Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method, comprising: a first communication apparatus, which supports access and backhaul of a second communication apparatus, generating first information, wherein the first information indicates first address information of each of a plurality of geographic positions, each piece of the first address information comprises information of a geographic position, and each geographic position is a geographic position in a service range of the first communication apparatus; and sending the first information to the second communication apparatus, such that on the basis of the first information and the geographic position of the second communication apparatus, the second communication apparatus can determine the first address information corresponding to the second communication apparatus, namely, the address information of the second communication apparatus is information related to the geographic position thereof. Thus, the second communication apparatus can determine the path of each hop on the basis of its geographic position, and when the geographic position of the second communication apparatus changes, a data transmission path of the second communication apparatus can be updated without the need for notifying other nodes, thus reducing signaling overhead caused by path updating.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410444213.7 filed on April 10, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] The purpose of integrated access and backhaul (IAB) is to support wireless backhaul and relay links, so as to realize flexible and very dense deployment of new radio (NR) cells without the need to scale wired transport networks. Typical deployment scenarios of IAB technology include supporting outdoor small base station deployment, indoor small base station deployment, and even mobile relays (e.g., on buses or trains). Specifically, IAB supports multi-hop backhaul, and multi-hop networks involve routing functions between nodes, in order to simplify the IAB external interface and reduce the impact on the fifth generation (5G) network, a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) is introduced, which is responsible for the routing function and bearer mapping function of data packets in the IAB network. th

[0004] The current BAP design includes that an IAB-donor in an IAB network uniformly allocates BAP addresses for IAB-nodes in the IAB network, each BAP address can be associated with multiple path identifies (path IDs), and each IAB-node is configured with path IDs and routing tables of uplink (UL) links and path IDs and routing tables of downlink (DL) links. However, this BAP design is suitable for static IAB networks, and under dynamic IAB networks (e.g., IAB-donor and / or IAB-node frequently moves), this BAP design will introduce a large path update overhead. Therefore, for dynamic IAB networks, how to reduce the signaling overhead caused by path update becomes a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method to reduce the signaling overhead caused by path update.

[0006] ​In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first communication device. In the present application, the first communication device can refer to the first communication device itself (e.g., an IAB-donor), a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) in the first communication device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device.

[0007] The method can include generating first information indicating first address information of each of a plurality of geographic locations, the first address information including information of the geographic location, each of the geographic locations being a geographic location within a service range of the first communication device; and transmitting the first information to a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is a communication device supporting access backhaul of the second communication device.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, taking the first communication device as an example, the first communication device is a device supporting access backhaul of the second communication device, and the second communication device can be a relay node having a backhaul link with the first communication device. Specifically, the first communication device indicates, to the second communication device through first information, first address information corresponding to each of a plurality of geographic locations, and the first address information of a certain geographic location includes information of the geographic location, so that the second communication device can determine the first address information corresponding to the second communication device based on the first information and the geographic location of the second communication device. That is, the address information of the second communication device is related to the geographic location. Therefore, the second communication device can determine the path of each hop based on the geographic location, and when the geographic location of the second communication device changes, the second communication device can update the path of the transmitted data, without the need to notify other nodes, thereby reducing the signaling overhead caused by path updating.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes transmitting second information indicating second address information of each of N time periods, the second address information including information of a geographic location associated with a core network device in the time period, wherein the core network device is a core network device accessed by the first communication device, and N is a positive integer.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device can indicate, through the second information, the second address information of the core network device in different time periods, so that in the scenario where the core network device moves, the second communication device can obtain the second address information of the core network device based on the second information, and thus can determine the path of each hop based on the first address information of the second communication device and the second address information of the core network device.

[0011] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining a type of the first transmission medium between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus; and determining the encapsulation protocol or the decapsulation protocol of the first data according to the type of the first transmission medium, wherein the decapsulation protocol is determined if the first data is data received from the second communication apparatus, and the encapsulation protocol is determined if the first data is data to be transmitted to the second communication apparatus.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication apparatus can determine the encapsulation protocol or the decapsulation protocol of the first data based on the type of the first transmission medium, so as to adaptively select the encapsulation protocol according to different transmission media, and improve the data transmission efficiency.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the determining the encapsulation protocol or the decapsulation protocol of the first data according to the type of the first transmission medium includes: if the first transmission medium is an optical medium, the encapsulation protocol or the decapsulation protocol of the first data is an optical communication protocol; or, if the first transmission medium is a microwave medium, the encapsulation protocol or the decapsulation protocol of the first data is a new radio communication interface protocol; or, if the first transmission medium is neither the optical medium nor the microwave medium, the encapsulation protocol or the decapsulation protocol of the first data is a protocol other than the optical communication protocol and the new radio communication interface protocol.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the information of the geographic location includes at least one of: longitude and latitude information of the geographic location, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) location information of the geographic location, wave position information of the geographic location, grid information of the geographic location, or tracking area code (TAC) of the geographic location.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, the information of a certain geographic location can be presented in different ways, improving flexibility.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method includes: sending, to the second communication apparatus, indication information of a first condition, the indication information of the first condition being used by the second communication apparatus to determine whether to update a next-hop communication apparatus for transmitting data. For example, when the second communication apparatus satisfies the first condition, the next-hop communication apparatus for transmitting data is determined to be updated, and otherwise, the second communication apparatus does not autonomously update the next-hop communication apparatus for transmitting data.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device can configure the first condition for the second communication device, so that the second communication device triggers the re-routing (i.e., updates the next hop node of data transmission) when it is determined that the first condition is met. There is no need to wait for the re-routing decision of the first communication device or the core network node. When the second communication device detects that the first condition is met, it autonomously triggers the re-routing, thereby reducing the latency of waiting for the re-routing decision and alleviating the congestion that may exist in the network.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first condition includes at least one of the following: the clock of the second communication device is within a first time period, the geographical position corresponding to the second communication device is a first geographical position, or the transmission delay between the second communication device and a third communication device is greater than a first threshold.

[0019] Based on the above technical solution, the specific form of the first condition is various, including but not limited to: the second communication device's own clock is within a preset time period, the second communication device is located above a specified position, the time delay of the second communication device in a certain hop direction is greater than a given threshold, etc. Among them, the second communication device's own clock being within a preset time period and the second communication device being located above a specified position can be understood as: in this case, the link quality between the second communication device and a certain hop node does not meet the requirements, in order to ensure that data transmission can update the next hop node of the transmission data through the re-routing manner, thereby improving the efficiency of data transmission.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method includes: sending an identifier of at least one path to the second communication device, each path in the at least one path being a path for the second communication device to transmit data.

[0021] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device can configure the identifier of at least one path for the second communication device, so that the second communication device can perform data transmission based on the path configured by the first communication device when it cannot decide the next hop path by itself, which can ensure the transmission quality of data to a certain extent and reduce data transmission failure.

[0022] The second aspect provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. In the absence of special description, the "second communication device" in this application can refer to the second communication device itself (e.g., IAB-node), a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the second communication device, or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second communication device.

[0023] The method can comprise: receiving first information, the first information indicating first address information of each of a plurality of geographical locations, the first address information comprising information of the geographical location, each of the geographical locations being a geographical location within a service range of the first communication device; determining first address information of the second communication device according to the first information and a corresponding geographical location of the second communication device; and determining a third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, wherein the third communication device is a next-hop communication device for the second communication device to transmit second data.

[0024] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device comprises: determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device and a first correspondence relationship, wherein the first correspondence relationship is a correspondence relationship between a destination address of the second data and at least one communication device capable of transmitting a next hop of the second data, and the third communication device is one of the at least one communication device.

[0025] Based on the above technical solution, in the process of determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, the first correspondence relationship is considered, which can be understood as a routing table indicating a data destination address and a next-hop communication device for transmitting the data, i.e., the second communication device can learn the next hop for transmitting data according to the routing table and its own address information.

[0026] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: receiving second information, the second information indicating second address information of each of N time periods, the second address information comprising information of a geographical location associated with a core network device in the time period; and the determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device comprises: determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device and the second address information of the core network device, wherein the core network device is a core network device accessed by a first communication device, the first communication device is a communication device supporting access of the second communication device to backhaul, and N is a positive integer.

[0027] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: determining a type of a second transmission medium between the second communication device and a fourth communication device; and determining an encapsulation protocol or a decapsulation protocol of third data according to the type of the second transmission medium, wherein if the third data is data received from the fourth communication device, the decapsulation protocol is determined; and if the third data is data to be sent to the fourth communication device, the encapsulation protocol is determined.

[0028] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the determining the encapsulation or decapsulation protocol of the third data according to the type of the second transmission medium comprises: if the second transmission medium is an optical medium, the encapsulation or decapsulation protocol of the third data is an optical communication protocol; or, if the second transmission medium is a microwave medium, the encapsulation or decapsulation protocol of the third data is a new wireless communication interface protocol; or, if the second transmission medium is neither the optical medium nor the microwave medium, the encapsulation or decapsulation protocol of the third data is a protocol other than the optical communication protocol and the new wireless communication interface protocol.

[0029] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: determining whether a first condition is satisfied; and if the first condition is satisfied, determining, by the second communication device, that a next-hop communication device for transmitting the second data is switched from the third communication device to a fifth communication device.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first condition comprises at least one of: a clock of the second communication device is within a first time period, a geographical location corresponding to the second communication device is a first geographical location, or a transmission delay between the second communication device and the third communication device is greater than a first threshold.

[0031] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: receiving an identification of at least one path, each path in the at least one path being a path for transmitting data by the second communication device.

[0032] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the information of the geographical location comprises at least one of: longitude and latitude information of the geographical location, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position information of the geographical location, wave position information of the geographical location, grid information of the geographical location, or tracking area code (TAC) of the geographical location.

[0033] The technical effects of the method according to the second aspect and possible designs thereof can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and possible designs thereof.

[0034] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a functional entity or a component of the functional entity, such as a chip or a circuit or a chip system, which is not limited in the present application.

[0035] The method can comprise: determining a type of a transmission medium between a first device and a second device; and determining a data encapsulation or decapsulation protocol according to the type of the transmission medium.

[0036] Based on the above technical solution, the functional entity can adaptively select the data encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol according to the type of the transmission medium between the devices.

[0037] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method is performed by a BAP functional layer of the first device.

[0038] Based on the above technical solution, the type of the transmission medium between the first device and the second device can be determined by the BAP function of the data sending or receiving device, and the data encapsulation or decapsulation protocol can be determined according to the type of the transmission medium. The function of the BAP layer is enhanced to achieve the purpose of adaptively selecting the data encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the BAP functional layer is located above the RLC layer, or the BAP layer can be combined with other protocol layers and devices.

[0040] Based on the above technical solution, the actual location of the BAP functional layer is not limited, and the function of adaptively selecting the data encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol according to the type of the transmission medium between the devices can be achieved.

[0041] The fourth aspect provides a communication device, which is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect. Specifically, the communication device can include units and / or modules for executing the method provided in any of the implementations of the first aspect, such as a processing unit and an obtaining unit.

[0042] In an implementation, the transceiver unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0043] In another implementation, the transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit; the processing unit can be at least one processor, processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0044] The fifth aspect provides a communication device, which is used to execute the method provided in the second aspect. Specifically, the communication device can include units and / or modules for executing the method provided in the second aspect, such as a processing unit and an obtaining unit.

[0045] In an implementation form, the transceiving unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; and the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0046] In another implementation form, the transceiving unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuitry on the chip, chip system or circuit; and the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which is configured to execute the method provided in the third aspect. Specifically, the communication apparatus can include units and / or modules for performing the method provided in the second aspect, such as a processing unit and an obtaining unit.

[0048] In an implementation form, the transceiving unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; and the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0049] In another implementation form, the transceiving unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuitry on the chip, chip system or circuit; and the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided, which is configured to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the first to third aspects.

[0051] For the sending and obtaining / receiving operations of the processor, if no special description is provided, or if it does not contradict with the actual role or inherent logic in the related description, it can be understood as the processor outputting and receiving, inputting, etc., or as the sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, which are not limited in the present application.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores program codes for execution by an apparatus, and the program codes include codes for executing the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the first to third aspects.

[0053] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the first to third aspects.

[0054] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored on a memory through the communication interface, and executes the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first to third aspects.

[0055] Optionally, as an implementation manner, the chip further includes a memory, and the memory stores a computer program or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored on the memory, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to execute the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first and second aspects.

[0056] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the communication device of the fourth aspect and the communication device of the fifth aspect.

[0057] Optionally, as an implementation manner, the communication system further includes the communication device of the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0058] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 to which embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0059] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transponder satellite architecture.

[0060] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a non-transponder satellite architecture.

[0061] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a beam operation mode of a satellite communication system.

[0062] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of mobility management in a satellite communication system.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an IAB architecture.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a LEO NTN scenario.

[0065] FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by the present application.

[0066] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a first information indication manner provided by the present application.

[0067] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a core network device provided by the present application, in which an anchor point is located on the ground.

[0068] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a core network device provided by the present application, in which the core network device is located on the ground.

[0069] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a core network device provided by the present application, in which the core network device is located in the air.

[0070] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a second information indication manner provided by the present application.

[0071] FIG. 14 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in the present application.

[0072] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a satellite-ground converged network provided in the present application.

[0073] FIG. 16(a) to (c) are schematic diagrams of protocol stacks provided in the present application.

[0074] FIG. 17 is a schematic flow chart of yet another communication method provided in the present application.

[0075] FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0076] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0077] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0079] First, in the present application, "for indicating" can include for directly indicating and for indirectly indicating. When describing that certain indication information is for indicating A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and does not mean that A must be included in the indication information.

[0080] The information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information, and there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information in the specific implementation process. The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the present application. The sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be pre-defined, for example, pre-defined according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting end device by sending configuration information to the receiving end device.

[0081] Second, "at least one" in the present application means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", and various numbers (for example, "#1", "#2", and the like) are only for the convenience of description and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of each process below does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the objects thus described can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "810", "820", and the like are only for the convenience of description and are not limited to the order of execution steps.

[0082] Third, in the present application, "exemplary" or "for example" and the like are used to mean by way of example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" and the like is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0083] Fourth, "save" in the embodiments of the present application can mean saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately provided or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor, or communication device. The one or more memories can be partially separately provided and partially integrated in the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited in the present application.

[0084] Fifth, "protocol" in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include, for example, LTE protocol, NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems, which are not limited in the present application.

[0085] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, "in the case of", "when", "if" can be used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are consistent.

[0086] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, each term and English abbreviation, such as radio resource control (RRC), is an exemplary example given for the convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0087] Eighth, the term "and / or" in the embodiments of the present application is only used to describe the associated relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents that the associated objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0088] Ninth, the various message names or device names involved in the embodiments of the present application are only examples and do not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. For example, the messages can have different names as long as they can realize the corresponding functions.

[0089] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] The technical solutions of the present application can be applied to satellite communication systems, high altitude platform (HAPS) communication, unmanned aerial vehicle, etc. non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems, such as integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, GNSS and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems, etc. The satellite communication system can be integrated with the traditional mobile communication system. For example, the mobile communication system can be a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system), a worldwide microwave access (worldwide interoperability for microwave access, WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (new radio, NR) system), and a future mobile communication system, etc.

[0091] Exemplarily, the satellite communication system can include a user equipment (user equipment, UE) and a network device.

[0092] The user equipment mentioned in the embodiments of the present application includes various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems with communication functions, and can specifically refer to user equipment, access terminals, user units, user stations, mobile stations, mobile stations, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents or user devices. Terminal devices can also be satellite phones, cellular phones, smart phones, wireless data cards, wireless modems, machine type communication devices, can be cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices or wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self driving, wireless terminals in remote medical, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, wireless terminals in smart home, terminal devices in 5G networks or future communication networks, terminal devices in internet of things (IoT) systems, etc.

[0093] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can include one or more satellites and ground station devices.

[0094] The ground station device can be a device in the core network (CN) of an existing mobile communication architecture (such as the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access architecture of the 5th generation (5G) system) or a device in the core network of a future mobile communication architecture.

[0095] Specifically, the core network provides an interface to a data network as a bearer network, provides a user equipment with a communication connection, authentication, management, policy control, and bearer completion for data services. Among them, the CN can further include: an access and mobility management network element (AMF), a session management network element (SMF), an authentication server network element (AUSF), a policy control node (PCF), a user plane function network element (UPF), and the like. Among them, the AMF network element is used to manage the access and mobility of the UE, and is mainly responsible for the functions of UE authentication, UE mobility management, and UE paging.

[0096] The network device can also include, but is not limited to: an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home evolved NodeB (HeNB), or a home Node B (HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), and the like. It can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G, such as an NR, system, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or it can also be a network node that constitutes a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU), and the like. It can also be a device that communicates with a terminal device in a future communication system, such as a gNB in a future communication system.

[0097] In some deployments, a gNB can include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB can also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements part of the functions of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the functions of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implements the radio resource control (RRC), and the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing the physical layer protocol and real-time services, and implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. The AAU implements part of the physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. Since the information of the RRC layer eventually becomes the information of the PHY layer, or is transformed from the information of the PHY layer, in this architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It can be understood that the access network device can be a device including one or more of the CU node, the DU node, and the AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the radio access network (RAN), or can be divided into a network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in the present application.

[0098] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the radio access network can also be an open RAN (ORAN) architecture, in which the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the present application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0099] The satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite, etc. The satellite is connected to a core network device, and the satellite can provide communication and positioning services to user equipment through multiple beams.

[0100] For ease of understanding, a communication scenario to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is briefly introduced in conjunction with FIG. 1.

[0101] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. The satellite communication system includes a satellite 101, a satellite 102, and a satellite 103. Each satellite can provide communication services, navigation services, and positioning services to terminal devices through multiple beams. The satellite in this scenario can be a LEO satellite or a MEO satellite, etc. The satellite 103 is connected to a ground station device (for example, a core network device as shown in FIG. 1).

[0102] Exemplarily, the satellite shown in FIG. 1 can cover a service area with multiple beams (for example, the service areas covered by the multiple beams shown in FIG. 1). Different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division, or space division. The satellite communicates with terminal devices through broadcast communication signals and navigation signals, etc. The satellite can communicate with a ground station device wirelessly.

[0103] The satellite mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a satellite base station, and can also include an orbit receiver or a repeater for relaying information, or a network side device carried on a satellite.

[0104] Exemplarily, at least one of the base station 201, the base station 202, the satellite 101, the satellite 102, or the satellite 103 in FIG. 1 can be an IAB node. The satellite is connected to the base station 201 and / or the base station 202, and receives control information and user data from the base station. In addition, the satellite can work in a staring mode (for example, an earth-fixed mode or a quasi-earth fixed mode) or a non-staring mode (for example, an earth-moving mode).

[0105] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is only a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding. The satellite communication system can also include other network devices or can also include other terminal devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0106] For ease of understanding the embodiments of the present application, some basic concepts related to the present application are briefly described.

[0107] 1. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN): including satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicles, etc. nodes, with global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and no geographical conditions restrictions, etc. significant advantages, has been widely used in marine communication, positioning navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting and earth observation, etc. multiple fields. Terrestrial 5G networks and satellite networks are integrated, complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and together form a global seamless coverage of sea, land, air, sky, and earth integrated communication network, meeting the user's ubiquitous business needs.

[0108] As an important part of NTN, the next generation of satellite networks generally show a super dense and heterogeneous trend: first, the scale of satellite networks has developed from 66 of the Iridium constellation to 720 of the OneWeb constellation, and eventually extended to 12000+ Starlink super dense LEO satellite constellation; second, satellite networks show heterogeneous characteristics, from traditional single-layer communication networks to multi-layer communication networks, and the functions of communication satellite networks tend to be complex and diversified, gradually compatible and supporting navigation enhancement, earth observation, multi-dimensional information on-orbit processing, etc.

[0109] 2. Satellite working mode: including transparent mode and non-transparent mode. Among them, the transparent mode is: the signal only performs frequency conversion, signal amplification, etc. on the satellite, and the satellite is transparent to the signal; the non-transparent mode is: the satellite has the function of the base station in the signal transmission process, and the UE can send signals to the 5G core network (CN) through the satellite.

[0110] Optionally, transparent is also called pipe-bending forwarding transmission, that is, the signal only performs frequency conversion, signal amplification, etc. on the satellite, and the satellite is transparent to the signal, as if it does not exist. Non-transparent is also called regenerative (on-board access or processing) transmission, that is, the satellite has part or all of the base station function (such as the satellite corresponds to a complete base station or DU).

[0111] As an example but not limitation, satellite communication systems include transparent satellite architecture and non-transparent satellite architecture. In the transparent satellite architecture, the satellite works in a transparent mode, and in the non-transparent satellite architecture, the satellite works in a non-transparent mode. For ease of understanding, the transparent satellite architecture and the non-transparent satellite architecture are briefly introduced in combination with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 2 shows the transparent satellite architecture, from which it can be seen that the signal passes through the satellite and the NTN gateway in the transmission process of the UE and the gNB, but the signal only undergoes frequency conversion and signal amplification on the satellite, and the satellite is transparent to the signal. As shown in FIG. 2, the satellite and the NTN gateway are equivalent to a remote radio unit (RRU) under the transparent satellite architecture. In addition, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the satellite has the function of a base station in the signal transmission process, and the UE can transmit signals to the 5G CN through the satellite.

[0112] 3. Beam operation mode of satellite communication system: Taking satellite communication as an example, according to the operation mode of the load (such as the beam), it can be generally divided into a fixed (earth-fixed or quasi-earth fixed) and non-fixed (earth-moving) satellite communication system.

[0113] Exemplarily, for the non-fixed system, as shown in (a) of FIG. 4, the satellite beam coverage range moves with the satellite in a period of time (such as time T1, T2 and T3); for the fixed system, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, the satellite adjusts the beam pointing direction dynamically in a period of time (such as time T1, T2 and T3), so that the beam approximately covers the same area on the ground.

[0114] 4. Area: Unless otherwise specified, the "area" in the following embodiments of the present application refers to a geographical area. The area is fixed relative to the earth, or it is understood that the area refers to a geographical area fixed relative to the earth. Exemplarily, the area can have at least one of the following properties: shape, contour, size, radius, area, geographical position, etc. In addition, the "area" can also have a height attribute, that is, the area can be understood as a geographical area at a given height or a range of heights. For example, the area can refer to a geographical area with an altitude of 0 km or within a range of 0 km plus or minus 2 km, or a geographical area with an average altitude, or a geographical area at a specific height, such as an altitude of 10 km or within a range of 10 km plus or minus 3 km.

[0115] In a possible implementation, the above area fixed relative to the earth can also be referred to as "wave position", "geographical area", "geographical position" and the like. Of course, there can be other names, and the name of the area fixed relative to the earth is not specifically limited in the present application.

[0116] The shapes, contours, sizes, radii, and areas of the different regions can or can not be the same. The different regions can have different geographical positions. There can or can not be overlap between the different regions.

[0117] In a possible implementation, the regions are fixed relative to the earth, which can be understood as meaning that the contours, sizes, or geographical positions of the regions do not change with time, for example. Alternatively, the regions are fixed relative to the earth, which can be understood as meaning that the contours of the regions and the points in the regions can be described by an earth-fixed coordinate system, or the coordinates of the points on the contours of the regions in the earth-fixed coordinate system are fixed and do not change.

[0118] In a possible implementation, the shapes of the regions can be regular hexagons, or other shapes such as regular pentagons, circles, ellipses, or the like. Alternatively, the shapes of the regions can also be irregular shapes, which are not limited.

[0119] For example, the shapes of the regions can be defined by a protocol or can be defined by network devices. The shapes of the regions defined by different network devices can or can not be the same. A same network device can also define multiple shapes of the regions. Similarly, the sizes, radii, or areas of the regions can also be defined by a protocol or can be defined by network devices. The sizes, radii, or areas of the regions defined by different network devices can or can not be the same. A same network device can also define multiple sizes, multiple radii, or multiple areas of the regions.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the earth surface can be divided into multiple regions, and the multiple regions can be indexed (for example, numbered). The terminal device and the network device can agree on a numbering manner (for example, whether to start numbering from 1 or from 0) of the regions and a correspondence between the regions and the indexes. Alternatively, a protocol can define the numbering manner of the regions and the correspondence between the regions and the indexes. Based on the indexes of the regions, the geographical positions and other information of the regions can be determined.

[0121] Optionally, the multiple divided regions can completely cover the earth surface, for example, any position on the earth surface belongs to a region; or the multiple divided regions can also cover part of the geographical positions on the earth, for example, the multiple regions can not cover the south and / or north poles of the earth, that is, the south and / or north poles can not have the regions.

[0122] 5. Mobility management: In a LEO satellite communication system, the movement of a satellite node can cause group handover (for example, for a connected state UE) or group reselection (for example, for an idle state UE) of users in a region.

[0123] Taking group handover as an example, as shown in FIG. 5, a UE group in a single wave position in Zone #2 (such as UE group 1 (UE group 1, UE-G1), wherein the UE-G1 includes a plurality of UEs). At time T1, the UE-G1 is served by one or more beams of satellite SAT #2; at time T2, the movement of satellite SAT #2 causes the wave position to be unable to be served by satellite SAT #2, and is replaced by one or more beams of satellite SAT #1 to serve the UE-G1, and thus the UE-G1 has group handover.

[0124] In addition, due to the high speed of the satellite, about 7.5 km / s, the frequency of group handover is about once every few seconds to tens of seconds.

[0125] 6. IAB: The purpose of IAB is to support wireless backhaul and relay links, so as to realize flexible and very dense deployment of NR cells without needing to scale wired transport networks. Typical deployment scenarios include supporting outdoor small base station deployment, indoor small base station deployment, and even mobile relays (such as on buses or trains). The functional architecture of IAB is as follows:

[0126] IAB node (IAB-node): supports access and backhaul through NR, including a mobile terminal (MT) part and a DU part, wherein, when the IAB-node faces its parent node, the IAB-node acts as a terminal device, i.e., the role of MT; when the IAB-node faces its child node (the child node can be another IAB-node or a normal UE), the IAB-node is regarded as a network device, i.e., as a DU role. The MT part can be referred to as IAB-node-MT, and the DU part can be referred to as IAB-node-DU.

[0127] IAB donor node (IAB-donor): a gNB supporting IAB functions, including an IAB-donor-DU and an IAB-donor-CU, wherein the IAB-donor-CU provides connection for the IAB-donor-DU and the IAB-node-DU; and the IAB-donor-DU provides access for the UE or IAB-MT.

[0128] For ease of understanding, the IAB communication mode is briefly introduced in combination with (a) and (b) in FIG. 6, as shown in (a) in FIG. 6, the IAB communication system includes an IAB-node and an IAB-donor, wherein the transmission link between the UE and the IAB-donor is an access link; the transmission link between the IAB-node and the IAB-donor is a backhaul link; and the transmission link between the UE and the IAB-node is an access link. In addition, the specific architecture of the IAB architecture is shown in (b) in FIG. 6.

[0129] 7. ephemeris information: as a possible implementation manner, the ephemeris information involved in the present application includes but is not limited to orbital parameters, or parameters such as the position and speed of the satellite calculated based on the orbital parameters, and it can be understood that the ephemeris information can be used to calculate, predict, depict, or track the time, position, speed and other states of the satellite flight.

[0130] As an example but not limitation, the ephemeris information can be in the form of position and velocity state vector or in the form of orbital parameters. For example, 6-dimensional parameters in the earth-centered, earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system, representing the position state vector (x, y, z) axis of the satellite and the velocity state vector (x, y, z) axis of the satellite, or 6-dimensional parameters in the earth-centered inertial coordinate system. It should be noted that the specific form and content of the ephemeris information in the present application are not limited, and reference can be made to the definition of ephemeris information in the existing protocol.

[0131] 8. backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP): in order to support flexible and dense deployment of NR cells, IAB supports multi-hop backhaul, and multi-hop network involves routing function between nodes, and in order to simplify the IAB external interface and reduce the impact on the 5G network, 3GPP TS 38.340 introduces a new IAB-specific protocol, backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP), which is responsible for the routing function and bearer mapping function of data packets in the IAB network.

[0132] Exemplarily, BAP involves including: the IAB-donor-CU allocates (such as automatically allocates, without additional transmission planning and configuration) a unique layer 2 (L2) address (also referred to as BAP address) for each IAB-node it controls, which can uniquely identify each IAB-node in the network. In the case of multiple paths, each BAP address can be associated with multiple path IDs. Wherein, the path can be understood as the transmission path from the source node to the destination node. In addition, the IAB-donor-CU configures a routing table for each IAB-node it controls, including the next hop identifier of each BAP path ID. The DL and UL directions reserve separate routing tables, and the IAB-node-DU uses the DL table, while the IAB-node-MT uses the UL table. Through the routing table, it can be indicated that the data packet should be forwarded to which child node (if it is DL) or parent node (if it is UL).

[0133] Specifically, the source node (e.g., IAB-donor-DU in downlink (DL) direction, access IAB-node in uplink (UL) direction) adds a BAP header in the data packet it is transmitting at its BAP layer, which includes a BAP address and a BAP path ID. When the IAB-node receives the data packet, the data packet will be forwarded to the higher layer and be processed in the same way as a normal DU processes incoming F1-U or F1-C data packets.

[0134] The BAP header contains a 10-bit BAP Address field, a 10-bit BAP Path ID field, a 1-bit flag, and three reserved bits. Among them, the BAP Address field carries the address of the destination IAB-node. The BAP Path ID field carries the path identification for traversing the data packet to the destination IAB-node.

[0135] The above briefly introduces the scenario to which the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied, and introduces the basic concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of the present application, and introduces the IAB architecture and BAP in the basic concepts. As can be known from the above description of BAP in the basic concepts, the BAP address and the BAP path ID are uniformly allocated by the CU, but in the scenario where the IAB-node and / or the IAB-donor in the IAB architecture is a satellite (e.g., LEO NTN scenario), if the IAB-donor node switches, based on the above BAP design, the BAP address and the path of all IAB-node nodes on the path may need to be updated, which brings a large signaling overhead.

[0136] For ease of understanding, the way of path switching based on the above BAP design in the LEO NTN scenario is briefly introduced in combination with FIG. 7. As can be seen from FIG. 7, if the IAB-donor node in the IAB network is switched from NTN IAB-donor#1 at T1 to NTN IAB-donor#2 at T2, the BAP address and the path of all IAB-node nodes need to be updated, such as the path of all IAB-node nodes is updated from path#A to path#B, wherein path#A is NTN IAB-node#1-NTN IAB-node#2-NTN IAB-donor#1; and path#B is NTN IAB-node#1-NTN IAB-node#2-NTN IAB-node#3-NTN IAB-donor#2.

[0137] It should be noted that the above-mentioned BAP design path switching manner is applied to a dynamic IAB scenario (for example, a scenario in which an IAB-node and / or an IAB-donor in an IAB architecture is a satellite). Due to frequent switching of the IAB-node and / or the IAB-donor, a large path update overhead is introduced, as shown in FIG. 7. If the IAB-donor node is switched, the BAP address and path of all IAB-node nodes need to be updated.

[0138] To solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the path update, the present application provides a communication method to reduce the signaling overhead caused by the path update.

[0139] It should be understood that the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a satellite communication system, for example, the satellite communication system shown in FIG. 1. It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the subject performing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as long as the subject can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is recorded. For example, the subject performing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a device, or a functional module in the device that can call and execute a program.

[0140] FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by the present application. The following steps are included:

[0141] S810, the first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first information from the first communication device.

[0142] Exemplarily, in this embodiment, the first communication device can be a communication device supporting access backhaul of the second communication device.

[0143] If this embodiment is applied to an IAB architecture, the first communication device can be a communication device supporting access backhaul in the IAB architecture. For example, it can be the IAB-donor in (a) of FIG. 6 described above; or, for another example, it can be a core network device accessed by the IAB-donor; or, for yet another example, it can be an IAB-donor-CU, etc.

[0144] If this embodiment is applied to other architectures including relay nodes, such as a wireless access and backhaul (WAB) architecture, the first communication device can be a communication device supporting access backhaul in the WAB architecture. For example, it can be a WAB-donor in the WAB architecture; or, for another example, it can be a core network device accessed by the WAB-donor; or, for yet another example, it can be a WAB-donor-CU, etc.

[0145] It should be understood that the first communication device sending the first information to the second communication device in the step S810 described above can be that the IAB-donor-CU sends the first information to the second communication device; or, the core network device can also send the first information to the second communication device (for example, the core network device uniformly configures the first information for the devices in the system, and a certain geographical location can be a certain area managed by the core network device).

[0146] It should also be understood that the above description of the first communication device is only an example and does not limit the protection scope of the present application in any way. Devices capable of implementing the functions of the first communication device are within the protection scope of the present application, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0147] Exemplarily, in this embodiment, the second communication device can be a relay node capable of providing relay service in the system.

[0148] If this embodiment is applicable to the IAB architecture, the second communication device can be a relay node providing relay service in the IAB architecture. For example, it can be the IAB-node in (a) of the foregoing FIG. 6; or, for another example, it can be the IAB-node-DU; or, for yet another example, it can be the IAB-node-MT, etc.

[0149] If this embodiment is applicable to other architectures including relay nodes, such as the WAB architecture, the second communication device can be a relay node providing relay service in the WAB architecture. For example, it can be the WAB-node in the WAB architecture; or, for another example, it can be the core network device accessed by the access network node part of the WAB-node (such as the WAB-gNB); or, for yet another example, it can be the mobile terminal part of the WAB-node (such as the WAB-MT), etc.

[0150] It should be understood that the above description of the second communication device is only an example and does not limit the protection scope of the present application in any way. Devices capable of implementing the functions of the second communication device are within the protection scope of the present application, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0151] Specifically, the first information indicates the first address information of each geographical location in the plurality of geographical locations, and the first address information includes information of the geographical location, and each geographical location is a geographical location within the service range of the first communication device.

[0152] For example, the first information indicates first address information #1 of a geographic location #1, and first address information #2 of a geographic location #2; or in other words, the first information indicates that the geographic location #1 corresponds to the first address information #1, and the geographic location #2 corresponds to the first address information #2. The first address information #1 includes information of the geographic location #1, the first address information #2 includes information of the geographic location #2, and the geographic location #1 and the geographic location #2 are both geographic locations within a service range of the first communication device.

[0153] It should be understood that the above-mentioned first information indicating the first address information #1 of the geographic location #1 and the first address information #2 of the geographic location #2 is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. For example, the first information can also indicate first address information of other geographic locations, which will not be described one by one here, i.e., the first information in this embodiment can indicate a plurality of first address information corresponding to a plurality of geographic locations respectively.

[0154] Optionally, the information of a geographic location included in the first address information corresponding to the geographic location includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0155] The latitude and longitude information of the geographic location, the GNSS position information of the geographic location, the wave position information of the geographic location, the grid information of the geographic location, or the TAC of the geographic location, etc. The GNSS position information of the geographic location can be the addressing of the GNSS position of the geographic location, the wave position information of the geographic location can be the wave position number of the geographic location, and the grid information of the geographic location can be the geographic grid number of the geographic location.

[0156] It should be noted that the first communication device in this embodiment can support a plurality of communication devices to access the backhaul, for example, the first communication device supports the second communication device #1 and the second communication device #2 to access the backhaul, and the first communication device can also send the above-mentioned first information to the second communication device #1 and the second communication device #2. It can be understood that the first communication device provides the first information for each relay node managed by it, so that each relay node can determine the first address information corresponding to different geographic locations based on the first information.

[0157] For ease of description, the first communication device sending the above-mentioned first information to the second communication device is taken as an example for description in this embodiment, and the description of the first communication device sending the first information to other communication devices except the second communication device can refer to the description of the first communication device sending the first information to the second communication device, which will not be described herein.

[0158] Optionally, the first address information involved in the embodiment can be referred to as an enhanced BAP address, but it should be noted that each enhanced BAP address in the embodiment contains information of a corresponding geographical location, rather than the BAP address information used to identify the IAB-node randomly allocated by the IAB-donor-CU for control of each IAB-node in the path switching mode shown in FIG. 7. In other words, each enhanced BAP address in the embodiment corresponds to (indirectly contains) information of a geographical location, for example, the first information indicates that the geographical location #1 and the first address information #1 correspond, and the first address information #1 and the information of the geographical location #1 correspond, that is, the second communication device can know the information of the geographical location #1 based on the first address information #1.

[0159] Further, the first address information corresponding to the second communication device in the embodiment will change with the movement of the second communication device, when the second communication device moves to the corresponding geographical location, the first address information corresponding to the second communication device is the first address information corresponding to the geographical location.

[0160] For ease of understanding, the following will briefly introduce the content indicated by the first information provided by the first communication device for the second communication device in the embodiment in conjunction with FIG. 9.

[0161] As shown in FIG. 9, the TN IAB-donor can divide the area served (or managed) by the TN IAB-donor into multiple grids (such as the three hexagonal areas shown in FIG. 9, namely grid #A, grid #B and grid #C), and then the TN IAB-donor can provide each IAB-node (such as NTN IAB-node #1 and NTN IAB-node #2 shown in FIG. 9) with the enhanced BAP address corresponding to each network through the first information, such as grid #A corresponding to BAP address #A, grid #B corresponding to BAP address #B, and grid #C corresponding to BAP address #C, wherein the BAP address #A contains the geographical location information of the grid #A, the BAP address #B contains the geographical location information of the grid #B, and the BAP address #C contains the geographical location information of the grid #C.

[0162] It should be noted that the TN IAB-donor shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the first communication device described above, and the NTN IAB-node #1 and / or the NTN IAB-node #2 shown in FIG. 9 can correspond to the second communication device described above.

[0163] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 9, at time T1, the NTN IAB-node #1 is located above the grid #A (corresponding to the first hexagon from left to right in FIG. 9), then the NTN IAB-node #1 determines the BAP address of the NTN IAB-node #1 as the BAP address #A based on the first information and the geographical position corresponding to the NTN IAB-node #1. At time T2, as the NTN IAB-node #1 moves and is located above the grid #B (corresponding to the second hexagon from left to right in FIG. 9), then the NTN IAB-node #1 determines the BAP address of the NTN IAB-node #1 as the BAP address #B based on the first information and the geographical position corresponding to the NTN IAB-node #1.

[0164] Further, in this embodiment, after the second communication device receives the first information, the second communication device can determine the first address information corresponding to the second communication device based on the geographical position corresponding to the second communication device and the first information, and then the method flow shown in FIG. 8 can further include:

[0165] S820, the second communication device determines the first address information corresponding to the second communication device.

[0166] Specifically, the second communication device can determine the first address information currently corresponding to the second communication device based on the first information and the geographical position corresponding to the second communication device.

[0167] For example, the geographical position currently corresponding to the second communication device is the geographical position #1, then the second communication device determines the first address information currently corresponding to the second communication device as the address information #1 based on the first information and the geographical position #1; for another example, the geographical position currently corresponding to the second communication device is the geographical position #2, then the second communication device determines the first address information currently corresponding to the second communication device as the address information #2 based on the first information and the geographical position #2.

[0168] As described above, the first information can indicate a plurality of first address information corresponding to a plurality of geographical positions respectively, then the second communication device can correspond to any one of a plurality of different geographical positions, and determine the current first address information according to the corresponding geographical position and the first information.

[0169] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the second communication device receives the first information from the first communication device is taken as an example for description, and as an example, the first information can also be pre-configured in the second communication device.

[0170] Further, after the second communication device determines the first address information corresponding to the second communication device, the second communication device can determine the next hop communication device for data transmission based on the first address information corresponding to the second communication device. The method flow shown in FIG. 8 can further include:

[0171] S830, the second communication device determines the third communication device.

[0172] Specifically, the second communication device determines the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, and the third communication device is the next hop communication device for the second communication device to transmit the second data.

[0173] In this embodiment, the third communication device is the next hop node for the second communication device to transmit data, for example, the third communication device is the parent node of the second communication device, or the third communication device is the child node of the second communication device. In this embodiment, the third communication device can also be referred to as the next level node of the second communication device.

[0174] By way of example and not limitation, the second communication device determines the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, including but not limited to the following ways:

[0175] For example, if the first address information of the second communication device includes the longitude and latitude information of the geographic location, the second communication device can determine the transmission direction of the next hop according to the longitude and latitude information of the destination geographic location carried in the data packet and the longitude and latitude information of the geographic location, and the communication device in the direction as the next hop transmission node.

[0176] For another example, if the first address information of the second communication device includes the addressing of the GNSS position of the geographic location, the second communication device can determine the transmission direction of the next hop according to the addressing of the GNSS position of the destination geographic location carried in the data packet and the addressing of the GNSS position of the geographic location, and the communication device in the direction as the next hop transmission node.

[0177] For another example, if the first address information of the second communication device includes the wave position identifier, the second communication device can determine the transmission direction of the next hop according to the geographic location associated with the identifier of the destination wave position carried in the data packet and the geographic location associated with the current service wave position, and the communication device in the direction as the next hop transmission node.

[0178] It should be noted that the above examples illustrate the possible ways for the second communication device to determine the third communication device, and do not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. Other ways to determine the next hop based on the geographic location information in the first address information of the second communication device are also within the protection scope of the present application.

[0179] Exemplarily, the second communication device determines the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, comprising:

[0180] The second communication device determines the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device and a first correspondence relationship, the first correspondence relationship is a correspondence relationship between a destination address of the second data and at least one communication device, the at least one communication device is a next-hop communication device capable of transmitting data, and the third communication device is one of the at least one communication device.

[0181] Optionally, the first correspondence relationship can be referred to as a routing table, and in this embodiment, the second communication device can autonomously determine the routing table based on the information of the geographical position contained in the first address information, and determine the next hop of the routing, so as to realize geographical position-based routing without the need of the IAB-donor node to perform path ID and routing allocation. When the path of a certain hop relay node changes, all relay nodes on the path do not need to be notified, and only the routing of the current relay node needs to be updated, thereby reducing the path update overhead required by frequent replacement of the IAB-donor node.

[0182] For ease of understanding, the form of the routing table determined by the second communication device in this embodiment is briefly introduced in combination with Table 1.

[0183] Table 1: Routing table

[0184] As a possible implementation manner, the core network device in the backhaul access system is located on the ground, or in other words, the anchor point of the core network device is located on the ground.

[0185] In this implementation manner, the geographical position associated with the core network device is unchanged, and the BAP address corresponding to the core network device is unchanged.

[0186] For ease of understanding, the scenario to which this embodiment can be applied is briefly introduced in combination with FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.

[0187] As shown in FIG. 10, the anchor point of the core network device (such as the ground station shown in FIG. 10) is located on the ground, and the NTN accesses the core network as an IAB-donor node, in addition, the NTN and the TN node can also serve as an IAB-node node to provide access / backhaul services for the UE and / or other network nodes.

[0188] As shown in FIG. 11, the core network device is located on the ground, and the TN accesses the core network as an IAB-donor node, in addition, the NTN and other TN nodes can also serve as an IAB-node node to provide access / backhaul services for the UE and / or other network nodes.

[0189] As another possible implementation, the core network device in the backhaul access system is located in the air, or in other words, the anchor point of the core network device is located in the air.

[0190] In this implementation, the geographical location associated with the core network device does not change, and the BAP address corresponding to the core network device changes with the movement of the core network device.

[0191] For ease of understanding, the scenario to which this embodiment can be applied is briefly introduced in conjunction with FIG. 12.

[0192] As shown in FIG. 12, the core network device is located in the air (e.g., onboard satellite) and the NTN accesses the core network as an IAB-donor node. In addition, the NTN and TN nodes can also serve as IAB-node nodes to provide access / backhaul services for UEs and / or other network nodes.

[0193] In this implementation, with the movement of the core network device, the new BAP address corresponding to the core network device needs to be configured to all relay nodes associated with the service area of the core network device to support dynamic updating of the route. Therefore, the method flow shown in FIG. 8 further includes:

[0194] S811, the first communication device sends second information to the second communication device, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second information from the first communication device.

[0195] Specifically, the second information indicates second address information of each time period in N time periods, and the second address information includes information of the geographical location associated with the core network device in the time period, wherein the core network device is a core network device accessed by the first communication device, and N is a positive integer.

[0196] As a possible implementation, the second information can indicate second address information of each time period in multiple time periods, that is, N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0197] In this implementation, the second information can indicate the second address information corresponding to the core network device in different time periods at one time.

[0198] As another possible implementation, the second information can indicate second address information of a certain time period, that is, N is equal to 1.

[0199] In this implementation, the second communication device can be notified of the change of the address information of the core network device in time through the second information each time the address information of the core network device changes.

[0200] For example, the second information indicates the second address information #1 of the time period #1 and the second address information #2 of the time period #2; or in other words, the second information indicates that the time period #1 corresponds to the first address information #1 and the time period #2 corresponds to the first address information #2. The second address information #1 includes information of a geographical position associated with the core network device in the time period #1, and the second address information #2 includes information of a geographical position associated with the core network device in the time period #2.

[0201] It should be understood that the above-mentioned second information indicating the second address information #1 of the time period #1 and the second address information #2 of the time period #2 is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. For example, the second information can also indicate other time periods and corresponding second address information, which will not be illustrated one by one here, i.e., the second information in this embodiment can indicate a plurality of time periods corresponding to a plurality of second address information.

[0202] For example, the first communication device can obtain the second address information corresponding to the core network device in different time periods based on ephemeris information of the core network device, and notify the second communication device through the second information.

[0203] For example, similar to the first address information described above, the second address information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0204] For example, the second address information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0205] For the convenience of understanding, the following will briefly introduce the content indicated by the second information provided by the first communication device to the second communication device in this embodiment with reference to FIG. 13.

[0206] As shown in FIG. 13, in time period Tl, the core network device is located above grid #D, and the corresponding second address information is BAP address #D; as the core network device moves, in time period T2, the core network device is located above grid #E, and the corresponding second address information is BAP address #E.

[0207] It should be understood that, in this implementation, since the second address information of the core network device changes as the core network device moves, the second communication device determining the third communication device in step S830 specifically includes:

[0208] The second communication device determines the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device and the second address information of the core network device. For example, corresponding to the case shown in FIG. 13.

[0209] In time period Tl: based on the second address information of the core network in the current time period (e.g., BAP address #D in FIG. 13) and the first address information of the second communication device (e.g., BAP address #A in FIG. 13), the second communication device can autonomously calculate the routing table in the current time period and determine the next hop of the route.

[0210] In time period T2: as the core network node moves, based on the second address information of the core network device in the current time period (e.g., BAP address #E in FIG. 13) and the first address information of the second communication device (e.g., BAP address #A in FIG. 13), the second communication device can autonomously calculate the routing table in the current time period and determine the next hop of the route.

[0211] In the communication method shown in FIG. 8, the relay node can autonomously calculate its routing table based on the first address information of the relay node (or based on the first address information of the relay node and the second address information of the core network device) and determine the next hop of the route, thereby realizing geographic location-based routing. When the path of a certain hop relay node changes, there is no need to notify all relay nodes on the path, and only the routing of the current relay node needs to be updated, thereby reducing the signaling overhead caused by path updating.

[0212] In addition, it should be noted that the communication method shown in FIG. 8 can be used in combination with the method of uniformly configuring the BAP address and the path ID for the IAB-node by the IAB-donor shown in FIG. 7. For example, in the communication method shown in FIG. 8, the first communication device can send at least one path ID to the second communication device, each path in the at least one path being a path for the second communication device to transmit data, so that the second communication device can perform data transmission based on the path configured by the first communication device in the case where the second communication device cannot determine the next hop path by itself, thereby ensuring the data transmission quality to a certain extent and reducing data transmission failure.

[0213] The application also provides a communication method, so that the encapsulation or decapsulation protocol can be adaptively selected according to different transmission media. The communication method will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 14.

[0214] FIG. 14 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by the application. The method includes the following steps:

[0215] S1410, determining the type of transmission medium between the first device and the second device.

[0216] Exemplarily, in the star-ground fusion network, different transmission media can be used between different nodes.

[0217] As shown in FIG. 15, the NTN IAB-node and the NTN IAB-donor #1 can use optical transmission media, which is referred to as Optical ISL (inter-satellite link); the NTN IAB-donor and the ground station can also use optical transmission media, which is referred to as Optical GSL (satellite-ground link). Alternatively, the feeder link can be understood as a kind of star-ground link.

[0218] As shown in FIG. 15, the NTN IAB-node and the NTN IAB-donor #2 can use microwave transmission media, which is referred to as Microwave ISL; the NTN IAB-node and the TNIAB-node can use microwave transmission media, which is referred to as Microwave GSL.

[0219] In addition, terahertz (THz) transmission media and the like can also be used between nodes.

[0220] It should be understood that the different transmission media described above are only examples and do not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the application. The embodiments can also be applied to scenarios in which the transmission media between nodes include transmission media other than the above-described transmission media, which will not be described one by one here.

[0221] In addition, the embodiments do not make any limitation on how to determine the transmission medium, and the type of transmission medium between different nodes can be known according to the format of the data packet or historical communication data.

[0222] Further, after determining the type of transmission medium, the data encapsulation or decapsulation protocol can be determined according to the type of transmission medium, and the method flow shown in FIG. 14 can further include:

[0223] S1420, determining the data encapsulation or decapsulation protocol according to the type of transmission medium.

[0224] By way of example and not limitation, the device performing the above steps S1410 and S1420 can be the first device, or can be a chip in the first device or a functional entity in the first device (e.g., a protocol layer (e.g., a BAP layer; or also can be other protocol layers different from the BAP layer, the upper and lower relationships of which with the BAP layer and / or existing protocol layers can not be limited, as long as the corresponding functions can be implemented) in the first device). Wherein the first device can be an IAB-donor and / or an IAB-node in an IAB network, or the first device can be a WAB-donor and / or a WAB-node in a WAB network, or the first device can be a device of which there are multiple types of transmission media between the first device and other devices.

[0225] It should be understood that the first device in this embodiment is not limited in any way, as long as the corresponding functions can be implemented.

[0226] As a possible implementation, if the first device or the functional entity in the first device receives data from the second device, the data can be determined according to the type of the transmission medium between the first device and the second device.

[0227] As another possible implementation, if the first device or the functional entity in the first device determines to send data to the second device, the data can be determined according to the type of the transmission medium between the first device and the second device.

[0228] Optionally, when the transmission medium is light, the data can be encapsulated or decapsulated through an optical communication protocol.

[0229] Optionally, when the transmission medium is microwave, the data can be encapsulated or decapsulated through a multiplexing new radio communication interface protocol (NR Uu).

[0230] Optionally, when the transmission medium is other medium (e.g., medium-X), the data can be encapsulated or decapsulated through a layer 1 or layer 2 (L1 / L2) protocol corresponding to the medium-X.

[0231] For ease of understanding, the communication method is described below in conjunction with specific examples.

[0232] Example 1: The BAP layer of the first device receives data #1 from the second device, and determines the decapsulation protocol of the data #1 according to the type of the transmission medium #1 between the first device and the second device.

[0233] The BAP layer of the first device can be a protocol layer above the RLC layer of the first device, and can also be a protocol layer of the first device and a protocol layer of the second device, that is, the BAP layer can implement the following functions.

[0234] Exemplarily, when the transmission medium #1 is microwave, the NR Uu protocol can be multiplexed to encapsulate the data #2. Optionally, the first device is the IAB-node1 shown in (a) of FIG. 16, and the second device is the IAB-donor-DU shown in (a) of FIG. 16, and the protocol stack of data encapsulation is as shown in (a) of FIG. 16.

[0235] As can be seen from (a) of FIG. 16, after the IAB-DU of the IAB-node1 receives the data #1 from the IAB-MT of the IAB-node2, the BAP layer of the IAB-DU can determine that the encapsulation protocol of the data #1 can be multiplexed to the NR Uu protocol according to the microwave of the transmission medium #1, that is, the data #1 is encapsulated through the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer in turn.

[0236] In addition, the BAP layer of the first device determines to send the data #2 to the second device, and determines the encapsulation protocol of the data #2 according to the type of the transmission medium #1 between the first device and the second device.

[0237] Exemplarily, when the transmission medium #1 is microwave, the NR Uu protocol can be multiplexed to encapsulate the data #2. Optionally, the first device is the IAB-node1 shown in (a) of FIG. 16, and the second device is the IAB-donor-DU shown in (a) of FIG. 16, and the protocol stack of data encapsulation is as shown in (a) of FIG. 16.

[0238] As can be seen from (a) of FIG. 16, after the IAB-node1 of the IAB-MT determines to send the data #2 to the IAB-donor-DU, the BAP layer of the IAB-MT of the IAB-node1 can determine that the encapsulation protocol of the data #2 can be multiplexed to the NR Uu protocol according to the microwave of the transmission medium #1, that is, the data #2 is encapsulated through the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer in turn.

[0239] Example two: the BAP layer of the first device receives data #1 from the second device, and determines the encapsulation protocol of the data #1 according to the type of the transmission medium #1 between the first device and the second device.

[0240] Exemplarily, when the transmission medium #1 is optical, the data #1 can be decapsulated based on optical layer 1 or optical layer 2 (opt-L1 / opt-L2) specific protocol (e.g., a wave division multiplexing protocol, an on-off keying (OOK) protocol, or a consultative committee for space data system (CCSDS) link protocol, etc.). Optionally, the first device is the IAB-node1 shown in (b) of FIG. 16, and the second device is the IAB-node2 shown in (b) of FIG. 16, and the protocol stack of data decapsulation is shown in (b) of FIG. 16.

[0241] As can be seen from (b) of FIG. 16, after the IAB-DU of the IAB-node1 receives the data #1 from the IAB-MT of the IAB-node2, the BAP layer of the IAB-DU can determine that the decapsulation protocol of the data #1 can be based on an optical communication protocol, i.e., the data #1 is parsed through the opt-L1 layer and the opt-L2 layer in turn, according to the type of the transmission medium #1 being optical.

[0242] In addition, the BAP layer of the first device determines to send the data #2 to the second device, and determines the encapsulation protocol of the data #2 according to the type of the transmission medium #1 between the first device and the second device.

[0243] Exemplarily, when the transmission medium #1 is optical, the data #2 can be encapsulated based on optical layer 1 or optical layer 2 (opt-L1 / opt-L2) specific protocol. Optionally, the first device is the IAB-node1 shown in (b) of FIG. 16, and the second device is the IAB-donor-DU shown in (b) of FIG. 16, and the protocol stack of data encapsulation is shown in (b) of FIG. 16.

[0244] As can be seen from (b) of FIG. 16, after the IAB-MT of the IAB-node1 determines to send the data #2 to the IAB-donor-DU, the BAP layer of the IAB-MT of the IAB-node1 can determine that the encapsulation protocol of the data #2 can be based on an optical communication protocol, i.e., the data #2 is encapsulated through the opt-L2 layer and the opt-L1 layer in turn, according to the type of the transmission medium #1 being optical.

[0245] Example Three: The BAP layer of the first device receives the data #1 from the second device, and determines the decapsulation protocol of the data #1 according to the type of the transmission medium #1 between the first device and the second device.

[0246] Exemplarily, when the transmission medium #1 is microwave, the data #1 can be encapsulated based on the NR Uu protocol. Optionally, the first device is the IAB-node1 shown in (c) of FIG. 16, and the second device is the IAB-node2 shown in (c) of FIG. 16, and the protocol stack of the data encapsulation is shown in (c) of FIG. 16.

[0247] As can be seen from (c) of FIG. 16, after the IAB-DU of the IAB-node1 receives the data #1 from the IAB-MT of the IAB-node2, the BAP layer of the IAB-DU can determine, according to the transmission medium #1 being microwave, that the encapsulation protocol of the data #1 can be the NR Uu protocol, i.e., the data #1 is encapsulated through the PHY layer, the MAC layer, and the RLC layer in sequence.

[0248] In addition, the BAP layer of the first device determines to send the data #2 to the third device, and determines the encapsulation protocol of the data #2 according to the type of the transmission medium #2 between the first device and the third device.

[0249] Exemplarily, when the transmission medium #2 is light, the data #2 can be encapsulated based on the opt-L1 / opt-L2 dedicated protocol. Optionally, the first device is the IAB-node1 shown in (c) of FIG. 16, and the third device is the IAB-donor-DU shown in (b) of FIG. 16, and the protocol stack of the data encapsulation is shown in (c) of FIG. 16.

[0250] As can be seen from (c) of FIG. 16, after the IAB-MT of the IAB-node1 determines to send the data #2 to the IAB-donor-DU, the BAP layer of the IAB-MT of the IAB-node1 can determine, according to the transmission medium #1 being light, that the encapsulation protocol of the data #2 can be based on the optical communication protocol, i.e., the data #2 is encapsulated through the opt-L2 layer and the opt-L1 layer in sequence.

[0251] In the communication method shown in FIG. 14, the device or the BAP layer of the device can adaptively select the encapsulation or decapsulation protocol of the data according to the different transmission media, so that the reliability and transmission efficiency of the link can be improved.

[0252] The application also provides a communication method, so that the conditional autonomous trigger rerouting can be realized, thereby reducing the latency of waiting for the rerouting decision, and reducing the possibility of latency and / or throughput decline caused by network congestion. The communication method is described in detail below in combination with FIG. 17.

[0253] FIG. 17 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by the application. The method comprises the following steps:

[0254] S1710, the device #1 determines whether a first condition is met.

[0255] Specifically, in the case that the first condition is met, the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data can be updated. Wherein, the updating of the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data can be understood as re-routing.

[0256] By way of example and not limitation, the first condition comprises at least one of the following:

[0257] The clock of the device #1 is located in a first time period, the geographical position corresponding to the device #1 is a first geographical position, or the transmission delay between the device #1 and a certain next-hop node (such as device #2) is greater than a first threshold.

[0258] In this embodiment, the first condition can also be referred to as an event, which can be configured by the IAB-donor node or the core network device (for example, the IAB-donor node or the core network device sends indication information of the first condition, and the indication information of the first condition is used by the device #1 to determine whether to update the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data); or, it can also be protocol pre-configured or predefined.

[0259] Further, in the case that the device #1 determines that the first condition is met, the device #1 can perform re-routing, and the method flow shown in FIG. 17 further comprises:

[0260] S1720, the device #1 performs re-routing.

[0261] Specifically, the device #1 performs re-routing, comprising: the device #1 determines that the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data is switched from the device #2 to the device #3.

[0262] Optionally, when the clock of the device #1 is located in a preset time period (for example, the clock of the device #1 is located in universal time coordinated (UTC)-t1, UTC-t_offset), and the device #1 determines that the transmission link quality between the device #1 and the device #2 does not meet the requirement, the device #1 determines that the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data is switched from the device #2 to the device #3.

[0263] Optionally, when the device #1 is located above a specified geographical position (for example, the device #1 is located above a geographical position #1, and the angle between the geographical position #1 and a reference position is less than a given threshold #1), and the device #1 determines that the transmission link quality between the device #1 and the device #2 does not meet the requirement, the device #1 determines that the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data is switched from the device #2 to the device #3.

[0264] Optionally, when the latency between the device #1 and a certain next-hop node (e.g., the device #2) is greater than a given threshold #2, the device #1 determines that the next-hop communication device for transmitting the data is switched from the device #2 to the device #3, wherein the threshold #2 can be configured for the IAB-donor node or the core network device, or the threshold #2 can be set by the device #1, or the threshold #2 can be negotiated between the device #1 and the IAB-donor node, or the threshold #2 is predefined by the protocol, and the determination manner of the threshold #2 in this embodiment is not limited in any way.

[0265] By way of example and not limitation, the device performing the above steps S1710 and S1720 can be the device #1, or can be a chip in the device #1 or a functional entity in the device #1 (e.g., a protocol layer (e.g., a BAP layer) in the device #1). Wherein the device #1 can be an IAB-node in an IAB network, or the device #1 can be a WAB-node in a WAB network, or the device #1 can be another device satisfying the first condition.

[0266] In the communication method shown in FIG. 17, when a certain-hop relay node detects that the first condition is satisfied, a new route for data transmission can be autonomously selected without waiting for the rerouting decision of the IAB-donor node or the core network node. Thus, the congestion that can exist in the network can be timely alleviated.

[0267] It should be understood that the size of the serial number of each process described above does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0268] It should also be understood that in each embodiment of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and no logical conflict.

[0269] In addition, the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship. For example, the communication method shown in FIG. 8, the communication method shown in FIG. 14 and the communication method shown in FIG. 17 can be combined to form a new embodiment.

[0270] For example, the communication method shown in FIG. 8 and the communication method shown in FIG. 14 can be used in combination, that is, the first communication device and / or the second communication device (or the BAP layer of the first communication device and / or the BAP layer of the second communication device) shown in FIG. 8 can determine the protocol for decapsulating data according to the type of the transmission medium between the receiving end and the sending end of the data when receiving the data, or the first communication device and / or the second communication device (or the BAP layer of the first communication device and / or the BAP layer of the second communication device) can determine the protocol for encapsulating data according to the type of the transmission medium between the receiving end and the sending end of the data when sending the data.

[0271] For another example, the communication method shown in FIG. 8 and the communication method shown in FIG. 17 can be used in combination, that is, the second communication device shown in FIG. 8 can trigger the execution of the rerouting based on the first condition.

[0272] The combination of the above various embodiments is only an example, and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application, and new embodiments can also be formed by combination, which are not exemplified here.

[0273] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly exemplified (such as IAB-donor, IAB-node, etc.), and it should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. For example, devices that can achieve the same function in the future are also applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0274] It can be understood that the methods and operations implemented by the devices (such as IAB-donor, IAB-node) in the above various method embodiments can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) of the devices.

[0275] The above, in combination with FIGS. 8 to 17, details the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The above communication method is mainly introduced from the perspective of the interaction between the various protocol layers of the terminal device. It can be understood that the first communication device and the second communication device contain the corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing the functions in order to achieve the above functions.

[0276] Those skilled in the art should realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0277] The communication apparatus provided in the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIG. 18 to FIG. 20. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiment above, and some content is not described again for the sake of brevity.

[0278] The embodiments of the present application can divide the functional modules of the transmitting end device or the receiving end device according to the method examples described above. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. The following takes the example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0279] FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of the communication apparatus 10 provided in the embodiments of the present application. The apparatus 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can realize corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used for data processing. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform the operations related to receiving and sending, and the processing module 12 is used to perform other operations except receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0280] Optionally, the apparatus 10 can further include a storage module 13, which can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the apparatus realizes the actions of the device in each of the method embodiments described above.

[0281] In one design, the apparatus 10 can correspond to the first communication apparatus in the method embodiments above, or be a constituent part (such as a chip) of the first communication apparatus.

[0282] The apparatus 10 can realize the steps or processes performed by the first communication apparatus corresponding to the method embodiments above. In this case, the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform the operations related to receiving and sending of the first communication apparatus in the method embodiments above, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform the processing related operations of the first communication apparatus in the method embodiments above.

[0283] In a possible implementation, the processing module 12 is configured to generate first information, the first information indicating first address information of each of a plurality of geographic locations, the first address information comprising information of the geographic location, each of the geographic locations being a geographic location within a service range of the first communication device. The transceiver module 11 is configured to send the first information to a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is a communication device supporting the second communication device to access backhaul.

[0284] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 8, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving and sending information in the method, such as steps S810 and S811; and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0285] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 14, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving and sending information in the method; and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method, such as steps S1410 and S1420.

[0286] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the corresponding steps described above has been described in detail in the method embodiments described above, and is not described herein for brevity.

[0287] In another design, the apparatus 10 can correspond to the second communication device in the method embodiments described above, or be a component (such as a chip) of the second communication device.

[0288] The apparatus 10 can implement the steps or processes performed by the second communication device in the method embodiments described above, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the operations related to receiving and sending of the second communication device in the method embodiments described above, and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the operations related to processing of the second communication device in the method embodiments described above.

[0289] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to receive first information, the first information indicating first address information of each of a plurality of geographic locations, the first address information comprising information of the geographic location, each of the geographic locations being a geographic location within a service range of the first communication device. The processing module 12 is configured to determine first address information of a second communication device according to the first information and a corresponding geographic location of the second communication device. The processing module 12 is further configured to determine a third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, wherein the third communication device is a next-hop communication device for the second communication device to transmit second data.

[0290] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 8, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving and / or transmitting information in the method, such as steps S810 and S811; and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method, such as steps S820 and S830.

[0291] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 14, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving and / or transmitting information in the method; and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method, such as steps S1410 and S1420.

[0292] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 17, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving and / or transmitting information in the method; and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method, such as steps S1710 and S1720.

[0293] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the corresponding steps described above has been described in detail in the method embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0294] It should also be understood that the apparatus 10 herein is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term "module" herein can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., shared, dedicated, or group) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functionality. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 10 can be embodied as the mobile management network element in the above embodiments, and can be configured to perform the processes and / or steps corresponding to the mobile management network element in the above method embodiments; or the apparatus 10 can be embodied as the terminal device in the above embodiments, and can be configured to perform the processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0295] The apparatus 10 of each of the above schemes has the function of performing the corresponding steps performed by the devices (such as IAB-donor, IAB-node, and core network network element) in the above methods. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor, which performs the receiving and transmitting operations and related processing operations in each of the method embodiments.

[0296] In addition, the transceiver module 11 can also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., can include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing module can be a processing circuit.

[0297] Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 20 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The apparatus 20 includes a processor 21 configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the processor 21 is one or more.

[0298] Optionally, as shown in Fig. 19, the apparatus 20 further includes the memory 22 configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 can be integrated with the processor 21, or can be separately arranged. Optionally, the memory 22 is one or more.

[0299] Optionally, as shown in Fig. 19, the apparatus 20 further includes a transceiver 23 configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 21 is configured to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0300] As an option, the apparatus 20 is configured to implement operations performed by the first communication apparatus in the above method embodiments.

[0301] As another option, the apparatus 20 is configured to implement operations performed by the second communication apparatus in the above method embodiments.

[0302] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0303] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM). For example, the RAM can be used as an external cache. As an example but not limitation, the RAM includes the following various forms: static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0304] It should be noted that when the processor is a general processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a FPGA or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0305] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable type of memory.

[0306] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also can be referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0307] Among them, the logic circuit 31 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 can be coupled to a storage unit, call instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 30 can realize the method and function of each embodiment of the present application. The input / output interface 32 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, which outputs the processed information of the chip system 30 or inputs the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0308] As a solution, the chip system 30 is configured to implement operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0309] For example, the logic circuit 31 is configured to implement processing-related operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments; and the input / output interface 32 is configured to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0310] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0311] For example, the computer program, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to implement the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0312] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0313] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, comprising the first communication device and the second communication device as described above. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the core network device as described above.

[0314] The above description of the related content of any of the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application and the beneficial effects can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0315] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. The division of the units is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0316] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0317] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0318] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0319] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. According to actual needs, part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0320] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0321] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that contribute to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0322] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: generating first information indicating first address information of each of a plurality of geographical locations, the first address information including information of the geographical locations, each of the geographical locations being within a service range of the first communication device; sending the first information to a second communication device, The first communication device is a communication device that supports the second communication device to access backhaul.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending second information, where the second information indicates second address information for each of the N time periods, where the second address information includes information about a geographical location associated with the core network device within the time period. The core network device is the core network device accessed by the first communication apparatus, and N is a positive integer.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: determining a type of a first transmission medium between the first communication device and the second communication device; Determine the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the first data according to the type of the first transmission medium, If the first data is data received from the second communication device, the decapsulation protocol is determined; if the first data is data to be sent to the second communication device, the encapsulation protocol is determined.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The determining the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the first data according to the type of the first transmission medium includes: If the first transmission medium is an optical medium, the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the first data is an optical communication protocol; or, If the first transmission medium is a microwave medium, the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the first data is a new wireless communication interface protocol; or, If the first transmission medium is not the optical medium and the microwave medium, the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the first data is a protocol other than the optical communication protocol and the new wireless communication interface protocol.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The geographic location information includes at least one of the following: The longitude and latitude information of the geographic location, the global navigation satellite system GNSS position information of the geographic location, the wave position information of the geographic location, the grid information of the geographic location, or the tracking area code TAC of the geographic location.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method comprises: Indication information of a first condition is sent to the second communication device, where the indication information of the first condition is used by the second communication device to determine whether to update a next-hop communication device for transmitting data.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first condition includes at least one of the following: The clock of the second communication device is within the first time period, the geographical location corresponding to the second communication device is the first geographical location, or the transmission delay between the second communication device and the third communication device is greater than a first threshold.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method comprises: An identifier of at least one path is sent to the second communication device, where each path in the at least one path is a path for the second communication device to transmit data.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a second communication device, the method includes: receiving first information indicating first address information of each of a plurality of geographical locations, the first address information including information of the geographical locations, each of the geographical locations being within a service range of the first communication device; determining first address information of the second communication device according to the first information and the geographical location corresponding to the second communication device; determining a third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device, The third communication device is a next-hop communication device to which the second communication device transmits the second data.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device includes: determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device and the first corresponding relationship, The first correspondence is a correspondence between a destination address of the second data and at least one communication device, the at least one communication device is a next-hop communication device capable of transmitting the second data, and the third communication device is one of the at least one communication device.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second information indicating second address information of each of N time periods, the second address information including information of a geographical location associated with the core network device within the time period; The determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device includes: determining the third communication device according to the first address information of the second communication device and the second address information of the core network device; The core network device is a core network device accessed by the first communication device, the first communication device is a communication device that supports the second communication device to access the backhaul, and N is a positive integer.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: determining a type of a second transmission medium between the second communication device and the fourth communication device; Determine the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the third data according to the type of the second transmission medium, If the third data is data received from the fourth communication device, the decapsulation protocol is determined; if the third data is data to be sent to the fourth communication device, the encapsulation protocol is determined.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The determining the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the third data according to the type of the second transmission medium includes: If the second transmission medium is an optical medium, the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the third data is an optical communication protocol; or If the second transmission medium is a microwave medium, the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the third data is a new wireless communication interface protocol; or If the second transmission medium is not the optical medium and the microwave medium, the encapsulation protocol or decapsulation protocol of the third data is a protocol other than the optical communication protocol and the new wireless communication interface protocol.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: determining whether the first condition is satisfied; If the first condition is met, the second communication device determines that the next-hop communication device for transmitting the second data is switched from the third communication device to a fifth communication device.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first condition includes at least one of the following: The clock of the second communication device is within a first time period, the geographical location corresponding to the second communication device is a first geographical location, or the transmission delay between the second communication device and the third communication device is greater than a first threshold.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that The method further includes receiving an identification of at least one path, each of the at least one path being a path for the second communication device to transmit data.

17. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, characterized in that The geographic location information includes at least one of the following: The longitude and latitude information of the geographic location, the global navigation satellite system GNSS position information of the geographic location, the wave position information of the geographic location, the grid information of the geographic location, or the tracking area code TAC of the geographic location.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a functional entity, the method comprises: determining a type of transmission medium between the first device and the second device; The data encapsulation or decapsulation protocol is determined according to the type of the transmission medium.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The functional entity is the Backhaul Adaptation Protocol BAP functional layer of the first device.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein The BAP functional layer is located above the radio link control RLC layer, or the BAP functional layer is connected to the protocol layers and devices of the first device except the BAP functional layer.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: One or more functional modules for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or one or more functional modules for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 17, or one or more functional modules for executing the method according to any one of claims 18 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 9 to 17, or so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 18 to 20.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 20.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that include: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program; when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

25. A chip, characterized in that: The chip is installed in a communication device, and the chip includes a processor and a communication interface. When the processor reads instructions through the communication interface and runs, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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