Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. In the method, a relay device supports at least two relay modes, and a donor node or a core network device can determine a specific granted relay mode to be used by the relay device, so as to facilitate a network side in selecting a specific relay mode for the relay device according to requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of a networking scenario of the relay device, and saving the energy consumption of the relay device.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 8, 2024, with application number 202410178329.0 and invention name “A Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Relay equipment is typically deployed in areas with poor signal coverage to expand or improve network coverage. Common relay equipment in traditional technologies includes: radio frequency repeaters (RF Repeaters) and new radio repeaters (NR Repeaters), which are equipped with radio unit (RU) modules; network controlled repeaters (NCRs), which are equipped with RU modules and mobile terminal (MT) modules; integrated access and backhaul (IAB) devices, which are equipped with RU modules, MT modules, and distributed units (DUs); and wireless access backhaul (WAB) devices, which are equipped with RU modules, MT modules, and gNBs (including a separate architecture of DUs and centralized units (CUs)).

[0004] With the development of communication technology, future networks will need to be more flexible, open, sustainable, and intelligent to cope with the complexity of future technology convergence, the diversity of services, and the fragmentation of business models. Therefore, in future network design, it is necessary to break through the limitations of dedicated equipment and make network capabilities elastic and scalable, and hardware resources dynamically shareable. This will enhance the network's adaptability to services and further reduce network construction costs.

[0005] However, traditional elastic network implementations don't consider elastic expansion of relay nodes. Currently, to enhance network coverage, a large number of relay nodes must be deployed based on scenario requirements. This hinders flexible network deployment and reduces relay device energy efficiency. Therefore, achieving elastic expansion of relay devices in the network is a hot topic of discussion. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device for realizing the integration and conversion of relay devices in different modes, improving the flexibility of network deployment, and saving energy consumption of relay devices.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a host node (e.g., a host node of a relay device) or by a component of the host node (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the host node as an example, the host node receives capability information of the relay device, where the capability information of the relay device is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; then, the host node sends indication information to a core network device, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one relay mode of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; then, the host node receives authorization information from the core network device, where the authorization information is used to indicate an authorized relay mode of at least one relay mode; then, the host node sends a mode command, where the mode command is used to indicate a relay mode used by the relay device, where the relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes.

[0008] In this application, the relay device supports at least two relay modes, and the host node or core network device can decide a certain authorized relay mode for the relay device to use, which is conducive to the network side selecting a specific relay mode for the relay device on demand, thereby improving the flexibility of networking scenarios involving relay devices.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the donor node supports at least one relay mode among at least two relay modes, and / or the core network device supports at least one relay mode among at least two relay modes.

[0010] In this embodiment, the indication information only indicates at least one of the at least two relay modes, which may be caused by the capability of the host node or the capability of the core network device.

[0011] In one possible implementation, before sending the indication information to the core network device, the donor node determines a core network device capable of serving the relay device. For example, the donor node obtains relay modes supported by at least one core network device; then, based on at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, the donor node determines a core network device that serves the relay device, where the core network device that serves the relay device supports at least one of the at least two relay modes.

[0012] In this embodiment, the donor node determines a core network device that supports at least one relay mode supported by the relay device as the core network device serving the relay device. This helps ensure that the core network device authorizes the relay device to support a specific relay mode. Furthermore, when the core network device determined by the donor node supports at least two relay modes, this helps the core network device determine one relay mode from the at least two relay modes, or helps the core network device authorize multiple relay modes for the relay device. This, in turn, helps improve the flexibility of relay device networking.

[0013] In one possible embodiment, the indication information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a first relay mode determined by the host node, where the first relay mode is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes first authorization information, and the first authorization information is used to indicate the authorized first relay mode; the mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use the first relay mode.

[0014] In this embodiment, the host node determines at least one relay mode from at least two relay modes supported by the relay device and notifies the core network device for authorization, which is conducive to determining a relay mode that is more suitable for the relay device to use in subsequent work and improving the flexibility of the relay network.

[0015] In one possible embodiment, the indication information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes second authorization information, and the second authorization information is used to indicate a second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information; the mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use the second relay mode.

[0016] The at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information may be part or all of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device.

[0017] In this implementation, the host node notifies the core network device of some or all of the relay modes supported by the relay device for authorization, allowing the core network device to authorize some of the relay modes notified by the host node. This facilitates the core network device's participation in determining the relay mode subsequently used by the relay device, improving the flexibility of relay networking.

[0018] In one possible embodiment, the indication information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes third authorization information, and the third authorization information is used to indicate at least two authorized relay modes; the mode command is used to indicate the third relay mode determined by the host node, and the third relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the third authorization information.

[0019] The at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information may be some or all of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. The at least two relay modes indicated by the third authorization information may be some or all of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information, and of course, are also some or all of the relay modes supported by the relay device.

[0020] In this embodiment, the host node notifies the core network device of some or all of the relay modes supported by the relay device for authorization, so that the core network device authorizes some or all of the relay modes notified by the host node. This facilitates providing the relay device with multiple authorized relay modes, allowing the relay device to autonomously switch relay modes as needed.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the mode command further includes third authorization information. This can be understood as the donor node sending all relay modes authorized by the core network device to the relay device, so that the relay device can autonomously switch the relay mode as needed.

[0022] In a possible embodiment, the method also includes: the host node receives third indication information from the relay device, the third indication information is used to indicate the relay mode that the relay device expects to use, and the relay mode that the relay device expects to use is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device.

[0023] Optionally, the third indication information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message. For example, the RRC message is an RRC setup complete message.

[0024] In this embodiment, the relay device provides the host node with at least two relay modes supported by the relay device during the network access phase, and selectively provides the relay mode expected by the relay device. This is beneficial for the network side (for example, the host node or core network device) to determine a relay mode suitable for the relay device to use, and is also beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode for the relay device based on networking requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of relay networking.

[0025] In a possible implementation, before the host node receives the third indication information from the relay device, the method further includes: the host node sending a broadcast message, the broadcast message including fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode supported by the host node.

[0026] Optionally, the fourth indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the host node.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the host node is a target host node;

[0028] The host node receives the capability information of the relay device, including: the target host node receives a handover request from the source host node, where the handover request includes the capability information of the relay device.

[0029] In this embodiment, the source host node can send at least two relay modes supported by the relay device to the target host node when switching the relay device based on the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device when joining the network. This is beneficial for the network side (for example, the target host node or core network device) to determine a relay mode suitable for the relay device to use, and is also beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode for the relay device based on networking requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of relay networking.

[0030] In a possible embodiment, the switching request also includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode currently used by the relay device and / or the authorized relay mode. The relay mode currently used by the relay device is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the authorized relay mode is the relay mode authorized by the core network device when the relay device accesses the source host node.

[0031] In this embodiment, the relay mode currently used is the relay mode in which the relay device works after entering the network, which can reflect the tendency to select this relay mode to a certain extent, and the authorized relay mode can also be used as a reference for the core network device to update the authorization information for the relay device accessing the target host node. Therefore, it is beneficial for the network side (for example, the target host node or core network device) to determine a relay mode suitable for the relay device to use, and it is also beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode for the relay device based on the networking requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of the relay networking.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the handover request further includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the relay mode determined by the source host node for the relay device to use after the handover. For example, in a handover scenario, the source host node can determine the relay mode to be used after the handover for the relay device, and send it to the target host node via a handover request, so that the target host node can refer to the relay mode determined by the source host node to determine the relay mode to be sent to the core network device for authorization. This is beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode suitable for use by the relay device in operation, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following:

[0034] Layer 1 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module and the MT module; or

[0035] Layer 2 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the DU module; or

[0036] Layer 3 relay mode, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, and the functions of the gNB; or, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU, and the functions of the CU.

[0037] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be executed by a core network device or by a component of the core network device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the core network device as an example, the core network device receives second indication information from a host node, where the second indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the core network device sends authorization information to the host node, where the authorization information is used to indicate an authorized relay mode among the at least two relay modes, and the relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes.

[0038] In this embodiment, the core network device can receive indication information of at least two relay modes for the same relay device from the donor node and authorize at least one of the at least two relay modes for the relay device. In other words, the core network device can authorize some or all of the relay modes notified by the donor node, which facilitates the core network device's participation in determining the relay mode subsequently used by the relay device, provides multiple authorized relay modes for the relay device, and improves the flexibility of relay networking.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the authorization information includes second authorization information, where the second authorization information is used to indicate a second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information.

[0040] For example, the core network device determines the second relay mode based on the second indication information and the relay modes supported by the core network device; then, the core network device authorizes the second relay mode to obtain second authorization information.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner, the authorization information includes third authorization information, where the third authorization information is used to indicate at least two authorized relay modes.

[0042] For example, the core network device authorizes at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information to obtain third authorization information.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following:

[0044] Layer 1 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module and the MT module; or

[0045] Layer 2 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the DU module; or

[0046] Layer 3 relay mode, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, and the functions of the gNB; or, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU, and the functions of the CU.

[0047] It should be noted that the specific implementation methods and beneficial effects of this aspect are similar to some implementation methods in the first aspect above. Please refer to the specific implementation methods and beneficial effects of the first aspect for details, and they will not be repeated here.

[0048] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a source host node or by a component of the source host node (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the source host node as an example, the source host node obtains capability information of at least one adjacent host node, where the capability information of the adjacent host node is used to indicate a relay mode supported by the adjacent host node; the source host node sends a switching request to a target host node, where the switching request includes capability information of a relay device, where the capability information of the relay device is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the target host node is one of the at least one adjacent host node, and the target host node supports at least one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device.

[0049] In a possible embodiment, the switching request also includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode currently used by the relay device and / or the authorized relay mode. The relay mode currently used by the relay device is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the authorized relay mode is the relay mode authorized by the core network device when the relay device accesses the source host node.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the handover request further includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the relay mode determined by the source host node for the relay device to use after the handover. For example, in a handover scenario, the source host node can determine the relay mode to be used after the handover for the relay device, and send it to the target host node via a handover request, so that the target host node can refer to the relay mode determined by the source host node to determine the relay mode to be sent to the core network device for authorization. This is beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode suitable for use by the relay device in operation, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0052] The source host node sends a mode command to the relay device. The mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use a relay mode. The relay mode used by the relay device is determined by the source host node or the target host node.

[0053] It should be noted that the specific implementation methods and beneficial effects of this aspect are similar to some implementation methods in the first aspect above. Please refer to the specific implementation methods and beneficial effects of the first aspect for details, and they will not be repeated here.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be performed by a relay device or by a component of the relay device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the relay device as an example, the relay device determines to switch to a relay mode, where the relay mode includes one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the relay device sends a request message, where the request message is used to request that a terminal device accessing the relay device be switched to a neighboring cell.

[0055] Among them, the adjacent cell can be a cell in an adjacent access network device, the adjacent access network device can be a host node currently providing services to the relay device, or it can be other adjacent ordinary base stations, which is not limited in this application.

[0056] In this aspect, the relay device can decide to switch the relay mode, and can switch the terminal device that has an RRC connection with the relay device to an adjacent cell before executing the relay mode conversion, thereby achieving flexible conversion of the relay mode while ensuring that the terminal device's service is not interrupted, thereby improving the flexibility of the relay device networking.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the relay device adopts a layer 3 relay mode; the request message is a handover request message, which is used to request that the terminal device accessing the relay device be handed over to a neighboring cell.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the relay device adopts a layer 2 relay mode or a layer 1 relay mode; the request message includes tenth indication information, and the tenth indication information is used to request the donor node to switch the terminal device accessing the relay device to a neighboring cell.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the relay device sending sixth indication information to the network device, the sixth indication information being used to indicate a converted relay mode, where the converted relay mode is one of the authorized relay modes. The network device may be a host node (e.g., a host node of the relay device), a core network device, or a network management device (e.g., an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) element).

[0060] In this embodiment, the relay device indicates the converted relay mode to the network device, which can prompt the network device to authorize the converted relay mode determined by the relay device, thereby improving the success rate of the relay device executing the mode conversion.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the relay device receiving a mode conversion command from a network device, the mode conversion command being used to indicate a post-conversion relay mode. The network device may be a host node (e.g., a host node of the relay device), a core network device, or a network management device (e.g., an OAM).

[0062] In this embodiment, the relay device determines the relay mode after the conversion based on the instruction of the network device. When the relay mode after the conversion indicated to the relay device by the network device is an authorized relay mode, the relay device can directly execute the mode conversion process without applying for authorization for the converted relay mode from the network device.

[0063] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system). The network device can be a host node (for example, a host node of a relay device), a core network device, or a network management device (for example, OAM). Taking the first network device as an example, the first network device determines to convert the relay mode, and the relay mode includes one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; then, the first network device sends a mode conversion command to the relay device, and the mode conversion command is used to indicate the converted relay mode.

[0064] In this aspect, the network device determines that the relay device switches to a relay mode and indicates the switched relay mode to the relay device, which is beneficial for the network device to indicate the relay mode to the relay device as needed and improves the flexibility of relay device networking.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0066] The first network device sends seventh indication information to the second network device, where the seventh indication information is used to indicate the relay mode after the conversion.

[0067] The first network device and the second network device are different types of network devices. For example, the first network device is a host node, and the second network device is a core network device or an OAM; or the first network device is a core network device, and the second network device is a host node or an OAM; or the first network device is an OAM, and the second network device is a host node or a core network device.

[0068] In this embodiment, after the first network device determines the converted relay mode of the relay device, the first network device needs to notify other network devices (for example, the second network device) of the converted relay mode of the relay device so that the second network device can provide services to the relay device according to the converted relay mode.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the relay device is in layer 3 relay mode, and the first network device is a host node;

[0070] The method also includes: the first network device sends eighth indication information to the relay device, where the eighth indication information is used to instruct the terminal device accessing the relay device to be switched to a neighboring cell.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the relay device is in layer 2 relay mode or layer 1 relay mode, and the first network device is a host node;

[0072] The method also includes: the first network device determines to switch the terminal device accessing the relay device to a neighboring cell.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be executed by a host node or by a component of the host node (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the host node as an example, the host node sends a relay mode supported by the host node to the core network device.

[0074] Optionally, the host node receives, from the core network device, a relay mode supported by the core network device.

[0075] Optionally, the relay mode includes a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, or a layer 3 relay mode.

[0076] Optionally, the relay mode supported by the host node may be one or more of the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, or the layer 3 relay mode. The relay mode supported by the core network device may be one or more of the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, or the layer 3 relay mode.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication method that can be executed by a host node or by a component of the host node (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the host node as an example, the host node sends a relay mode supported by the host node to an adjacent access network device.

[0078] Optionally, the donor node receives, from the adjacent access network device, a relay mode supported by the adjacent access network device.

[0079] Optionally, the relay mode includes a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, or a layer 3 relay mode.

[0080] Optionally, the relay mode supported by the host node may be one or more of the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, or the layer 3 relay mode. The relay mode supported by the adjacent access network device may be one or more of the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, or the layer 3 relay mode.

[0081] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a core network device or by a component of the core network device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system). Taking the core network device as an example, the core network device sends a relay mode supported by the core network device to the host node.

[0082] Optionally, the core network device receives, from the host node, a relay mode supported by the host node.

[0083] Optionally, the relay mode includes a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, or a layer 3 relay mode.

[0084] Optionally, the relay mode supported by the host node may be one or more of the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, or the layer 3 relay mode. The relay mode supported by the core network device may be one or more of the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, or the layer 3 relay mode.

[0085] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a host node in the aforementioned embodiment, or a chip within the host node. The communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. When the communication device is a host node, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver; the host node may further include a storage module, which may be a memory; the storage module is used to store instructions, and the processing module executes the instructions stored in the storage module so that the host node executes the method in any one of the first, third, fifth, sixth, or seventh embodiments. When the communication device is a chip within a host node, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.; the processing module executes the instructions stored in the storage module so that the host node executes the method in any one of the first, third, fifth, sixth, or seventh embodiments. The storage module may be a storage module within the chip (e.g., a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage module within the host node located outside the chip (e.g., a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0086] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a core network device in the aforementioned embodiments, or a chip within the core network device. The communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. When the communication device is a core network device, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver. The core network device may further include a storage module, which may be a memory. The storage module is configured to store instructions, and the processing module executes the instructions stored in the storage module to cause the core network device to perform the method in any one of the second, fifth, or eighth embodiments. When the communication device is a chip within the core network device, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be an input / output interface, pin, or circuit. The processing module executes the instructions stored in the storage module to cause the core network device to perform the method in any one of the second, fifth, or eighth embodiments. The storage module may be a storage module within the chip (e.g., a register, cache, etc.), or a storage module within the core network device located external to the chip (e.g., a read-only memory, random access memory, etc.).

[0087] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be the relay device described in the aforementioned embodiment, or a chip within the relay device. The communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. When the communication device is a relay device, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be a transceiver; the relay device may further include a storage module, which may be a memory; the storage module is configured to store instructions, and the processing module executes the instructions stored in the storage module to cause the relay device to perform the method described in the fourth aspect or any one of the embodiments of the fourth aspect. When the communication device is a chip within a relay device, the processing module may be a processor, and the transceiver module may be an input / output interface, pin, or circuit, etc.; the processing module executes the instructions stored in the storage module to cause the relay device to perform the method described in the fourth aspect or any one of the embodiments of the fourth aspect. The storage module may be a storage module within the chip (e.g., a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage module within the relay device located outside the chip (e.g., a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0088] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be an integrated circuit chip. The integrated circuit chip includes a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory, which is configured to store programs or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device performs the method described in any of the embodiments of the aforementioned aspects.

[0089] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method as described in any one of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0090] In the fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute a method as described in any one of the embodiments in the previous aspects.

[0091] In the fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a host node executing the aforementioned first aspect and any one of the implementations of the first aspect, and a core network device executing the aforementioned second aspect and any one of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0092] In the sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a relay device that executes the aforementioned fourth aspect and any one of the implementations of the fourth aspect, and a network device that executes the aforementioned fifth aspect and any one of the implementations of the fifth aspect.

[0093] In the seventeenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a host node executing the aforementioned sixth aspect and any one of the implementations of the sixth aspect, and a core network device executing the aforementioned eighth aspect and any one of the implementations of the eighth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0094] FIG1A is an exemplary diagram of the system architecture of the communication method provided in this application;

[0095] FIG1B is another exemplary diagram of the system architecture of the communication method provided in this application;

[0096] FIG1C is another exemplary diagram of the system architecture of the communication method provided in this application;

[0097] FIG1D is another exemplary diagram of the system architecture of the communication method provided in this application;

[0098] FIG2 is a flow chart of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0099] FIG3 is another flow chart of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0100] FIG4 is another flow chart of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0101] FIG5 is another flow chart of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0102] FIG6 is another flow chart of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0103] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the device provided by the present application;

[0104] FIG8 is another schematic diagram of the device provided by the present application;

[0105] FIG9 is another schematic diagram of the device provided by the present application;

[0106] FIG10 is another schematic diagram of the device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0108] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like (if any) in the specification and claims of this application and in the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequential sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, e.g., a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0109] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be single or multiple. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. In addition, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions in this article is used to represent any combination of the listed items; for example, at least one of A, B and (or) C can represent the following six situations: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, B and C exist at the same time, A and C exist at the same time, and A, B and C exist at the same time, where A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0110] It should be understood that the “selection” in this application can be understood as “determination”, and the “selection” in this application can be replaced by “determination”.

[0111] For ease of understanding, the following first introduces the system architecture and application scenarios of the communication method proposed in this application:

[0112] The communication method proposed in this application can be applied to the long term evolution (LTE) system, the 5G NR (5G New Radio) system, the sixth generation mobile communication technology (6G) system and subsequent evolution standards, and this application is not limited to this.

[0113] As shown in FIG1A , the communication system includes at least a terminal device 01 , a relay device 02 , a host node 03 and a core network device 04 .

[0114] Terminal device 01 refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, terminal device 01 includes a handheld device with wireless connection function or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device 01 can communicate with a core network (for example, a 5G core network (5th generation core, 5GC)) via a radio access network (RAN) and can exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. The terminal device 01 can also be referred to as a terminal (Terminal), user equipment (UE), wireless terminal device, mobile terminal (MT) device, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station (MS), mobile station (mobile), remote station (remote station), access point (AP), remote terminal device (remote terminal), access terminal device (access terminal), user terminal device (user terminal), user agent (user agent), or user equipment (user device), etc. In addition, the terminal device 01 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. It should be understood that the terminal device 01 in this application can be any of the above devices or chips. In this embodiment and subsequent embodiments, the terminal device is used as an example for description.

[0115] The relay device 02, also known as a relay node (RN), is generally deployed in areas with poor signal coverage to expand or improve network coverage. The relay device 02 includes at least a RU module 021. The RU module 021 is used to process intermediate frequency signals or radio frequency signals, and can perform amplification and forwarding operations on received radio frequency signals. The RU module 021 can be configured to be independent of an antenna device (e.g., an antenna line device (ALD) (also known as an antenna linear device), or it can be integrated with the antenna device. For example, in a 5G NR system, the aforementioned RU module 021 can be an active antenna processing unit (AAU), that is, a processing unit integrated with a remote radio unit (RRU) (or remote radio head (RRH)) and an antenna device. Exemplarily, a relay device that only includes the RU module 021 can be an RF Repeater and an NR Repeater.

[0116] Donor node 03 is connected to relay device 02 and to the core network (e.g., 5GC) network element serving relay device 02, providing wireless backhaul functionality for relay device 02. Donor node 03 can be any device with wireless transceiver functionality and can be responsible for air interface-related functions, such as radio link maintenance, radio resource management, and some mobility management functions. Furthermore, donor node 03 is also configured with a baseband unit (BBU) that has baseband signal processing capabilities. Donor node 03 can be an access network device. Currently, some common examples of access network devices include: Node B (NB), evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB) in 5G new radio (NR) systems, and nodes in 6G systems (e.g., xNodeB). Furthermore, a donor node can also be a device that includes a centralized unit (CU) (also known as a control unit) and / or a distributed unit (DU). The CU of the donor node is called a donor-CU, and the DU of the donor node is called a donor-DU. The RAN equipment including the CU and the DU splits the protocol layer of the gNB in ​​the NR system, centrally controls some of the protocol layer functions in the CU, and distributes some or all of the remaining protocol layer functions in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. Multiple DUs can share one CU. The division of the CU and DU can be based on the protocol stack. For example, as shown in Figure 1A, one possible approach is to deploy the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers in the CU, and the remaining radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and physical layer (PHY) in the DU. The CU and DU are connected via the F1 interface. CU represents a gNB connected to the core network via the NG interface, and CU represents a gNB connected to other gNBs via the Xn interface. CU can also represent a gNB connected to other host nodes (e.g., other gNBs or eNBs) via the X2 interface to perform dual connectivity. It should be understood that the host node 03 in this application can be any of the above-mentioned devices or chips. In this embodiment and subsequent embodiments, the host node is used as an example.

[0117] The core network device 04 refers to the device in the core network (CN) that provides service support for the relay device 02. At present, some common examples of the core network device 04 are: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed here one by one. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for the access management and mobility management of the relay device 02; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment, etc.; the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting to the external network. It should be noted that the entities in this application can also be referred to as network elements or functional entities. For example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity; for another example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc. It should be noted that the core network devices in this application include at least an AMF entity.

[0118] Optionally, the system further includes a network management device 05 for managing and maintaining the relay device 02. The network management device may be an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) network element. Optionally, the network management device 05 may be a functional network element located in the 5GC, a functional network element deployed in the backbone network behind the 5GC, or a functional network element deployed elsewhere, which is not limited in this application.

[0119] Optionally, in addition to the RU module, the relay device 02 also includes a first module 022, which is used to provide a backhaul link between the relay device 02 and the host node 03. Exemplarily, the first module 022 is an MT module. The MT module has the functions of an ordinary terminal device, that is, the MT module has the protocol stack of an ordinary terminal device, so that the relay device with the MT module can access the host node like a terminal device according to the protocol stack of the terminal device, and implement switching within the host node (or between host nodes) and other functions. Since the relay device that only includes the RU module 021 and the first module (for example, the MT module) 022 mainly implements layer one functions (for example, the functions of the PHY layer), the present application refers to the relay device that only includes the RU module 021 and the first module (for example, the MT module) 022 as a layer one relay device. Exemplarily, the layer one relay device can be an NCR (also known as a smart repeater (SR)).

[0120] As shown in Figure 1B, taking the NCR as an example, the RU module in the NCR is denoted as NCR-Fwd, representing the amplification and forwarding function; the MT module in the NCR is denoted as NCR-MT, representing the network control function. The link between the NCR-Fwd and the terminal device (e.g., UE) is the access link (AL), and the link between the NCR-Fwd and the host node (e.g., gNB) is the backhaul link (BL). The NCR-Fwd's function is simply to transparently amplify and forward physical layer signals without any protocol stack processing. The link between the NCR-MT and the host node is the control link (CL), which is the same as the RRC connection between a normal terminal device and the host node. For example, the host node sends control information for the NCR-Fwd (e.g., beam direction, power control, etc.) to the NCR-MT (e.g., via RRC messages or MAC CE (control element)). After the NCR-MT deciphers the information, it controls the NCR-Fwd module to perform the corresponding operations. In other words, the "network control" function in NCR is mainly reflected in the interaction between the host node and NCR-MT, and NCR-Fwd is a controlled object with simple functions.

[0121] Optionally, in addition to the RU module 021 and the first module (for example, the MT module) 022, the relay device 02 also includes a second module 023. The second module 023 includes at least one layer 2 functional module, which can implement at least one function of the layer 2 protocol stack. Exemplarily, the layer 2 function includes RLC layer function and MAC layer function. Among them, the RLC layer is mainly responsible for data transmission of the wireless link, and the MAC layer is mainly responsible for the mapping and scheduling of the transport channel and the logical channel. Optionally, the layer 2 function also includes an SDAP layer function, which is used to transmit user plane data and ensure the in-order delivery of data. Optionally, the layer 2 also includes a PDCP layer function, which is used to implement Internet Protocol (IP) packet header compression and decompression, encryption and integrity protection of data and signaling. Optionally, the second module 023 may also have a PHY layer function. Exemplarily, the second module 023 is a DU module. Since the second module 023 primarily implements Layer 2 functions, this application refers to a relay device comprising the RU module 021, the first module (e.g., the MT module) 022, and the second module (e.g., the DU) 023 as a Layer 2 relay device. Exemplarily, the Layer 2 relay device may be an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) device. Optionally, when the relay device 02 is an IAB device, the second module 023 further includes a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer function. The BAP layer may be located above the RLC layer and is used to implement functions such as data packet routing and bearer mapping on the wireless backhaul link.

[0122] As shown in Figure 1C, taking the IAB as an example, an IAB node consists of a MT (IAB-MT) and a DU (IAB-DU). When the IAB node is communicating with its parent node, it is considered a terminal device, acting as an MT. When communicating with its child node (e.g., another IAB node or a standard UE), it is considered a host node, acting as a DU. In an IAB network, a transmission path between a terminal device (e.g., a UE) and an IAB donor can include one or more IAB nodes. Each IAB node maintains a wireless backhaul link to its parent node and also maintains wireless links with its child nodes. If a child node is a terminal device (e.g., a UE), the link between the IAB node and the child node (i.e., the UE) is a wireless access link. If a child node is another IAB node, the link between the IAB node and the child node (i.e., the other IAB node) is a wireless backhaul link. For example, as shown in Figure 1C, in the path "UE1→IAB node 4→IAB node 3→IAB node 1→IAB host", UE1 accesses IAB node 4 through a wireless access link, IAB node 4 is connected to IAB node 3 through a wireless backhaul link, IAB node 3 is connected to IAB node 1 through a wireless backhaul link, and IAB node 1 is connected to the IAB host through a wireless backhaul link. In this example, IAB node 4 is an access IAB node, which refers to the IAB node accessed by the UE; IAB node 3 and IAB node 1 are intermediate IAB nodes, which refer to IAB nodes that provide wireless backhaul services to the UE or IAB node. It should be noted that an IAB node is an access IAB node for terminal devices accessing the IAB node. For terminal devices accessing other IAB nodes, it is an intermediate IAB node. Therefore, whether an IAB node is an access IAB node or an intermediate IAB node is not fixed and needs to be determined based on the specific application scenario.

[0123] Optionally, in addition to the RU module 021, the first module (e.g., MT module) 022, and the second module 023 (e.g., DU module), the relay device 02 also includes a third module 024. The third module 024 includes at least one layer 3 functional module, capable of implementing at least one layer 3 protocol stack function. Exemplarily, the layer 3 function includes an RRC layer function for managing and controlling radio layer resources. Optionally, the third module 024 may also include one or more layer 2 functional modules. For example, the third module 024 may also include a PDCP layer function, etc. Exemplarily, the third module 024 is a CU module.

[0124] Alternatively, in addition to the RU module 021 and the first module (e.g., the MT module) 022, the relay device 02 also includes a fourth module 025. The fourth module 025 includes at least one layer 3 functional module capable of implementing at least one layer 3 protocol stack function. Exemplarily, the layer 3 function includes an RRC layer function for managing and controlling radio layer resources. The fourth module 025 may also include one or more layer 2 functional modules. For example, the fourth module 025 may also include PDCP layer functions, RLC layer functions, MAC layer functions, SDAP layer functions, etc. Optionally, the fourth module 025 includes the second module 023 and the third module 024. Exemplarily, the fourth module 025 is a gNB, which can also be understood as a combination of a CU and a DU.

[0125] Since the third module 024 or the fourth module 025 primarily implements Layer 3 functions, this application refers to a relay device comprising the RU module 021, the first module (e.g., the MT module) 022, the second module (e.g., the DU) 023, and the third module (e.g., the CU) 024 as a Layer 3 relay device; alternatively, a relay device comprising the RU module 021, the first module (e.g., the MT module) 022, and the fourth module (e.g., the gNB) 025 as a Layer 3 relay device. For example, the Layer 3 relay device may be a wireless access backhaul (WAB) device.

[0126] As shown in Figure 1D, taking a Layer 3 relay device as a WAB device as an example, the WAB device comprises a relay terminal device portion and a relay network device portion. The relay terminal device portion can be represented as the UE portion (referred to as the WAB-MT), and the relay network device portion can be represented as the base station portion (referred to as the WAB-gNB). The WAB device can be understood as consisting of a MT and a gNB. An air interface connection (e.g., a Un interface connection) exists between the UE portion of the WAB device (i.e., the WAB-MT) and the donor node (donor-gNB). A communication interface (e.g., an Xn interface and an NG interface) exists between the gNB portion of the relay device (i.e., the WAB-gNB) and the donor-gNB. Control plane and user plane data on the Xn and NG interfaces can be transmitted via data radio bearers (DRBs) / signaling radio bearers (SRBs) over the air interface between the WAB-MT and the donor-gNB. It should be understood that the communication interface names involved in this application (such as the Un interface, Xn interface, NG interface, etc.) are all examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The names of the communication interfaces may also be other cases, which will not be repeated here.

[0127] It should be understood that the various functional modules in the relay device 02 (for example, the RU module 021, the first module 022, the second module 023, the third module 024, and the fourth module 025 shown in FIG1A ) can be modules implemented by hardware or logical modules implemented by software, and this application does not limit this. In addition, when the same relay device includes functions of different layers, the relay device is classified according to the functions of the highest layer. For example, when the relay device includes RRC layer functions and PDCP layer functions, the relay device implements layer three functions, that is, the relay device is a layer three relay device. For another example, when the relay device includes an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer, but does not include an RRC layer, the relay device implements layer two functions, that is, the relay device is a layer two relay device.

[0128] It can be seen that the relay device 02 in this application can be a layer 1 relay device, a layer 2 relay device, or a layer 3 relay device. Among them, the layer 1 relay device only contains the PHY layer function, only realizes the function of data amplification and forwarding, and has a low signal transmission delay, which can meet the basic relay requirements. The layer 2 relay device adds the layer 2 function (including RLC layer function and MAC layer function, etc.) on the basis of the layer 1 relay device, and can coordinate with the host node to allocate wireless resources for the relay and mobile station. The layer 3 relay device adds the layer 3 function (including RRC layer function, etc.) on the basis of the layer 2 relay device. Therefore, the layer 3 relay device is closer to the base station in terms of function, and is more complex and more expensive than the layer 1 relay device and the layer 2 relay device.

[0129] Currently, to enhance network coverage, a large number of relay nodes must be deployed based on scenario requirements. For example, Layer 1 relay devices may be deployed in scenarios requiring only data amplification and forwarding, Layer 2 relay devices may be deployed in scenarios requiring wireless resource allocation, and Layer 3 relay devices, similar to base stations, may be deployed in more complex network environments. Clearly, deploying a large number of relay nodes not only incurs significant operational and maintenance costs for operators but also hinders flexible network deployment and energy efficiency.

[0130] In this regard, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device for realizing the integration and conversion of relay equipment in different modes, improving the flexibility of network deployment, and saving energy consumption of relay equipment.

[0131] The communication method provided by this application is introduced below with reference to FIG2 :

[0132] As shown in Figure 2, it is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application. The communication method is explained by taking the interaction between the relay device, the host node and the core network device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the host node action in the method can also be a device or module in the host node; the subject that executes the core network device action in the method can also be a device or module in the core network device; the subject that executes the relay device action in the method can also be a device or module in the relay device, and this embodiment does not make specific limitations on this. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0133] Step 201: The host node receives capability information of a relay device.

[0134] The relay device's capability information indicates at least two relay modes supported by the relay device. Different relay modes represent different functions of the relay device. These functions can be understood as functional modules enabled by the relay device or protocol stack functions supported by the relay device.

[0135] Optionally, the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device include any at least two of the following relay modes:

[0136] In one relay mode, the functional modules enabled by the relay device include an RU module and a first module (e.g., an MT module). The RU module implements layer 1 functions (e.g., PHY layer functions). This application refers to the relay mode that implements layer 1 protocol stack functions as a layer 1 relay mode. Exemplarily, the relay device that implements layer 1 functions may be an NCR device, and the layer 1 relay mode is also referred to as an NCR mode.

[0137] In another relay mode, the functional modules enabled by the relay device include an RU module, a first module (e.g., an MT module), and a second module (e.g., a DU). The DU can implement layer 2 functions (e.g., RLC layer functions and MAC layer functions). This application refers to the relay mode that implements layer 2 protocol stack functions as a layer 2 relay mode. Exemplarily, the relay device that implements layer 2 functions may be an IAB device, and the layer 2 relay mode is also referred to as an IAB mode.

[0138] In another relay mode, the functional modules enabled by the relay device include an RU module, a first module (e.g., a MT module), a second module (e.g., a DU), and a third module (e.g., a CU); alternatively, the functional modules enabled by the relay device include an RU module, a first module (e.g., a MT module), and a fourth module (e.g., a gNB). Optionally, the fourth module includes the second module and the third module. For example, the gNB adopts a CU-DU split architecture, and the gNB includes a CU and a DU. The CU can implement Layer 3 functions (e.g., RRC layer functions), or the gNB can implement Layer 3 functions (e.g., RRC layer functions). This application refers to a relay mode that implements Layer 3 protocol stack functions as a Layer 3 relay mode. Exemplarily, the relay device that implements Layer 3 functions may be a WAB device, and the Layer 3 relay mode is also referred to as a WAB mode. This embodiment and subsequent embodiments primarily utilize a gNB with a separate CU and DU as an example.

[0139] For explanations of the aforementioned functional modules and the functions of each protocol stack, please refer to the corresponding descriptions in FIG1A above, which will not be repeated here.

[0140] In this embodiment, the capability information of the relay device is used to indicate that the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device include any at least two of the aforementioned relay modes. In one example, the capability information of the relay device indicates a layer 1 relay mode and a layer 2 relay mode. In another example, the capability information of the relay device indicates a layer 1 relay mode and a layer 3 relay mode. In another example, the capability information of the relay device indicates a layer 2 relay mode and a layer 3 relay mode. In another example, the capability information of the relay device indicates a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, and a layer 3 relay mode.

[0141] It should be noted that the layer 1 relay mode, layer 2 relay mode, or layer 3 relay mode introduced in this application can also be subdivided into multiple relay modes. For example, the layer 2 relay mode can be subdivided into layer 2 relay mode 1, layer 2 relay mode 2, and layer 2 relay mode 3, etc. Different layer 2 relay modes may have different layer 2 functions. The layer 1 relay mode and layer 3 relay mode may also have similar subdivision methods. It can be seen that a relay device may support more than 3 relay modes at most. This application mainly lists 3 relay modes as examples. This application does not limit how many relay modes a relay device supports in actual implementation.

[0142] It should be understood that the relay device supports at least two relay modes, which can be understood as there being at least two relay modes available for selection for the relay device. However, the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device is one of the at least two relay modes. For example, the relay device and / or the network side can select one relay mode to enable from the at least two relay modes, which is the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device (hereinafter referred to as the relay mode used by the relay device, also referred to as the working mode of the relay device).

[0143] It should also be understood that since the relay device in this embodiment has an MT module and can implement the functions of the terminal device, the relay device needs to access the network according to the protocol stack of the terminal device before working. When the network environment changes, the relay device can also perform cell switching according to the protocol stack of the terminal device.

[0144] In this embodiment, the host node may obtain the capability information of the relay device through any of the following implementations.

[0145] In a possible implementation, the host node receives the capability information of the relay device via the Uu interface. Specifically, the host node receives the capability information of the relay device from the relay device; correspondingly, the relay device sends the capability information of the relay device to the host node.

[0146] Optionally, during the network access phase of the relay device, the relay device reports capability information of the relay device to the host node via an RRC message.

[0147] Optionally, before the relay device accesses the network, the host node sends a broadcast message, where the broadcast message includes fourth indication information, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode supported by the host node. The relay device selects a host node to access based on the received broadcast message, and after accessing the host node, the relay device sends capability information of the relay device to the host node via an RRC message. Exemplarily, the broadcast message may be a system information block type 1 (SIB1), and the RRC message may be an RRC setup complete message.

[0148] Among them, the host node supports a certain relay mode, which can be understood as the host node being able to provide a backhaul service corresponding to the relay mode for the relay device connected to the host node; it can also be understood as the host node being able to support the relay device to operate in the relay mode. Optionally, the host node supports at least two relay modes. Since the host node may provide a backhaul service for a relay device that supports two relay modes, when the host node supports at least two relay modes, the host node broadcasts all the relay modes supported by the host node through a broadcast message. In one example, the host node indicates all the relay modes supported by the host node through the fourth indication information carried in the broadcast message. Exemplarily, if the host node supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, the fourth indication information broadcast by the host node may be an indication information that can simultaneously indicate support for layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, for example, the fourth indication information may be a 3-bit bitmap (the value of the nth bit is used to indicate whether layer n relay mode is supported), indicated by "110"; the fourth indication information may also be an indication information including an indication of support for layer 1 relay mode and an indication of support for layer 2 relay mode, for example, the fourth indication information further includes two sub-indication information, sub-indication information 1 is used to indicate support for layer 1 relay mode, and sub-indication information 2 is used to indicate support for layer 2 relay mode. This application does not limit the specific indication form of the fourth indication information.

[0149] In addition, the relay device selects a host node that supports the relay mode indicated by the relay device's capability information. For example, if the relay device's capability information indicates both Layer 1 and Layer 2 relay modes, and the relay device receives broadcast messages from multiple host nodes, it will prioritize host nodes that support both Layer 1 and Layer 2 relay modes over host nodes that only support Layer 1 or Layer 2 relay modes. The relay device will not select a host node that only supports Layer 3 relay mode.

[0150] Optionally, the relay device may also send a third indication message to the host node; accordingly, the host node receives the third indication message from the relay device. The third indication message is used to indicate the relay mode that the relay device expects to use, that is, the relay mode that the relay device expects to use after joining the network (hereinafter referred to as the relay mode expected by the relay device). The relay mode expected by the relay device is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device. Exemplarily, if the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer one relay mode and layer two relay mode, the relay device may support the expected use of layer two relay mode to the host node. It should be understood that the relay mode expected by the relay device may be determined by the relay device itself based on the demand node of the relay service, or it may be pre-configured on the network side, for example, pre-allocated to the relay device by OAM. Optionally, the third indication message is carried in an RRC message. For example, the RRC message is an RRC setup complete message. For example, the host node sends a broadcast message, which includes the aforementioned fourth indication information. Then, the relay device selects the host node to access based on the received broadcast message. After accessing the host node, the relay device sends the relay device's capability information and the third indication information to the host node via an RRC message.

[0151] In this embodiment, the relay device provides the host node with at least two relay modes supported by the relay device during the network access phase, and selectively provides the relay mode expected by the relay device. This is beneficial for the network side (for example, the host node or core network device) to determine a relay mode suitable for the relay device to use, and is also beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode for the relay device based on networking requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of relay networking.

[0152] In another possible embodiment, the host node receives the capability information of the relay device through the Xn interface. Specifically, the host node receives the capability information of the relay device from other host nodes, wherein the other host nodes are host nodes that currently provide backhaul services for the relay device. For example, in a handover scenario, the host node is the target host node, and the other host nodes are source host nodes. The source host node sends a handover request to the target host node, and the handover request includes the capability information of the relay device; accordingly, the target host node receives the handover request from the source host node, and obtains the capability information of the relay device in the handover request. It should be understood that the capability information of the relay device in the source host node may be sent to the source host node when the relay device accesses the source host node during the network access phase, and this application does not limit this.

[0153] Optionally, before the source host node sends a handover request to the target host node, the source host node further performs the following steps:

[0154] The source host node obtains capability information of at least one adjacent host node, where the capability information of the adjacent host node is used to indicate a relay mode supported by the adjacent host node. The source host node then determines a target host node for the relay device based on the capability information of at least one adjacent access network device and the capability information of the relay device. The target host node is a host node among the at least one adjacent host node, and the target host node supports at least one relay mode of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device.

[0155] It should be understood that a neighboring donor node is also a donor node capable of providing backhaul services to a relay device. Optionally, neighboring donor nodes can exchange their respective capabilities information, i.e., their support for relay modes for relay devices, via Xn application protocol (XnAP) messages. For example, consider two neighboring donor nodes: donor node 1 (e.g., donor-gNB1) and donor node 2 (e.g., donor-gNB2). When requesting an Xn connection establishment via an Xn setup request message, donor-gNB1 indicates to donor-gNB2 the relay modes it supports. After the Xn connection is successfully established, donor-gNB2 sends an Xn setup response message to donor-gNB1, notifying it of its supported relay modes. Subsequently, donor-gNB1 and donor-gNB2 can update this support information via the NG-RAN node configuration update process.

[0156] It should be understood that the adjacent host node may support one relay mode or multiple relay modes, and this application does not limit this. However, the target host node selected from the adjacent host nodes supports at least one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. For example, the source host node obtains the capability information of three adjacent host nodes, wherein the adjacent host node 1 supports the layer one relay mode, the adjacent host node 2 supports the layer one relay mode and the layer two relay mode, and the adjacent host node 3 supports the layer three relay mode. If the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports the layer one relay mode and the layer two relay mode, the source host node can determine the adjacent host node 1 or the adjacent host node 2 as the target host node. Optionally, the source host node can give priority to selecting the adjacent host node 2 as the target host node.

[0157] Optionally, the switching request also includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode currently used by the relay device and / or the authorized relay mode. The relay mode currently used by the relay device (for short, the current relay mode of the relay device) refers to the relay mode used by the relay device before the switching, and the current relay mode of the relay device is also one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. In addition, the authorized relay mode is the relay mode authorized by the core network device when the relay device accesses the source host node, and the authorized relay mode includes the current relay mode of the relay device, and the authorized relay mode is at least one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. It can be understood that the range of the relay mode indicated by the capability information of the relay device is greater than or equal to the range of the authorized relay mode, the range of the authorized relay mode is greater than or equal to the range of the current relay mode of the relay device, and the range of the authorized relay mode is greater than or equal to the range of the relay mode used by the relay device after the switching. Exemplarily, if the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, the authorized relay mode may be layer 1 relay mode and / or layer 2 relay mode. If the authorized relay mode is layer 2 relay mode, the current relay mode of the relay device and the relay mode used after the relay device switches may only be layer 2 relay mode. Since the currently used relay mode is the relay mode in which the relay device works after entering the network, it can reflect the tendency to select the relay mode to a certain extent, and the authorized relay mode can also be used as a reference for the core network device to update the authorization information for the relay device accessing the target host node. Therefore, it is beneficial for the network side (for example, the target host node or the core network device) to determine the relay mode suitable for the relay device to use, and it is also beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode for the relay device based on the networking requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of the relay networking.

[0158] Optionally, the handover request also includes ninth indication information, which is used to indicate the relay mode determined by the source host node for the relay device to use after the handover. For example, in a handover scenario, the source host node can determine the relay mode to be used after the handover for the relay device, and send it to the target host node through a handover request, so that the target host node can refer to the relay mode determined by the source host node to determine the relay mode to be sent to the core network device for authorization. This is beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode suitable for the relay device to use in work, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0159] Optionally, it should be understood that the target host node can perform access control on the relay device based on the current relay mode of the relay device. Exemplarily, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, the current relay mode of the relay device is layer 2 relay mode, and the relay modes supported by the target host node include layer 2 relay mode. Therefore, the target host node allows the relay device to access. For another example, if the current relay mode of the relay device is layer 2 relay mode, and the relay mode supported by the target host node is layer 2 relay mode, the relay device does not need to perform mode conversion after switching. It can also be understood that the switching process does not select a relay mode for the relay device, but only performs access control.

[0160] Optionally, the target host node may also perform admission control on the relay device based on the relay mode supported by the relay device (i.e., the capability information of the relay device indicates the relay mode supported by the relay device), that is, the relay mode supported by the target host node may be different from the current relay mode of the relay device. For example, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode. If the current relay mode of the relay device is layer 2 relay mode and the relay mode supported by the target host node is layer 1 relay mode, the target host node may determine that the relay device needs to switch from layer 2 relay mode to layer 1 relay mode after switching.

[0161] In this embodiment, the source host node can send the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device to the target host node when switching the relay device based on the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device when the relay device joins the network. This is beneficial for the network side (for example, the target host node or core network device) to determine a relay mode suitable for the relay device to use. It is also beneficial for the network side to determine the relay mode for the relay device based on networking requirements, thereby improving the flexibility of relay networking. In addition, the switching process can also be used to achieve the conversion of the relay mode. Since the mode conversion process also requires interaction with the network side about the signaling of the mode conversion, compared with only performing the mode conversion, using the switching process to achieve the mode conversion is beneficial to saving the signaling overhead used to notify the relay mode after the conversion.

[0162] Step 202: The donor node sends indication information to the core network device; correspondingly, the core network device receives the indication information from the donor node.

[0163] Before the access network device sends the indication information, the host node needs to select a core network device that may provide authorization services for the relay device. Specifically, the host node can obtain the relay modes supported by at least one core network device. The core network device may support one relay mode or multiple relay modes, which is not limited in this application. For example, the host node and the core network device can exchange the relay modes supported by each other through NG application protocol (NGAP) messages, so that the host node can obtain the relay modes supported by the core network device. Then, based on the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, the host node determines the core network device that serves the relay device from at least one core network device. Since the core network device will later need to provide authorization services for the relay device, the core network device must support at least some or all of the relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. In other words, the core network device selected by the host node for the relay device (i.e., the core network device to which the host node sends the indication information) supports at least one relay mode of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. For example, if the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, the host node preferentially selects a core network device that supports at least layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode to send the indication information.

[0164] Optionally, if the host node is able to learn the relay mode expected by the relay device (or the current relay mode of the relay device), the host node will also refer to the relay mode expected by the relay device (or the current relay mode of the relay device) when determining the core network device for the relay device. For example, the host node gives priority to sending indication information to the core network device that supports the relay mode expected by the relay device (or the current relay mode of the relay device). For example, if the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, and the relay mode expected by the relay device (or the current relay mode of the relay device) is layer 2 relay mode, then if the host node does not find a core network device that supports both layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, the host node gives priority to sending indication information to the core network device that supports layer 2 relay mode.

[0165] The indication information is used to indicate at least one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device. It can be understood that the indication information indicates a part or all of the relay modes supported by the relay device. Since the relay device in the present application is configured with an MT module similar to that of a terminal device, the relay device can only work normally after the MT module obtains authorization from the core network. Therefore, the indication information can also be understood as the host node notifying the core network device of part or all of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device for authorization, so that the relay device can operate in a certain relay mode in the subsequent process.

[0166] Optionally, the relay mode indicated by the indication information may be related to the capabilities of the host node, that is, the types of relay modes supported by the host node; it may also be related to the capabilities of the core network device, that is, the types of relay modes supported by the core network device; it may also be related to whether the host node has the function of selecting the relay mode. The following describes the above various implementation methods respectively:

[0167] In one implementation, the indication information is related to the types of relay modes supported by the donor node. For example, the types of relay modes supported by the donor node are fewer than the types of relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device, resulting in the indication information supporting fewer types of relay modes than the types of relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device.

[0168] It can be understood that if the host node provides backhaul service for the relay device at a later stage, the relay mode finally determined by the network side for the relay device is at least the relay mode supported by the host node. Therefore, the host node does not send the relay mode that the host node does not support to the core network device, and may only send the relay mode supported by the host node to the core network device. Exemplarily, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports three relay modes, namely layer one relay mode, layer two relay mode and layer three relay mode, but the host node only supports two of the three relay modes or one relay mode. For example, the relay device supports NCR mode, IAB mode and WAB mode, but the host node only supports NCR mode and IAB mode. In this case, the indication information sent by the host node to the core network device may indicate NCR mode and IAB mode.

[0169] In another implementation, the indication information is related to the types of relay modes supported by the core network device. For example, the types of relay modes supported by the core network device are fewer than the types of relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device, resulting in the types of relay modes supported by the indication information being fewer than the types of relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. The core network device is a core network device selected by the host node for the relay device that may perform network authorization for the relay device. For the implementation method of the host node selecting the core network device for the relay device, please refer to the relevant description above and will not be repeated here.

[0170] It can be understood that if the core network device later provides authorization services for the relay device, the relay mode ultimately determined by the network side for the relay device is at least the relay mode supported by the core network device. Therefore, the core network device determined by the host node needs to support the relay mode supported by the relay device, that is, the host node only sends indication information to the core network device that supports the relay mode supported by the relay device. For example, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports three relay modes, namely, layer 1 relay mode, layer 2 relay mode, and layer 3 relay mode. However, the host node only finds core network devices that support two of the three relay modes among the connected core network devices. In this case, the indication information sent by the host node to the core network device only indicates the aforementioned two relay modes. For example, the relay device supports NCR mode, IAB mode and WAB mode. Among the connected core network devices, the host node only finds core network devices that support NCR mode and IAB mode, but does not find core network devices that support all three relay modes. In this case, the indication information sent by the host node to the core network device may indicate NCR mode and IAB mode.

[0171] It should be understood that the aforementioned two implementations can be combined, that is, the types of relay modes supported by the host node and the types of relay modes supported by the core network device simultaneously affect the indication information sent by the host node. For example, the relay device supports NCR mode, IAB mode, and WAB mode, but the host node only supports NCR mode and IAB mode. Moreover, the host node only finds a core network device that supports IAB mode in the network, but does not find a core network device that supports both NCR mode and IAB mode. In this case, the host node sends indication information to the core network device that supports IAB mode, and the indication information is IAB indication mode.

[0172] In another implementation, the indication information is related to whether the donor node has the function of selecting the relay mode. For example, the donor node can determine some or all of the relay modes from at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device based on certain factors and indicate them to the core network device.

[0173] In one example, during the network access phase of the relay device, if the host node is able to obtain the relay mode expected by the relay device, for example, the host node learns the relay mode expected by the relay device based on the received third indication information, then the indication information sent by the host node to the core network device includes at least the relay mode expected by the relay device. For example, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports NCR mode, IAB mode, and WAB mode, and the host node also supports NCR mode, IAB mode, and WAB mode. If the relay mode expected by the relay device is IAB mode, the host node sends indication information that can at least indicate the IAB mode to the core network device that can at least support the IAB mode, or only indicates indication information that indicates the IAB mode.

[0174] In another example, in a scenario where a cell handover is performed for a relay device, if the donor node is able to obtain the current relay mode of the relay device, for example, the donor node learns the current relay mode of the relay device based on received fifth indication information, then the donor node sends indication information to the core network device that includes at least the current relay mode of the relay device. Since the current relay mode is the relay mode in which the relay device operates after joining the network and can, to a certain extent, reflect the preference for selecting that relay mode, if the donor node supports the current relay mode of the relay device, the donor node selects a core network device that supports the current relay mode of the relay device and sends indication information that at least indicates the current relay mode of the relay device to the core network device. For example, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports NCR mode, IAB mode, and WAB mode, and the donor node also supports NCR mode, IAB mode, and WAB mode. If the current relay mode of the relay device is IAB mode, the donor node sends indication information that at least indicates the IAB mode, or only indicates the IAB mode, to the core network device that at least supports the IAB mode.

[0175] In another example, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports three relay modes, namely layer 1 relay mode, layer 2 relay mode and layer 3 relay mode, and the host node also supports the aforementioned three relay modes. In addition, there are core network devices connected to the host node that support the aforementioned three relay modes. The host node can determine some or all of the aforementioned three relay modes and send them to the core network devices through indication information.

[0176] It should be understood that the aforementioned three implementations can be combined, namely, the types of relay modes supported by the host node, the types of relay modes supported by the core network device, and the host node's ability to determine the relay mode, which simultaneously affect the indication information sent by the host node. For example, the relay device supports NCR mode, IAB mode, and WAB mode, but the host node only supports NCR mode and IAB mode, and the host node finds a core network device that supports IAB mode and a core network device that supports NCR mode in the network, and the relay mode expected by the relay device is IAB mode, then the host node sends indication information to the core network device, and the indication information indicates IAB mode.

[0177] It should be understood that in actual applications, the host node may determine the indication information based on any one of the aforementioned implementation methods or a combination of the aforementioned multiple implementation methods, and this application does not limit this.

[0178] Optionally, the indication information sent by the host node includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a first relay mode determined by the host node, where the first relay mode is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device. Exemplarily, the first relay mode can be a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, or a layer 3 relay mode.

[0179] Optionally, the indication information sent by the host node includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the at least two relay modes are some or all of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. Exemplarily, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode, layer 2 relay mode and layer 3 relay mode, and the host node determines, based on any of the aforementioned implementation methods, that the relay modes notified to the core network device through the second indication information are layer 2 relay mode and layer 3 relay mode. For another example, the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode, and the indication information sent by the host node to the core network device indicates all relay modes indicated in the capability information of the relay device, namely, layer 1 relay mode and layer 2 relay mode.

[0180] In this embodiment, the host node determines at least one relay mode from at least two relay modes supported by the relay device and notifies the core network device for authorization, which is conducive to determining a relay mode that is more suitable for the relay device to use in subsequent work and improving the flexibility of the relay network.

[0181] In addition, the instruction information in this step is carried in the NGAP message.

[0182] In a possible implementation, in a scenario where a relay device joins a network, the aforementioned indication information (eg, the first indication information, the second indication information, etc.) is carried in an initial UE message.

[0183] In another possible implementation, in a handover scenario, the aforementioned indication information (eg, the first indication information, the second indication information, etc.) is carried in a path switch request.

[0184] Step 203: The core network device sends authorization information; correspondingly, the host node receives the authorization information.

[0185] The authorization information is used to indicate an authorized relay mode among at least one relay mode, that is, the authorization information indicates an authorized relay mode among at least one relay mode indicated by the aforementioned indication information (e.g., the first indication information or the second indication information). It can be understood that the relay mode indicated by the authorization information is some or all of the relay modes among the relay modes indicated by the indication information (e.g., the first indication information or the second indication information).

[0186] In one possible implementation, the indication information (e.g., the first indication information) indicates only one relay mode, which is a relay mode determined by the host node from at least two relay modes based on the capability information of the relay device (e.g., the first relay mode described above), and the authorization information sent by the core network device to the host node is the first authorization information, which is used to indicate the authorized first relay mode. For example, the capability information of the relay device indicates the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, and the layer 3 relay mode. The host node sends the first indication information indicating the layer 2 relay to the core network device that supports the layer 2 relay mode. After receiving the first indication information, the core network device only authorizes the layer 2 relay mode and returns the first authorization information indicating the layer 2 relay mode to the host node. It can be understood that the host node is responsible for selecting the relay mode for the relay device, and the core network device only authorizes the relay mode selected by the host node.

[0187] In another possible implementation, the relay mode indicated by the authorization information is some or all of the relay modes indicated by the indication information (e.g., the second indication information). For example, after the core network device receives the indication information (e.g., the second indication information) sent by the donor node, the core network device selects some or all of the relay modes indicated by the indication information (e.g., the second indication information) for authorization and notifies the donor node of the authorized relay mode through the authorization information.

[0188] Optionally, the authorization information includes second authorization information, and the second authorization information is used to indicate a second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is a relay mode among the relay modes indicated by the second indication information. It can be understood that the core network device selects a relay mode from the relay modes indicated by the second indication information for authorization, indicating that the authorized relay mode is the relay mode used by the relay device in subsequent work. Exemplarily, the second indication information indicates a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, and a layer 3 relay mode, and the core network device selects one of the relay modes from the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, and the layer 3 relay mode for authorization.

[0189] Optionally, the authorization information includes third authorization information, where the third authorization information is used to indicate at least two authorized relay modes, where the at least two relay modes are at least two of the relay modes indicated by the second indication information. It can be understood that the core network device selects at least two relay modes from the relay modes indicated by the second indication information for authorization, indicating that the donor node or relay device can select one relay mode from this portion of authorized relay modes for subsequent use. For example, the second indication information sent by the donor node to the core network device indicates a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, and a layer 3 relay mode. The third authorization information sent by the core network device to the donor node based on the second indication information includes the layer 1 relay mode and the layer 2 relay mode. For another example, the second indication information sent by the donor node to the core network device indicates a layer 1 relay mode, a layer 2 relay mode, and a layer 3 relay mode. After receiving the second indication information, the core network device authorizes all relay modes indicated by the indication information and sends third authorization information indicating the aforementioned three relay modes to the donor node.

[0190] In this embodiment, the core network device has the ability to determine the relay mode for the relay device, that is, the core network device can participate in determining the relay mode to be used by the relay device in subsequent work, which is conducive to the core network device authorizing the relay device to use a specific relay mode on demand, thereby improving the flexibility of relay networking.

[0191] In addition, the authorization information in this step is carried in the NGAP message.

[0192] In a possible implementation, in a relay device network access scenario, if the aforementioned indication information (for example, the first indication information, the second indication information, etc.) is carried in an initial UE message, the authorization information is carried in an initial context setup request.

[0193] In another possible implementation, in a switching scenario, if the aforementioned indication information (eg, the first indication information, the second indication information, etc.) is carried in a path switch request, the authorization information is carried in a path switch response.

[0194] Step 204: The host node sends a mode command; accordingly, the relay device receives the mode command.

[0195] The mode command is used to indicate the relay mode used by the relay device, that is, the relay mode used by the relay device during operation. The relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes.

[0196] Optionally, the host node may send a mode command directly to the relay device, or may send a mode command to the relay device through other host nodes. In one example, in a scenario where the relay device joins the network, the host node may send a mode command directly to the relay device through an RRC message. In another example, in a handover scenario, the target host node may first directly indicate to the source host node through an XnAP message (for example, a handover response message) the relay mode or transparent mode command to be used by the relay device after the handover, and the source host node then forwards the mode command to the relay device through an RRC message; or, in the case where the source host node determines the relay mode to be used by the relay device after the handover, the source host node directly sends a mode command to the relay device.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the authorization information (for example, the first authorization information or the second authorization information) indicates only one relay mode, and the mode command sent by the host node indicates that the aforementioned relay mode is the relay mode used by the relay device. This relay mode can be a relay mode determined by the host node based on the capability information of the relay device, for example, the aforementioned first relay mode; or it can be a relay mode determined by the core network device based on the received indication information, for example, the aforementioned second relay mode. Since there is only one authorized relay mode, the mode command sent by the host node only indicates this relay mode, for example, the aforementioned first relay mode or the aforementioned second relay mode. For example, if the host node only receives authorization information indicating the layer one relay mode, the mode command sent by the host node only indicates the layer one relay mode. For example, if the host node only receives authorization information indicating the layer two relay mode, the mode command sent by the host node only indicates the layer two relay mode.

[0198] In another possible embodiment, the authorization information (e.g., the third authorization information) includes at least two relay modes, which can be determined by the host node and / or the core network device from at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. In this case, the mode command is used to indicate the third relay mode determined by the host node, and the third relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the authorization information (e.g., the at least two relay modes indicated by the third authorization information). The host node selects a relay mode from the at least two relay modes as the relay mode used by the relay device, and sends the relay mode selected by the host node through the mode command.

[0199] Optionally, the host node may also carry the third authorization information in the mode command, so that the relay device can autonomously switch the relay mode as needed.

[0200] In this embodiment, the relay device supports at least two relay modes, and the host node or core network device can decide a certain authorized relay mode for the relay device to use, which is conducive to the network side selecting a specific relay mode for the relay device as needed, thereby improving the flexibility of the relay device networking.

[0201] For ease of understanding, the following describes the process of the network side authorizing the relay mode of the relay device in combination with a specific relay mode.

[0202] As shown in Figure 3, this is an embodiment of a relay device in the network access phase. In this embodiment, the host node is taken as host node 1, and the core network device is taken as AMF. In addition, this embodiment only takes the functional mode of the relay device integrating the two relay modes of NCR and IAB as an example. Other implementations can be any combination of at least two of the three modes of NCR, IAB and WAB, and this application is not limited. As shown in Figure 3, the relay device network access process includes:

[0203] Step 301: Host node 1 sends a broadcast message; accordingly, the relay device receives the broadcast message.

[0204] The broadcast message carries information indicating the relay modes supported by the donor node 1. The donor node 1 supports one or more relay modes, and the information carried by the broadcast message may indicate some or all relay modes supported by the donor node 1, which is not limited in this embodiment. Exemplarily, the broadcast message may be SIB1.

[0205] The relay device selects a host node to access based on the received broadcast message. For example, if the relay device supports IAB mode and NCR mode, and host node 1 also supports IAB mode and NCR mode, the relay device may select host node 1 for access. The specific implementation of the relay device selecting a host node to access is described in step 201 above and is not detailed here.

[0206] After the relay device accesses the host node 1 , the relay device will further execute step 302 .

[0207] Step 302: The relay device sends an RRC configuration completion message; accordingly, the donor node 1 receives the RRC configuration completion message.

[0208] The RRC configuration complete message carries the capability information of the relay device, i.e., which relay modes the relay device supports. In this embodiment, taking the relay device supporting the IAB mode and the NCR mode as an example, the RRC configuration complete message includes indication information of the IAB mode (hereinafter referred to as the IAB mode indication) and indication information of the NCR mode (hereinafter referred to as the NCR mode indication), i.e., the capability information of the relay device indicates that the relay device supports the IAB mode and the NCR mode. For an explanation of the capability information of the relay device, please refer to the relevant introduction in step 201 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0209] Optionally, the RRC configuration complete message also includes the relay mode expected by the relay device, that is, the relay mode that the relay device expects to use after accessing the host node 1. The relay mode expected by the relay device can be determined by the relay device itself, or it can be pre-allocated to the relay node by the network management device (for example, OAM), which is not limited in this embodiment. Exemplarily, the relay node indicates to the host node 1 through the RRC setup complete message that the relay device can support both NCR and IAB relay modes, and then the relay device further indicates that the current relay device expects to work in IAB mode.

[0210] It should be understood that if a relay device only supports a certain relay mode, it must obtain authorization for that relay mode before it can operate in that relay mode. Authorization for a relay device to use a particular relay mode requires that the network also support that relay mode and be able to authorize that relay mode.

[0211] Optionally, the host node 1 and the AMF may exchange support for various relay modes of the relay device through NGAP messages, that is, exchange the relay modes supported by the host node 1 and the AMF respectively. Optionally, the host node 1 and the adjacent host node (for example, the host node 2) may also exchange support for various relay modes of the relay device through XnAP messages, that is, exchange the relay modes supported by the host node 1 and the host node 2 respectively.

[0212] Specifically, the relay mode process of the relay device through NGAP message interaction between the host node and the AMF can be as follows:

[0213] In one example, when requesting to establish an NG connection, the host node 1 indicates to the AMF that the host node 1 supports the NCR mode and the IAB mode through an NG setup request message. After the NG connection is successfully established, the AMF uses an NG setup response message to feedback to the host node 1 that the AMF supports the NCR mode and the IAB mode. In another example, after the host node 1 initiates an NG connection establishment request to the AMF through an NG setup request message, after the NG connection is successfully established, the AMF uses an NG setup response message to indicate to the host node 1 that the NCR mode and the IAB mode are supported. Subsequently, the host node 1 and the AMF can also update the above support status through the access network configuration update (RAN configuration update) process or the AMF configuration update (AMF configuration update) process. The interaction between the host node 2 and the AMF is similar and will not be repeated.

[0214] Specifically, the process of the relay mode of the relay device between adjacent host nodes through XnAP message interaction can be as follows:

[0215] In one example, when host node 1 requests to establish an Xn connection through an Xn setup request message, it indicates to host node 2 that it supports the NCR mode and the IAB mode. After the Xn connection is successfully established, host node 2 uses an Xn setup response message to inform host node 1 that host node 2 supports the NCR mode and the IAB mode. Subsequently, host node 1 and host node 2 can also update the above support status through the NG-RAN node configuration update process.

[0216] Optionally, if the relay device also integrates the WAB relay function, the relay device can also interact with the neighboring station / AMF through the Xn / NG interface of the wireless bearer backhaul, which is not involved in this embodiment.

[0217] Step 303: Host node 1 determines an AMF that can serve the relay device.

[0218] Based on the supported relay modes and / or desired relay modes indicated by the relay device, and the relay modes supported by the AMF obtained through NG interaction, the host node 1 selects a suitable AMF to serve the relay device. For example, if the relay device indicates that it supports NCR mode and IAB mode, the host node 1 will give priority to selecting an AMF that can at least support both NCR mode and IAB mode to serve the relay device. For another example, if the relay device indicates that it supports NCR mode and IAB mode, and also indicates that the desired relay mode is IAB mode, the host node 1 will give priority to selecting an AMF that can at least support IAB relay mode to serve the relay device. In addition, the host node 1 preferably selects an AMF that can support both NCR mode and IAB mode to serve the relay device. If the AMF selected by the host node 1 cannot support the relay mode indicated by the relay device, AMF re-allocation can be triggered to reselect a suitable AMF.

[0219] In addition, after the host node 1 determines the AMF that can serve the relay device, the host node 1 will provide the AMF with at least one relay mode indication information so that the host node 1 and / or the AMF can determine the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device (hereinafter referred to as the relay mode used by the relay device). There are three specific implementation methods:

[0220] In one implementation, host node 1 first determines the relay mode used by the relay device, and then authorizes the relay mode used by the relay device determined by host node 1 to the AMF. Exemplarily, host node 1 and AMF perform steps 304a to 306a:

[0221] Step 304a: Host node 1 determines a first relay mode.

[0222] The first relay mode is a relay mode selected by the host node 1 from the IAB mode and the NCR mode. The first relay mode may be the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0223] In step 305a, the host node 1 sends an initial UE message to the AMF; accordingly, the AMF receives the initial UE message from the host node 1.

[0224] The initial UE message carries first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a first relay mode, that is, the first indication information is used to indicate a relay mode selected by the donor node 1 from the IAB mode and the NCR mode. For example, the first indication information can indicate the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0225] After receiving the first indication information, the AMF authorizes the first relay mode and generates first authorization information. The first authorization information indicates that the first relay mode has been authorized, that is, the first authorization information is the authorization information of the first relay mode.

[0226] In step 306a, the AMF sends an initial context establishment request to the host node 1; accordingly, the host node 1 receives the initial context establishment request from the AMF.

[0227] The initial context setup request (initial context setup request) includes first authorization information.

[0228] For example, the AMF serving the relay device authorizes the relay device based on the instruction of the host node 1, and feeds back the information that it is authorized as an NCR or authorized as an IAB to the host node 1 through the initial context establishment request message.

[0229] Regarding the specific implementation of the host node determining the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above step 202, which will not be repeated here.

[0230] In another implementation, host node 1 sends all relay modes supported by the relay device to the AMF, and the AMF determines which relay mode to authorize. Exemplarily, host node 1 and the AMF perform steps 304b to 306b:

[0231] In step 304b, the host node 1 sends an initial UE message to the AMF; accordingly, the AMF receives the initial UE message from the host node 1.

[0232] The initial UE message carries the second indication information, which indicates the IAB mode and the NCR mode. It can be understood that the donor node 1 indicates all relay modes supported by the relay device to the AMF for authorization by the AMF.

[0233] Step 305b: AMF determines the second relay mode.

[0234] Among them, the second relay mode is a relay mode selected by the AMF from the IAB mode and NCR mode indicated by the second indication information. The second relay mode may be the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0235] The AMF authorizes the selected second relay mode and generates second authorization information, where the second authorization information indicates that the second relay mode has been authorized, that is, the second authorization information is authorization information of the second relay mode.

[0236] In step 306b, the AMF sends an initial context establishment request to the host node 1; accordingly, the host node 1 receives the initial context establishment request from the AMF.

[0237] The initial context establishment request includes second authorization information.

[0238] Regarding the specific implementation of AMF determining the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device, please refer to the relevant introduction in step 203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0239] In another implementation, host node 1 sends all relay modes supported by the relay device to the AMF. The AMF authorizes all received relay modes and returns third authorization information of all relay modes to host node 1. Host node 1 then determines a relay mode as the relay mode used by the relay device. Exemplarily, host node 1 and the AMF perform steps 304c to 306c:

[0240] In step 304c, the host node 1 sends an initial UE message to the AMF; accordingly, the AMF receives the initial UE message from the host node 1.

[0241] The initial UE message carries the second indication information, which indicates the IAB mode and the NCR mode. It can be understood that the donor node 1 indicates all relay modes supported by the relay device to the AMF for authorization by the AMF.

[0242] In step 305c, the AMF sends an initial context establishment request to the host node 1; accordingly, the host node 1 receives the initial context establishment request from the AMF.

[0243] The initial context establishment request includes third authorization information, indicating that the working modes authorized for the relay device are the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0244] It can be understood that the AMF authorizes all relay modes indicated from the initial UE message and generates third authorization information of the authorized relay mode.

[0245] Step 306c: Host node 1 determines the third relay mode.

[0246] The third relay mode is a relay mode selected by the host node 1 from the authorized relay modes (ie, the IAB mode and the NCR mode). The third relay mode may be the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0247] Regarding the specific implementation of the host node 1 determining the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device based on the authorized relay mode, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above step 204, which will not be repeated here.

[0248] Step 307 : Host node 1 sends a mode command to the relay device; correspondingly, the relay device receives the mode command from host node 1 .

[0249] The mode command indicates the relay mode used by the relay device.

[0250] Exemplarily, if the host node 1 and the AMF execute steps 304a to 306a, the relay mode used by the relay device indicated by the mode command is the first relay mode; if the host node 1 and the AMF execute steps 304b to 306b, the relay mode used by the relay device indicated by the mode command is the second relay mode; if the host node 1 and the AMF execute steps 304c to 306c, the relay mode used by the relay device indicated by the mode command is the third relay mode.

[0251] Optionally, if host node 1 and the AMF execute steps 304c to 306c, the mode command further includes third authorization information, where the third authorization information indicates that IAB mode and NCR mode have been authorized. For example, the third authorization information includes authorization information for IAB mode and NCR mode. This means that host node 1 notifies the relay device of all relay modes authorized by the AMF, so that the relay device can subsequently perform mode switching as needed.

[0252] Step 308: The relay device operates in the IAB mode or the NCR mode.

[0253] The relay device works in a single mode, for example, in NCR mode or in IAB mode.

[0254] In this embodiment, the relay device can provide at least two relay modes for selection or authorization by the network side when accessing the host node, which is conducive to improving the networking flexibility of the relay device.

[0255] As shown in Figure 4, it is an embodiment of the relay device in the switching scenario. In this embodiment, the host nodes are taken as host node 1 and host node 2, and the core network device is taken as AMF. In addition, this embodiment only takes the functional mode of the relay device integrating the two relay modes NCR and IAB as an example. Other implementation methods can be any combination of at least two of the three NCR, IAB and WAB, which is not limited by this application. As shown in Figure 4, the relay device has completed the network access process (for example, the network access process described in Figure 3 above), and the relay device has been working in a single mode and has an RRC connection with the source host node. Then, the network side initiates a cell handover, and the process of the relay device performing a cell handover includes:

[0256] Step 401: Host node 1 determines a target host node.

[0257] Among them, host node 1 is the source host node, which is the host node currently providing services for the relay device. Host node 1 can obtain the support status of the adjacent host node for the relay mode of the relay device from the adjacent host node through the Xn interface, that is, the relay mode supported by the adjacent host node. Then, host node 1 determines the adjacent host node that can at least support the current relay mode of the relay device as the target host node for the relay device; or, host node 1 determines the adjacent host node that can at least support all relay modes of the relay device as the target host node. For example, if the relay device can support NCR mode and IAB mode, and the relay device currently operates in IAB mode, the target host node determined by host node 1 can at least support IAB mode; or, can at least support NCR mode and IAB mode. In this embodiment, the target host node is host node 2 as an example for introduction. For the specific implementation method of host node 1 determining the target host node, please refer to the relevant description in step 201 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0258] After host node 1 determines the target host node, host node 1 will provide indication information of at least one relay mode to the target host node (i.e., host node 2), so that the target host node (i.e., host node 2) and / or AMF determines the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device (in short, the relay mode used by the relay device). Similar to the situation of selecting the relay mode during the network access phase, during the switching process, the relay device, the target host node, and the AMF serving the relay device can all determine the relay mode ultimately used for the relay device, that is, the relay mode before the switch can be selected as the working mode, or a relay mode different from the one before the switch can be reselected as the working mode. Optionally, if the working mode of the relay device before and after the switch is consistent, it can also be understood that the switching process did not select a working mode for the relay device, but only performed access control.

[0259] There are three specific implementation methods:

[0260] In one implementation, host node 2 (i.e., the target host node) first determines the relay mode used by the relay device, and then authorizes the relay mode used by the relay device determined by host node 2 to the AMF. Exemplarily, host node 1, host node 2, and the AMF perform steps 402a to 406a:

[0261] In step 402a, host node 1 sends a switching request to host node 2; accordingly, host node 2 receives the switching request from host node 1.

[0262] The handover request carries capability information of the relay device, ie, the relay device supports the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0263] Optionally, the switching request also includes the current relay mode of the relay device. The current relay mode of the relay device is the relay mode used by the relay device before the switching, and the current relay mode of the relay device is one of the IAB mode and NCR mode. For an explanation of the current relay mode of the relay device, please refer to the relevant description in step 201 above and will not be repeated here.

[0264] Step 403a: The host node 2 determines the first relay mode.

[0265] The first relay mode is a relay mode selected by the donor node 2 from the IAB mode and the NCR mode. The first relay mode may be the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0266] Specifically, the target host node (i.e., host node 2) performs access control on the relay device based on its own support for the relay mode, and determines the relay mode to be used for the relay device after switching based on the capability information of the relay device provided by the source host node (i.e., host node 1) in the switching request (i.e., the indication information of the relay mode supported by the relay device).

[0267] Exemplarily, host node 2 can support NCR mode and IAB mode, so host node 2 can allow relay device access. For example, host node 2 performs access control based on all relay modes supported by the relay device (i.e., NCR mode and IAB mode); or, host node 2 performs access control based on the current relay mode of the relay device (e.g., IAB mode). In addition, host node 2 selects the working mode after switching for the relay device as NCR mode or IAB mode based on the NCR mode indication and IAB mode indication carried by host node 1 in the switching request. If host node 1 further indicates in the switching request that the current working mode of the relay device is IAB mode, host node 2 may also give priority to selecting IAB mode as the relay mode after switching for the relay device. For a detailed introduction to the access control of the relay device by the target host node (i.e., host node 2), please refer to the relevant introduction in step 201 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0268] It should be understood that host node 2 does not necessarily determine the relay mode after switching for the relay device according to the relay device's current relay mode. However, host node 2 can use the relay mode before switching as a reference for selecting the relay mode after switching for the relay device. For example, host node 2 can also select the NCR mode as the relay mode after switching for the relay device.

[0269] Then, the target host node (ie, host node 2) feeds back the admission status to the source host node (ie, host node 1). Specifically, host node 2 executes step 404a.

[0270] In step 404 a , host node 2 sends a handover response to host node 1 ; correspondingly, host node 1 receives a handover response from host node 2 .

[0271] Optionally, the handover response carries a mode command, and the mode command indicates a first relay mode, that is, a relay mode determined by the donor node 2. The first relay mode may be an IAB mode or an NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0272] In step 405a, the host node 2 sends a path switching request to the AMF; accordingly, the AMF receives the path switching request from the host node 2.

[0273] The path switch request carries first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a first relay mode, that is, a relay mode selected by the donor node 2 from the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0274] After receiving the first indication information, the AMF authorizes the relay device and generates first authorization information. The first authorization information indicates that the first relay mode has been authorized, that is, the first authorization information is the authorization information of the first relay mode.

[0275] In step 406a, the AMF sends a path switching response to the donor node 2; accordingly, the donor node 2 receives the path switching response from the AMF.

[0276] The path switch response includes first authorization information.

[0277] For example, the AMF serving the relay device authorizes the relay device based on the instruction of the host node 2, and feeds back the information that the relay device is authorized as an NCR or the information that the relay device is authorized as an IAB to the host node 2 through a path switching response message.

[0278] Regarding the specific implementation of the host node determining the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above step 202, which will not be repeated here.

[0279] In another implementation, host node 2 sends all relay modes supported by the relay device to the AMF, and the AMF determines which relay mode to authorize. Specifically, host node 2 and the AMF perform steps 402b to 406b:

[0280] In step 402b, host node 1 sends a switching request to host node 2; accordingly, host node 2 receives the switching request from host node 1.

[0281] The switching request carries capability information of the relay device, ie, the relay device supports the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0282] Optionally, the switching request further includes the current relay mode of the relay device. The current relay mode of the relay device is the relay mode used by the relay device before the switching, and the current relay mode of the relay device is one of the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0283] In step 403 b , host node 2 sends a handover response to host node 1 ; correspondingly, host node 1 receives a handover response from host node 2 .

[0284] Host node 2 performs admission control on the relay device based on its support for relay modes, and then feeds back the admission status to host node 1. For example, host node 2 can support NCR mode and IAB mode, so host node 2 allows the relay node to access. For example, host node 2 performs admission control based on all relay modes supported by the relay device (i.e., NCR mode and IAB mode); or host node 2 performs admission control based on the relay device's current relay mode (e.g., IAB mode).

[0285] In step 404b, the host node 2 sends a path switching request to the AMF; accordingly, the AMF receives the path switching request from the host node 2.

[0286] The path switching request carries second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the IAB mode and the NCR mode. For an introduction to the second indication information, please refer to the relevant description in step 202 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0287] Optionally, the path switching request also includes the current relay mode.

[0288] Step 405b: AMF determines the second relay mode.

[0289] After receiving the second indication information, the AMF authorizes the relay device based on the second indication information and generates second authorization information, where the second authorization information indicates that the second relay mode has been authorized. The second relay mode is a relay mode selected by the AMF from the IAB mode and the NCR mode. The second relay mode may be the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0290] In step 406b, the AMF sends a path switching response to the donor node 2; accordingly, the donor node 2 receives the path switching response from the AMF.

[0291] The path switching response includes second authorization information.

[0292] Regarding the specific implementation of AMF determining the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device, please refer to the relevant introduction in step 203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] In another implementation, host node 2 sends all relay modes supported by the relay device to the AMF. The AMF authorizes all received relay modes and returns the authorization information of all relay modes to host node 2. Host node 2 then determines a relay mode as the relay mode used by the relay device. Specifically, host node 2 and the AMF perform steps 402c to 406c:

[0294] In step 402 c , host node 1 sends a switching request to host node 2 ; correspondingly, host node 2 receives the switching request from host node 1 .

[0295] The switching request carries capability information of the relay device, ie, the relay device supports the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0296] Optionally, the switching request also includes the current relay mode of the relay device.

[0297] In step 403 c , host node 2 sends a handover response to host node 1 ; correspondingly, host node 1 receives a handover response from host node 2 .

[0298] In step 404c, the host node 2 sends a path switching request to the AMF; accordingly, the AMF receives the path switching request from the host node 2.

[0299] The path switching request carries second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the IAB mode and the NCR mode. For an introduction to the second indication information, please refer to the relevant description in step 202 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0300] Optionally, the path switching request also includes the current relay mode.

[0301] In step 405c, the AMF sends a path switching response to the host node 2; accordingly, the host node 2 receives the path switching response from the AMF.

[0302] After receiving the second indication information, the AMF authorizes the relay device based on the second indication information and generates third authorization information including the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0303] Step 406c: Host node 2 determines the third relay mode.

[0304] Among them, the third relay mode is a relay mode selected by the AMF from the IAB mode and NCR mode indicated by the third authorization information. The third relay mode may be the IAB mode or the NCR mode, which is not limited here.

[0305] Regarding the specific implementation of the host node determining the relay mode ultimately used by the relay device based on the authorized relay mode, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above step 204, which will not be repeated here.

[0306] Step 407: Host node 2 sends a mode command.

[0307] The mode command indicates the relay mode used by the relay device.

[0308] Exemplarily, if the host node 2 and the AMF execute steps 402a to 406a, the relay mode used by the relay device indicated by the mode command is the first relay mode; if the host node 2 and the AMF execute steps 402b to 406b, the relay mode used by the relay device indicated by the mode command is the second relay mode; if the host node 2 and the AMF execute steps 402c to 406c, the relay mode used by the relay device indicated by the mode command is the third relay mode.

[0309] Optionally, the mode command further includes third authorization information, ie, authorization information of the IAB mode and the NCR mode.

[0310] In one embodiment, the host node 2 directly sends the mode command to the relay device. For example, after the host node 2 completes the admission control of the relay device, the relay device has switched to the host node 2, and the host node 2 can directly send the mode command to the relay device.

[0311] In another embodiment, host node 2 sends the mode command to the relay device indirectly through host node 1. For example, if the relay device is still connected to host node 1, host node 2 sends the mode command to host node 1, which then sends the mode command to the relay device.

[0312] Step 408: The relay device operates in the IAB mode or the NCR mode.

[0313] In this embodiment, the relay device can provide at least two relay modes in a switching scenario for selection or authorization by the network side, which is conducive to improving the networking flexibility of the relay device.

[0314] It should be understood that although a relay device can only operate in a certain relay mode, that is, the relay mode used by the relay device is only one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device, the authorization information obtained by the relay device may indicate two or more relay modes. Therefore, in some scenarios, the relay device can independently decide to switch the relay mode. For details, please refer to the embodiment corresponding to Figure 5; in other scenarios, the relay device can also switch the relay mode under the instruction of a network device (for example, a host node, a core network device, and a network management device, etc.). For details, please refer to the embodiment corresponding to Figure 6.

[0315] As shown in Figure 5, another flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application is shown. The communication method is described using the interaction between a relay device and a host node as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the relay device action in the method can also be a device or module in the relay device; the subject that executes the host node action in the method can also be a device or module in the host node, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this. Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 5, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0316] Step 501: The relay device determines to switch to a relay mode.

[0317] Specifically, the relay device determines a relay mode that is desired to be used after the mode conversion (referred to as the converted relay mode for short).

[0318] Among them, the relay mode after conversion is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, that is, one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. The relay mode after conversion is a different relay mode from the relay mode before conversion. For example, the relay mode after conversion is a layer 2 relay mode, and the relay mode before conversion is a layer 1 relay mode or a layer 3 relay mode. For another example, the relay mode after conversion is a layer 3 relay mode, and the relay mode before conversion is a layer 1 relay mode or a layer 2 relay mode. For another example, the relay mode after conversion is a layer 1 relay mode, and the relay mode before conversion is a layer 2 relay mode or a layer 3 relay mode.

[0319] It should be noted that when the layer 1 relay mode, layer 2 relay mode, or layer 3 relay mode introduced in this application can be subdivided into multiple relay modes, it can also be a conversion between different relay modes subdivided under the same protocol stack layer function. For example, the layer 2 relay mode can be subdivided into layer 2 relay mode 1, layer 2 relay mode 2, and layer 2 relay mode 3, etc. Different layer 2 relay modes may have different layer 2 functions. The relay mode before conversion is layer 2 relay mode 1, and the relay mode after conversion can be layer 2 relay mode 2 or layer 2 relay mode 3; or, the relay mode before conversion is layer 2 relay mode 2, and the relay mode after conversion can be layer 2 relay mode 1 or layer 2 relay mode 3; or, the relay mode before conversion is layer 2 relay mode 3, and the relay mode after conversion can be layer 2 relay mode 1 or layer 2 relay mode 2. Similarly, it can also be a conversion between subdivided modes of the layer 1 relay mode, and it can also be a conversion between subdivided modes of the layer 3 relay mode, which is not limited by this application. In this embodiment and subsequent embodiments, only the mode conversion among the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode or the layer 3 relay mode is described as an example.

[0320] In one possible implementation, the relay device stores authorization information for at least two authorized relay modes. Specifically, the relay device stores authorization information for not only the currently used relay mode but also authorization information for at least one other relay mode. The relay device may determine a post-transition relay mode based on the authorization information for the at least one other relay mode.

[0321] Exemplarily, after a relay device joins the network, the mode command received by the relay device not only indicates the relay mode used by the relay device, but also includes authorization information indicating at least two authorized relay modes (for example, the third authorization information in the embodiment corresponding to FIG2 ). The relay device determines one relay mode as the converted relay mode from the at least two relay modes indicated by the authorization information. For example, if the mode command received by the relay device indicates that the relay device uses the layer 2 relay mode, and the authorization information carried in the mode command indicates that the layer 1 relay mode and the layer 2 relay mode have been authorized, the relay device can determine that the layer 1 relay mode is the converted relay mode.

[0322] In another possible implementation, the relay device only stores the authorization information of the currently used relay mode, and does not have authorization for other relay modes. In this case, the relay device determines the relay mode after conversion based on at least two relay modes supported by the relay device (i.e., the capability information of the relay device indicates at least two relay modes supported), and requests the network side to update the authorization of the converted relay mode. Optionally, the relay device sends sixth indication information to the network device, and the sixth indication information is used to indicate the converted relay mode, so that the network device authorizes the relay device to the relay mode indicated by the sixth indication information.

[0323] Exemplarily, the relay mode currently used by the relay device is the layer 2 relay mode, and the relay device supports the layer 1 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode, and the layer 3 relay mode. If the relay device determines that the relay mode after conversion is the layer 3 relay mode, the relay device sends sixth indication information to the network side to request authorization for the layer 3 relay mode.

[0324] Optionally, the relay device may obtain authorization for the converted relay mode through any of the following implementation methods.

[0325] In one implementation, the relay device sends the converted relay mode to the host node through an RRC message (for example, an RRC setup complete or an RRC establishment request message), and then the host node instructs the core network device serving the relay device to re-authorize through an NGAP message (for example, an uplink NAS transport message, etc.), or directly authorizes an additional new working mode.

[0326] In another implementation, the relay device sends the converted relay mode to the host node through a NAS message. Then, the host node transparently transmits the indication information of the converted relay mode to the core network device serving the relay device through an NGAP message (for example, an uplink NAS transport message, etc.) for re-authorization or directly authorizes an additional new working mode.

[0327] Step 502: The relay device sends a request message.

[0328] The request message is used to request that the terminal device accessing the relay device be switched to an adjacent cell.

[0329] Among them, the adjacent cell can be a cell in an adjacent access network device, the adjacent access network device can be a host node currently providing services to the relay device, or it can be other adjacent ordinary base stations, which is not limited in this application.

[0330] In one possible implementation, the relay device is in layer 3 relay mode; the request message is a handover request message, which is used to request that a terminal device connected to the relay device be handed over to a neighboring cell. For example, if the relay device determines a post-transition relay mode, and the relay device's current relay mode is WAB mode, the relay device (e.g., a WAB-gNB in ​​the relay device) can send a request message to request that the terminal device connected to the WAB be handed over to a neighboring cell.

[0331] In another possible implementation, the relay device is in layer 2 relay mode or layer 1 relay mode; the request message includes tenth indication information, and the tenth indication information is used to request the donor node to switch the terminal device connected to the relay device to a neighboring cell. For example, if the relay device determines the relay mode after the switch, and the relay device's current relay mode is NCR mode or IAB mode, the relay device needs to send the tenth indication information to instruct the donor node to switch the terminal device connected to the relay device.

[0332] Then, the relay device adjusts the functional modules of the relay device so that the relay device can operate in the converted relay mode after turning on or off some functional modules.

[0333] Optionally, the relay mode after conversion determined by the relay device may be a relay mode that is not supported by the host node to which the relay device is connected. In one implementation, after receiving the converted relay mode, the host node currently connected to the relay device can determine a new host node based on Xn interaction and notify the relay device through an RRC message that the new host node can support the converted relay mode. In another implementation, the relay device reselects a new host node that can support the converted relay mode based on the broadcast message, thereby triggering a connection to the new host node. Optionally, the relay device can also inform the current host node of the new host node.

[0334] Optionally, the relay device may interact with the host node through one or more of an RRC message, an F1AP message, or an XnAP message (e.g., the tenth indication information, information of the new host node (identifier or IP address), etc.). These interactions are described below:

[0335] In one implementation, the relay device currently uses the NCR mode, and the module in the relay device that can communicate with the host node is the MT module (abbreviated as the NCR-MT module). The host node sends indication information to the relay device via an RRC message; correspondingly, the relay device receives the indication information from the host node via the NCR-MT module.

[0336] In another implementation, the relay device currently uses the IAB mode. The modules in the relay device that can communicate with the host node are the MT module (abbreviated as the IAB-MT module) and the DU (i.e., the IAB-DU module). The host node can send indication information to the relay device via an RRC message; accordingly, the relay device receives the indication information from the host node via the IAB-MT module. Alternatively, the host node can send indication information to the relay device via an F1 message; accordingly, the relay device receives the indication information from the host node via the IAB-DU module.

[0337] In another implementation, the relay device currently uses the WAB mode. The modules in the relay device that can communicate with the donor node are the MT module (abbreviated as the WAB-MT module) and the gNB (i.e., the WAB-gNB module). The donor node can send indication information to the relay device via an RRC message; in turn, the relay device receives the indication information from the donor node via the WAB-MT module. Alternatively, the donor node can send indication information to the relay device via an Xn message; in turn, the relay device receives the indication information from the donor node via the WAB-gNB module.

[0338] It should be understood that the relay device adjusts different functional modules depending on the relay mode after conversion. The following examples are given:

[0339] In one embodiment, the relay mode before conversion is a layer 3 relay mode (e.g., WAB mode), and the relay mode after conversion is a layer 2 relay mode (e.g., IAB mode). As shown in FIG1A , the relay device in the layer 3 relay mode includes an RU module 021, a first module (e.g., MT module) 022, a second module 023 (e.g., DU), and a third module 024 (e.g., CU). The relay device in the layer 2 relay mode includes an RU module 021, a first module (e.g., MT module) 022, and a second module 023 (e.g., DU). For ease of description, this embodiment takes the layer 2 relay mode as an IAB mode including an RU module, an MT module, and a DU as an example, and takes the layer 3 relay mode as an WAB mode including an RU module, an MT module, a DU, and a CU as an example.

[0340] In one example, the relay device (specifically, the WAB-gNB functional module in the relay device) switches the connected terminal device (e.g., connected UE) to other activated cells that do not belong to the relay device (WAB-gNB). For example, the WAB-gNB sends a request message to the adjacent access network device to request that the connected UE be switched to an adjacent cell. After the UE is switched, the relay device (WAB-gNB) releases the established Xn connection, NG connection, etc., and optionally, releases the backhaul configuration information. Then, the CU in the relay device stops working and accesses the network in IAB mode. Optionally, since the UE moves with the relay device, the signal quality of the cell after the relay device is switched to IAB mode will be better than that of the adjacent cell. The UE that was previously switched to other adjacent cells will subsequently switch from the adjacent cell back to the cell of the relay device due to signal coverage reasons.

[0341] In another example, the relay device (specifically, the WAB-gNB functional module in the relay device) can switch the connected terminal device (e.g., connected UE) to the cell to be activated by the relay device, that is, the cell to be activated after the relay device is converted from WAB mode to IAB mode. Specifically, the relay device first performs DU migration, which can be understood as activating a virtual DU (i.e., a DU virtualized by software that shares a DU hardware) to establish an F1 connection with the CU of the host node after the relay device is converted to IAB mode, and obtain the configuration information for the virtual DU in IAB mode. At this time, it can be understood that the WAB mode and the IAB mode temporarily coexist in the relay device. Then, the relay device (specifically, the WAB-gNB functional module in the relay device) switches the connected UE to the activated cell of the virtual DU, thereby avoiding the interruption of UE services caused by the conversion of the WAB mode to IAB mode. Optionally, while activating the virtual DU, the relay device can further activate the virtual RU so that the UE can access the virtual DU through the beam generated by the virtual RU. After the UE completes the handover, the relay device (WAB-gNB) releases the established Xn connection, NG connection, and optionally releases the backhaul configuration information. The CU in the relay device then stops operating and accesses the network in IAB mode.

[0342] In another embodiment, the relay mode before conversion is a layer 3 relay mode (e.g., WAB mode), and the relay mode after conversion is a layer 1 relay mode (e.g., NCR mode). As shown in FIG1A , the relay device in the layer 3 relay mode includes an RU module 021 and a first module (e.g., MT module) 022, a second module 023 (e.g., DU), and a third module 024 (e.g., CU). The relay device in the layer 1 relay mode includes an RU module 021 and a first module (e.g., MT module) 022. For ease of description, this embodiment takes the NCR mode, which includes the RU module and the MT module, as an example, and the WAB mode, which includes the RU module, the MT module, the DU, and the CU, as an example.

[0343] In one example, a relay device (specifically, a WAB-gNB functional module in the relay device) switches an accessed connected terminal device (e.g., a connected UE) to a neighboring cell (i.e., another activated cell that does not belong to the relay device (WAB-gNB)). For example, the WAB-gNB sends a request message to the neighboring access network device to request that the accessed connected UE be switched to a neighboring cell. After the UE is switched, the relay device (WAB-gNB) releases the established Xn connection, NG connection, etc., and optionally, releases the backhaul configuration information. Then, the CU and DU in the relay device stop working and access the network in NCR mode. Optionally, since the UE moves with the relay device, the signal quality of the cell after the relay device is switched to NCR mode will be better than that of the neighboring cell. The UE that was previously switched to other neighboring cells will subsequently switch from the neighboring cell back to the cell of the relay device due to signal coverage reasons.

[0344] In one example, a relay device (specifically, the WAB-gNB functional module in the relay device) can switch a connected terminal device (e.g., a connected UE) to the cell in which the relay device will be activated, that is, the cell in which the relay device will be activated after converting from WAB mode to NCR mode. Specifically, the relay device first activates a virtual RU and establishes an RRC connection with the host node after the relay device converts to NCR mode, obtaining configuration information for the virtual RU in NCR mode. At this point, it can be understood that WAB mode and NCR mode temporarily coexist in the relay device. Then, the connected UE connected to the relay device (specifically, the WAB-gNB functional module in the relay device) is switched to the cell to which the beam generated by the virtual RU belongs, thereby avoiding service interruption of the UE due to the conversion from WAB mode to NCR mode. After the UE completes the handover, the relay device (WAB-gNB) releases the established Xn connection, NG connection, etc., and optionally releases the backhaul configuration information. Then, the CU and DU in the relay device stop working and access the network in NCR mode.

[0345] In another embodiment, the relay mode before conversion is a layer 2 relay mode (e.g., an IAB mode), and the relay mode after conversion is a layer 3 relay mode (e.g., a WAB mode). As shown in FIG1A , the relay device in the layer 2 relay mode includes an RU module 021, a first module (e.g., an MT module) 022, and a second module 023 (e.g., a DU). The relay device in the layer 3 relay mode includes the RU module 021 and a first module (e.g., an MT module) 022, a second module 023 (e.g., a DU), and a third module 024 (e.g., a CU). For ease of description, this embodiment takes the layer 2 relay mode as an IAB mode including an RU module, an MT module, and a DU as an example, and takes the layer 3 relay mode as a WAB mode including an RU module, an MT module, a DU, and a CU as an example.

[0346] In one example, the host node of the relay device switches the connected connected terminal device (for example, the connected UE) to other activated cells that do not belong to the relay device (IAB-DU). For example, the relay device may first instruct the host node to switch the connected UE through an RRC message or an F1AP message. Optionally, after completing the switch, the host node may feedback to the relay device through an RRC message or an F1AP message. Then, the relay device activates the internal CU, releases the F1 connection and / or returns the configuration information, and accesses the network in WAB mode. Optionally, since the UE moves with the relay device, the signal quality of the cell after the relay device is converted to WAB mode will be better than that of the adjacent cell, and the UE that was previously switched to other adjacent cells will subsequently switch from the adjacent cell back to the cell of the relay device due to signal coverage reasons.

[0347] In another example, the host node of the relay device can switch the connected terminal device (for example, the connected UE) to the cell to be activated by the relay device, that is, the cell to be activated after the relay device is converted from the IAB mode to the WAB mode. Specifically, the relay device first activates the internal CU, then performs DU migration, activates the virtual DU to establish an F1 connection with the newly activated CU in the relay device, and obtains the configuration information for the WAB-gNB in ​​the WAB mode. At this point, it can be understood that the IAB mode and the WAB mode temporarily coexist in the relay device. Then, the host node switches the connected UE accessing the relay device to the activated cell of the virtual DU (that is, the cell of the WAB-gNB), thereby avoiding the interruption of the UE's service caused by the conversion of the IAB mode to the WAB mode. Optionally, while activating the virtual DU, the relay device can further activate the virtual RU so that the UE accesses the virtual DU through the beam generated by the virtual RU. After the UE completes the handover, the F1 connection and / or backhaul configuration information established between the relay device (IAB-DU) and the host node needs to be released (the relay device or the host node initiates a release request). Then, the relay device accesses the network in WAB mode.

[0348] In another embodiment, the relay mode before conversion is a layer 2 relay mode (e.g., IAB mode), and the relay mode after conversion is a layer 1 relay mode (e.g., NCR mode). As shown in FIG1A , the relay device in the layer 2 relay mode includes an RU module 021, a first module (e.g., MT module) 022, and a second module 023 (e.g., DU), and the relay device in the layer 1 relay mode includes an RU module 021 and a first module (e.g., MT module) 022. For ease of description, this embodiment takes the layer 2 relay mode of the IAB mode including the RU module, MT module, and DU as an example, and takes the layer 1 relay mode of the NCR mode including the RU module and MT module as an example.

[0349] In one example, the host node of the relay device switches the connected terminal device (for example, a connected UE) to other activated cells that do not belong to the relay device (IAB-DU). For example, the relay device may first instruct the host node to switch the connected UE through an RRC message or an F1AP message. Optionally, after completing the switch, the host node may feedback to the relay device through an RRC message or an F1AP message. Then, the DU inside the relay device stops working again, releases the F1 connection and / or returns the configuration information, and accesses the network in NCR mode. Optionally, since the UE moves with the relay device, the signal quality of the cell after the relay device is converted to NCR mode will be better than that of the adjacent cell, and the UE that was previously switched to other adjacent cells will subsequently switch from the adjacent cell back to the cell of the relay device due to signal coverage reasons.

[0350] In another example, the host node of the relay device can switch the connected connected terminal device (for example, a connected UE) to the cell to be activated by the relay device, that is, the cell to be activated after the relay device is converted from IAB mode to NCR mode. Specifically, the relay device first activates the virtual RU and establishes an RRC connection with the host node after the relay device is converted to NCR mode, and obtains the configuration information for the virtual RU in the NCR mode. At this time, it can be understood that the IAB mode and the NCR mode temporarily coexist in the relay device. Then, the host node switches the UE to the cell to which the activated beam of the NCR node belongs (that is, the cell to which the beam generated by the virtual RU belongs), thereby avoiding UE service interruption when the IAB mode is converted to NCR mode. After the UE completes the switch, the F1 connection and / or backhaul configuration information established between the relay device (IAB-DU) and the host node needs to be released (a release request is initiated by the relay device or the host node), and access to the network in NCR mode.

[0351] In another embodiment, the relay mode before conversion is a layer 1 relay mode (e.g., NCR mode), and the relay mode after conversion is a layer 3 relay mode (e.g., WAB mode). As shown in FIG1A , the relay device in the layer 3 relay mode includes an RU module 021 and a first module (e.g., MT module) 022, a second module 023 (e.g., DU), and a third module 024 (e.g., CU). The relay device in the layer 1 relay mode includes the RU module 021 and the first module (e.g., MT module) 022. For ease of description, this embodiment takes the NCR mode, which includes the RU module and the MT module, as an example, and the WAB mode, which includes the RU module, the MT module, the DU, and the CU, as an example.

[0352] In one example, the host node of the relay device switches the connected connected terminal device (for example, connected UE) to a cell to which other activated beams that do not belong to the relay device (NCR-Fwd) belong. For example, the relay device may first instruct the host node through an RRC message to switch the connected connected UE. Optionally, the host node may feed back to the relay device through an RRC message after completing the switch. The relay device then activates the internal CU and DU, optionally releases the backhaul configuration information, and accesses the network in WAB mode. Optionally, since the UE moves with the relay device, the signal quality of the cell after the relay device is converted to WAB mode will be better than that of the adjacent cell, and the UE that was previously switched to other adjacent cells will subsequently switch from the adjacent cell back to the cell of the relay device due to signal coverage reasons.

[0353] In another example, the host node of the relay device can switch the connected terminal device (for example, the connected UE) to the cell to be activated by the relay device, that is, the cell to be activated after the relay device is converted from NCR mode to WAB mode. Specifically, the relay device first activates the internal CU and DU, and then activates the virtual RU to connect the newly activated CU and DU, and obtains the configuration information for WAB-gNB in ​​WAB mode. At this time, it can be understood that the NCR mode and WAB mode temporarily coexist in the relay device. Then, the host node switches the connected UE accessing the relay device to the cell to which the virtual RU's activated beam belongs (that is, the cell of the WAB-gNB), thereby avoiding the interruption of the UE's service caused by the conversion of the NCR mode to the WAB mode. After the UE completes the switch, the backhaul configuration information is optionally released, and the relay device accesses the network in WAB mode.

[0354] In another embodiment, the relay mode before conversion is a layer 1 relay mode (e.g., NCR mode), and the relay mode after conversion is a layer 2 relay mode (e.g., IAB mode). As shown in FIG1A , the relay device in the layer 2 relay mode includes an RU module 021, a first module (e.g., MT module) 022, and a second module 023 (e.g., DU), and the relay device in the layer 1 relay mode includes an RU module 021 and a first module (e.g., MT module) 022. For ease of description, this embodiment takes the layer 2 relay mode as an IAB mode including an RU module, an MT module, and a DU as an example, and takes the layer 1 relay mode as an NCR mode including an RU module and an MT module as an example.

[0355] In one example, the host node of the relay device switches the connected connected terminal device (for example, connected UE) to a cell to which other activated beams that do not belong to the relay device (NCR-Fwd) belong. For example, the relay device may first instruct the host node through an RRC message to switch the connected connected UE. Optionally, the host node may feed back to the relay device through an RRC message after completing the switch. Then, the relay device activates the internal DU, optionally releases the backhaul configuration information, and accesses the network in IAB mode. Optionally, since the UE moves with the relay device, the signal quality of the cell after the relay device is converted to IAB mode will be better than that of the adjacent cell, and the UE that was previously switched to other adjacent cells will subsequently switch from the adjacent cell back to the cell of the relay device due to signal coverage reasons.

[0356] In another example, the host node of the relay device can switch the connected terminal device (for example, the connected UE) to the cell to be activated of the relay device, that is, the cell to be activated after the relay device is converted from the NCR mode to the IAB mode. Specifically, the DU needs to be activated inside the relay device. For example, the relay device may first activate the DU (and may further activate the virtual RU), establish an F1 connection with the CU of the host node, and obtain the configuration information for the virtual DU under the IAB mode. At this point, it can be understood that the NCR mode and the IAB mode temporarily coexist in the relay device. Then, the host node switches the connected UE connected to the relay device to the activated cell of the IAB node, thereby avoiding the interruption of the UE's service caused by the conversion of the NCR mode to the IAB mode. After the UE completes the switch, the backhaul configuration information is optionally released, and the relay device accesses the network in the IAB mode.

[0357] In this embodiment, the relay device can decide to switch the relay mode, and can switch the terminal device connected to the relay device to an adjacent cell before executing the relay mode switch, thereby achieving flexible switching of the relay mode while ensuring that the terminal device's services are not interrupted, thereby improving the flexibility of the relay device networking.

[0358] As shown in Figure 6, another flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application is shown. The communication method is described by taking the interaction between a relay device and a network device (e.g., a host node, a core network device, and a network management device, etc.) as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the relay device action in the method can also be a device or module in the relay device; the subject that executes the network device action in the method can also be a device or module in the network device, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this. Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 6, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0359] Step 601: The first network device determines to switch to a relay mode.

[0360] The first network device may be a host node (eg, a host node of a relay device), a core network device, or a network management device (eg, OAM).

[0361] Specifically, the first network device determines the relay mode of the relay device after the switch.

[0362] Among them, the relay mode after conversion is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, that is, one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the capability information of the relay device. The relay mode after conversion is a different relay mode from the relay mode before conversion. For example, the relay mode after conversion is a layer 2 relay mode, and the relay mode before conversion is a layer 1 relay mode or a layer 3 relay mode. For another example, the relay mode after conversion is a layer 3 relay mode, and the relay mode before conversion is a layer 1 relay mode or a layer 2 relay mode. For another example, the relay mode after conversion is a layer 1 relay mode, and the relay mode before conversion is a layer 2 relay mode or a layer 3 relay mode. For other examples of the relay mode after conversion, please refer to the relevant description in the previous step 501 and will not be repeated here.

[0363] Step 602: The first network device sends a mode switching command to the relay device; accordingly, the relay device receives the mode switching command.

[0364] The mode conversion command is used to indicate the converted relay mode; or, the mode conversion command is used to instruct the relay device to adjust the functional modules according to the indicated converted relay mode.

[0365] In one embodiment, upon receiving the mode switching command, the relay device can learn the adjacent cell to which the terminal device connected to the relay device needs to be switched before executing the mode switching, so as to prevent service interruption of the terminal device.

[0366] In another embodiment, the relay device sends a request message to a donor node corresponding to a neighboring cell based on the indication information, where the request message is used to request that a connected terminal device connected to the relay device be handed over to the neighboring cell. For example, when the relay device operates in layer 3 relay mode, the first network device may send eighth indication information to the relay device, where the eighth indication information is used to instruct the connected terminal device connected to the relay device to be handed over to the neighboring cell.

[0367] In addition, after receiving the mode conversion command, the relay device adjusts its functional modules so that the relay device can operate in the converted relay mode after turning on or off some functional modules.

[0368] Step 603: The first network device sends seventh indication information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the seventh indication information from the first network device.

[0369] It should be noted that there is no obvious order of execution of step 602 and step 603, that is, the first network device can execute step 602 first and then step 603, or execute step 603 first and then step 602, or execute step 602 and step 603 at the same time, which is not limited in this application.

[0370] The seventh indication information is used to indicate the relay mode after conversion.

[0371] The second network device may be a host node (e.g., a host node of a relay device), a core network device (e.g., an AMF), or a network management device (e.g., an OAM). The second network device is a network device of a different type from the first network device. For example, the first network device is a host node, and the second network device is an AMF or an OAM; or, the first network device is an AMF, and the second network device is a host node or an OAM; or, the first network device is an OAM, and the second network device is a host node or an AMF.

[0372] Optionally, when the converted relay mode is determined by a core network device or a management network element, the converted relay mode may be a relay mode that is not supported by the host node of the relay device. In one implementation, after receiving the converted relay mode, the host node currently connected to the relay device can determine a new host node based on Xn interaction and notify the relay device that the new host node can support the converted relay mode. In another implementation, the relay device reselects a new host node that can support the converted relay mode based on a broadcast message, thereby triggering a connection to the new host node. Optionally, the relay device can also inform the current host node of the new host node.

[0373] Optionally, when the first network device is a host node and the relay device adopts a layer 2 relay mode or a layer 1 relay mode, the first network device determines to switch the terminal device accessing the relay device to a neighboring cell.

[0374] Optionally, when the first network device is a core network device or a management network element and the second network device is a host node of a relay device, the relay device adopts a layer 2 relay mode or a layer 1 relay mode. The seventh indication information is further used to instruct the host node to switch a connected terminal device connected to the relay device to a neighboring cell.

[0375] It can be understood that after the relay device switches its working mode, the various network devices on the network side must align the relay mode after the relay device switches to avoid failures in signaling interaction in subsequent processes.

[0376] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the interaction process between the host node and the relay device can refer to the relevant introduction in step 502 of the embodiment corresponding to FIG5 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0377] In this embodiment, the network device determines whether the relay device should switch to a relay mode and indicates the switched relay mode to the relay device. This facilitates the network device to indicate the relay mode to the relay device as needed, improving the flexibility of relay device networking. Furthermore, the network device instructs the relay device to switch the terminal device connected to the relay device to a neighboring cell before performing the mode switch, which helps ensure service continuity for the terminal device.

[0378] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 70 provided in this embodiment. It should be understood that the host node (e.g., source host node or target host node) or host node (e.g., source host node or target host node) in the method embodiments corresponding to FIG2, FIG3, FIG4, FIG5, or FIG6 can be based on the structure of the communication device 70 shown in FIG7 in this embodiment.

[0379] The communication device 70 includes at least one processor 701, at least one memory 702, at least one transceiver 703, at least one network interface 705, and one or more antennas 704. The processor 701, memory 702, transceiver 703, and network interface 705 are connected via a connection device, and the antenna 704 is connected to the transceiver 703. The aforementioned connection device may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0380] Among them, the memory 702 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The memory 702 can be independent and connected to the processor 701. Optionally, the memory 702 can be integrated with the processor 701, for example, integrated into one or more chips. Among them, the memory 702 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and is controlled and executed by the processor 701. The various types of computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers for the processor 701. It should be understood that Figure 7 in this embodiment only shows one memory and one processor, but in actual applications, the communication device 70 can have multiple processors or multiple memories, which are not specifically limited here. In addition, the memory 702 can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc. The memory 702 can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor (i.e., an on-chip storage element), or an independent storage element, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0381] In this embodiment, the transceiver 703 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the communication device 70 and the terminal device, and the transceiver 703 can be connected to the antenna 704. The transceiver 703 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 704 can receive radio frequency signals. The receiver Rx of the transceiver 703 is used to receive the radio frequency signals from the antenna 704, convert the radio frequency signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals to the processor 701 so that the processor 701 can further process the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 703 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals from the processor 701, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals into radio frequency signals, and transmit the radio frequency signals through one or more antennas 704. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal. The order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal. The order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processes is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal may be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0382] It should be understood that the aforementioned transceiver 703 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device in the transceiver unit that implements a receiving function may be referred to as a receiving unit, and a device in the transceiver unit that implements a transmitting function may be referred to as a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0383] Furthermore, the aforementioned processor 701 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire network device, execute software programs, and process software program data, for example, to support the communication device 70 in performing the actions described in the aforementioned embodiments. The communication device 70 may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit. The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit is primarily used to control the entire communication device 70, execute software programs, and process software program data. As shown in FIG7 , the processor 701 may integrate the functions of a baseband processor and a central processing unit. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the central processing unit may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 70 may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities, and that the various components of the communication device 70 may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processing unit may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing the communication protocol and communication data may be built into the processor, or may be stored in the memory in the form of a software program, and the processor executes the software program to implement the baseband processing function.

[0384] In addition, the aforementioned network interface 705 is used to connect the communication device 70 to other communication devices via a communication link. Specifically, the network interface 705 may include a network interface between the communication device 70 and a core network element, such as an S1 interface; the network interface 705 may also include a network interface between the communication device 70 and other network devices (such as other host nodes or core network elements), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0385] In one design, the communication device 70 is configured to execute the method of the host node in the embodiment corresponding to FIG2 . The transceiver 703 is configured to receive capability information of a relay device, the capability information of the relay device being used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; and to send indication information to a core network device, the indication information being used to indicate at least one relay mode among the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; and to receive authorization information from the core network device, the authorization information being used to indicate an authorized relay mode among the at least one relay mode; and to send a mode command, the mode command being used to indicate a relay mode used by the relay device, the relay mode used by the relay device being one of the authorized relay modes.

[0386] In a possible implementation, the donor node supports at least one relay mode among at least two relay modes, and / or the core network device supports at least one relay mode among at least two relay modes.

[0387] In one possible embodiment, the indication information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a first relay mode determined by the host node, where the first relay mode is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes first authorization information, and the first authorization information is used to indicate the authorized first relay mode; the mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use the first relay mode.

[0388] In one possible embodiment, the indication information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes second authorization information, and the second authorization information is used to indicate a second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information; the mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use the second relay mode.

[0389] In one possible implementation, the indication information includes second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes third authorization information, the third authorization information being used to indicate at least two authorized relay modes; and the mode command being used to indicate a third relay mode determined by the donor node, the third relay mode being one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the third authorization information. Optionally, the mode command also includes the third authorization information.

[0390] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is further used to receive third indication information from the relay device, where the third indication information is used to indicate the relay mode that the relay device expects to use, and the relay mode that the relay device expects to use is one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device.

[0391] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is further configured to send a broadcast message, where the broadcast message includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate a relay mode supported by the donor node.

[0392] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is further configured to receive a handover request from the source host node, the handover request including capability information of the relay device. Optionally, the handover request also includes fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate a relay mode currently used by the relay device and / or an authorized relay mode, the relay mode currently used by the relay device being one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the authorized relay mode being a relay mode authorized by the core network device when the relay device accesses the source host node.

[0393] In a possible implementation, the handover request further includes ninth indication information, where the ninth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode determined by the source host node for the relay device to use after the handover.

[0394] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is configured to send the relay mode supported by the donor node to the core network device; and receive the relay mode supported by the core network device from the core network device.

[0395] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is configured to send the relay mode supported by the donor node to the adjacent access network device; and receive the relay mode supported by the adjacent access network device from the adjacent access network device.

[0396] In one possible implementation, the at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following:

[0397] Layer 1 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module and the MT module; or

[0398] Layer 2 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the DU module; or

[0399] Layer 3 relay mode, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, and the functions of the gNB; or, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU, and the functions of the CU.

[0400] In another design, a communication device 70 is configured to execute the method of the host node in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 . The processor 701 is configured to determine a switch relay mode, where the relay mode includes one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device. The transceiver 703 is configured to send a mode switch command to the relay device, where the mode switch command indicates the switched relay mode.

[0401] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is further configured to send seventh indication information to the second network device, where the seventh indication information is used to indicate the converted relay mode.

[0402] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 703 is further configured to send eighth indication information to the relay device, where the eighth indication information is configured to instruct the terminal device accessing the relay device to be switched to a neighboring cell.

[0403] It should be noted that the specific implementation and beneficial effects of this embodiment can refer to the method of the host node in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0404] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device 80 provided in this application. It should be understood that the core network device in the method embodiments corresponding to Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 can be based on the structure of the communication device 80 shown in Figure 8 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 80 may include a processor 801, a memory 803, and a communication interface 802. The processor 801 is coupled to the memory 803, and the processor 801 is coupled to the communication interface 802.

[0405] The communication interface 802 is connected to other communication devices via a communication link. For example, the communication interface 802 may include a network interface with a host node (eg, the communication device 80 shown in FIG8 ), such as an S1 interface.

[0406] The processor 801 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 801 may be a single processor or may include multiple processors, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0407] In addition, the aforementioned memory 803 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The memory 803 can exist independently and be connected to the processor 801. Optionally, the memory 803 can be integrated with the processor 801, for example, integrated into one or more chips. Among them, the memory 803 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and is controlled and executed by the processor 801. The various types of computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers for the processor 801. The memory 803 may include volatile memory (volatile memory), such as random-access memory (RAM); the memory may also include non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 803 may also include a combination of the above types of memory. The memory 803 may refer to a single memory or may include multiple memories. Exemplarily, the memory 803 is used to store various data.

[0408] In one design, a communication device 80 is configured to execute the method for a core network device in the embodiment corresponding to FIG2 . The communication interface 802 is configured to receive second indication information from a host node, the second indication information being configured to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; and to send authorization information to the host node, the authorization information being configured to indicate an authorized relay mode among the at least two relay modes, wherein the relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes.

[0409] In a possible implementation, the authorization information includes second authorization information, where the second authorization information is used to indicate a second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information.

[0410] In a possible implementation manner, the authorization information includes third authorization information, where the third authorization information is used to indicate at least two authorized relay modes.

[0411] In a possible implementation, the communication interface 802 is configured to send the relay mode supported by the core network device to the donor node; and receive the relay mode supported by the donor node from the donor node.

[0412] In one possible implementation, the at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following:

[0413] Layer 1 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module and the MT module; or

[0414] Layer 2 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the DU module; or

[0415] Layer 3 relay mode, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, and the functions of the gNB; or, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU, and the functions of the CU.

[0416] In another design, the communication device 80 is configured to execute the method of the core network device in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 , wherein the processor 801 is configured to determine a switch to a relay mode, where the relay mode includes one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; and the communication interface 802 is configured to send a mode switch command to the relay device, where the mode switch command indicates the switched relay mode.

[0417] In a possible implementation, the communication interface 802 is further configured to send seventh indication information to the second network device, where the seventh indication information is used to indicate the relay mode after the conversion.

[0418] In a possible implementation, the communication interface 802 is further configured to send eighth indication information to the relay device, where the eighth indication information is configured to instruct the terminal device accessing the relay device to be switched to a neighboring cell.

[0419] It should be noted that the specific implementation methods and beneficial effects of this embodiment can be referred to the method of the core network device in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0420] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device 90 provided in this embodiment. It should be understood that the relay device in the method embodiments corresponding to Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 can be based on the structure of the communication device 90 shown in Figure 9 in this embodiment.

[0421] The communication device 90 includes at least one processor 901, at least one transceiver 902, and one or more antennas 903. The processor 901 is connected to the transceiver 902 via a connection device, and the antenna 903 is connected to the transceiver 902. The connection device may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0422] The transceiver 902 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the communication device 90 and the terminal device, and can also be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the communication device 90 and the host node. The transceiver 902 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 903 can receive radio frequency signals. The receiver Rx of the transceiver 902 is used to receive the radio frequency signals from the antennas 903, amplify the radio frequency signals, and then forward them.

[0423] Optionally, when the communication device has a layer 2 relay function (e.g., DU) or a layer 3 relay function (e.g., CU), the transceiver 902 may also convert the received RF signal into a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and provide the digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal to the processor 901 so that the processor 901 can further process the digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 902 is also used to receive the modulated digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal from the processor 901, convert the modulated digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal into a RF signal, and transmit the RF signal through one or more antennas 903.

[0424] In addition, the aforementioned processor 901 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as control the entire network device, execute software programs, and process software program data, such as for supporting the communication device 90 to perform the actions described in the aforementioned embodiments. For example, when the communication device 90 has the function of layer 1 relay, the processor 901 receives control information from the host node according to the protocol stack of the terminal device, and sends feedback information to the host node. Optionally, when the communication device has the function of layer 2 relay (e.g., DU) or layer 3 relay (e.g., CU), the processor 901 also includes a baseband processor and a central processing unit, wherein the baseband processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit is mainly used to control the entire communication device 90, execute software programs, and process software program data. The processor 901 in Figure 9 can integrate the functions of the baseband processor and the central processing unit. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and the central processing unit can also be independent processors interconnected by technologies such as a bus. The communication device 90 may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards. The communication device 90 may include multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the communication device 90 may be connected through various buses.

[0425] Optionally, the communication device 90 also includes at least one memory 904. The memory 904 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The memory 904 can exist independently and be connected to the processor 901. Optionally, the memory 904 can be integrated with the processor 901, for example, integrated into one or more chips. Among them, the memory 904 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 901. The various types of computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers for the processor 901. It should be understood that Figure 9 in this embodiment only shows one memory and one processor, but in actual applications, the communication device 90 can have multiple processors or multiple memories, which is not limited here. In addition, the memory 904 can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device. The memory 904 can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor (i.e., an on-chip storage element), or an independent storage element, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0426] Optionally, the communication device 90 further includes at least one network interface 905. The network interface 905 is used to connect the communication device 90 to other communication devices via a communication link. Specifically, the network interface 905 may include a network interface between the communication device 90 and a core network element, such as an NG interface; the network interface 905 may also include a network interface between the communication device 90 and other network devices (such as other host nodes or core network elements), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0427] In one design, a communication device 90 is configured to execute the relay device method described in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. A transceiver 902 is configured to send capability information of the relay device to a donor node. For example, during the relay device network access phase, the transceiver 902 reports the capability information of the relay device to the donor node via an RRC message.

[0428] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 902 is further configured to send third indication information to the donor node, where the third indication information is used to indicate a relay mode that the relay device desires to use.

[0429] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive a mode command. The mode command is used to indicate a relay mode to be used by the relay device, i.e., a relay mode to be used by the relay device during operation. The relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes. Optionally, the mode command is carried in RRC signaling.

[0430] In one possible implementation, the at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following:

[0431] Layer 1 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module and the MT module; or

[0432] Layer 2 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the DU module; or

[0433] Layer 3 relay mode, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, and the functions of the gNB; or, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU, and the functions of the CU.

[0434] In another design, the communication device 90 is configured to execute the method of the relay device in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 . Specifically, the processor 901 determines to switch to a relay mode, where the relay mode includes one of at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; and the transceiver 902 is configured to send a request message requesting that a terminal device connected to the relay device be switched to a neighboring cell.

[0435] In a possible implementation, the communication device 90 is a relay device using a layer 3 relay mode; the request message is a handover request message, which is used to request that a terminal device accessing the relay device be handed over to a neighboring cell.

[0436] In one possible implementation, the communication device 90 is a relay device that adopts a layer 2 relay mode or a layer 1 relay mode; the request message includes tenth indication information, which is used to request the host node to switch the terminal device accessing the relay device to an adjacent cell.

[0437] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 902 is further configured to send sixth indication information to the network device, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate the converted relay mode.

[0438] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive a mode switching command, where the mode switching command is used to indicate a switched relay mode.

[0439] It should be noted that the specific implementation and beneficial effects of this embodiment can be referred to the method of the relay device in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0440] As shown in Figure 10, the present application also provides a communication device 100. The communication device 100 can be a relay device, a host node, or a core network device, or can be a component (e.g., an integrated circuit, a chip, etc.) of a relay device, a host node, or a core network device. The communication device 100 can also be other communication modules for implementing the methods in the method embodiments of the present application.

[0441] The communication device 100 may include a processing module 1001 (or a processing unit). Optionally, it may also include an interface module 1002 (or a transceiver unit or transceiver module) and a storage module 1003 (or a storage unit). The interface module 1002 is used to implement communication with other devices. For example, the interface module 1002 may be a transceiver module or an input / output module.

[0442] In one possible design, one or more modules in FIG10 may be implemented by one or more processors, or by one or more processors and memories, or by one or more processors and transceivers, or by one or more processors, memories, and transceivers, which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The processors, memories, and transceivers may be provided separately or integrated.

[0443] The communication device 100 has the function of implementing the host node described in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the communication device 100 includes a module or unit or means (means) corresponding to the host node performing the steps involved in the host node described in the embodiment of the present application. The function or unit or means (means) can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation, or by a combination of software and hardware. For details, please refer to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. Please refer to the communication device 70 in the corresponding embodiment of Figure 7 above.

[0444] Alternatively, the communication device 100 has the functions of implementing the core network device described in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the communication device 100 includes a module or unit or means (means) corresponding to the core network device executing the steps involved in the core network device described in the embodiment of the present application. The functions or units or means (means) can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation, or by a combination of software and hardware. For details, please refer to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. For details, please refer to the communication device 80 in the corresponding embodiment of Figure 8 above.

[0445] Alternatively, the communication device 100 has the function of implementing the relay device described in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the communication device 100 includes a module or unit or means (means) corresponding to the steps involved in the relay device described in the embodiment of the present application. The function or unit or means (means) can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation, or by a combination of software and hardware. For details, please refer to the corresponding description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. Please refer to the communication device 90 in the corresponding embodiment of Figure 9 above.

[0446] In addition, the present application provides a computer program product comprising one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. For example, the method related to the host node in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 is implemented. For another example, the method related to the relay device in Figures 2, 3, or 4 is implemented. For another example, the method related to the core network device in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 is implemented. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium capable of storing data on a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state drive (SSD)).

[0447] In addition, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the host node-related method as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 above.

[0448] In addition, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement a method related to the relay device as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 above.

[0449] In addition, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement a method related to the core network device as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 above.

[0450] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0451] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a host node, characterized in that: include: receiving capability information of a relay device, where the capability information of the relay device is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; Sending indication information to a core network device, where the indication information is used to indicate at least one relay mode of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; receiving authorization information from the core network device, where the authorization information is used to indicate an authorized relay mode among the at least one relay mode; A mode command is sent, where the mode command is used to indicate a relay mode used by the relay device, and the relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The donor node supports at least one relay mode among the at least two relay modes, and / or the core network device supports at least one relay mode among the at least two relay modes.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The indication information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the first relay mode determined by the host node, and the first relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes first authorization information, and the first authorization information is used to indicate the authorized first relay mode; the mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use the first relay mode.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The indication information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes second authorization information, and the second authorization information is used to indicate the second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information; the mode command is used to instruct the relay device to use the second relay mode.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The indication information includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; the authorization information includes third authorization information, and the third authorization information is used to indicate at least two authorized relay modes; the mode command is used to indicate the third relay mode determined by the host node, and the third relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the third authorization information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The mode command further includes the third authorization information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Third indication information is received from the relay device, where the third indication information is used to indicate a relay mode that the relay device expects to use, and the relay mode that the relay device expects to use is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Before receiving the third indication information from the relay device, the method further includes: Send a broadcast message, where the broadcast message includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate a relay mode supported by the donor node.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The host node is a target host node; The receiving relay device capability information includes: A handover request is received from a source host node, where the handover request includes capability information of the relay device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The switching request also includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode and / or authorized relay mode currently used by the relay device. The relay mode currently used by the relay device is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the authorized relay mode is the relay mode authorized by the core network device when the relay device accesses the source host node.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The switching request further includes ninth indication information, where the ninth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode determined by the source host node for the relay device to use after the switching.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following: Layer 1 relay mode, the layer 1 relay mode includes the functions of the radio frequency unit RU module and the mobile terminal MT module; or Layer 2 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module and the distributed unit DU; or Layer 3 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the gNB; Alternatively, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU and the functions of the centralized unit CU.

13. A communication method, applied to a core network device, characterized in that: include: receiving second indication information from the donor node, where the second indication information is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device; Authorization information is sent to the host node, where the authorization information is used to indicate an authorized relay mode among the at least two relay modes, and the relay mode used by the relay device is one of the authorized relay modes.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The authorization information includes second authorization information, where the second authorization information is used to indicate a second relay mode authorized for use by the relay device, and the second relay mode is one of the at least two relay modes indicated by the second indication information.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The authorization information includes third authorization information, and the third authorization information is used to indicate the at least two authorized relay modes.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The at least two relay modes include any at least two of the following: Layer 1 relay mode, the layer 1 relay mode includes the functions of the radio frequency unit RU module and the mobile terminal MT module; or Layer 2 relay mode, the layer 2 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module and the distributed unit DU; or Layer 3 relay mode, which includes the functions of the RU module, the MT module, and the gNB; Alternatively, the layer 3 relay mode includes the functions of the RU module, the functions of the MT module, the functions of the DU and the functions of the centralized unit CU.

17. A communication method, applied to a source host node, characterized in that: include: Acquire capability information of at least one adjacent host node, where the capability information of the adjacent host node is used to indicate a relay mode supported by the adjacent host node; A switching request is sent to a target host node, where the switching request includes capability information of a relay device, where the capability information of the relay device is used to indicate at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the target host node is one of the at least one adjacent host node, and the target host node supports at least one relay mode of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The switching request also includes fifth indication information, and the fifth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode and / or authorized relay mode currently used by the relay device. The relay mode currently used by the relay device is one of the at least two relay modes supported by the relay device, and the authorized relay mode is the relay mode authorized by the core network device when the relay device accesses the source host node.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The switching request further includes ninth indication information, where the ninth indication information is used to indicate the relay mode determined by the source host node for the relay device to use after the switching.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: A mode command is sent to the relay device, where the mode command is used to indicate a relay mode used by the relay device, and the relay mode used by the relay device is determined by the source host node or the target host node.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: including processor and memory; wherein the memory stores a computer program; The processor calls the computer program to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: including processor and memory; wherein the memory stores a computer program; The processor calls the computer program to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 16.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: including processor and memory; wherein the memory stores a computer program; The processor calls the computer program to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 17 to 20.

24. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; or, execute the method according to any one of claims 13 to 16; or, execute the method according to any one of claims 17 to 20.

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