Communication management method and apparatus, and electronic device and computer program product

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and particularly relates to a communication management method and apparatus, and an electronic device and a computer program product. The method comprises: receiving a first message and / or a second message sent by a first auxiliary terminal, wherein the first message is used for reporting the progress of auxiliary communication, the second message is used for requesting or notifying the termination of the auxiliary communication, and the auxiliary communication comprises communication between an auxiliary network device and a terminal device; and on the basis of the first message and / or the second message, determining whether the first auxiliary terminal or a second auxiliary terminal continues the auxiliary communication. In the communication management method provided in the present disclosure, when an auxiliary terminal performs a handover or the service load / state of charge of the auxiliary terminal changes, an original auxiliary terminal can be controlled to terminate an inventory process, and a new auxiliary terminal is reselected to continue the unfinished inventory process, so as to ensure the continuity and inventory efficiency of the inventory process of the terminal devices.

Description

A communication management method, apparatus, electronic device, and computer program product

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present disclosure is based on and claims priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 202410706768.4, filed on June 3, 2024, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present disclosure. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and particularly relates to a communication management method, apparatus, electronic device, and computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0004] The scheme (as shown in FIG. 2) of assisting the base station to communicate (for example, inventory) with the terminal device through the auxiliary terminal (auxiliary UE), and the scheme of the base station directly communicating with the terminal device, can effectively expand the communication range of the base station.

[0005] However, the auxiliary UE is often not located at the central position of the coverage of the base station, and further considering the mobility of the auxiliary UE itself, the auxiliary UE may be handed over, so that the auxiliary inventory cannot continue. In addition, during the inventory process, the auxiliary UE may also be unable to continue to assist in the inventory process due to changes in its own business load, power situation, and the like, so that the continuity of the terminal device inventory process is difficult to guarantee. SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure is proposed in view of the above problems. The present disclosure provides a communication management method, apparatus, electronic device, and computer program product.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication management method is provided, executed by a network device, and the method comprises: receiving a first message and / or a second message sent by a first auxiliary terminal, wherein the first message is used to report the progress of auxiliary communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify to terminate the auxiliary communication, wherein the auxiliary communication comprises communication between the network device and a terminal device; and determining, based on the first message and / or the second message, whether to continue the auxiliary communication by the first auxiliary terminal or a second auxiliary terminal.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: before receiving the first message sent by the first auxiliary terminal, sending a third message to the first auxiliary terminal, wherein the third message instructs the first auxiliary terminal to terminate the auxiliary communication and send the first message.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: sending a fourth message to the first auxiliary terminal before receiving the second message sent by the first auxiliary terminal, wherein the fourth message indicates that the auxiliary terminal sends the second message if a preset condition is met.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: sending a fifth message to the second auxiliary terminal after determining that the second auxiliary terminal continues to assist the communication, wherein the fifth message indicates that the second auxiliary terminal continues to assist the communication.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: sending a sixth message to the first auxiliary terminal after determining that the first auxiliary terminal continues to assist the communication, wherein the sixth message indicates that the first auxiliary terminal continues to assist the communication.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: sending a seventh message to the first auxiliary terminal, wherein the seventh message indicates that the first auxiliary terminal starts to assist the communication.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication management method is provided, which is performed by a first auxiliary terminal and comprises: sending a first message and / or a second message to a network device, wherein the first message is used to report a progress of an assisted communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify termination of the assisted communication, and the assisted communication comprises communication between the network device and a terminal device.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a third message sent by the network device, wherein the third message indicates to terminate the assisted communication and to send the first message to the network device.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a fourth message sent by the network device, wherein the fourth message indicates to send the second message to the network device if a preset condition is met.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a sixth message sent by the network device, wherein the sixth message indicates to continue to assist the communication.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a seventh message sent by the network device, wherein the seventh message indicates to start to assist the communication.

[0018] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication management apparatus is provided, which is applied to a network device, and the apparatus comprises: a receiving module, configured to receive a first message and / or a second message sent by a first auxiliary terminal, wherein the first message is used to report the progress of auxiliary communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify the termination of the auxiliary communication, wherein the auxiliary communication comprises communication between an auxiliary network device and a terminal device; and a determining module, configured to determine whether the auxiliary communication is continued by the first auxiliary terminal or a second auxiliary terminal based on the first message and / or the second message.

[0019] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication management apparatus is provided, which is applied to a first auxiliary terminal, and the apparatus comprises: a sending module, configured to send a first message and / or a second message to a network device, wherein the first message is used to report the progress of auxiliary communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify the termination of the auxiliary communication, wherein the auxiliary communication comprises communication between an auxiliary network device and a terminal device.

[0020] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, which comprises: a memory, configured to store computer readable instructions; and a processor, configured to run the computer readable instructions, so that the electronic device performs the communication management method as described above.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, which comprises a computer program, and the computer program is characterized in that the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the communication management method as described above.

[0022] As will be described in detail below, according to the communication management method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication management method proposed by the present disclosure can ensure the continuity and efficiency of the inventory process of the terminal device by controlling the original auxiliary terminal to terminate the inventory process and reselect a new auxiliary terminal to continue the unfinished inventory process when the auxiliary terminal undergoes cell switching or its own traffic load / power changes.

[0023] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the subject technology claimed by the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a tag inventory process of the prior art.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a scenario diagram illustrating an application scenario of the communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a method flow chart illustrating the communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a method flow chart further illustrating the communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to an embodiment one of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to an embodiment two of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to an embodiment three of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to an embodiment four of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a device diagram illustrating the communication management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a device diagram further illustrating the communication management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 11 is a hardware block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a computer program product according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious, the example embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described herein.

[0038] First, FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a tag inventory flow of the prior art. As described above, the scenario in which the secondary UE helps the base station to communicate with the tag can be, for example, inventory, and the communication management method of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below taking the inventory flow as an example. It should be noted that taking the inventory scenario as an example is only an exemplary description, and does not constitute a limitation. Before introducing the tag inventory flow of the prior art, some of the terms involved will be explained.

[0039] Ambient IoT refers to a transmission network including a battery free node. The battery free node itself is not equipped with or mainly relies on a power supply device such as a battery, but obtains energy from the environment to support the battery free node to sense, transmit and distribute data. Generally, the battery free node can include a battery free tag, and a transceiver of the battery free tag can be excited by a radio frequency field. In the embodiments of the present application, for the sake of brevity, the battery free tag can be alternatively described as a tag. The tag can constitute a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system together with a network device, and the non-contact automatic identification radio frequency technology can be applied in the RFID system.

[0040] In the working process of the RFID system, the network device controls the radio frequency module in the RFID system to transmit a radio carrier signal through an antenna, when the tag enters the working area of the transmitting antenna, the tag is activated and can reflect a signal carrying tag related information to the network device, and the network device can receive the signal reflected by the tag through the antenna, and then perform despreading or decoding on the received signal to obtain the related information of the tag. For example, the protocol control bit (PC) of the tag, the electronic product code (EPC) and the 16-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC-16), thereby forming a complete communication link.

[0041] In the international organization for standardization (ISO) 18000-6C of the RFID air interface protocol, the tag uses dynamic time slot ALOHA technology to reflect the signal to the network device. As shown in FIG. 1, the tag inventory process can include the following steps.

[0042] ①, the network device selects the tag that has been powered on and matches the specified memory content and the Mask field through the Select instruction to interact.

[0043] Specifically, the tag can be an RFID tag; in the Select instruction, the network device specifies a memory content and a Mask field, the tag checks its stored memory content and compares it with the Mask field. If the tag's memory content matches the Mask field, the tag is selected. The selected tag performs corresponding operations on the selected flag bit (SL) or the Session flag bit. The operation on the SL flag bit includes asserting or de-asserting the SL, and the operation on the Session flag bit includes setting the Session flag bit to A or B.

[0044] 2. The network device sends a Query instruction to the tag and interacts with the tag matching the SL and Session flag bits.

[0045] Specifically, the Query instruction is used to initialize the communication process and obtain the tag's response. The Query instruction contains the SL flag bit and the Session flag bit to match the tag. When the tag detects the Query instruction matching the SL and Session flag bits, it generates a 16-bit random number, called RN16. After the tag generates the RN16, it fills part of the bits into the time slot counter. The number of filled bits is determined by the Q value in the Query instruction, which specifies the maximum value of the number of time slots available for the tag to respond (2 Q -1).

[0046] 3. The network device continuously sends one or more clock signals (QueryRep) instructions to the tag. When the tag receives the QueryRep instruction, it performs the operation of reducing the time slot counter by one.

[0047] 4. When the time slot counter in 3 reduces to 0, the tag performs backscatter operation to send the 16-bit random number (RN16) generated in the Query instruction to the network device. The backscatter operation is a form of tag response.

[0048] 5. After the network device correctly receives the tag's reflected RN16, it sends an acknowledgement character (ACK) instruction to the tag, confirming that the tag's access process has no conflict.

[0049] 6. After the tag receives the ACK instruction, it selects to reply the EPC code or the truncated EPC code according to the Truncate parameter in the previous Select instruction.

[0050] Specifically, if the Truncate parameter is set to True, the tag should truncate its EPC code when replying; if set to False, it should reply the complete EPC code.

[0051] It should be noted that the network device can directly connect with the tag in its coverage range to complete the above tag inventory process. However, in order to further expand the inventory range, the network device can also specify one or more auxiliary UEs to assist it in the above process.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a scene diagram illustrating an application scenario of a communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the application scenario can include a base station, an auxiliary terminal, and a terminal device.

[0053] The transmission signal method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, future communication system, or system integrating multiple communication systems, etc., which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application. Wherein, 5G can also be referred to as new radio (NR). The communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a public land mobile network (PLMN), a device-to-device (D2D) network, a machine-to-machine (M2M) network, an internet of things (IoT), or other networks.

[0054] Specifically, the auxiliary terminal can directly communicate with the base station and the terminal device respectively, which effectively expands the coverage range of the base station compared with the scenario of direct connection between the base station and the terminal device.

[0055] It should be noted that the base station in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be described as a network device, which can include a macro base station, a micro base station. Specifically, the macro base station can include a continued evolution of a node B (gNB), and the micro base station can include a pole station. The network device can include a reader, a transmission receive point (TRP), a transmission point (TP), a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB) radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example: home evolved NodeB or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a relay, in addition to the macro base station or the micro base station in the embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device, or can be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, for example, a chip system, which can be installed in the network device for matching use.

[0056] It should also be noted that the auxiliary terminal and the terminal device in the embodiments of the present disclosure can specifically include an active tag, a semi-passive tag, and a passive tag, and can also be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, for example, a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device for matching use.

[0057] As described above, the present disclosure aims to solve the problem that the auxiliary UE cannot guarantee the continuity of the terminal device inventory process when performing auxiliary inventory. To solve the above problem, the present disclosure proposes a communication management method, which can control the original auxiliary terminal to terminate the inventory process and reselect a new auxiliary terminal to continue the unfinished inventory process when the auxiliary terminal is switched or the self-service load / power changes, so as to guarantee the continuity of the terminal device inventory process and improve the inventory efficiency. Specifically, the communication management method of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3-8.

[0058] To achieve the above effect, the key is to inform the base station when the auxiliary UE is no longer suitable for continuing the auxiliary inventory, and the base station changes the auxiliary UE. Specifically, the way to determine that the UE is no longer suitable for continuing the auxiliary inventory can be as follows:

[0059] Manner one: base station indication;

[0060] Manner two: auxiliary UE reporting.

[0061] Specifically, the embodiment one corresponding to the manner one will be introduced in detail in FIG. 5, the embodiment corresponding to the manner two can be further subdivided, and the embodiment two to the embodiment four will be introduced in detail in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8.

[0062] FIG. 3 is a method flow chart illustrating a communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication management method applied to a network device can at least include the following steps.

[0063] In step S301, a first message and / or a second message sent by a first auxiliary terminal are received, wherein the first message is used to report the progress of auxiliary communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify the termination of the auxiliary communication, wherein the auxiliary communication includes the communication between the auxiliary network device and the terminal device. As described above, when a certain auxiliary UE (for example, UE1) is no longer suitable to continue the auxiliary inventory, the network device learns through the first message and / or the second message sent by UE1. Specifically, the cases will be introduced in FIG. 5-FIG. 8.

[0064] In step S302, based on the first message and / or the second message, it is determined to continue the auxiliary communication by the first auxiliary terminal or the second auxiliary terminal. As described above, when the network device learns that UE1 is no longer suitable to continue the auxiliary inventory, it is indicated or judged whether to change another auxiliary UE (for example, UE2) to continue the auxiliary inventory, or whether to continue the inventory by UE1. Specifically, the cases will be introduced in FIG. 5-FIG. 8.

[0065] FIG. 4 is a method flow chart further illustrating a communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the communication management method applied to the first auxiliary terminal can at least include the following steps.

[0066] In step S401, a first message and / or a second message are sent to a network device, wherein the first message is used to report the progress of auxiliary communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify the termination of the auxiliary communication, wherein the auxiliary communication includes the communication between the auxiliary network device and the terminal device. As described above, when a certain auxiliary UE finds that itself (for example, UE1) is no longer suitable to continue the auxiliary inventory, the base station needs to be notified, and the way for UE1 to let the network device know can be to send the second message; or when the network device finds that a certain auxiliary UE (for example, UE1) is no longer suitable to continue the auxiliary inventory and informs it, the auxiliary UE needs to report the progress of the auxiliary communication by sending the first message. Specifically, the cases will be introduced in FIG. 5-FIG. 8.

[0067] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of a communication management method according to Embodiment One of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the execution subject involved in Embodiment One of the present disclosure can include a network device (e.g., a gNB), a first auxiliary terminal (e.g., UE1), a second auxiliary terminal (e.g., UE2), and a terminal device. In this embodiment, the manner of determining that the UE is no longer suitable to continue assisting with inventory can be a base station indication. The communication management method can include at least the following steps.

[0068] In step S501, the gNB sends a seventh message to UE1. The seventh message can be a message for specifying that a specific UE starts assisting with inventory.

[0069] In one example embodiment, the seventh message can be an inventory assistance initialization message, which can include terminal device information (e.g., tag ID, mask to be matched, etc.) and / or inventory resource indication (e.g., available frequency and / or time slot and / or resource validity time, etc.) and / or instruction / data forwarding manner (e.g., forwarding the inventory instruction of the network device by instruction, and reporting data by data; or, only indicating the time and / or period and / or event for UE to report data, during which the UE autonomously performs the inventory process).

[0070] It should be noted that the seventh message can be a Non-Access Stratum Messages (NAS) message, a Radio Resource Control Messages (RRC) message, or a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) sent to the connected-state auxiliary UE1. If the UE1 is initially in an idle state, the seventh message can be sent after the UE1 is brought into a connected state through an existing paging process.

[0071] In step S502, UE1 starts assisting with inventory. As described above, after receiving the seventh message, UE1 assists the gNB in inventorying the terminal device. The specific inventory process is shown in FIG. 1 and will not be described again here.

[0072] In step S503, the gNB sends a third message to UE1. Specifically, because the manner of determining that the UE is no longer suitable to continue assisting with inventory in this embodiment is based on a base station indication, as one example embodiment, the base station can issue an indication when it determines that one or more of the following conditions are met.

[0073] (1) The measurement result reported by the UE1 shows that the reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or the reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of the serving cell of the UE1 is lower than a threshold value and / or the RSRP and / or the RSRQ of the neighboring cell is higher than a threshold value.

[0074] (2) The downlink data transmission load (such as the downlink transmission data volume) for the UE1 is higher than a certain threshold value.

[0075] (3) The current network load is higher than a certain threshold value.

[0076] Specifically, the above situations can be obtained by the gNB according to the measurement report reported by the UE1 and / or the current network load state, or can be obtained based on other manners, which is not limited here.

[0077] Then the gNB instructs the UE1 to terminate the assisted inventory process and report the current assisted inventory progress information by sending a third message to the UE1.

[0078] In an example embodiment, the third message can be an assisted inventory termination message, wherein the assisted inventory termination message can include resource indication for inventory data reporting and / or supply wave transmission deadline and / or supply wave transmission duration and the like information.

[0079] Wherein, the supply wave refers to a special wireless energy wave sent by the reader or network device or user equipment to the passive tag in the passive Internet of Things. The passive tag usually does not have its own power supply, but is activated and works by collecting wireless energy, and the supply wave is the waveform used to provide such energy.

[0080] In step S504, the UE1 sends a first message to the gNB. As described above, after receiving the third message, the UE1 will no longer issue any inventory instructions (such as the "Select instruction", "Query instruction", "QueryRep instruction", "ACK instruction" and the like in FIG. 1, and other instructions such as "Read instruction", "Write instruction" and the like) for the inventory process between the UE1 and the terminal device, and the UE1 sends the first message according to the indication of the third message, wherein the first message can be used to report the progress of the assisted communication.

[0081] In an example embodiment, the first message can be an inventory data and status message, and the UE1 can send the inventory data and status message (i.e. the first message) to the gNB based on the resource (such as time-frequency resource) for inventory data reporting included in the received assisted inventory termination message (i.e. the third message).

[0082] Further, based on the instruction / data forwarding mode included in the seventh message sent by the gNB to the UE1 in step S501, the first message can be further subdivided.

[0083] When the instruction / data forwarding mode is to forward the inventory instruction of the network device by instruction and report the data by data, the gNB can already know the progress of the current inventory process, and therefore the first message can only include the latest collected data in the current inventory process.

[0084] When the instruction / data forwarding mode is to instruct the UE to report data only at a time and / or period and / or event, during which the UE autonomously performs the inventory process, the gNB cannot know the progress of the current inventory process at this time, and therefore the first message can include the data already collected, the state of the overall inventory process (such as: how many time slots have been performed), the state of the current time slot (such as: the next instruction to be issued), and other information.

[0085] Further, the event of the UE reporting data can include at least one of the following:

[0086] 1) the state of the overall inventory process (such as: reporting when the inventory process proceeds to a certain / certain specific time slot);

[0087] 2) the state of the inventory data collection (such as: reporting when the amount of data collected by the terminal device in the inventory process reaches a certain / certain value);

[0088] 3) receiving a specific instruction (such as: receiving a specific instruction issued by the gNB to indicate that it performs reporting).

[0089] It should be noted that, regardless of which of the above instruction / data forwarding modes, if the UE1 does not collect any data in the current inventory process, it indicates no data in the first message.

[0090] In addition, if the UE1 receives a third message including a power supply wave related indication (for example: power supply wave sending cutoff time and / or power supply wave sending duration, etc.), the power supply wave is continuously issued until the power supply wave sending cutoff time indicated in the third message and / or a timer runs for the power supply wave sending duration.

[0091] In step S505, the gNB reselects the UE. As described above, in order to ensure the continuity of the inventory, the gNB needs to select another UE to continue to perform the auxiliary inventory task. It is assumed that the gNB selects UE2 to continue to perform the auxiliary inventory.

[0092] In step S506, the gNB sends a fifth message to the UE2. As mentioned above, the gNB selects the UE2, and then needs to send the fifth message to the UE2, where the fifth message is used to instruct the UE2 to continue to perform the auxiliary inventory. Specifically, the function of the fifth message can be understood as two aspects, the first aspect is to instruct the UE2 to continue to perform the auxiliary inventory, and the second aspect is to inform the UE2 of the progress of the auxiliary inventory performed by the UE1.

[0093] Due to the similarity with the above-mentioned first message, which can be divided into two cases based on the instruction / data forwarding mode, the corresponding two cases are also divided here.

[0094] In an example embodiment, the fifth message can be a continue to assist inventory message. When the instruction / data forwarding mode is to forward the inventory instructions of the network device by instruction, and to report the data by data, the fifth information can include the instructions to be sent, the inventory resource indication, and / or the start time of the energy wave transmission;

[0095] When the instruction / data forwarding mode is to instruct the UE to report the data only at the time and / or period and / or event, and the UE autonomously performs the inventory process during the time, the fifth information can include the instructions to be sent, the inventory resource indication, the number of remaining time slots for inventory, the time and / or period and / or event for reporting inventory data, and / or the start time of the energy wave transmission.

[0096] Optionally, the start time of the energy wave transmission can also not be explicitly carried in the fifth information, for example: it is stipulated that the energy wave starts to be transmitted to the terminal device to provide energy from the start of the first inventory instruction sent by the reselected auxiliary inventory UE or an interval of a bias (the bias can be positive, negative or zero).

[0097] It should be noted that the fifth message is sent to the auxiliary UE2 in the connected state; if the UE2 is in the idle state (IDLE) or the inactive state (Inactive), the gNB needs to initiate paging to make the UE2 enter the connected state.

[0098] In step S507, the UE2 starts the auxiliary inventory. As mentioned above, after receiving the fifth message, the UE2 will continue to complete the auxiliary inventory task of the UE1 based on the information and instructions carried in the fifth message.

[0099] So far, the first embodiment has been introduced. In the following embodiments two to four, the way to determine that the UE1 is no longer suitable to continue the auxiliary inventory is based on the message reported by the auxiliary UE, which can be further divided into two types: reporting auxiliary termination application and reporting auxiliary termination notification, the difference between the two is that the reporting auxiliary termination application needs to wait for the reply of the base station (the base station can veto the auxiliary termination application), while the reporting auxiliary termination notification does not need to be confirmed by the base station, but is a unilateral notification.

[0100] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to Embodiment Two of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the execution subject involved in Embodiment Two of the present disclosure can include a network device (e.g., gNB), a first auxiliary terminal (e.g., UE1), a second auxiliary terminal (e.g., UE2), and a terminal device. In the present embodiment, the manner of determining that the UE is no longer suitable for continuing the auxiliary inventory is that UE1 reports an auxiliary termination application, and the gNB agrees to terminate the case. The communication management method thereof can at least include the following steps.

[0101] In step S601, the gNB sends a fourth message to the UEs within the coverage. The fourth message can be used to instruct the respective UEs to send a second message to the gNB if a preset condition is met. In the present embodiment, the second message can be understood as the above-mentioned auxiliary termination application, and the preset condition can be understood as the condition for triggering the reporting of the auxiliary termination application.

[0102] Specifically, the preset condition can include one or more of the following:

[0103] <1> The UE detects that the RSRP and / or RSRQ of the serving cell is lower than a threshold value and / or the RSRP and / or RSRQ of the neighboring cell is higher than a threshold value.

[0104] <2> The remaining power of the UE is lower than a certain threshold value.

[0105] <3> The uplink traffic load (e.g., downlink data volume) of the UE is higher than a certain threshold value.

[0106] Optionally, the fourth message can also not be sent as a separate message, but can be carried in the system broadcast of the gNB and / or in the instruction for initially selecting the auxiliary inventory UE. The purpose is to inform the respective UEs of the condition for triggering the reporting of the auxiliary termination application.

[0107] In step S602, the respective UEs record the preset condition. As described above, the purpose of step S601 is to inform the respective UEs of the condition for triggering the reporting of the auxiliary termination application. In the present step, the respective UEs record after receiving the fourth message, so as to judge whether the preset condition is met in the subsequent process of the auxiliary inventory.

[0108] In step S603, it is synchronous with step S501, and no further description is given.

[0109] In step S604, it is synchronous with step S502, and no further description is given.

[0110] In step S605, UE1 judges that at least one preset condition is met.

[0111] In step S606, UE1 sends a second message to gNB. As mentioned above, according to the indication of the fourth message, when UE judges that itself meets at least one preset condition, the second message is sent to gNB. The second message can be an auxiliary termination application.

[0112] Further, the auxiliary termination application contains a termination application indication and / or a termination application condition indication. The termination application indication is used to indicate the application of terminating the auxiliary inventory process, and the termination application condition indication is used to indicate which one or which several preset conditions are met by UE1 at present.

[0113] Specifically, the reporting mode of the second message can select at least one of the following modes:

[0114] 1. As a single uplink message

[0115] The auxiliary termination application is transmitted as an RRC message or MAC CE, or can be transmitted in the reporting of BSR and / or PHR message by enhancing the BSR and / or PHR message, or in the process of uploading data.

[0116] 2. As part of the next inventory data reporting message

[0117] In this mode, UE1 needs to carry the auxiliary termination application in the next inventory data reporting message. In this way, UE1 can only report the auxiliary termination application when a specific event / time is met.

[0118] It should be noted that after UE1 reports the auxiliary termination application, it can still continue the auxiliary inventory process until it receives the third message issued by gNB.

[0119] In step S607, if gNB agrees with the auxiliary termination application of UE1, gNB sends a third message to UE1, wherein the third message is used to instruct the UE1 which is assisting in the inventory process to terminate the auxiliary inventory process and report the current auxiliary inventory progress information. The specific introduction of the third message can be referred to step S503, which will not be repeated here.

[0120] It should be noted that if gNB rejects the auxiliary termination application of UE1, the specific case will be introduced based on FIG. 7.

[0121] In step S608, it is the same as step S504, which will not be repeated here.

[0122] In step S609, it is the same as step S505, which will not be repeated here.

[0123] In step S610, it is the same as step S506, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] In step S611, the step S507 is repeated, and no further description is given.

[0125] So far, the case where the UE1 reports the assistance termination application and the gNB agrees to terminate it has been introduced.

[0126] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to Embodiment Three of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the execution subject involved in Embodiment Three of the present disclosure can include a network device (for example: gNB), a first assistance terminal (for example: UE1), a second assistance terminal (for example: UE2), and a terminal device. In the present embodiment, the way to determine that the UE is no longer suitable to continue the assisted inventory is that the UE1 reports the assistance termination application, but the gNB denies the termination. In this case, the communication management method thereof can at least include the following steps.

[0127] Steps S701 to S706 are the same as steps S601 to S606 described above, and no further description is given here.

[0128] In step S707, if the gNB decides to deny the assistance termination application of the UE1, the gNB sends a sixth message to the UE1, and the sixth message is used to deny the assistance termination application of the UE1.

[0129] In one example embodiment, the sixth message can be a termination assistance application denial message. The message can at least include: condition judgment fallback time. The role of the condition judgment fallback time is that after the UE1 receives the termination assistance application denial message, the UE1 continues the inventory process and runs a timer. Only when the timer exceeds the condition judgment fallback time can the UE1 judge again whether at least one of the preset conditions is met.

[0130] In step S708, the UE1 continues the assistance inventory after receiving the termination assistance application denial message.

[0131] So far, the case where the UE1 reports the assistance termination application but the gNB denies the termination has been introduced.

[0132] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the overall flow of the communication management method according to Embodiment Four of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the execution subject involved in Embodiment Four of the present disclosure can include a network device (for example: gNB), a first assistance terminal (for example: UE1), a second assistance terminal (for example: UE2), and a terminal device. In the present embodiment, the way to determine that the UE is no longer suitable to continue the assisted inventory is that the UE1 reports the assistance termination notification. In this case, the communication management method thereof can at least include the following steps.

[0133] In step S801, the gNB sends a fourth message to the UEs in the coverage. The fourth message can be used to instruct the respective UE to send a second message to the gNB if a preset condition is met. The second message can be understood as the auxiliary termination notification in the embodiment, and the preset condition can be understood as the condition for triggering the auxiliary termination notification.

[0134] Specifically, the preset condition in the embodiment can include one or more of the following:

[0135] The UE detects that the RSRP and / or RSRQ of the serving cell is below a threshold and / or the RSRP and / or RSRQ of the neighbor cell is above a threshold.

[0136] The uplink traffic load (e.g., downlink data volume) of the UE is higher than a certain set threshold.

[0137] <c>The remaining power of the UE is lower than a certain set threshold.

[0138] Optionally, the fourth message can also not be sent as a separate message, but be carried in the system broadcast of the gNB and / or in the instruction of the initial selection of the auxiliary inventory UE, both for the purpose of sending the condition of triggering the reporting of the auxiliary termination notification to the UE.

[0139] Optionally, the fourth message can also include the power supply wave transmission duration. The power supply wave transmission duration is used to indicate the duration of the power supply wave transmission after the UE 1 reports the auxiliary termination notification.

[0140] In step S802, each UE records the preset condition. As described above, the purpose of step S801 is to send the condition of triggering the reporting of the auxiliary termination notification to each UE, and in this step, each UE records after receiving the fourth message, so as to judge whether it meets at least one of the preset conditions in the subsequent process of auxiliary inventory.

[0141] In step S803, it is synchronous with step S501, which will not be repeated.

[0142] In step S804, it is synchronous with step S502, which will not be repeated.

[0143] In step S805, it is synchronous with step S605, which will not be repeated.

[0144] In step S806, the UE 1 sends the second message to the gNB. As described above, according to the indication of the fourth message, when the UE judges that it meets the preset condition, the second message is sent to the gNB. The second message can be the auxiliary termination notification.

[0145] Similarly, the payload in the auxiliary termination notification can be subdivided according to the previous network specified instruction / data forwarding mode of the auxiliary UE.

[0146] When the instruction / data forwarding mode is the inventory instruction of the network device forwarded by instruction by instruction, and the data is reported by data, the gNB knows the progress of the current inventory process, and the second message can include: the auxiliary termination condition, the data collected in the current inventory process (if any), wherein the auxiliary termination condition indicates which one or more preset conditions the UE 1 currently meets.

[0147] Optionally, the second message can also include the power supply wave transmission deadline at this time (for the case that the auxiliary UE needs to issue the power supply wave and the gNB does not specify the power supply wave transmission duration).

[0148] When the instruction / data forwarding method is to only indicate the time and / or period and / or event for the UE to report data, and the UE performs the inventory process autonomously during this period, the gNB does not know the progress of the current inventory process. Therefore, the second message may include: auxiliary termination conditions, the data that has been collected, the status of the overall inventory process (e.g., how many time slots have been processed), and the status of the current time slot (e.g., the instruction to be issued next).

[0149] Optionally, the second message may also include the power supply wave transmission deadline (for cases where the auxiliary storage UE needs to send a power supply wave and the gNB has not specified the power supply wave transmission duration).

[0150] It should be noted that, regardless of the instruction / data forwarding method mentioned above, if UE1 does not collect any data in the current inventory process, it will indicate no data in the second message.

[0151] In step S807, the same as in step S505, and will not be described again.

[0152] In step S808, the same applies as in step S506, and will not be described again.

[0153] This concludes the explanation of UE1's reporting of the auxiliary termination notification.

[0154] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the communication management apparatus 900 applied to a network device may include at least the following modules.

[0155] The receiving module 901 is used to receive a first message and / or a second message sent by the first auxiliary terminal, wherein the first message is used to report the progress of auxiliary communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify the termination of auxiliary communication, wherein the auxiliary communication includes communication between the auxiliary network device and the terminal device.

[0156] The determination module 902 is used to determine, based on the first message and / or the second message, whether the first auxiliary terminal or the second auxiliary terminal will continue to assist communication.

[0157] In addition, the communication management device 900 may also include:

[0158] The instruction module 903 is used to send a third message to the first auxiliary terminal before receiving the first message sent by the first auxiliary terminal, wherein the third message instructs the first auxiliary terminal to terminate auxiliary communication and send the first message.

[0159] The condition module 904 is used to send a fourth message to the first auxiliary terminal before receiving the second message sent by the first auxiliary terminal, wherein the fourth message instructs the auxiliary terminal to send the second message if preset conditions are met.

[0160] The changing module 905 is configured to send a fifth message to the second auxiliary terminal after determining that the second auxiliary terminal continues to assist the communication, where the fifth message instructs the second auxiliary terminal to continue to assist the communication.

[0161] The maintaining module 906 is configured to send a sixth message to the first auxiliary terminal after determining that the first auxiliary terminal continues to assist the communication, where the sixth message instructs the first auxiliary terminal to continue to assist the communication.

[0162] The initializing module 907 is configured to send a seventh message to the first auxiliary terminal, where the seventh message instructs the first auxiliary terminal to start to assist the communication.

[0163] FIG. 10 is a device schematic diagram further illustrating a communication management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication management device 1000 applied to the first auxiliary terminal can at least include the following modules.

[0164] The sending module 1001 is configured to send a first message and / or a second message to a network device, where the first message is used to report a progress of an assisted communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify to terminate the assisted communication, and the assisted communication includes a communication between the network device and a terminal device.

[0165] In addition, the communication management device 1000 can further include:

[0166] The indicating module 1002 is configured to receive a third message sent by the network device, where the third message instructs to terminate the assisted communication and send the first message to the network device.

[0167] The condition module 1003 is configured to receive a fourth message sent by the network device, where the fourth message instructs to send the second message to the network device in a case where a preset condition is met.

[0168] The maintaining module 1004 is configured to receive a sixth message sent by the network device, where the sixth message instructs to continue to assist the communication.

[0169] The initializing module 1005 is configured to receive a seventh message sent by the network device, where the seventh message instructs to start to assist the communication.

[0170] FIG. 11 is a hardware block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure at least includes a processor, and a memory configured to store computer readable instructions. When the computer readable instructions are loaded and run by the processor, the processor performs the communication management method as described above.

[0171] The electronic device 1100 shown in FIG. 11 specifically includes a central processing unit (CPU) 1101, a graphics processing unit (GPU) 1102, and a memory 1103. These units are connected to each other through a bus 1104. The central processing unit (CPU) 1101 and / or the graphics processing unit (GPU) 1102 can be used as the above-described processor, and the memory 1103 can be used as the above-described memory storing computer readable instructions. In addition, the electronic device 1100 can further include a communication unit 1105, a storage unit 1106, an output unit 1107, an input unit 1108, and an external device 1109, which are also connected to the bus 1104.

[0172] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a computer program product according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, a computer program product 1200 according to embodiments of the present disclosure has stored thereon a computer program 1201. When the computer program 1201 is executed by a processor, the communication management method described with reference to the above figures is performed. The computer program product includes, but is not limited to, for example, a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may, for example, include a random access memory (RAM) and / or a cache memory, etc. The non-volatile memory may, for example, include a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, etc.

[0173] In the above, the communication management method, apparatus, electronic device, and computer program product according to embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. According to the communication management method of the present disclosure, when the secondary terminal switches or the self-service load / power changes, etc., the communication management method of the present disclosure can ensure the continuity and efficiency of the terminal device inventory process by controlling the original secondary terminal to terminate the inventory process and reselect a new secondary terminal to continue the unfinished inventory process.

[0174] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in 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 disclosure.

[0175] The above describes the basic principles of the present disclosure in conjunction with specific embodiments, but it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, effects and the like mentioned in the present disclosure are only examples and are not limiting, and these advantages, benefits, effects and the like cannot be considered as necessary for each embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the specific details of the above disclosure are only for the purpose of example and understanding, and are not limiting, and the above details do not limit the present disclosure to be necessarily implemented with the above specific details.

[0176] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, systems involved in the present disclosure are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the connections, arrangements, configurations shown in the block diagrams must be connected, arranged, configured. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, systems can be connected, arranged, configured in any manner. Words such as "include", "contain", "have", and the like are open-ended words, mean "including but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably. The words "or" and "and" used herein mean "and / or", and can be used interchangeably unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used herein means the phrase "such as but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably.

[0177] In addition, as used herein, "or" used in the list of items preceded by "at least one of" means a disjunctive list, such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, the phrase "example of" does not mean the example described is preferred or better than other examples.

[0178] It should also be noted that in the systems and methods of the present disclosure, the components or steps can be decomposed and / or recombined. These decompositions and / or recombinations should be considered equivalents of the present disclosure.

[0179] Various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made to the techniques described herein without departing from the teachings of the technology defined by the appended claims. Also, the scope of the claims of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and acts described herein. Processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods or acts currently existing or later developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding aspects described herein can be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods or acts.

[0180] The above description provides a detailed description of the technical solutions of the present disclosure so that any person skilled in the art can implement or apply the present disclosure. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure will be apparent. Meanwhile, the core principles set forth in the present disclosure can be applied to other technical solutions without departing from the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should be construed in the largest scope consistent with the principles and characteristics disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0181] It should be noted that the above description is for example and illustration only. The content of the specification is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure to the specific forms disclosed herein. Although several exemplary embodiments and variations thereof have been discussed in detail above, those skilled in the art should understand that appropriate adjustments, modifications, changes, supplements or combined applications can be made in the actual implementation process.< / c>

Claims

1. A method for communication management, performed by a network device, the method comprising: receiving a first message and / or a second message sent by a first assisting terminal, wherein the first message is used to report progress of an assisting communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify termination of the assisting communication, wherein the assisting communication comprises assisting communication between the network device and a terminal device; determining, based on the first message and / or the second message, that the assisting communication is continued by the first assisting terminal or a second assisting terminal.

2. The communication management method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a third message to the first assisting terminal before receiving the first message sent by the first assisting terminal, wherein the third message instructs the first assisting terminal to terminate the assisting communication and send the first message.

3. The communication management method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a fourth message to the first assisting terminal before receiving the second message sent by the first assisting terminal, wherein the fourth message instructs the first assisting terminal to send the second message if a preset condition is met.

4. The communication management method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a fifth message to the second assisting terminal after determining that the assisting communication is continued by the second assisting terminal, wherein the fifth message instructs the second assisting terminal to continue the assisting communication.

5. The communication management method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a sixth message to the first assisting terminal after determining that the assisting communication is continued by the first assisting terminal, wherein the sixth message instructs the first assisting terminal to continue the assisting communication.

6. The communication management method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a seventh message to the first assisting terminal, wherein the seventh message instructs the first assisting terminal to start the assisting communication. 7.A method for communication management, performed by a first assisting terminal, the method comprising: sending a first message and / or a second message to a network device, wherein the first message is used to report progress of an assisting communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify termination of the assisting communication, wherein the assisting communication comprises assisting communication between the network device and a terminal device.

8. The communication management method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a third message sent by the network device, wherein the third message instructs to terminate the assisting communication and send the first message to the network device.

9. The communication management method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a fourth message sent by the network device, wherein the fourth message instructs to send the second message to the network device if a preset condition is met.

10. The communication management method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a sixth message sent by the network device, wherein the sixth message instructs to continue the assisting communication.

11. The communication management method of any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a seventh message sent by the network device, wherein the seventh message instructs to start the assisting communication. 12.A device for communication management, applied to a network device, the device comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive a first message and / or a second message sent by a first assisting terminal, wherein the first message is used to report progress of an assisting communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify termination of the assisting communication, wherein the assisting communication comprises assisting communication between the network device and a terminal device; A determining module, configured to determine, based on the first message and / or the second message, whether the first secondary terminal or the second secondary terminal continues to assist in the communication.

13. A communication management apparatus applied to a first secondary terminal, the apparatus comprising: a sending module, configured to send a first message and / or a second message to a network device, wherein the first message is used to report a progress of assisting in the communication, and the second message is used to apply for or notify termination of the assisting in the communication, and wherein the assisting in the communication comprises assisting in a communication between a network device and a terminal device.

14. An electronic device, comprising: a memory, configured to store computer readable instructions; and a processor, configured to execute the computer readable instructions, so that the electronic device performs the communication management method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the communication management method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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