Communication method, relay user equipment, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and to a communication method, a relay user equipment, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The communication method is executed by a relay user equipment, and comprises: receiving a communication request sent by a previous-hop user equipment on a path from a first user equipment to a second user equipment, wherein the communication request comprises routing information, the routing information comprises information of user equipments on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the routing information is obtained by the first user equipment during a discovery process, and the previous-hop user equipment is the first user equipment or a previous-hop relay user equipment; and sending the communication request to a next-hop user equipment, wherein the next-hop user equipment is the second user equipment or a next-hop relay user equipment.

Description

Communication methods, relay user equipment, electronic equipment and storage media

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese application No. 202410931143.8, filed on July 11, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a relay user equipment, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0004] Proximity Service (ProSe) is a device-to-device service technology based on sidelinks. It allows user devices to discover and communicate directly with each other, and allows user devices to communicate with the network or another user device via relays.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a relay user equipment, comprising: receiving a communication request sent by a previous-hop user equipment on a path from a first user equipment to a second user equipment, wherein the communication request includes routing information, the routing information including information of user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the routing information being obtained by the first user equipment during a discovery process, and the previous-hop user equipment being either the first user equipment or the previous-hop relay user equipment; and sending the communication request to a next-hop user equipment, wherein the next-hop user equipment is either the second user equipment or the next-hop relay user equipment.

[0007] In some embodiments, the information of the user equipment includes user information of the second user equipment and user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is arranged in an ordered manner.

[0008] In some embodiments, sending a communication request to a next-hop user equipment includes: determining the Layer 2 address corresponding to the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment based on user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment; and sending the communication request to the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment based on the Layer 2 address.

[0009] In some embodiments, when a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is a Link Modification Request (LMR); when no communication link exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is a Direct Communication Request (DCR).

[0010] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: receiving response information sent by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment; and sending the response information to the previous-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment.

[0011] In some embodiments, if a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is a Link Modification Response (Direct Communication Accept, abbreviated as LMA); if no communication link exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is a Direct Communication Accept Response (abbreviated as DCA).

[0012] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment in the user equipment to network, receiving layer 3 information specified by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment for the relay user equipment; and specifying layer 3 information for the previous-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0013] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: receiving Layer 3 information specified by the second user equipment for the relay user equipment when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment to the network.

[0014] In some embodiments, where the second user equipment is a user equipment-to-network relay user equipment, the layer 3 information of the first user equipment is specified by the second user equipment based on the address of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session obtained from the network side.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipment, or the first user equipment is a remote user equipment and the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network.

[0016] According to some other embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a relay user equipment, comprising: acquiring Layer 3 information of an end user equipment, wherein the end user equipment is a first user equipment or a second user equipment; and propagating the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0017] In some embodiments, Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is propagated based on the MANET routing protocol of the mobile ad hoc network.

[0018] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: storing the Layer 3 information and user information of the storage end user equipment when the relay user equipment is a directly connected end user equipment.

[0019] In some embodiments, propagating Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment includes: propagating Layer 3 information and user information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0020] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: when the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, configuring Layer 3 information for the end user equipment according to a pre-configured IP address pool, configuring the correspondence between the user information of the end user equipment and the Layer 3 information in the pre-configured IP address pool, and sharing the configured IP address pool with other relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0021] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: in the case where the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, receiving a query request from the end user equipment, wherein the query request includes user information of the other end user equipment; and sending a query result to the end user equipment, wherein the query result includes Layer 3 information of the other end user equipment.

[0022] According to further embodiments of this disclosure, a relay user equipment is provided, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a communication request sent by a previous-hop user equipment on a path from a first user equipment to a second user equipment, wherein the communication request includes routing information, the routing information including information of user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the routing information being obtained by the first user equipment during a discovery process, and the previous-hop user equipment being either the first user equipment or a previous-hop relay user equipment; and a sending module configured to send the communication request to a next-hop user equipment, the next-hop user equipment being either the second user equipment or a next-hop relay user equipment.

[0023] According to further embodiments of this disclosure, a relay user equipment is provided, including: an acquisition module configured to acquire Layer 3 information of an end user equipment, wherein the end user equipment is a first user equipment or a second user equipment; and a propagation module configured to propagate the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0024] According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform any of the aforementioned communication methods.

[0025] According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, is any of the aforementioned communication methods.

[0026] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or related technologies of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1A illustrates the communication architecture of a single-hop relay U2U according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 1B illustrates the communication architecture of a single-hop relay U2N according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2A illustrates the communication architecture of a multi-hop relay U2U according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2B illustrates the communication architecture of a multi-hop relay U2N according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 4 shows a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 6 shows a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay user equipment according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0043] Current ProSe communication includes single-hop UE-to-UE (U2U) and single-hop UE-to-Network (U2N) technologies, where the source UE establishes a communication connection with the target UE through a relay UE. Figure 1A illustrates the communication architecture of single-hop relay U2U according to some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1A, in U2U communication, the UEs at both ends are called end UEs, and the two end UEs communicate through the U2U relay UE, that is, the end UE communicates with the U2U relay UE through the PC5 interface. Figure 1B illustrates the communication architecture of single-hop relay U2N according to some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1B, in U2N communication, the remote UE accesses the network through the U2N relay UE, that is, the remote UE communicates with the U2N relay UE through the PC5 interface, and the U2N relay UE accesses the radio access network through the Uu interface.

[0044] To provide broader and more flexible communication application scenarios, the development of multi-hop relay communication technology is currently under consideration. In U2U scenarios, multi-hop relay technology means that an end user equipment communicates with another end user equipment through multiple relay user equipments. In U2N scenarios, multi-hop relay technology means that a remote user equipment accesses the network through multiple relay user equipments.

[0045] Figure 2A illustrates the communication architecture of a multi-hop trunk U2U according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2B illustrates the communication architecture of a multi-hop trunk U2N according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, there may be multiple trunk user equipments between end user equipments, and there may be multiple trunk user equipments (denoted as intermediate trunk equipment) between remote user equipments and U2N trunk user equipments.

[0046] In multi-hop relay communication, realizing communication between the first user equipment (end user equipment or remote user equipment) and the second user equipment (the other end user equipment or the relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network) involves two aspects: establishing the connection between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, and determining the communication information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, so as to realize the session between the first user equipment and the second user equipment or the network.

[0047] Based on this, this disclosure provides a signaling interaction method for implementing multi-hop relay communication, including establishing a multi-hop relay communication connection and determining multi-hop relay communication information.

[0048] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the method of this embodiment includes steps S302 to S304, which are performed by a relay user equipment.

[0049] A relay user equipment (UFO) is an intermediate UFO on the path from the first UFO to the second UFO (i.e., an intermediate relay device other than the first and second UFOs). The first and second UFOs are end UFOs, or the first UFO is a remote UFO and the second UFO is a relay UFO from the user equipment to the network. Therefore, the communication method shown in Figure 1 can be applied to both U2U and U2N scenarios.

[0050] In step S302, a communication request is received from the previous hop user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The communication request includes routing information (also known as path information). The routing information includes information about user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The routing information is obtained by the first user equipment during the discovery process. The previous hop user equipment is either the first user equipment or the previous hop relay user equipment.

[0051] The first user equipment (i.e., the remote user equipment or the end user equipment) performs relay discovery to find an end-to-end route from the first user equipment to the second user equipment (i.e., from the user equipment to the network's relay user equipment or another end user equipment). In other words, the first user equipment discovers the second user equipment and the relay user equipment along the path, and obtains the routing information from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. As part of the discovery process, the layer 3 remote user equipment learns about the connection services provided by the layer 3 user equipment to the network's relay user equipment. That is, the first user equipment (from the source 5G neighborhood layer 3 remote) selects a relay path to the second user equipment (from the destination remote).

[0052] Once the first user equipment (UE) selects a relay UE and a multi-hop path, it sends a multi-hop communication request to the relay UE (i.e., the next-hop relay UE). This request includes information about the selected path, specifically an ordered list of user information identifiers (routing information) for the relay UEs. Each relay UE forwards the received multi-hop communication request to the next-hop relay UE or end user equipment based on the selected path information, until the second UE receives the multi-hop communication request and establishes communication with the first UE.

[0053] In some embodiments, the user equipment information includes user information of the second user equipment and user information of relay user equipment along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the user information of the relay user equipment along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is arranged in an ordered manner. That is, the communication request includes the user information of the relay user equipment that sent the communication request.

[0054] The user information of the second user equipment is, for example, the user information identifier (User Info ID) of the second user equipment. The user information of the relay user equipment along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is, for example, an ordered list of user information identifiers of the relay user equipment along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The user information identifiers of each relay user equipment in this ordered list are arranged in the order of the relay user equipment traversed from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. In other words, the first user equipment (i.e., the remote user equipment or the end user equipment) obtains the user information identifier of the second user equipment (i.e., the relay user equipment or the target end user equipment in the network) and the ordered list of user information identifiers of the relay user equipment along the path during the discovery process.

[0055] In some embodiments, the communication request may further include network quality of service (QoS) information to indicate the end-to-end communication quality requirements of the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

[0056] In some embodiments, when a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is LMR to reuse that link segment; when no communication link exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is DCR. That is, the source 5G neighborhood layer 3 remote first user equipment initiates the unicast layer 2 link establishment process with the 5G neighborhood layer 3 U2U relay by sending a DCR message to the U2U relay. Routing information, such as the U2U relay's user information ID table, is added to the LMR or DCR.

[0057] In step S304, a communication request is sent to the next-hop user equipment, wherein the next-hop user equipment is a second user equipment or a next-hop relay user equipment.

[0058] The relay user equipment (U2U) sends a communication request to the next-hop user equipment (UPE) based on routing information. Specifically, the U2U relay sends the DCR or LMR to the next-hop U2U relay based on the path information in the received DCR or LMR. In some embodiments, sending the communication request to the next-hop U2U includes: determining the Layer-2 address corresponding to the next-hop U2U address of the relay user equipment based on the user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first U2U to the second U2U; and sending the communication request to the next-hop U2U based on the Layer-2 address. The relay user equipment can send the communication request to the next-hop U2U based on the Layer-2 address, thereby establishing a Layer-2 connection with the next-hop U2U. That is, the source Layer-2 address (or Layer-2 ID) of the communication request is self-assigned by the U2U relay sending the communication request, and the destination Layer-2 address of the communication request is a unicast Layer-2 address associated with the user information ID of the next-hop U2U relay that sent the communication request.

[0059] A U2U relay can determine that it is the last relay in the path, for example, based on the relay user information ID table in the received DCR or LMR. The U2U relay sends the DCR or LMR to the target 5G neighborhood layer 3 remote user equipment.

[0060] In the method of the above embodiments, the first user equipment (UAE) can obtain information about each relay UAE along the path from the first UAE to the second UAE during the discovery process, forming routing information. Based on this routing information, the relay UAEs propagate the routing information hop-by-hop by forwarding communication requests carrying the routing information, thereby establishing a Layer 2 connection, i.e., a communication connection, from the first UAE to the second UAE. The method of the above embodiments provides a signaling interaction process for implementing multi-hop relay communication in U2U or U2N scenarios, which can accurately and effectively establish Layer 2 connections between end UAEs or between remote UAEs and U2N relay UAEs.

[0061] After receiving the communication request, the second user equipment is able to return response information to the first user equipment based on the path through which the first user equipment sent the communication request to the second user equipment.

[0062] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes receiving response information sent by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment; and sending the response information to the previous-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment.

[0063] In some embodiments, if a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is LMA; if no communication link exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is DCA.

[0064] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 takes an example where there are two relay devices (Relay1 and Relay2) between a first user equipment (UE1) and a second user equipment (UE2). As shown in Figure 4, the method of this embodiment includes steps S402 to S412.

[0065] In step S402, UE1 sends a communication request to Real1;

[0066] In step S404, Relay1 sends a communication request to Relay2;

[0067] In step S406, Relay2 sends a communication request to UE2;

[0068] In step S408, UE2 sends a response message to Real2;

[0069] In step S410, Relay2 sends a response message to Relay1;

[0070] In step S412, Relay1 sends a response message to UE1.

[0071] The aforementioned communication request can be either DCR or LMR, depending on whether a communication link already exists between the sender and receiver. Correspondingly, the aforementioned response information can be either DCA or LMA, also depending on whether a communication link already exists between the sender and receiver.

[0072] Based on the method described in the above embodiments, a Layer 2 connection can be established between the first user equipment and the second user equipment. After establishing the Layer 2 connection, Layer 3 information, such as IP address / prefix, needs to be allocated to each user equipment to further enable the session between the first device and the second device. The following descriptions address U2N and U2U scenarios respectively.

[0073] The following is a description of a scheme for determining Layer 3 information of user equipment in a U2N scenario.

[0074] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from user equipment to network, receiving layer 3 information specified by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment for the relay user equipment; and specifying layer 3 information for the previous-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0075] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: receiving Layer 3 information specified by the second user equipment for the relay user equipment when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment to the network.

[0076] In some embodiments, the above communication method further includes: when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from user equipment to network, the layer 3 information of the first user equipment is specified by the second user equipment based on the address of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session obtained from the network side.

[0077] In a U2N scenario, the first user equipment (UE) communicates with the network, requiring the network to allocate IP addresses for its PDU sessions from top to bottom. The second user equipment (UE), acting as an IP router, obtains the IP address / prefix of the PDU session from the network and assigns it to the first UE. Furthermore, for Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses, the second UE performs Network Address Translation (NAT) to translate the address assigned to the first UE's PDU session by the network into a downstream address, thus mitigating the IPv4 address shortage.

[0078] Layer 3 information includes the IP address used for the PDU session and configuration information for various communication parameters, such as parameters for controlling the allocation and management of wireless resources and security-related parameters.

[0079] In a U2N scenario, the Layer 3 information of the relay user equipment between the first user equipment and the second user equipment can be specified by the second user equipment or by its own next-hop node. In this case, the relay user equipment needs to have IP router functionality and establish a local routing table to specify the Layer 3 information for its own next-hop node.

[0080] In a U2N scenario, the Layer 3 information of relay user equipment (TPUs) along the paths of the first and second user equipment includes two specification schemes, enhancing the flexibility of determining Layer 3 information. In practical applications, the appropriate specification scheme can be selected based on the actual situation. For example, when the TPU has IP router functionality, allowing each TPU to specify its own next-hop node for Layer 3 information can improve specification efficiency.

[0081] The following is a description of a scheme for determining the Layer 3 information of user devices in a U2U scenario.

[0082] Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the method of this embodiment includes steps S502 to S504, which are performed by a relay user equipment. The embodiment shown in Figure 5 is applied to a U2U scenario, that is, the relay user equipment is a relay user equipment between two end user equipments.

[0083] In step S502, the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is obtained, wherein the end user equipment is either the first user equipment or the second user equipment.

[0084] The Layer 3 information of the end user equipment (ENDE) can be sent directly by the ENDE or by other relay ENDEs. When a relay ENDE is directly connected to the ENDE, the relay ENDE receives the ENDE's Layer 3 information sent by the ENDE. When a relay ENDE is not directly connected to the ENDE, the relay ENDE receives the ENDE's Layer 3 information sent by other relay ENDEs.

[0085] In step S504, the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is propagated to the relay user equipment (excluding the relay user equipment) on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0086] In a U2U scenario, the (5G ProSe) end user equipment provides its configured Layer 3 information (e.g., IP address / prefix) to the (5G ProSe) Layer 3 multi-hop U2U relay user equipment, and this information is then propagated to other (5G ProSe) Layer 3 multi-hop U2U relay user equipment. In other words, the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment can be propagated through the relay user equipment, enabling the other end user equipment to obtain the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment and conduct communication.

[0087] In a U2U scenario, Layer 3 information of end user devices is propagated between relay user devices, and is not limited to the propagation order from the first user device to the second user device. That is, when there are other links between relay user devices besides those serving the communication between the first and second user devices, the rapid propagation of Layer 3 information of end user devices can be achieved, thereby improving the efficiency of establishing a session between the first and second user devices.

[0088] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: when the relay user equipment is a directly connected user equipment, storing the Layer 3 information and user information of the directly connected user equipment. That is, the relay user equipment, which is a directly connected user equipment, can act as a Domain Name System (DNS) server, storing the connection between the Layer 3 information and user information of the directly connected user equipment for other user equipment to perform DNS queries.

[0089] In some embodiments, Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is propagated based on the MANET routing protocol of the mobile ad hoc network.

[0090] In some embodiments, propagating Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment includes: propagating Layer 3 information and user information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0091] That is, the (5G ProSe) layer three-hop multi-U2U relay user equipment also runs the DNS protocol to propagate the user information identifier of the (5G ProSe) end user equipment to other (5G ProSe) layer three-hop multi-U2U relay user equipment when needed.

[0092] To locate the target (5G ProSe) end user equipment, the source (5G ProSe) end user equipment can use DNS to query the known user information identifier (i.e., the user information identifier of the target (5G ProSe) layer 3 multi-hop U2U relay user equipment) via its layer 2 link with the (5G ProSe) layer 3 multi-hop U2U relay user equipment. The query will return the layer 3 information of the target (5G ProSe) end user equipment (e.g., IP address / prefix).

[0093] The source (5G ProSe) user equipment can then initiate a session with the target (5G ProSe) user equipment via a (5G ProSe) layer 3 multi-hop U2U trunk user equipment. If the source (5G ProSe) user equipment has multiple connections to the (5G ProSe) layer 3 multi-hop U2U trunk user equipment, it uses its established IP routing table to determine which link to use for its IP session.

[0094] In some embodiments, the above communication method further includes: when the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, configuring layer 3 information for the end user equipment according to a pre-configured IP address pool, configuring the correspondence between the user information of the end user equipment and the layer 3 information in the pre-configured IP address pool, and sharing the configured IP address pool with other relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0095] Therefore, when a user equipment at one end needs to determine the Layer 3 information of another user equipment, it can query the Layer 3 information of the other user equipment from a directly connected relay user equipment. For example, it can initiate a DNS query to retrieve the Layer 3 information of the other user equipment based on its user information. After receiving the query request, the relay user equipment directly connected to that user equipment can either return the Layer 3 information of the other user equipment to that user equipment based on a shared IP address pool, or it can retrieve the Layer 3 information of the other user equipment through other relay user equipment and then return it to that user equipment.

[0096] In a U2U scenario, the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment can be specified by the relay user equipment directly connected to the end user equipment based on a pre-configured IP address pool. This IP address pool can be shared with other relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, which can reduce the propagation path and improve efficiency.

[0097] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: in the case where the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, receiving a query request from the end user equipment, wherein the query request includes user information of the other end user equipment; and sending a query result to the end user equipment, wherein the query result includes Layer 3 information of the other end user equipment.

[0098] The above describes the signaling interaction method based on the relay user equipment side from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The following describes the signaling interaction method for implementing multi-hop relay communication based on the first user equipment side and the second user equipment side, respectively.

[0099] The following is a signaling interaction method for implementing multi-hop relay communication, described based on the first user equipment side.

[0100] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the method of this embodiment includes steps S602 to S604, which are executed by a first user equipment.

[0101] In step S602, relay discovery is performed to determine routing information, wherein the routing information includes information about user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipment, or the first user equipment is a remote user equipment and the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network.

[0103] In step S604, a communication request is sent to the second user equipment through multiple relay user equipments on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the communication request includes routing information.

[0104] In some embodiments, the information of the user equipment includes user information of the second user equipment and user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is arranged in sequence.

[0105] In some embodiments, sending a communication request to a second user equipment via multiple relay user equipments on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment includes: determining the Layer 2 address corresponding to the next-hop user equipment of the first user equipment based on user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment; and sending a communication request to the next-hop user equipment of the first user equipment based on the Layer 2 address, so as to send the communication request to the second user equipment via the next-hop user equipment.

[0106] In some embodiments, when a communication link already exists between the first user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is LMR; when no communication link exists between the first user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is DCR.

[0107] In some embodiments, the communication request may also include network service quality information.

[0108] In some embodiments, the communication method further includes: receiving response information sent by the second user equipment via a plurality of relay user equipments on a path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0109] In some embodiments, if a communication link already exists between the first user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is LMA; if no communication link exists between the first user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is DCA.

[0110] The above describes the establishment of a Layer 2 connection between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, based on the first user equipment side. The following describes the allocation of Layer 3 information to the first user equipment after establishing the Layer 2 connection, based on the first user equipment side, for both U2N and U2U scenarios.

[0111] The following is a description of allocating Layer 3 information to the first user equipment after establishing a Layer 2 connection in a U2N scenario, based on the first user equipment side.

[0112] In some embodiments, the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network, and the communication method further includes: receiving layer 3 information specified by the second user equipment, wherein the layer 3 information is determined based on the address of a protocol data unit (PDU) session obtained from the network side.

[0113] The following is a description of allocating Layer 3 information to the first user device after establishing a Layer 2 connection in a U2U scenario, based on the first user device side.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipments, and the communication method further includes: receiving Layer 3 information specified by a relay user equipment directly connected to the first user equipment based on a pre-configured IP address pool.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipments, and the communication method further includes: sending a query request to a relay user equipment directly connected to the first user equipment, wherein the query request includes user information of the second user equipment; and receiving a query result sent by the relay user equipment directly connected to the first user equipment, wherein the query result includes Layer 3 information of the second user equipment.

[0116] The following is a signaling interaction method for implementing multi-hop relay communication, described based on the second user equipment side.

[0117] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the method of this embodiment includes steps S702 to S704, which are executed by a second user equipment.

[0118] In step S702, a communication request from the first user equipment is received, forwarded by multiple relay user equipments along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The communication request includes routing information, which includes information about the user equipment along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0119] The first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipment, or the first user equipment is a remote user equipment and the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network.

[0120] In step S704, response information is sent to the first user equipment through multiple relay user equipments on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0121] In some embodiments, the information of the user equipment includes user information of the second user equipment and user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is arranged in sequence.

[0122] In some embodiments, if a communication link already exists between the second user equipment and its upstream user equipment, the response information is LMA; if no communication link exists between the second user equipment and its upstream user equipment, the response information is DCA.

[0123] The above describes the establishment of a Layer 2 connection between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, based on the second user equipment side. The following describes the allocation of Layer 3 information to the second user equipment after establishing the Layer 2 connection, based on the second user equipment side, for both U2N and U2U scenarios.

[0124] The following is a description of allocating Layer 3 information to the second user equipment after establishing a Layer 2 connection in a U2N scenario.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network, and the communication method further includes: specifying Layer 3 information for the first user equipment; or specifying Layer 3 information for the previous hop user equipment of the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

[0126] The following is a description of allocating Layer 3 information to the second user equipment after establishing a Layer 2 connection in a U2N scenario.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipments, and the communication method further includes: receiving Layer 3 information specified by a relay user equipment directly connected to the second user equipment based on a pre-configured IP address pool.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipments, and the communication method further includes: sending a query request to a relay user equipment directly connected to the second user equipment, wherein the query request includes user information of the first user equipment; and receiving a query result sent by the relay user equipment directly connected to the second user equipment, wherein the query result includes Layer 3 information of the first user equipment.

[0129] In multi-hop relay communication, after the first user equipment discovers the multi-hop relay and establishes a route, it needs to establish a connection between the user equipment and the second user equipment. After establishing the communication connection (layer 2 connection), it needs to determine the communication address used for the session.

[0130] In previous standards, single-hop U2U trunk user equipment (UTU) and end user equipment (UPU) used a mechanism where either party assigned an IP address to the other. However, in multi-hop U2U trunk scenarios, a single communication path involves multiple U2U trunk user equipments (UTUs), and IP addresses will be allocated between the trunk user equipments. Therefore, the previous single-hop IP address allocation mechanism is no longer applicable. Furthermore, unlike multi-hop U2U trunk communication, multi-hop U2N trunk communication involves communication between the remote UPU and the network. This requires the network to allocate IP addresses for the remote UPU's PDU sessions from top to bottom, necessitating a different IP address determination mechanism than multi-hop U2U trunk communication.

[0131] Therefore, this disclosure proposes to establish a connection between the first user equipment and the second user equipment based on the routing information obtained during the relay discovery process of the first user equipment, and provides a method for determining the communication address of multi-hop U2N and multi-hop U2U, which solves the problems of layer 2 connection establishment and communication address determination in multi-hop communication establishment. Furthermore, this disclosure is simple to implement, has low signaling overhead, and can improve the efficiency of implementing multi-hop relay communication.

[0132] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the relay user equipment 80 of this embodiment includes modules 810 to 820.

[0133] The receiving module 810 is configured to receive a communication request sent by the previous hop user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The communication request includes routing information, which includes information about the user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The routing information is obtained by the first user equipment during the discovery process. The previous hop user equipment is either the first user equipment or the previous hop relay user equipment.

[0134] The sending module 820 is configured to send a communication request to the next-hop user equipment, which is either a second user equipment or a next-hop relay user equipment.

[0135] In some embodiments, the information of the user equipment includes user information of the second user equipment and user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the user information of relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is arranged in an ordered manner.

[0136] In some embodiments, the sending module 820 is configured to determine the Layer 2 address corresponding to the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment based on the user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment; and send the communication request to the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment based on the Layer 2 address.

[0137] In some embodiments, when a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is a Link Modification Request (LMR); when no communication link exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is a Direct Communication Request (DCR).

[0138] In some embodiments, the relay user equipment 80 is further configured to receive response information sent by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment; and to send the response information to the previous-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment.

[0139] In some embodiments, when a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is a Link Modification Response (LMA); when no communication link exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is a Direct Communication Response (DCA).

[0140] In some embodiments, the relay user equipment 80 is further configured to, when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment to the network, receive Layer 3 information specified by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment for the relay user equipment; and specify Layer 3 information for the previous-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0141] In some embodiments, the relay user equipment 80 is further configured to receive Layer 3 information specified by the second user equipment for the relay user equipment when the second user equipment is a user equipment to network relay user equipment.

[0142] In some embodiments, where the second user equipment is a user equipment-to-network relay user equipment, the layer 3 information of the first user equipment is specified by the second user equipment based on the address of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session obtained from the network side.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipment, or the first user equipment is a remote user equipment and the second user equipment is a user equipment to network relay user equipment.

[0144] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay user equipment according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the relay user equipment 90 of this embodiment includes modules 910 to 920.

[0145] The acquisition module 910 is configured to acquire Layer 3 information of the end user device, wherein the end user device is either the first user device or the second user device;

[0146] The propagation module 920 is configured to propagate Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0147] In some embodiments, the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is propagated based on the MANET routing protocol of the mobile ad hoc network.

[0148] In some embodiments, the relay user equipment 90 is further configured to store the layer 3 information and user information of the end user equipment when the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment.

[0149] In some embodiments, the propagation module 920 is configured to propagate the Layer 3 information and user information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0150] In some embodiments, the relay user equipment 90 is further configured to, when the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, configure Layer 3 information for the end user equipment according to a pre-configured IP address pool, configure the correspondence between the user information and Layer 3 information of the end user equipment in the pre-configured IP address pool, and share the configured IP address pool with other relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

[0151] In some embodiments, the relay user equipment 90 is further configured to, when the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, receive a query request from the end user equipment, wherein the query request includes user information of the other end user equipment; and send a query result to the end user equipment, wherein the query result includes Layer 3 information of the other end user equipment.

[0152] The relay user equipment, the first user equipment, and the second user equipment in the embodiments of this disclosure can each be implemented by various computing devices or computer systems, as described below with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0153] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes: a memory 1010 and a processor 1020 coupled to the memory 1010, the processor 1020 being configured to execute communication methods in any of the embodiments of the present disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 1010.

[0154] The memory 1010 may include, for example, system memory, fixed non-volatile storage media, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, a database, and other programs.

[0155] Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 11, the electronic device 110 of this embodiment includes a memory 1110 and a processor 1120, which are similar to the memory 1010 and processor 1020, respectively. It may also include an input / output interface 1130, a network interface 1140, a storage interface 1150, etc. These interfaces 1130, 1140, 1150, and the memory 1110 and processor 1120 can be connected, for example, via a bus 1160. The input / output interface 1130 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen. The network interface 1140 provides a connection interface for various networked devices, such as connecting to a database server or cloud storage server. The storage interface 550 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives.

[0156] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 12, the communication system 120 includes a first user equipment 1210, a plurality of relay user equipments 1220 as described above, and a second user equipment 1230. The first user equipment 1210, the relay user equipment 1220, and the second user equipment 1230 can be used to implement the relevant steps in the communication method of any embodiment of the present disclosure, which will not be described again here.

[0157] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that the program, when executed by a processor, implements any of the aforementioned communication methods.

[0158] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform any of the foregoing communication methods.

[0159] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this disclosure can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this disclosure can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0160] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowchart illustrations and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0161] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0162] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0163] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method, performed by a relay user equipment, comprising: The system receives a communication request sent by the previous hop user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, wherein the communication request includes routing information, the routing information includes information about user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the routing information is obtained by the first user equipment during the discovery process, and the previous hop user equipment is the first user equipment or the previous hop relay user equipment. The communication request is sent to the next-hop user equipment, wherein the next-hop user equipment is the second user equipment or the next-hop relay user equipment.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The information of the user equipment includes the user information of the second user equipment and the user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, and the user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment is arranged in an orderly manner.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Sending the communication request to the next-hop user equipment includes: The Layer 2 address corresponding to the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment is determined based on the user information of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The communication request is sent to the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment based on the Layer 2 address.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, If a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the communication request is a Link Modification Request (LMR). When there is no communication link between the relay user equipment and the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment, the communication request is a Direct Communication Request (DCR).

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: Receive response information sent by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment; The response information is sent to the previous hop user equipment of the relay user equipment.

6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein, If a communication link already exists between the relay user equipment and its next-hop user equipment, the response information is a Link Modification Response (LMA). If there is no communication link between the relay user equipment and the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment, the response information is a Direct Communication Response (DCA).

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: In the case where the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from user equipment to the network, Receive Layer 3 information specified by the next-hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment; Layer 3 information is specified for the previous hop user equipment of the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

8. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: When the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from user equipment to the network, the layer 3 information specified by the second user equipment for the relay user equipment is received.

9. In the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, when the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from user equipment to network, the layer 3 information of the first user equipment is specified by the second user equipment according to the address of the protocol data unit (PDU) session obtained from the network side.

10. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The first user equipment and the second user equipment are end user equipment, or the first user equipment is a remote user equipment and the second user equipment is a relay user equipment from the user equipment to the network.

11. A communication method, performed by a relay user equipment, comprising: Obtain Layer 3 information of the end user equipment, wherein the end user equipment is a first user equipment or a second user equipment; The Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is propagated from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. Relay user equipment on the path other than the aforementioned relay user equipment.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein, The Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is propagated based on the MANET routing protocol of the mobile ad hoc network.

13. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising: When the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, the layer 3 information of the end user equipment and the user information are stored.

14. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein, The step of propagating the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment includes: The Layer 3 information and user information of the end user equipment are propagated to all relay user equipment along the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, excluding the relay user equipment.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising: When the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, Layer 3 information is configured for the end user equipment according to the pre-configured IP address pool, and the correspondence between the user information and the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment is configured in the pre-configured IP address pool. The configured IP address pool is then shared with other relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, excluding the relay user equipment.

16. The communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising: In the case where the relay user equipment is directly connected to the end user equipment, Receive a query request from the end user device, wherein the query request includes user information from the other end user device; Send a query result to the end user equipment, wherein the query result includes the Layer 3 information of the other end user equipment.

17. A relay user equipment, comprising: The receiving module is configured to receive the previous hop user on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The communication request sent by the device includes routing information, which includes information about user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment. The routing information is obtained by the first user equipment during the discovery process, and the previous hop user equipment is the first user equipment or the previous hop relay user equipment. The sending module is configured to send the communication request to the next-hop user equipment, which is either the second user equipment or the next-hop relay user equipment.

18. A relay user equipment, comprising: The acquisition module is configured to acquire Layer 3 information of the end user device, wherein the end user device is a first user device or a second user device; The propagation module is configured to propagate the Layer 3 information of the end user equipment to relay user equipment other than the relay user equipment on the path from the first user equipment to the second user equipment.

19. An electronic device comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor is used to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 11 to 16.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein, When the program is executed by the processor, it implements the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or performs the communication method as described in any one of claims 11 to 16.

21. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, or to perform the communication method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 16.

22. A computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or performs the communication method as described in any one of claims 11 to 16.

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