18.

[0313] In one possible design, the communication device 190 includes a communication unit 1901 and a processing unit 1902. The communication device 190 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 8, Figure 16, Figure 17, or Figure 18. Exemplarily, the communication device is used to execute the method executed by the first node, the previous hop node of the first node, or the next hop node of the first node.

[0314] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is configured to obtain time resource configuration information, and the processing unit 1902 is configured to configure time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information.

[0315] In yet another possible implementation, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset.

[0316] In yet another possible implementation, the time resource configuration information includes a time period.

[0317] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to query link information between the first node and a previous-hop node of the first node, where the link information includes time resource configuration information.

[0318] In another possible implementation, link information querying is implemented using inter-layer primitives. Specifically, communication unit 1901 is further configured to send a query request to the first communication layer, the query request being used to query logical link parameter information, i.e., the aforementioned link information, including time resource configuration information. Accordingly, communication unit 1901 is further configured to receive link information feedback from the first communication layer.

[0319] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to receive a message M1 sent by a previous-hop node of the first node, where the message M1 includes time resource configuration information.

[0320] In another possible implementation, the time resource configuration information further includes information indicating the message size of the first service. Furthermore, the information indicating the message size of the first service is carried in the aforementioned message M1.

[0321] In another possible implementation, the message M1 further includes indication information of the bias constraint. Optionally, the time resource configuration information further includes indication information of the bias constraint.

[0322] In yet another possible implementation, the message M1 further includes a bias constraint flag.

[0323] In another possible implementation, the message M1 further includes a link configuration indication, where the link configuration indication is used to indicate whether a logical link between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node is configured.

[0324] As a possible implementation, if the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node is not configured, the communication device 190 can configure the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node. Correspondingly, if the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the second node is already configured, the communication device 190 does not need to configure the logical link between the previous hop node.

[0325] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1902 is configured to select a block of time resources (referred to as first time resources for easy distinction) within the time resources and allocate the block for transmitting data of the first service.

[0326] As an example of a configuration process, the first offset is used to indicate the starting offset within a period. For example, if the time resource configuration information includes a period and a first offset, communication device 190 calculates the time resources required to send service messages for a period and selects the time resource closest to the offset indicated by the offset from among the available time resources for allocation. Furthermore, when message M1 carries an offset constraint, communication device 190 also needs to determine: if the distance between the starting offset within the period of the time resource and the offset indicated by the offset is greater than the constraint value indicated by the offset constraint, the allocation fails.

[0327] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1902 is further configured to determine a first resource configuration result, where the resource configuration result includes time information of a first time resource, where the first time resource is a time resource configured for transmitting data of a first service between a first node and a second node.

[0328] In some possible implementations, the protocol stack of communication device 190 includes a first communication layer and a second communication layer, and information transmission between the two requires the use of corresponding inter-layer primitives. Exemplarily, communication unit 1901 is further configured to send a first request to the first communication layer and provide time resource configuration information, where the first request is used to request configuration of a logical link between the first node and the second node.

[0329] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to determine a first resource configuration result, where the resource configuration result includes time information of a first time resource, where the first time resource is a time resource configured to transmit data of a first service between the first node and the second node.

[0330] Optionally, the first resource configuration result is provided to the second communication layer of the communication device 190 using an inter-layer primitive. Exemplarily, the communication unit 1902 is further configured to receive a first response, where the first response is used to provide feedback on the processing status of the first request.

[0331] In another possible implementation, a time synchronization protocol is run in the communication device 190 , and the time synchronization protocol can ensure that the first node and other nodes (eg, the previous hop node) have consistent understanding of time.

[0332] In yet another possible implementation, the communication device 190 does not support or runs a time synchronization protocol.

[0333] In yet another possible implementation, the processing unit 1902 is further configured to determine a forwarding table, where the forwarding table is configured to indicate a transmission path between the first node and the second node.

[0334] In yet another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 and the processing unit 1902 are further configured to transmit data of the first service to the second node within the time indicated by the first time resource.

[0335] In another possible implementation, the time information of the first time resource includes an offset of the first time resource, where the offset of the first time resource is an offset of the first time resource relative to a second time position, wherein the second time position is the same as the first time position or is related to the first time position.

[0336] Optionally, a difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset satisfies the offset constraint.

[0337] Alternatively, if the difference between the offset of the first time resource and the first offset does not satisfy the offset constraint, configuring the time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node fails.

[0338] In another possible implementation, when resource allocation fails, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to feed back indication information of the resource allocation failure to the previous hop node of the first node.

[0339] In yet another possible implementation, the bias constraint may be carried in the message M1.

[0340] In another possible implementation, in the transmission path of the first service, the second node is a next-hop node of the first node.

[0341] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1902 is further configured to configure time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information and the processing capability of the first node.

[0342] In yet another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to send time information of the first time resource to the second node.

[0343] Optionally, the time information of the first time resource is used to configure the time resource of the data of the first service between the second node and the next hop node of the second node.

[0344] In another possible implementation, in the transmission path of the first service, the second node is a previous-hop node of the first node.

[0345] In yet another possible implementation, the processing unit 1902 is further configured to configure, according to the time information of the first time resource, a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node.

[0346] In another possible embodiment, the processing unit 1902 is also used to configure the time resources between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information carried in the message M1, and then configure the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node based on the time information of the time resources configured for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

[0347] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1902 is further configured to determine a second resource configuration result, wherein the second resource configuration result includes time information of a second time resource, where the second time resource is a time resource configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the third node.

[0348] In another possible implementation, communication unit 1901 is further configured to send second time resource information to the third node. The second time resource information is used to configure a time resource for transmitting data of the first service between the third node and the next hop node of the second node. Optionally, the second time resource information may be carried in a message sent to the third node. For ease of distinction, the message carrying the second time resource information is referred to as message M3.

[0349] In one possible design, communication device 190 includes a communication unit 1901, which is configured to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG15 , FIG16 , FIG17 , or FIG18 . Exemplarily, the communication device is configured to execute the method executed by the first node, the previous hop node of the first node, or the next hop node of the first node.

[0350] In one possible implementation, communication unit 1901 is configured to obtain time resource configuration information and send the time resource configuration information and a link configuration indication to the second node. The time resource configuration information is associated with a time resource for transmitting data of a first service between the first node and a previous hop node of the second node. The link configuration indication is used to indicate a request to configure a logical link between the first node and the second node.

[0351] Optionally, the time resource configuration information and the link configuration indication may be carried in a message and sent to the second node, so that the message is referred to as message M4 for easy identification.

[0352] In a possible implementation, the time resource configuration information includes time information of time resources between the first node and the previous hop node, where the time information is used to indicate a location of time resources between the first node and the previous hop node for transmitting data of the first service.

[0353] In yet another possible implementation, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset.

[0354] In yet another possible implementation, the time resource configuration information includes a time period.

[0355] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to query link information between the first node and the previous-hop node, where the link information includes time resource configuration information.

[0356] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1901 is further configured to receive time resource configuration information sent by the previous hop node of the first node. Optionally, the time resource configuration information may be carried in the message M5 and sent.

[0357] In another possible implementation, the time resource configuration information further includes indication information of the message size of the first service. Optionally, the indication information of the message size of the first service is carried in the message M5.

[0358] In another possible implementation, the message M5 further includes indication information of a second offset constraint, where the second offset constraint is used to constrain the time position of time resources for transmitting data of the first service.

[0359] Optionally, the communication device 190 further includes a processing unit 1902, and the processing unit 1902 is configured to determine the first bias constraint according to the indication information of the second bias constraint, and the message M4 also includes the indication information of the first bias constraint.

[0360] Optionally, the first bias constraint and the second bias constraint are the same. Alternatively, the first bias constraint and the second bias constraint are different.

[0361] In another possible implementation, the message M5 further includes a second bias constraint flag, where the second bias constraint flag is used to indicate whether the message M5 includes indication information of the first bias constraint.

[0362] In another possible implementation, the message M4 further includes a first bias constraint flag, and the first bias constraint flag is used to indicate whether the message M4 includes indication information of the first bias constraint.

[0363] Please refer to Figure 20, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 200 can be an independent device, such as a node, or a device included in an independent device, such as a chip, a software module, or an integrated circuit. The communication device 200 may include at least one processor 2001 and a communication interface 2002. Optionally, it may also include at least one memory 2003. Further optionally, it may also include a connection line 2004, wherein the processor 2001, the communication interface 2002 and / or the memory 2003 are connected via the connection line 2004, and / or communicate with each other via the connection line 2004 to transmit control signals and / or data signals.

[0364] in:

[0365] The processor 2001 is a module that performs arithmetic operations and / or logical operations, and may specifically include one or more of the following modules: a filter, a modem, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a baseband processor, a radio frequency processor, a radio frequency circuit, a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), an electronic control unit (ECU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an image signal processor (ISP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or a coprocessor, etc.

[0366] The communication interface 2002 may be used to provide information input or output for at least one processor, or to receive externally transmitted signals and / or transmit externally transmitted signals.

[0367] For example, the communication interface 2002 may include an interface circuit.

[0368] For example, the communication interface 2002 may include a wired link interface such as an Ethernet cable, or a wireless link interface (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, general wireless transmission, vehicle-mounted short-range communication technology, and other short-range wireless communication technologies, etc.).

[0369] Optionally, the communication interface 2002 may further include a radio frequency transmitter, an antenna, etc. When the communication interface 2002 includes an antenna, the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0370] As a possible design, if the communication device 200 is a standalone device, the communication interface 2002 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver and the transmitter may be the same component or different components. When the receiver and the transmitter are the same component, the component may be referred to as a transceiver.

[0371] As another possible design, if the communication device 200 is a chip or a circuit, the communication interface 2002 may include an input interface and an output interface. The input interface and the output interface may be the same interface, or may be different interfaces.

[0372] Optionally, the functions of the communication interface 2002 may be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip.

[0373] Memory 2003 is used to provide storage space for storing data such as an operating system and computer programs. Memory 2003 can be one or a combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM).

[0374] The functions and actions of the modules or units in the communication device 200 listed above are only for illustrative purposes.

[0375] Each functional unit in the communication device 200 can be used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 8, Figure 15, Figure 16, Figure 17, or Figure 18, for example, a method for executing a first node, a previous hop node of the first node, or a next hop node of the first node.

[0376] Optionally, the processor 2001 may be a processor specifically used to execute the aforementioned method (for convenience of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor), or a processor that executes the aforementioned method by calling a computer program (for convenience of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor). Optionally, the at least one processor may include both a dedicated processor and a general-purpose processor.

[0377] Optionally, in the case where the communication device 200 includes at least one memory 2003 , if the processor 2001 implements the aforementioned communication method by calling a computer program, the computer program may be stored in the memory 2003 .

[0378] An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip comprising a logic circuit and a communication interface. The communication interface is configured to receive or transmit signals, and the logic circuit is configured to receive or transmit signals via the communication interface. The chip is configured to implement the aforementioned communication methods, such as those shown in Figures 8, 15, 16, 17, or 18.

[0379] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor (or communication device), the aforementioned communication method is implemented, such as the communication method shown in Figures 8, 15, 16, 17, or 18.

[0380] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 8, Figure 15, Figure 16, Figure 17, or Figure 18.

[0381] An embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal, which includes the aforementioned communication device 130 and / or communication device 200.

[0382] As a possible implementation, the terminal includes a terminal node. Further, the terminal also includes a first management node and / or a second management node. Further, the terminal also includes a control node.

[0383] For example, terminals may include intelligent terminals or vehicles such as vehicles, robots, drones, ships, and boats. Vehicles are broadly defined and may include transportation vehicles (e.g., commercial vehicles, passenger cars, motorcycles, flying cars, trains, etc.), industrial vehicles (e.g., forklifts, trailers, tractors, etc.), engineering vehicles (e.g., excavators, bulldozers, cranes, etc.), agricultural equipment (e.g., mowers, harvesters, etc.), and so on. Robots may also include automated guided vehicles (AGVs), mobile conversational robots, service robots, and other robots.

[0384] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0385] In the embodiments of the present application, the names of information and devices are exemplarily named to facilitate understanding of the content of this solution. In specific implementations, their names may have other designs. In addition, different designs may exist for the names of the same thing in different scenarios (such as different communication layers). For example, time resource configuration information may also be referred to as reference information, etc. For another example, different communication layers have different names for the encapsulation of business data. At the application layer, the first business is directly transmitted in the form of data, but at the network layer, the data of the first business is encapsulated in the message transmission of the first business.

[0386] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items.

[0387] For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, (a and b), (a and c), (b and c), or (a and b and c), where a, b, and c can be single or plural. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0388] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," "M1," "M2," "M3," "M4," "M5," "S1," "S2," and "S3" used in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first node and the second node are merely for the convenience of describing new parameters in different implementations and do not indicate differences in their execution operations, importance, structure, etc.

[0389] In the above embodiments, the term "when" can be interpreted to mean "if...", "after...", "in response to determining...", or "in response to detecting...", depending on the context. The above are merely optional embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the concepts and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0390] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or by a program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a first node, the method includes: obtaining time resource configuration information, the time resource configuration information being associated with the time resources for transmitting data of a first service between the first node and a second node, the path through which the data of the first service is transmitted in the network includes the first node and the second node, and the first node and the second node belong to the same network; configuring the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset, and the first offset is used to indicate an offset relative to a first time position.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, the time resource configuration information includes a time period, and the first time position is the start time of the time period.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, the obtaining of the time resource configuration information includes: when the logical link between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node is already configured, querying the link information between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node, and the link information includes the time resource configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, the logical link between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node is established by a first communication layer of the first node; the querying of the link information between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node includes: querying the link information between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node from the first communication layer; receiving the link information between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node provided by the first communication layer.

6. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, the obtaining of the time resource configuration information includes: receiving a first message sent by the previous-hop node of the first node, and the first message includes the time resource configuration information.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that, the data of the first service is transmitted through a message of the first service, and the time resource configuration information further includes indication information of the size of the message of the first service, and the indication information of the size of the message of the first service is carried in the first message.

8. The communication method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, the first message further includes one or more of indication information of offset constraint, an offset constraint flag, and a link configuration indication, wherein, the offset constraint is used to constrain the time position of the time resources for transmitting the data of the first service; the offset constraint flag is used to indicate whether the first message includes the indication information of the offset constraint; the link configuration indication is used to indicate whether the logical link between the first node and the previous-hop node of the first node is configured.

9. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-8, It is characterized in that a logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node is established by the first communication layer of the first node; configuring time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and a second node according to the time resource configuration information includes: sending a first request to the first communication layer and providing the time resource configuration information, where the first request is used to apply for time resource configuration for the logical link between the first node and the second node.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, It is characterized in that the method further includes: determining a first resource configuration result, where the resource configuration result includes time information of first time resources, and the first time resources are time resources configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, It is characterized in that the method further includes: receiving a first resource configuration result fed back by the first communication layer, where the resource configuration result includes time information of the first time resources, and the first time resources are time resources configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node.

12. The communication method according to claim 10 or 11, It is characterized in that the method further includes: transmitting data of the first service with the second node within the time indicated by the first time resources.

13. The communication method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that the time information of the first time resources includes an offset of the first time resources, and a difference between the offset of the first time resources and the first offset satisfies an offset constraint, the first time resources are time resources configured for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node, the offset of the first time resources is an offset of the first time resources relative to a second time position, and the first time position is the same as or related to the second time position.

14. The communication method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that the time information of the first time resources includes an offset of the first time resources, and when a difference between the offset of the first time resources and the first offset does not satisfy the offset constraint, configuring time resources for transmitting data of the first service between the first node and the second node fails; a difference between the offset of the first time resources and the first offset satisfies the offset constraint, the offset of the first time resources is an offset of the first time resources relative to a second time position, and the first time position is the same as or related to the second time position.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-14, It is characterized in that in a transmission path of the first service, the second node is a next hop node of the first node.

16. The method according to claim 15, It is characterized in that Configuring the time resource for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information includes: Configuring the time resource for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node according to the time resource configuration information and the processing capacity of the first node.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein, the method further includes: Sending a second message to the second node, the second message including time information of a first time resource, the first time resource being the time resource configured for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the second node, and the time information of the first time resource being used to configure the time resource for the data of the first service between the second node and the next-hop node of the second node.

18. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-14, wherein, In the transmission path of the first service, the second node is the upstream node of the first node.

19. The communication method according to claim 18, wherein, the method further includes: Configuring the time resource for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the third node according to the time information of the first time resource, the third node being the downstream node of the first node in the transmission path of the first service, and the first node, the second node, and the third node belonging to the same network.

20. The communication method according to claim 19, wherein, the method further includes: Determining a second resource configuration result, the second resource configuration result including time information of a second time resource, the second time resource being the time resource configured for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the third node; Transmitting the data of the first service with the third node within the time indicated by the second time resource.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, the further includes: Sending a second message to the third node, the second message including the time information of the second time resource, and the time information of the second time resource being used to configure the time resource for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the third node.

22. A communication method, wherein, Applied to the first node, the method includes: Obtaining time resource configuration information, the time resource configuration information being associated with the time resource for transmitting the data of the first service between the first node and the upstream node of the second node; Sending a first message to the second node, the first message including the time resource configuration information and a link configuration indication, the link configuration indication being used to indicate a request to configure a logical link between the first node and the second node.

23. The communication method according to claim 22, wherein, the time resource configuration information includes a first offset, and the first offset is used to indicate an offset relative to a first time position.

24. The communication method according to claim 23, wherein, The time resource allocation information includes a time period, and the first time position is the start moment of the time period.

25. The communication method according to any one of claims 22-24, characterized in that the obtaining of the time resource allocation information includes: when the logical link between the first node and the previous hop node of the first node is configured, query the link information between the first node and the link between the first node and the previous hop node, where the link information includes the time resource allocation information.

26. The communication method according to any one of claims 21-25, characterized in that the obtaining of the time resource allocation information includes: receiving a second message sent by the previous hop node of the first node, where the second message includes the time resource allocation information.

27. The communication method according to claim 26, characterized in that the data of the first service is transmitted through the message of the first service, and the time resource allocation information further includes indication information of the size of the message of the first service, and the indication information of the size of the message of the first service is carried in the second message.

28. The communication method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that the second message further includes indication information of a second bias constraint, where the second bias constraint is used to constrain the time position of the time resource for transmitting the data of the first service; the method further includes: determining a first bias constraint according to the indication information of the second bias constraint, and the first message further includes the indication information of the first bias constraint.

29. The communication method according to any one of claims 26-28, characterized in that the second message further includes a second bias constraint flag, where the second bias constraint flag is used to indicate whether the second message includes the indication information of the second bias constraint; the first message further includes a first bias constraint flag, where the first bias constraint flag is used to indicate whether the first message includes the indication information of the first bias constraint.

30. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit, and the communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

31. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit, and the communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 22-29.

32. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor and a communication interface; when the processor calls a computer program or instruction in a memory, the method according to any one of claims 1-21 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 22-29 is executed.

33. A chip, characterized in that the chip includes a processor and a communication interface; the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-21, or implement the method according to any one of claims 22-29.

34. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system includes a first node and a second node, and the first node and the second node are communicatively connected. The first node includes the communication device as described in claim 30, or includes the communication device as described in claim 31.

35. A terminal, characterized in that the terminal includes the communication device as described in claim 30, or includes the communication device as described in claim 31, or includes the communication device as described in claim 32, or includes the chip as described in claim 33, or includes the communication system as described in claim 34.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium is used to store instructions or computer programs; when the instructions or the computer programs are executed, the method as described in any one of claims 1-20 is implemented, or the method as described in any one of claims 21-29 is implemented.

Images