Communication method, user equipment, network device and communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and provides a communication method, a user equipment, a network device and a communication system. The communication method is applied to the user equipment, and comprises: sending a registration request to a network system, the registration request comprising indication information that the user equipment has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability; and receiving a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment sent by the network system in response to the registration request, the network prefix step size parameter being used for indicating a difference in network prefix length between a superordinate relay device and a subordinate relay device thereof in proximity service communication.

Description

Communication method, user equipment, network equipment and communication system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on the application with CN application number 202410338211.X and application date March 22, 2024, and claims its priority. The disclosed content of the CN application is hereby introduced as a whole into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, user equipment, network equipment, and a communication system. Background Art

[0004] In Proximity Services (ProSe), remote user equipment (UE) that lacks base station coverage and cannot connect directly to a base station can access the network by connecting to the base station through one or more discovered relay UEs. If a remote UE connects to a base station through multiple relay UEs, this is called multi-hop relay. In this multi-hop relay scenario, each UE in the ProSe service can communicate using IPv6 addresses.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, applied to a user device, comprising: sending a registration request to a network system, the registration request including indication information that the user device has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability; receiving a network prefix step parameter of the user device sent by the network system in response to the registration request, which is used to indicate a difference in network prefix lengths between an upper-level relay device and a lower-level relay device in proximity service communication.

[0007] When registering, the user device reports its proximity service multi-hop relay capability and obtains the network prefix step parameter assigned by the network system, which is used to indicate the difference in network prefix length between the upper relay device and its lower relay device in proximity service communication. Based on the network prefix step parameter, the user device can obtain the difference in network prefix length between its upper relay device and its own in proximity service communication.

[0008] In some embodiments, sending a registration request to the network system includes: sending a registration request to an access and mobility management function AMF network element in the network system, the registration request including indication information that the user equipment has proximity service multi-hop relay capability, which is used to instruct the AMF network element to send a request to the policy control function PCF network element in the network system to obtain the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment; receiving the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment sent by the network system in response to the registration request includes: receiving the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element and forwarded by the AMF network element in the network system.

[0009] The user equipment interacts with the PCF network element through the AMF network element in the network system and obtains the network prefix step parameter from the PCF network element.

[0010] In some embodiments, the receiving of the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element and forwarded by the AMF network element in the network system includes: receiving the user equipment policy sent by the PCF network element and forwarded by the AMF network element in the network system, wherein: the user equipment policy includes the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing selection policy and a proximity service policy.

[0011] The network prefix step size parameter may be distributed through one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining network prefix information of a lower-level relay device of the user equipment in proximity service communication according to the network prefix information of the user equipment in proximity service communication and a network prefix step parameter of the user equipment.

[0013] The user device can autonomously determine the network prefix information of the user device's subordinate relay device in proximity service communication based on its network prefix information and the difference in network prefix length between the upper relay device and its subordinate relay device in proximity service communication indicated by the network prefix step parameter.

[0014] In some embodiments, determining the network prefix information of the lower-level relay device of the user device in the proximity service communication includes: determining the sum of the network prefix length of the user device in the proximity service communication and the network prefix step parameter of the user device as the network prefix length of the lower-level relay device of the user device in the proximity service communication.

[0015] Each user device in proximity service communication adds its network prefix length to the network prefix step parameter to obtain the network prefix length of the user device's lower-level relay device in proximity service communication, so that each user device in proximity service communication obtains a network prefix with increasing length, thereby improving the problem of network prefix conflict in proximity service communication.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further includes: constructing a network address of the user equipment in proximity service communication using a stateless network address automatic configuration method according to the network prefix information of the user equipment in proximity service communication, so as to perform proximity service communication.

[0017] The user equipment can automatically construct a network address for proximity service communication based on its own network prefix information using a stateless network address automatic configuration method, so as to perform proximity service communication.

[0018] In some embodiments, the network prefix step parameter is an IPv6 network prefix step parameter.

[0019] In scenarios where proximity services use IPv6 addresses for communication, a solution for distributing IPv6 network prefix step parameters is provided.

[0020] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, which is applied to an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, including:

[0021] receiving a registration request sent by a user equipment, the registration request including indication information that the user equipment has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability;

[0022] In response to the registration request, sending a request to a policy control function (PCF) network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment;

[0023] receiving a network prefix step length parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element, which is used to indicate a difference in network prefix lengths between an upper-level relay device and a lower-level relay device in proximity service communication;

[0024] The network prefix step parameter of the user equipment is forwarded to the user equipment.

[0025] In some embodiments, the receiving the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element includes: receiving the user equipment policy sent by the PCF network element, wherein: the user equipment policy includes the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of the user equipment routing selection policy and the proximity service policy; the forwarding the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the user equipment includes: forwarding the user equipment policy to the user equipment.

[0026] In some embodiments, in response to the registration request, sending a request to the policy control function PCF network element to obtain the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment includes: responding to the registration request, selecting a PCF network element that supports the proximity service parameter provision function, and sending a request to the PCF network element to obtain the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment.

[0027] The AMF network element selects the PCF network element that supports the proximity service parameter provision function to initiate a request to obtain the network prefix step parameter so that the request can be effectively responded to.

[0028] In some embodiments, sending a request to a policy control function PCF network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment includes: sending a create user equipment policy control request to the PCF network element to obtain the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment.

[0029] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, which is applied to a policy control function (PCF) network element, including:

[0030] Receiving a request for obtaining a network prefix step size parameter of a user equipment having proximity service multi-hop relay capability, sent by an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element;

[0031] Send the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the AMF network element, to instruct the AMF network element to forward the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the user equipment, where the network prefix step parameter is used to indicate the difference in network prefix length between an upper-level relay device and its lower-level relay device in proximity service communication.

[0032] In some embodiments, the receiving access and mobility management function AMF network element sends a request for obtaining the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment for the user equipment with proximity service multi-hop relay capability, including: receiving the request for obtaining the user equipment policy sent by the AMF network element for the user equipment with proximity service multi-hop relay capability; the sending the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment to the AMF network element includes: sending the user equipment policy to the AMF network element, used to instruct the AMF network element to forward the user equipment policy to the user equipment, wherein: the user equipment policy includes the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of the user equipment routing selection policy and the proximity service policy.

[0033] In some embodiments, receiving a request from an access and mobility management function AMF network element for a user device with proximity service multi-hop relay capability to obtain the network prefix step parameters of the user device includes: receiving a request from an access and mobility management function AMF network element for creating a user device policy control for a user device with proximity service multi-hop relay capability to obtain the network prefix step parameters of the user device.

[0034] In some embodiments, the network prefix step parameter is an IPv6 network prefix step parameter.

[0035] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a user equipment, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute a communication method performed by the user equipment based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0036] Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a network device, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute a communication method performed by a network device such as an AMF network element or a PCF network element based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0037] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication system, including:

[0038] a user equipment configured to perform a user equipment-performed communication method;

[0039] an access and mobility function (AMF) network element configured to execute the communication method performed by the AMF network element;

[0040] The policy control function PCF network element is configured to execute the communication method performed by the PCF network element.

[0041] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the communication method are implemented.

[0042] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the steps of the communication method when executed by a processor.

[0043] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program, comprising: instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a communication method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments or related technologies. The present disclosure can be more clearly understood based on the following detailed description with reference to the drawings.

[0045] Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0046] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing each UE performing proximity service communication via a layer 3 relay.

[0050] FIG5 shows a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG6 shows a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG7 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different steps, devices or modules, and do not represent any specific technical meanings, nor do they indicate a necessary logical order between them.

[0055] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” may refer to two or more than two, and “at least one” may refer to one, two, or more than two.

[0056] It should also be understood that any component, data or structure mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure can generally be understood as one or more, unless explicitly limited or otherwise indicated in the context.

[0057] In addition, the term "and / or" in this disclosure is merely a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this disclosure generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0058] It should also be understood that the description of the various embodiments in this disclosure focuses on the differences between the various embodiments, and the same or similar aspects thereof can be referenced with each other. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described one by one.

[0059] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0060] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0061] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0062] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0063] In addition, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure with unnecessary details, only the processing steps and / or device structures that are closely related to at least the solution according to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, while other details that are not closely related to the present disclosure are omitted. It should also be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the drawings indicate similar items, and therefore once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be discussed again for subsequent drawings.

[0064] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] As shown in FIG1 , the communication method of this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0066] In step 110, the user equipment sends a registration request to the network system, where the registration request includes indication information indicating that the user equipment has a proximity based service multi-hop relay capability.

[0067] A network system generally refers to a system that provides network services to user devices. Examples of network systems include, but are not limited to, RAN (radio access network) equipment, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, and policy control function (PCF) network elements. RAN equipment, for example, is NG-RAN (next generation radio access network) equipment.

[0068] In some embodiments, the user equipment sending a registration request to the network system includes: the user equipment sending a registration request to the AMF network element through the RAN device, and the registration request includes indication information that the user equipment has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability.

[0069] In proximity services, if a remote UE cannot connect directly to a base station due to lack of base station coverage, it can connect to the base station through one or more discovered relay UEs, thereby accessing the network. If a remote UE connects to a base station through multiple relay UEs, this scenario is called multi-hop relay. Therefore, "proximity services multi-hop relay capability" refers to the ability to communicate in proximity services multi-hop relay scenarios.

[0070] User equipment that initiates registration includes remote UEs, relay UEs, etc. These UEs can send registration requests when accessing the network to pre-acquire the network prefix step size parameter, which can be used when subsequently establishing a communication link for proximity services.

[0071] In step 120, the AMF network element sends a request to the PCF network element to obtain the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment.

[0072] In some embodiments, the AMF network element responds to a registration request from a user equipment, selects a PCF network element that supports the proximity service parameter provision function, and sends a request to the PCF network element to obtain the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment. The request may carry an identifier of the user equipment to indicate that it is a request to obtain the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment corresponding to the identifier. The AMF network element selects a PCF network element that supports the proximity service parameter provision function to initiate a request to obtain the network prefix step size parameter, so that the request can be effectively responded to.

[0073] Among them, the AMF network element can obtain information about the PCF network element that supports the proximity service parameter provision function from the NRF (Network Repository Function) network element. Among them, the NRF network element is used to store the description information of the network function entity and the services it provides, and support service discovery, network element entity discovery, etc.

[0074] In some embodiments, the AMF network element responds to a registration request from a user equipment by sending a request to the PCF network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter for the user equipment via a request to obtain a user equipment policy. The request to obtain a user equipment policy, for example, is a "Create User Equipment Policy Control Request," which may carry an identifier of the user equipment, indicating that a user equipment policy including the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment is to be obtained.

[0075] In step 130, as needed, the PCF network element sends a reply to the request for obtaining the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment to the AMF network element, to indicate that the PCF network element has received the request for obtaining the network prefix step parameters of the user equipment sent by the AMF network element.

[0076] In some embodiments, the PCF network element sends a reply to the request to obtain the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment to the AMF network element by replying to the request to obtain the user equipment policy. The reply to the request to obtain the user equipment policy is, for example, a "reply to the create user equipment policy control request" to indicate that the PCF network element has received the "create user equipment policy control request" sent by the AMF network element.

[0077] In step 140, the PCF network element sends the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment to the AMF network element.

[0078] In some embodiments, the PCF network element sends a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment to the AMF network element via a user equipment policy, instructing the AMF network element to forward the user equipment policy to the user equipment. The user equipment policy includes the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy.

[0079] In some embodiments, the PCF network element sends a user equipment policy to the AMF network element via the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service. The user equipment policy includes a network prefix step parameter for the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy. N1 is the interface between the AMF and the UE, and N2 is the interface between the AMF and the RAN.

[0080] In some embodiments, the PCF network element may deliver different network prefix step length parameters or the same network prefix step length parameters to different user equipments.

[0081] In some embodiments, the network prefix step size parameter is, for example, but not limited to, an IPv6 network prefix step size parameter. In a scenario where proximity based services use IPv6 addresses for communication, a distribution solution for the IPv6 network prefix step size parameter is provided.

[0082] In step 150, the AMF network element sends the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment to the user equipment.

[0083] In some embodiments, the AMF network element sends a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment to the user equipment via a user equipment policy, wherein: the user equipment policy includes the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy.

[0084] In step 160, the user equipment replies to the network prefix step parameter sent by the AMF network element to indicate that the user equipment has received and updated the network prefix step parameter.

[0085] In some embodiments, the user equipment responds to the user equipment policy including the network prefix step parameter sent by the AMF network element to indicate that the user equipment has received and updated the user equipment policy including the network prefix step parameter.

[0086] In step 170, the AMF network element sends a Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify (AMF communication N1 message notification) to the PCF network element to notify the PCF network element that the user equipment has received and updated the network prefix step parameter or the user equipment policy including the network prefix step parameter.

[0087] When registering, the user device reports its proximity service multi-hop relay capability and obtains the network prefix step parameter assigned by the network system, which is used to indicate the difference in network prefix length between the upper relay device and its lower relay device in proximity service communication. Based on the network prefix step parameter, the user device can obtain the difference in network prefix length between its upper relay device and its own in proximity service communication.

[0088] The user equipment interacts with the PCF network element through the AMF network element in the network system and obtains the network prefix step parameter from the PCF network element.

[0089] The network prefix step size parameter may be distributed through one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy.

[0090] After obtaining the network prefix step size parameter, each user equipment may apply the network prefix step size parameter to determine its own network prefix information in proximity service communication.

[0091] In some embodiments, the user equipment determines the network prefix information of a lower-level relay device of the user equipment in proximity service communication according to the network prefix information of the user equipment in proximity service communication and a network prefix step parameter of the user equipment.

[0092] The user device can autonomously determine the network prefix information of the user device's subordinate relay device in proximity service communication based on its network prefix information and the difference in network prefix length between the upper relay device and its subordinate relay device in proximity service communication indicated by the network prefix step parameter.

[0093] In some embodiments, the user equipment determines the sum of the network prefix length of the user equipment in proximity service communication and the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment as the network prefix length of the subordinate relay device of the user equipment in proximity service communication.

[0094] Each user device in proximity service communication adds its network prefix length to the network prefix step parameter to obtain the network prefix length of the user device's lower-level relay device in proximity service communication, so that each user device in proximity service communication obtains a network prefix with increasing length, thereby improving the problem of network prefix conflict in proximity service communication.

[0095] As described below, in proximity based service communication, after obtaining a network prefix step parameter, each user equipment uses the network prefix step parameter to determine the network prefix information of its own lower-level relay device.

[0096] Assume there are two relay UEs. A remote UE is connected to a base station via relay UE1 and relay UE2. Relay UE2, which is directly connected to the base station, is also referred to as a directly connected relay UE. The base station is in communication with a session management function (SMF) network element. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there can be more relay UEs, and two is merely an example.

[0097] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the communication method according to this embodiment includes the following steps: UEs transmit network prefix step parameters via a connection establishment request / response.

[0098] In step 210, the SMF network element sends a routing broadcast to the relay UE2 (directly connected relay UE), notifying the relay UE2 of the network prefix.

[0099] In step 220, relay UE1 (relay of relay UE2) sends a PC5 connection establishment request to relay UE2, including a prefix indication for informing relay UE2 that relay UE1 is a relay of relay UE2 and requires parameters related to network prefix authorization.

[0100] Among them, PC5 is a direct communication interface, that is, a communication interface between terminals.

[0101] In step 230, relay UE2 adds the length of the network prefix of relay UE2 to the network prefix step parameter of relay UE2, calculates the length of the network prefix of relay UE1 (i.e., the lower-level relay device of relay UE2) in the proximity service communication, and sends a PC5 connection establishment response to relay UE1, which carries the length of the network prefix of relay UE1 as a response to the prefix indication.

[0102] The length of the network prefix refers to the number of bits in the network prefix.

[0103] The network prefix step length parameter of relay UE2 is obtained from the network when relay UE2 registers. For example, if the length of relay UE2's network prefix is ​​48 bits and the value of the network prefix step length parameter obtained by relay UE2 from the network is 4, the network prefix length of relay UE1 in proximity service communication is 48 + 4 = 52 bits.

[0104] In step 240 , the relay UE1 obtains the network prefix length of the relay UE1 in the proximity service communication from the connection establishment response of the PC5 .

[0105] In step 250, the remote UE (the relay of relay UE1) sends a PC5 connection establishment request to relay UE1, including a prefix indication for informing relay UE1 that the remote UE is the relay of relay UE1 and requires parameters related to network prefix authorization.

[0106] In step 260, relay UE1 adds the length of the network prefix of relay UE1 to the network prefix step parameter of relay UE1, calculates the length of the network prefix of the remote UE (i.e., the lower-level relay device of relay UE1) in the proximity service communication, and sends a PC5 connection establishment response to the remote UE, which carries the length of the network prefix of the remote UE as a response to the prefix indication.

[0107] The network prefix step length parameter of relay UE1 is obtained from the network when relay UE1 registers. For example, if the length of relay UE1's network prefix is ​​52, and the value of the network prefix step length parameter obtained by relay UE1 from the network is also assumed to be 4 (it can also be other values, such as 2 or 6), the network prefix length of the remote UE in proximity service communication is 52 + 4 = 56 bits.

[0108] In step 270 , the remote UE obtains the network prefix length of the remote UE in the proximity service communication from the PC5 connection establishment response.

[0109] The user device can autonomously determine the network prefix information of the user device's subordinate relay device in proximity service communication based on its network prefix information and the difference in network prefix length between the upper relay device and its subordinate relay device in proximity service communication indicated by the network prefix step parameter.

[0110] Each user device in proximity service communication adds its network prefix length to the network prefix step parameter to obtain the network prefix length of the user device's lower-level relay device in proximity service communication, so that each user device in proximity service communication obtains a network prefix with increasing length, thereby improving the problem of network prefix conflict in proximity service communication.

[0111] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the communication method according to this embodiment includes the following steps: UEs transmit network prefix step parameters via routing broadcast.

[0112] In step 310, the SMF network element sends a routing broadcast to the relay UE2 (directly connected relay UE), notifying the relay UE2 of the network prefix.

[0113] In step 320 , relay UE1 (relay of relay UE2 ) establishes a PC5 connection with relay UE2 .

[0114] Among them, PC5 is a direct communication interface, that is, a communication interface between terminals.

[0115] In step 330, relay UE2 adds the length of the network prefix of relay UE2 to the network prefix step parameter of relay UE2 to calculate the length of the network prefix of relay UE1 (i.e., the lower-level relay device of relay UE2) in the proximity service communication. Based on the PC5 connection, relay UE2 sends a routing broadcast to relay UE1, which carries the length of the network prefix of relay UE1.

[0116] The network prefix step length parameter of relay UE2 is obtained from the network side when relay UE2 registers. For example, if the length of relay UE2's network prefix is ​​48 and the value of the network prefix step length parameter obtained by relay UE2 from the network side is 4, the length of relay UE1's network prefix in proximity service communication is 48 + 4 = 52 bits.

[0117] In step 340 , the relay UE1 obtains the network prefix length of the relay UE1 in the proximity service communication from the route advertisement.

[0118] In step 350 , the remote UE (the relay of relay UE1 ) establishes a PC5 connection with the relay UE1 .

[0119] In step 360, relay UE1 adds the length of the network prefix of relay UE1 to the network prefix step parameter of relay UE1 to calculate the length of the network prefix of the remote UE (i.e., the lower-level relay device of relay UE1) in the proximity service communication. Based on the PC5 connection, relay UE1 sends a routing broadcast to the remote UE, which carries the length of the network prefix of the remote UE.

[0120] The network prefix step length parameter of relay UE1 is obtained from the network side when relay UE1 registers. For example, if the length of relay UE1's network prefix is ​​52, and the value of the network prefix step length parameter obtained by relay UE1 from the network side is also assumed to be 4 (it can also be other values, such as 2 or 6), the length of the network prefix of the remote UE in proximity service communication is 52 + 4 = 56 bits.

[0121] In step 370 , the remote UE obtains the network prefix length of the remote UE in the proximity service communication from the PC5 connection establishment response.

[0122] The user device can autonomously determine the network prefix information of the user device's subordinate relay device in proximity service communication based on its network prefix information and the difference in network prefix length between the upper relay device and its subordinate relay device in proximity service communication indicated by the network prefix step parameter.

[0123] Each user device in proximity service communication adds its network prefix length to the network prefix step parameter to obtain the network prefix length of the user device's lower-level relay device in proximity service communication, so that each user device in proximity service communication obtains a network prefix with increasing length, thereby improving the problem of network prefix conflict in proximity service communication.

[0124] In some embodiments, a user device constructs a network address for proximity service communication using a stateless network address auto-configuration method based on the network prefix information of the user device in proximity service communication, thereby enabling proximity service communication. For example, a network address may be composed of a network prefix and a random number. For another example, a network address may be composed of a network prefix and an EUI-64 identifier. EUI-64 is an interface identifier for network adapters that can be derived from an IEEE 802 address.

[0125] The user device can automatically construct a network address for proximity service communication based on its own network prefix information using a stateless network address automatic configuration method. Each user device in the proximity service can use the network address for proximity service communication constructed by itself to communicate with other user devices in the proximity service.

[0126] In the scenario where proximity services use IPv6 addresses for communication, the network prefix step parameter is the IPv6 network prefix step parameter. The user device can autonomously determine the IPv6 network prefix of the user device's subordinate relay device in proximity service communication based on its IPv6 network prefix and the difference in the IPv6 network prefix lengths between the upper relay device and its subordinate relay device in proximity service communication indicated by the IPv6 network prefix step parameter, and notify the subordinate relay device of its IPv6 network prefix. Then, each user device constructs its own network address in proximity service communication based on its own IPv6 network prefix in proximity service communication using a stateless IPv6 network address automatic configuration method, and can then perform proximity service communication with other user devices.

[0127] In some embodiments, the relay in each embodiment may be a Layer 3 relay, that is, a relay implemented based on Layer 3. Layer 3 refers to the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) layer. FIG4 illustrates a schematic diagram of UEs performing proximity service communication via a Layer 3 relay. As shown in FIG4 , a remote UE, Layer 3 relay UE1, Layer 3 relay UE2, and Layer 3 relay UE3 perform proximity service communication. The remote UE establishes a connection with a base station via Layer 3 relay UE1, Layer 3 relay UE2, and Layer 3 relay UE3. Layer 3 relay UE3 is also referred to as a directly connected relay UE.

[0128] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the user equipment 500 according to this embodiment includes: a memory 510 and a processor 520 coupled to the memory 510. The processor 520 is configured to execute the communication method performed by the user equipment according to various embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory 510. For details, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0129] The user equipment 500 may further include an input / output interface 530 , a network interface 540 , a storage interface 550 , etc. These interfaces 530 , 540 , 550 , the memory 510 , and the processor 520 may be connected via a bus 560 , for example.

[0130] The memory 510 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, and other programs.

[0131] The processor 520 may be implemented as 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, or as discrete hardware components such as discrete gates or transistors.

[0132] Among them, the input and output interface 530 provides a connection interface for input and output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, and touch screen. The network interface 540 provides a connection interface for various networked devices. The storage interface 550 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives. The bus 560 can use any of a variety of bus structures. For example, bus structures include but are not limited to the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0133] FIG6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The network device is, for example, an AMF network element or a PCF network element. As shown in FIG6 , the network device 600 according to this embodiment includes a memory 610 and a processor 620 coupled to the memory 610. The processor 620 is configured to execute the communication method performed by the AMF network element or the PCF network element according to various embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory 610. For details, please refer to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0134] The network device 600 may further include an input / output interface 630 , a network interface 640 , a storage interface 650 , etc. These interfaces 630 , 640 , 650 , the memory 610 , and the processor 620 may be connected via a bus 660 , for example.

[0135] The memory 610 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, and other programs.

[0136] The processor 620 may be implemented using 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, or discrete hardware components such as discrete gates or transistors.

[0137] Among them, the input and output interface 630 provides a connection interface for input and output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, and touch screen. The network interface 640 provides a connection interface for various networked devices. The storage interface 650 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives. The bus 660 can use any of a variety of bus structures. For example, bus structures include but are not limited to the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0138] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the communication system 700 of this embodiment includes: user equipment 710, AMF network element 720, and PCF network element 730.

[0139] The user equipment 710 is configured to execute the communication method executed by the user equipment in each embodiment. Please refer to the above for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0140] The AMF network element 720 is configured to execute the communication method performed by the AMF network element in each embodiment. Please refer to the above for details and will not be repeated here.

[0141] The PCF network element 730 is configured to execute the communication method executed by the PCF network element in each embodiment. Please refer to the above for details and will not be repeated here.

[0142] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the communication method are implemented.

[0143] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the steps of the communication method when executed by a processor. The computer program product should be understood as a software product that mainly implements its solution through a computer program.

[0144] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer program code.

[0145] The present disclosure is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0146] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0147] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0148] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a user equipment, comprising: Sending a registration request to a network system, the registration request including indication information that the user equipment has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability; A network prefix step length parameter of the user equipment sent by the network system in response to the registration request is received, which is used to indicate a difference in network prefix length between an upper relay device and a lower relay device in proximity based service communication.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The sending of the registration request to the network system includes: sending a registration request to an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element in the network system, the registration request including indication information that the user equipment has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability, and instructing the AMF network element to send a request to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment to a policy control function (PCF) network element in the network system; The receiving the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment sent by the network system in response to the registration request includes: receiving the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element forwarded by the AMF network element in the network system.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein: The receiving the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element and forwarded by the AMF network element in the network system includes: Receive a user equipment policy sent by the PCF network element and forwarded by the AMF network element in the network system, wherein: the user equipment policy includes a network prefix step parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The network prefix information of a lower-level relay device of the user equipment in the proximity service communication is determined according to the network prefix information of the user equipment in the proximity service communication and the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment. The communication method according to claim 4 , wherein: The determining of the network prefix information of the lower relay device of the user equipment in proximity service communication includes: The sum of the network prefix length of the user equipment in proximity service communication and the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment is determined as the network prefix length of the subordinate relay device of the user equipment in proximity service communication.

6. The communication method according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising: According to the network prefix information of the user equipment in proximity service communication, a stateless network address automatic configuration method is used to construct the network address of the user equipment in proximity service communication, so as to perform proximity service communication.

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The network prefix step parameter is an IPv6 network prefix step parameter.

8. A communication method, applied to an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, comprising: receiving a registration request sent by a user equipment, the registration request including indication information that the user equipment has a proximity service multi-hop relay capability; In response to the registration request, sending a request to a policy control function (PCF) network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment; receiving a network prefix step length parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element, which is used to indicate a difference in network prefix lengths between an upper-level relay device and a lower-level relay device in proximity service communication; The network prefix step parameter of the user equipment is forwarded to the user equipment.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein: The receiving the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment sent by the PCF network element includes: receiving a user equipment policy sent by the PCF network element, wherein: the user equipment policy includes the network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy; The forwarding the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the user equipment includes: forwarding the user equipment policy to the user equipment.

10. The communication method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: In response to the registration request, sending a request to a policy control function (PCF) network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment includes: In response to the registration request, a PCF network element that supports a proximity service parameter provision function is selected, and a request for obtaining a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment is sent to the PCF network element.

11. The communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: Sending a request to a policy control function (PCF) network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment includes: Send a create user equipment policy control request to the PCF network element to obtain a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment.

12. A communication method, applied to a policy control function (PCF) network element, comprising: Receiving a request for obtaining a network prefix step size parameter of a user equipment having proximity service multi-hop relay capability, sent by an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element; Send the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the AMF network element, to instruct the AMF network element to forward the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the user equipment, where the network prefix step parameter is used to indicate the difference in network prefix length between an upper-level relay device and its lower-level relay device in proximity service communication.

13. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein: The receiving a request for obtaining a network prefix step size parameter of the user equipment sent by the access and mobility management function AMF network element for the user equipment with proximity service multi-hop relay capability includes: receiving a request for obtaining a user equipment policy sent by the AMF network element for the user equipment with proximity service multi-hop relay capability; The sending of the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment to the AMF network element includes: sending a user equipment policy to the AMF network element, used to instruct the AMF network element to forward the user equipment policy to the user equipment, wherein: the user equipment policy includes the network prefix step parameter of the user equipment, and the user equipment policy is one or more of a user equipment routing policy and a proximity service policy.

14. The communication method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: Receiving a request for obtaining a network prefix step size parameter of a user equipment sent by an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element for a user equipment with proximity service multi-hop relay capability includes: Receive a create user equipment policy control request sent by an access and mobility management function AMF network element to a user equipment with proximity service multi-hop relay capability, to obtain a network prefix step parameter of the user equipment.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein: The network prefix step parameter is an IPv6 network prefix step parameter.

16. A user equipment comprising: Memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 based on instructions stored in the memory.

17. A network device comprising: Memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 15 based on instructions stored in the memory.

18. A communication system comprising: User equipment, configured to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; Access and mobility management function AMF network element, configured to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 11; The policy control function PCF network element is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 15.

19. 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 communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 are implemented.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

21. A computer program comprising: An instruction, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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