Relay terminal-based communication method and apparatus, communication device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to a relay terminal-based communication method and apparatus, a communication device, and a storage medium. The method is applied to a target relay terminal and comprises: receiving a U2U relay discovery request comprising a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; and if it is determined that a target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and a transmission hop count of the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop count threshold, transmitting the U2U relay discovery request.

Description

Communication method, apparatus, communication device and storage medium based on relay terminal

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 2024101966910, filed on February 22, 2024, entitled “Communication method, device, communication equipment and storage medium based on relay terminal”, the entire text of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, communication equipment and storage medium based on a relay terminal. Background Art

[0004] In Proximity-based Services (PBS), the U2U relay (UE to UE relay) solution refers to the communication between remote UEs (remote User Equipment) through U2U relay.

[0005] In traditional technology, a remote UE usually broadcasts a U2U relay discovery request. The U2U relay that receives the discovery request broadcasts the discovery request. When the target terminal (end UE) determines that the destination identifier in the discovery request is itself, it replies with a U2U relay discovery response, and the U2U relay sends the U2U relay discovery response to the remote UE.

[0006] However, for U2U relays in the same broadcast domain, a U2U relay discovery request broadcast by a U2U relay can be received by U2U relays in the next broadcast domain as well as by U2U relays in the same broadcast domain. Therefore, a U2U relay in the same broadcast domain receiving and transmitting the U2U relay discovery request can easily cause a signaling storm. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, communication device, and storage medium based on a relay terminal.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method based on a relay terminal, which is applied to a target relay terminal, and the method includes:

[0009] Receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, then send the U2U relay discovery request.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, discarding the U2U relay discovery request.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: if the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold, discarding the U2U relay discovery request.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: determining, based on the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; the method further includes: determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request based on the first transaction identifier.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the U2U relay discovery request also includes a first relay identification list, and the first relay identification list includes the identification of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; the method also includes: if the identification of the target relay terminal is included in the first relay identification list, determining that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request; if the identification of the target relay terminal is not included in the first relay identification list, determining that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0015] In one embodiment, sending the U2U relay discovery request includes: adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list and then broadcasting the U2U relay discovery request.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: determining the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and the method further includes: determining a sending hop count of the U2U relay discovery request according to the hop count parameter.

[0018] In one embodiment, sending the U2U relay discovery request includes: updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request and then broadcasting the U2U relay discovery request.

[0019] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a U2U relay discovery response; and sending the U2U relay discovery response if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0020] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response includes the source terminal identifier and the target terminal identifier.

[0021] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, discarding the U2U relay discovery response.

[0022] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: determining, based on the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0023] In one of the embodiments, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; the method further includes: determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response based on the second transaction identifier.

[0024] In one of the embodiments, the U2U relay discovery response also includes a second relay identification list, and the second relay identification list includes the identification of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; the method also includes: determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response based on whether the second relay identification list includes the identification of the target relay terminal.

[0025] In one embodiment, sending the U2U relay discovery response includes: adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list and then sending the U2U relay discovery response.

[0026] In a second aspect, a communication device based on a relay terminal is provided, which is applied to a target relay terminal, and includes:

[0027] The first receiving module is used to receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; the broadcast module is used to send the U2U relay discovery request if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold.

[0028] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0029] The first discarding module is configured to discard the U2U relay discovery request if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0030] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0031] The first discarding module is configured to discard the U2U relay discovery request if the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold.

[0032] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0033] The first determining module is configured to determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0034] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; and the apparatus further includes:

[0035] The second determining module is configured to determine, according to the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0036] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first relay identifier list, where the first relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; the apparatus further includes:

[0037] The third determination module is used to determine that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request if the first relay identification list contains the identification of the target relay terminal; if the first relay identification list does not contain the identification of the target relay terminal, determine that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0038] In one embodiment, the broadcast module includes:

[0039] The first broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the U2U relay discovery request after adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list.

[0040] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0041] The fourth determining module is configured to determine the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0042] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and the apparatus further includes:

[0043] The fifth determining module is configured to determine the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the hop parameter.

[0044] In one embodiment, the broadcast module includes:

[0045] The second broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the U2U relay discovery request after updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request.

[0046] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0047] The second receiving module is configured to receive a U2U relay discovery response; and the sending module is configured to send the U2U relay discovery response if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0048] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response includes the source terminal identifier and the target terminal identifier.

[0049] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0050] The second discarding module is configured to discard the U2U relay discovery response if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0051] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0052] A sixth determining module is configured to determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0053] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; and the apparatus further includes:

[0054] A seventh determining module is configured to determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0055] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second relay identifier list, where the second relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; the apparatus further includes:

[0056] An eighth determining module is configured to determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response according to whether the second relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0057] In one embodiment, the sending module includes:

[0058] The sending unit is configured to send the U2U relay discovery response after adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list.

[0059] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a memory, a processor and a transceiver, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, it controls the transceiver to implement the steps of any one of the packet loss methods in the first aspect.

[0060] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any one of the packet loss methods in the first aspect.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a chip, which includes a programmable logic circuit and / or program instructions, and which, when running, implements any step of the packet loss method in the first aspect.

[0062] In a sixth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any one of the packet loss methods in the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the conventional technology, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the conventional technology descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the disclosed drawings without any creative work.

[0064] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an application environment of a communication method for a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0065] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a conventional communication method in some embodiments;

[0066] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of broadcast domain division in some embodiments;

[0067] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0068] FIG5 is a schematic flow diagram of communication steps of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0069] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0070] FIG7 is a schematic flow diagram of communication steps of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0071] FIG8 is a schematic flow diagram of communication steps of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0072] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of signaling interaction for communication of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0073] FIG10 is a structural block diagram of a communication device of a relay terminal in some embodiments;

[0074] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device in some embodiments;

[0075] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0077] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario for relay terminal communication provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, in this scenario, there are a source terminal 100 and a target relay terminal 200. If the target terminal that the source terminal 100 is looking for is not the target relay terminal 200, then the target relay terminal can be used as the target terminal.

[0078] In traditional technology, as shown in Figure 2, a remote terminal is usually used to broadcast a U2U relay discovery request. The U2U relay that receives the discovery request broadcasts the discovery request. When the target terminal determines that the destination identifier in the discovery request is itself, it replies with a U2U relay discovery response, and the U2U relay sends the U2U relay discovery response to the remote terminal.

[0079] However, as shown in Figure 3, for U2U relay terminals in the same broadcast domain, a U2U relay discovery request broadcast by a U2U relay can be received by U2U relays in the next broadcast domain as well as by U2U relays in the same broadcast domain. Therefore, U2U relays in the same broadcast domain receiving and transmitting the U2U relay discovery request can easily cause a signaling storm.

[0080] Based on the above-mentioned traditional technology, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method based on a relay terminal. By broadcasting the U2U relay discovery request only when the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, it is possible to avoid signaling storms caused by relay terminals in the same broadcast domain receiving and transmitting the U2U relay discovery request.

[0081] It should be noted that the beneficial effects or technical problems solved by the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this one, but may also include other implicit or related problems. For details, please refer to the description of the following embodiments.

[0082] The following specific embodiments describe in detail the technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0083] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , a communication method for a relay terminal is provided. The method is described by taking the relay terminal in FIG1 as an example, and includes the following steps:

[0084] Step 401: Receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0085] The U2U relay discovery solicitation may include a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier. The source terminal identifier may be the identifier of the source terminal (Resource UE) that initiates the U2U relay discovery request, for example, "user info id of discover," which refers to the identity information of the source terminal. The target terminal identifier may be the identifier of the target terminal (Target UE) with which the terminal intends to communicate, for example, "user info id of discover," which refers to the identity information of the target terminal.

[0086] Optionally, the target relay terminal receives a U2U relay discovery request broadcast by the source terminal, where the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0087] Optionally, the target relay terminal receives a U2U relay discovery request broadcast by other relay terminals, where the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0088] Step 402: If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, then a U2U relay discovery request is sent.

[0089] The U2U relay discovery request may further include a first relay identifier list and / or a hop count parameter. The first relay identifier list may store identifiers of relay terminals along the U2U relay discovery request path. The hop count parameter may record the current number of hops sent. Whether the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop count threshold may be determined based on the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list and / or the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request. Whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request may be determined based on the relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0090] Optionally, the target relay terminal may check whether the target terminal identifier in the U2U relay discovery request is consistent with its own terminal identifier. If not, the target relay terminal may check whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery request before. If the target relay terminal has not processed a U2U relay discovery request before, the target relay terminal may further check whether the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop threshold. If the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is less than the preset hop threshold, the target relay terminal may broadcast the U2U relay discovery request.

[0091] If the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, it further checks whether the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold. If the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request can be discarded.

[0092] If the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, the U2U relay discovery request may be discarded.

[0093] In addition, if the target relay terminal checks that the target terminal identifier in the U2U relay discovery request is consistent with its own terminal identifier, it may unicast or broadcast a U2U relay discovery response.

[0094] In the above-mentioned relay terminal communication method, the target relay terminal can receive a U2U relay discovery request including a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier. If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed a U2U relay discovery request, and the number of hops sent for the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request. For relay terminals in the same broadcast domain, the U2U relay discovery request broadcast by the relay terminal can be received by relay terminals in the next broadcast domain as well as by relay terminals in the same broadcast domain. Receiving and transmitting the U2U relay discovery request by relay terminals in the same broadcast domain can easily cause a signaling storm. In an embodiment of the present application, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcast only when the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is less than the preset hop threshold. That is, before the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request, a judgment is made as to whether the broadcast is required. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a signaling storm caused by relay terminals in the same broadcast domain receiving and transmitting the U2U relay discovery request.

[0095] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0096] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, or the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is discarded.

[0097] In this embodiment, when determining whether a target relay terminal has previously processed a U2U relay discovery request, if the target relay terminal has previously processed a U2U relay discovery request, the target relay terminal may discard the U2U relay discovery request. If the target relay terminal has not previously processed a U2U relay discovery request, but the number of hops required to send the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop threshold, the target relay terminal may discard the U2U relay discovery request. This prevents excessive U2U relay discovery requests from being transmitted within the network, potentially exceeding the processing capacity of various network signaling resources.

[0098] When determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, there are the following optional ways: In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0099] Determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request according to the source terminal identifier.

[0100] Optionally, when determining whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery request, if the source terminal identifier of the target relay terminal is found to have been processed within a preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the target relay terminal discards the U2U relay discovery request. Conversely, if the source terminal identifier of the target relay terminal is found not to have been processed within the preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request.

[0101] For example, the target relay terminal may query data stored in an internal memory, which includes processed terminal identifiers. If the processed terminal identifiers include the source terminal identifier, it may be determined that the source terminal identifier of the target relay terminal has been processed within a preset time period.

[0102] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; the method further includes: determining, based on the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0103] The first transaction identifier is, for example, a transaction ID, that is, a transaction identification number. The first transaction identifier can identify the U2U relay discovery request.

[0104] Optionally, when determining whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery request, if the U2U relay discovery request also includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request, then if it is found that the first transaction identifier has been processed within a preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the target relay terminal discards the U2U relay discovery request. Conversely, if it is found that the first transaction identifier has not been processed within the preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request.

[0105] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request also includes a first relay identification list, and the first relay identification list includes the identification of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; the method also includes: if the first relay identification list includes the identification of the target relay terminal, determining that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request; if the first relay identification list does not include the identification of the target relay terminal, determining that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0106] The first relay identification list is, for example, a user info id of U2U relay list, that is, a list storing relay identification information.

[0107] Optionally, when determining whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery request, if the U2U relay discovery request also includes a first relay identifier list for storing the identifier of at least one relay terminal passed through, then when the target relay terminal discovers that its own identifier is included in the first relay identifier list, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the target relay terminal discards the U2U relay discovery request. Conversely, if it discovers that its own identifier is not included in the first relay identifier list, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request.

[0108] The above optional method for determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request can improve the accuracy of determining whether the U2U relay discovery request has been processed. Furthermore, by determining whether to continue broadcasting based on the result of whether it has been processed and the number of hops sent, signaling storms can be reduced.

[0109] In one embodiment, sending the U2U relay discovery request includes: adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to a first relay identifier list, and then broadcasting the U2U relay discovery request.

[0110] The first relay identifier list may include identifiers of relay terminals that have passed through before the U2U relay discovery request. Each time before broadcasting the U2U relay discovery request, the identifier of the current relay terminal may be added to the first relay identifier list.

[0111] Optionally, as shown in FIG5 , when it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed a U2U relay discovery request and the number of hops sent for the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, the identifier of the target relay terminal may be added to the first relay identifier list, and the target relay terminal may broadcast the U2U relay discovery request. Otherwise, the U2U relay discovery request is discarded.

[0112] By adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list and then broadcasting the U2U relay discovery request, after other relay terminals receive the U2U relay discovery request, they can determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request based on the relay terminal identifier included in the first relay identifier list in the U2U relay discovery request.

[0113] When determining the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request, there are the following optional ways: In one embodiment, the method further includes: determining the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0114] In this embodiment, since the first relay identifier list includes the relay terminal identifier, when judging whether the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold, the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list of the U2U relay discovery request received by the target relay terminal can be used as the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request.

[0115] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and the method further includes:

[0116] The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the hop count parameter.

[0117] The hop count parameter, for example, hop, records the current hop count of the U2U relay discovery request.

[0118] It should be noted that, in the U2U relay discovery request broadcast by the source terminal and received by the target relay terminal, the hop count parameter is 0.

[0119] In this embodiment, since the U2U relay discovery request may also include a hop count parameter, when determining whether the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop count threshold, the value of the hop count parameter may be used as the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request.

[0120] The method for determining the number of hops to be sent is based on the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list and the hop count parameter. Since multiple methods for determining the number of hops to be sent are provided, the flexibility of determining whether the number of hops to be sent for the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop count threshold is increased.

[0121] In one embodiment, sending a U2U relay discovery request includes:

[0122] After updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

[0123] The updating of the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request may be the hop count parameter plus 1.

[0124] Optionally, the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request broadcast by the source terminal is 0. After the target relay terminal receives the U2U relay discovery request, it can determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request and whether the number of hops sent in the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop count threshold. If the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and the number of hops sent in the U2U relay discovery request is less than the preset hop count threshold, the target relay terminal can update the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request. After the target relay terminal updates the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request, the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request.

[0125] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , the method further includes:

[0126] Step 601: Receive a U2U relay discovery response; the U2U relay discovery response includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0127] The U2U relay discovery response u2u relay discovery rsp may include a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0128] Optionally, the target relay terminal receives a U2U relay discovery response broadcast or unicast by the target terminal, where the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0129] Optionally, the target relay terminal receives a U2U relay discovery response broadcast or unicast by other relay terminals, where the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier.

[0130] Step 602: If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, a U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0131] The U2U relay discovery response may further include a second relay identifier list. The second relay identifier list may include the relay terminal identifiers through which the U2U relay discovery response passed. Whether the relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response may be determined based on the relay terminal identifiers in the second relay identifier list.

[0132] Optionally, the target relay terminal may check whether the source terminal identifier in the U2U relay discovery response is consistent with its own terminal identifier. If not, the target relay terminal may check whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response before. If the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response before, the target relay terminal may further check whether the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery response is greater than or equal to a preset hop threshold. The target relay terminal may then broadcast or unicast the U2U relay discovery response.

[0133] If the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response may be discarded.

[0134] In addition, if the target relay terminal checks the U2U relay and finds that the source terminal identifier in the response is consistent with its own terminal identifier, it can determine that the target relay terminal is the source terminal and then select a relay terminal to initiate a PC5 (Proximity Communication) connection establishment. The connection is subsequently established hop by hop.

[0135] Optionally, when selecting a relay terminal to initiate PC5 connection establishment, the relay terminal that sends a U2U relay discovery response to the source terminal may be selected to initiate PC5 connection establishment.

[0136] In this embodiment, a U2U relay discovery response, including a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier, is received by the target relay terminal. If the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, the target relay terminal then sends the U2U relay discovery response. Because the U2U relay discovery response is broadcast only when the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, that is, a determination is made before the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery response whether a broadcast is necessary. This avoids signaling storms caused by relay terminals in the same broadcast domain receiving and transmitting the U2U relay discovery response.

[0137] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0138] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response is discarded.

[0139] In this embodiment, in the process of determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, if the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, the target relay terminal can discard the U2U relay discovery response, thereby avoiding excessive U2U relay discovery responses being transmitted in the network, which exceeds the processing capacity of various network signaling resources.

[0140] The following optional methods are provided for determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0141] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0142] Determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response according to the source terminal identifier.

[0143] Optionally, when determining whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery response, if the source terminal identifier of the target relay terminal is found to have been processed within a preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, and the target relay terminal discards the U2U relay discovery response. Conversely, if the source terminal identifier of the target relay terminal is found to have not been processed within the preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, and the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery response.

[0144] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; and the method further includes:

[0145] Determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0146] The second transaction identifier may identify the U2U relay discovery response.

[0147] Optionally, when determining whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery response, if the U2U relay discovery response also includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response, then if it is found that the second transaction identifier has been processed within a preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, and the target relay terminal discards the U2U relay discovery response. Conversely, if it is found that the second transaction identifier has not been processed within the preset time period, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, and the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery response.

[0148] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second relay identifier list, where the second relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; and the method further includes:

[0149] Whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response is determined according to whether the second relay identifier list contains the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0150] The second relay identifier list may be a list storing relay identifier information of the U2U relay discovery response.

[0151] Optionally, when determining whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery response, if the U2U relay discovery response also includes a second relay identifier list for storing the identifier of at least one relay terminal passed through, then when the target relay terminal discovers that its own identifier is included in the second relay identifier list, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, and the target relay terminal discards the U2U relay discovery response. Conversely, if it discovers that its own identifier is not included in the second relay identifier list, it can be determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, and the target relay terminal broadcasts the U2U relay discovery response.

[0152] The above optional method for determining whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response can improve the accuracy of determining whether the U2U relay discovery response has been processed. Furthermore, by determining whether to continue broadcasting / unicasting based on the result of whether it has been processed, signaling storms can be reduced.

[0153] In one embodiment, the target relay terminal sends a U2U relay discovery response, including:

[0154] After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list, a U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0155] Optionally, the second relay identifier list may include relay terminal identifiers passed before the U2U relay discovery response, and each time before sending a U2U relay discovery response, the current relay terminal identifier may be added to the second relay identifier list.

[0156] Optionally, as shown in FIG7 , when it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, the identifier of the target relay terminal may be added to the second relay identifier list, and the target relay terminal may broadcast / unicast the U2U relay discovery response. Otherwise, the U2U relay discovery response is discarded.

[0157] By adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list and then broadcasting the U2U relay discovery response, after other relay terminals receive the U2U relay discovery response, they can determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response based on the relay terminal identifier included in the second relay identifier list in the U2U relay discovery response.

[0158] Optionally, as shown in Figure 8, if the source terminal does not receive a U2U relay discovery response after a period of time after sending the U2U relay discovery request, it can re-initiate the U2U relay discovery response after a period of time. If a U2U relay discovery response is received after a period of time, a relay terminal can be selected as the next one to initiate PC5 connection establishment.

[0159] In one embodiment, FIG9 provides a signaling interaction flow chart of a relay terminal communication, including the following steps:

[0160] Step 901: The source terminal broadcasts a U2U relay discovery request, which includes a terminal identifier, a target terminal identifier, a first transaction identifier, and a hop count parameter.

[0161] In step 902, after receiving the U2U relay discovery request, target relay terminal A determines that the target terminal identifier is not itself, that it has not processed any U2U relay discovery requests before, and that the number of hops sent for the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold. Then, target relay terminal A broadcasts the U2U relay discovery request. The U2U relay discovery request also includes a first relay identifier list. During the broadcast, the target relay terminal A updates the number of hops sent and adds its own identifier to the first relay identifier list.

[0162] In step 903, after receiving the U2U relay discovery request broadcast by target relay terminal A, target relay terminal B determines that the target terminal identifier is not itself, that target relay terminal B has not processed this U2U relay discovery request, and that the number of hops sent for the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold. Target relay terminal B then broadcasts a U2U relay discovery request. During the broadcast, the target relay terminal updates the number of hops sent and adds its own identifier to the first relay identifier list.

[0163] In step 904, after receiving the U2U relay discovery request broadcast by the target relay terminal B, the target relay terminal C determines that the target terminal identifier is itself, then determines itself as the target terminal, and broadcasts or unicasts a U2U relay discovery response. The U2U relay discovery response includes the terminal identifier, the target terminal identifier, the second transaction identifier, and the hop count parameter.

[0164] In step 905, target relay terminal B receives a U2U relay discovery response broadcast or unicast by the target terminal (target relay terminal C). Upon determining that the source terminal identifier is not itself and that target relay terminal B has not processed this U2U relay discovery response, it broadcasts or unicasts a U2U relay discovery response that also includes a second relay identifier list. During the broadcast or unicast, the target relay terminal adds its own identifier to the second relay identifier list.

[0165] Step 906: The source terminal receives the U2U relay discovery response broadcast or unicast by the target relay terminal B, determines that the source terminal identifier is its own identifier, and then initiates PC5 establishment.

[0166] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flow charts of Fig. 4-Fig. 9 are shown in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily performed in sequence according to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless clearly stated herein, the execution of these steps does not have strict order restrictions, and these steps can be performed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in Fig. 4-Fig. 9 may include a plurality of steps or a plurality of stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily performed at the same time, but can be performed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily performed in sequence, but can be performed in turn or alternately with at least a portion of the steps or stages in other steps or other steps.

[0167] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG10 , a communication device for a relay terminal is provided. The communication device is applied to a target relay terminal. The communication device 1000 includes: a first receiving module 1001 and a broadcasting module 1002, wherein:

[0168] The first receiving module 1001 is used to receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; the broadcasting module 1002 is used to send a U2U relay discovery request if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and the number of hops sent for the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold.

[0169] In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0170] The first discarding module is configured to discard the U2U relay discovery request if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, or the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop threshold.

[0171] In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0172] The first determining module is configured to determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0173] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; and the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0174] The second determining module is configured to determine, according to the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0175] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first relay identifier list, where the first relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; and the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0176] The third determination module is used to determine that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request if the first relay identification list contains the identification of the target relay terminal; if the first relay identification list does not contain the identification of the target relay terminal, determine that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0177] In one embodiment, the broadcast module 1002 includes:

[0178] The first broadcast unit is configured to broadcast a U2U relay discovery request after adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list.

[0179] In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0180] The fourth determining module is configured to determine the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0181] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0182] The fifth determining module is configured to determine the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the hop parameter.

[0183] In one embodiment, the broadcast module 1002 includes:

[0184] The second broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the U2U relay discovery request after updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request.

[0185] In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0186] The second receiving module is used to receive a U2U relay discovery response; the U2U relay discovery response includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; the sending module is used to send a U2U relay discovery response if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0187] In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0188] The second discarding module is configured to discard the U2U relay discovery response if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0189] In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0190] The sixth determining module is configured to determine, based on the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0191] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; and the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0192] The seventh determining module is configured to determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0193] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second relay identifier list, where the second relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; and the apparatus 1000 further includes:

[0194] An eighth determining module is configured to determine whether the target relay terminal has processed a U2U relay discovery response according to whether the second relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0195] In one embodiment, the sending module includes:

[0196] The sending unit is configured to send a U2U relay discovery response after adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list.

[0197] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device in one embodiment. The communication device may include a transceiver 1101, a memory 1102, a processor 1103, and at least one communication bus 1104. The communication bus 1104 is used to implement communication connections between components. The memory 1102 may include a high-speed RAM memory, and may also include a non-volatile storage NVM, such as at least one disk storage. The memory 1102 may store various programs for performing various processing functions and implementing the method steps of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the transceiver 1101 may be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in the communication device, which is provided in the target relay terminal. The transceiver 1101 may be coupled to the processor 1103, which can perform receiving or transmitting actions under the instruction or control of the processor 1103.

[0198] In this embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

[0199] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to prohibit discarding PDUs in the second PDU Set when the current network congestion meets the first packet loss trigger condition; wherein the second PDU Set is a PDU Set marked as not allowing packet loss.

[0200] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to discard the U2U relay discovery request if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, or the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to a preset hop threshold.

[0201] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0202] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine, according to the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0203] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request according to whether the first relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0204] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to add the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list and then broadcast a U2U relay discovery request.

[0205] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0206] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request according to a hop parameter.

[0207] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to update the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request and then broadcast the U2U relay discovery request.

[0208] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to receive a U2U relay discovery response; the U2U relay discovery response includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0209] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to discard the U2U relay discovery response if it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0210] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0211] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0212] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response according to whether the second relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0213] In one embodiment, the processor 1103 controls the transceiver 1101 to add the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list and then sends a U2U relay discovery response.

[0214] In one embodiment, a chip is provided, and Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the chip according to the embodiment of the present application. The chip 1200 shown in Figure 12 includes a processor 1201, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0215] Optionally, as shown in FIG12 , the chip 1200 may further include a memory 1202. The processor 1201 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1202 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application. The memory 1202 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1201 or may be integrated into the processor 1201.

[0216] Optionally, the chip 1200 may further include an input interface 1203. The processor 1201 may control the input interface 1203 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips. Optionally, the chip 1200 may further include an output interface 1204. The processor 1201 may control the output interface 1204 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0217] Optionally, the chip 1200 can be applied to the communication device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip 1200 can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the communication device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0218] It should be understood that the chip 1200 mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a system-on-chip, system-on-chip, chip system, or system-on-chip chip. It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, the various steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0219] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0220] Receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier;

[0221] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is sent.

[0222] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0223] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, or the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is discarded.

[0224] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0225] Determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request according to the source terminal identifier.

[0226] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0227] Determine, according to the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0228] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first relay identifier list, where the first relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0229] If the first relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal, it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request; if the first relay identifier list does not include the identifier of the target relay terminal, it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0230] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0231] After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list, a U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

[0232] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0233] The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0234] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0235] The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the hop count parameter.

[0236] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0237] After updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

[0238] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0239] Receive a U2U relay discovery response; the U2U relay discovery response includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier;

[0240] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, a U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0241] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0242] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response is discarded.

[0243] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0244] Determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response according to the source terminal identifier.

[0245] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0246] Determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0247] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second relay identifier list, where the second relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0248] Whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response is determined according to whether the second relay identifier list contains the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0249] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0250] After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list, a U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0251] The present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0252] Receive a U2U relay discovery request; the U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier;

[0253] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is sent.

[0254] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0255] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, or the number of hops sent by the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is discarded.

[0256] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0257] Determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request according to the source terminal identifier.

[0258] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0259] Determine, according to the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0260] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a first relay identifier list, where the first relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0261] If the first relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal, it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request; if the first relay identifier list does not include the identifier of the target relay terminal, it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

[0262] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0263] After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list, a U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

[0264] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0265] The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

[0266] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0267] The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the hop count parameter.

[0268] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0269] After updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

[0270] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0271] Receive a U2U relay discovery response; the U2U relay discovery response includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier;

[0272] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, a U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0273] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0274] If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response is discarded.

[0275] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0276] Determine whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response according to the source terminal identifier.

[0277] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0278] Determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

[0279] In one embodiment, the U2U relay discovery response further includes a second relay identifier list, where the second relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0280] Whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response is determined according to whether the second relay identifier list contains the identifier of the target relay terminal.

[0281] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0282] After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list, a U2U relay discovery response is sent.

[0283] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application may include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory or optical memory, etc. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

[0284] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0285] The above embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art could make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present patent application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method based on a relay terminal, the method being applied to a target relay terminal, the method comprising: Receive U2U relay discovery request; The U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request, and the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request, the U2U relay discovery request is discarded.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: If the sending hop count of the U2U relay discovery request is greater than or equal to the preset hop count threshold, the U2U relay discovery request is discarded.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: Determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The U2U relay discovery request further includes a first transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery request; and the method further includes: Determine, according to the first transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The U2U relay discovery request further includes a first relay identifier list, where the first relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery request passes; the method further includes: If the first relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal, determining that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery request; If the first relay identifier list does not include the identifier of the target relay terminal, it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Sending the U2U relay discovery request includes: After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the first relay identifier list, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcast.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The method further comprises: The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the number of relay terminal identifiers in the first relay identifier list.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The U2U relay discovery request further includes a hop count parameter, and the method further includes: The number of hops for sending the U2U relay discovery request is determined according to the hop number parameter.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The sending the U2U relay discovery request includes: After updating the hop count parameter in the U2U relay discovery request, the U2U relay discovery request is broadcasted.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The method further comprises: Receive U2U relay discovery response; If it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response is sent.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The U2U relay discovery response includes the source terminal identifier and the target terminal identifier.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The method further comprises: If it is determined that the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response, the U2U relay discovery response is discarded.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The method further comprises: Determine, according to the source terminal identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein The U2U relay discovery response further includes a second transaction identifier for identifying the U2U relay discovery response; and the method further includes: Determine, according to the second transaction identifier, whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein The U2U relay discovery response further includes a second relay identifier list, where the second relay identifier list includes an identifier of at least one relay terminal through which the U2U relay discovery response passes; and the method further includes: According to whether the second relay identifier list includes the identifier of the target relay terminal, it is determined whether the target relay terminal has processed the U2U relay discovery response.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Sending the U2U relay discovery response includes: After adding the identifier of the target relay terminal to the second relay identifier list, the U2U relay discovery response is sent.

18. A communication device based on a relay terminal, the device being applied to a target relay terminal, the device comprising: A first receiving module, configured to receive a U2U relay discovery request; The U2U relay discovery request includes a source terminal identifier and a target terminal identifier; The broadcast module is configured to send the U2U relay discovery request if it is determined that the target relay terminal has not processed the U2U relay discovery request and the number of sending hops of the U2U relay discovery request is less than a preset hop threshold.

19. A communication device comprising a transceiver, a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, it controls the transceiver to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 are implemented.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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