Communication method and apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. The communication method comprises: receiving a first notification message from a second device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; and, on the basis of the first notification message and / or a radio resource control (RRC) state of a first device, determining a second link state, and / or, on the basis of the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device, sending a second notification message, the second notification message being used for indicating a third link state. The present application provides a solution for determining and indicating a link state in a multi-hop relay scenario, thereby increasing communication efficiency in multi-hop relay scenarios.

Description

Communication method and apparatus, and computer readable storage medium

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411240009.X, filed on September 4, 2024, entitled "Communication method and apparatus, and computer readable storage medium", which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus, and computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0004] In a communication system, terminal devices and network devices, such as base station devices, communicate, and the link between the terminal devices and the network devices is referred to as uplink (UL) or downlink (DL), and the interface is referred to as a Uu interface. In device-to-device communication, terminal device 1 directly communicates with terminal device 2, and the link between terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 is referred to as a sidelink (SL), and the interface is referred to as a PC5 interface, as shown in FIG. 1. The introduction of the sidelink is to enable users who are relatively close to communicate directly, and data does not need to be forwarded through a network device, thereby reducing transmission latency.

[0005] In the prior art, a relay device can be introduced in the uplink or downlink or the sidelink, and the relay device can forward data transmitted on the link. Referring to FIG. 2, a single-hop relay is shown, that is, there is only one relay device between the terminal device and the network device. The link between the relay device and the network device is a link connected through a Uu interface, wherein the link from the relay device to the network device is an uplink, and the link from the network device to the relay device is a downlink. The link between the relay device and the terminal device is a link connected through a Uu interface, wherein the link from the terminal device to the relay device is an uplink, and the link from the relay device to the terminal device is a downlink. Referring to FIG. 3, another single-hop relay is shown. The link between the relay device and the network device is a link connected through a Uu interface, and the link between the relay device and the terminal device is a sidelink. In addition, the relay device can also notify the terminal device of its link state.

[0006] However, the relay scenario in the prior art is a single-hop relay, and for a multi-hop relay scenario, since there are multiple links, how to determine and indicate the link state is a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0007] The application provides a scheme for indicating a link state in a multi-hop relay scenario.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the application provides the following technical scheme.

[0009] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first device, and the communication method comprises: receiving a first notification message from a second device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; determining a second link state according to the first notification message and / or a radio resource control (RRC) state of the first device, and / or sending a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device, the second notification message being used to indicate a third link state, the first link state, the second link state and the third link state being the same or different.

[0010] In this embodiment, the first device can receive the first notification message from the second device, the first device can send the second notification message based on the RRC state of the first device, the second link state in the second notification message can be the same as the first link state in the first notification message, or the second link state can also be different from the first link state, thereby realizing the indication of the link state by the first device and improving the communication efficiency in the multi-hop relay scenario.

[0011] Optionally, the first device is a first relay device, or a terminal device; and the second device is a second relay device.

[0012] Optionally, the first link state comprises at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switching, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay device relay reselection.

[0013] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the determining of the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining that a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs.

[0014] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the determining of the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment process.

[0015] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the sending of the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: sending the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device Uu radio link failure, or the third link state is a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0016] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the sending of the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: sending the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device radio link reestablishment.

[0017] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining of the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device handover or a relay device cell reselection, determining that the cell reselection occurs.

[0018] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending of the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device handover or a relay device cell reselection, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection.

[0019] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining of the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure, determining that the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs.

[0020] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending of the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0021] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection and the cell of the second device changes, determining to perform cell reselection.

[0022] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection and the cell of the second device changes, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device cell reselection.

[0023] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection and the cell of the second device does not change, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0024] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection and the cell of the second device does not change, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0025] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to release the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the second device reselects to a target cell, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device cell reselection; or in a case where the second device reselects to a target relay device, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0026] Optionally, the second notification message is further used to indicate a link and / or a relay device, the link being a link between the second device and the first device, or any link before the link between the second device and the first device in a link direction from the network device to the terminal device.

[0027] In this embodiment, the first device can make the receiver of the second notification message know which link state the second link state is and which link state of which relay device the second link state is by indicating the link and / or the relay device in the second notification message, thereby further improving the communication experience.

[0028] Optionally, the second notification message comprises an indication type field, and the third link state is carried in the indication type field.

[0029] In a second aspect, the application further discloses a communication method applied to a second device, the communication method comprising: sending a first notification message to a first device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; the first device being a first relay device or a terminal device; and the second device being a second relay device.

[0030] Optionally, the first link state comprises at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switching, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay device relay reselection.

[0031] In a third aspect, the application further discloses a communication device for a first device, the communication device comprising: a communication module configured to receive a first notification message from a second device; the communication module is further configured to determine a second link state according to the first notification message and / or an RRC state of the first device, and / or send a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device, the second notification message being used to indicate a third link state.

[0032] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the communication module is further configured to determine a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0033] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment process.

[0034] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the communication module is further configured to send the second notification message, the third link state being a relay device Uu radio link failure, or the third link state being a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0035] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the communication module is further configured to send the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device radio link reestablishment.

[0036] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device handover or a relay device cell reselection, determine that a cell reselection occurs.

[0037] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device handover or a relay device cell reselection, send the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection.

[0038] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure, determine that a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs.

[0039] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure, send the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0040] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device path switching or a relay device relay reselection, and a cell of the second device changes, determine that a cell reselection occurs.

[0041] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device path switching or a relay device relay reselection, and a cell of the second device changes, send the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection.

[0042] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection and the cell of the second device does not change, the second notification message is sent, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0043] Optionally, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the communication module is further configured to determine to release the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the second notification message indicates that the first device reselects to a target cell, the second notification message is sent, and the third link state is relay device cell reselection; or in a case where the second notification message indicates that the first device reselects to a target relay device, the second notification message is sent, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, the present application further discloses a communication device applied to a second device, the communication device comprising: a communication module configured to send a first notification message to a first device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; the first device is a first relay device or a terminal device; and the second device is a second relay device.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program. The computer program is run by a processor to execute any of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the communication device comprises a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor. The processor runs the computer program to execute any of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product stores a computer program. The computer program is run by a processor to execute any of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0048] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, and the communication system comprises a network device, the first device, the second device, and a terminal device.

[0049] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip (or a data transmission device), and the chip stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the chip, the steps of the above method are implemented.

[0050] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a system chip applied to a terminal, and the chip system comprises at least one processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit and the at least one processor are interconnected through a circuit. The at least one processor is configured to execute instructions to execute any of the methods provided in the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0051] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario in the prior art;

[0052] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a single-hop relay scenario in the prior art;

[0053] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another single-hop relay scenario in the prior art;

[0054] FIG. 4 is an interaction flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 5 is an interaction flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of application scenarios provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable includes, but is not limited to, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 5th-Generation (5G) system, which can also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) system, a 6th-Generation (6G) system, or a 7th-Generation (7G) system, and a future evolution system or a plurality of communication fusion systems. The 5G system can be a 5G Non-StandAlone (NSA) system or a 5G StandAlone (SA) system. The technical solutions of the present application are also applicable to different network architectures, including but not limited to a relay network architecture, a dual connectivity architecture, a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) architecture, and the like.

[0060] The communication system to which the present application is applied includes a network device, at least two relay devices, and a terminal device. The present application mainly relates to the communication between the relay devices and the communication between the relay devices and the terminal device. Among them:

[0061] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as an access network device, for example, a base station (BS) (also referred to as a base station device). The network device is a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions. For example, in a second-generation (2nd-Generation, 2G) network, devices providing base station functions include base transceiver stations (BTS), in a third-generation (3rd-Generation, 3G) network, devices providing base station functions include NodeB, in a fourth-generation (4th-Generation, 4G) network, devices providing base station functions include evolved NodeB (eNB), in a wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Networks, WLAN), devices providing base station functions include access points (Access Point, AP), in NR, devices providing base station functions include next generation Node Base station (next generation Node Base station, gNB), and continue to evolve NodeB (ng-eNB), wherein the gNB and the terminal device communicate with each other using NR technology, the ng-eNB and the terminal device communicate with each other using evolved universal terrestrial radio access (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, E-UTRA) technology, and the gNB and the ng-eNB can be connected to a 5G core network. The network device in the embodiments of the present application also includes devices providing base station functions in future new communication systems and the like.

[0062] The terminal equipment or relay device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to various forms of access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (Mobile Station, MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user equipment. The terminal equipment can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal equipment in a future 5G network or a terminal equipment in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The terminal equipment can also be referred to as user equipment (User Equipment, UE), terminal, etc.

[0063] As described in the background, the relay scenario in the prior art is single-hop relay. For a multi-hop relay scenario, how to realize the determination and indication of the link state is a technical problem to be solved due to the existence of multiple links.

[0064] Specifically, in the single-hop relay scenario, the relay device can send a NotificationMessageSidelink message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device that the Uu radio link failure (Radio Link Failure, RLF) occurs, or handover, or cell reselection, or radio resource control (Radio Resource Control, RRC) failure.

[0065] Specifically, please refer to FIG. 4, which shows a multi-hop relay scenario. There are two relay devices, i.e. relay device 1 and relay device 2, between the network device and the terminal device. The relay device 1 can send a NotificationMessageSidelink message to the terminal device according to the notification mechanism in the single-hop relay scenario, but how the relay device 2 determines the state and how to send the notification message is a technical problem to be solved.

[0066] It should be noted that in actual application scenarios, there can be more number of relay devices between the network device and the terminal device, for example, 3 or more than 3, which is not limited by the present application.

[0067] In the embodiment, the first device can receive the first notification message from the second device, determine the second link state based on the RRC state of the first device, and / or send the second notification message, wherein the second link state and the third link state in the second notification message can be the same as the first link state in the first notification message, or the second link state and the third link state can be different from the first link state, thereby realizing the determination and indication of the link state by the first device and improving the communication efficiency in the multi-hop relay scenario.

[0068] In order to make the above objectives, characteristics and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 5, the method provided by the present application specifically includes the following steps:

[0070] Step 501: The second device sends a first notification message to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device receives the first notification message.

[0071] In the embodiment, the first device can be a first relay device or a terminal device, and the second device can be a second relay device.

[0072] In a specific implementation method, according to the link direction from the network device to the terminal device, when the first device is a first relay device and the second device is a second relay device, the second relay device is closer to the network device relative to the first relay device, and can be referred to as a previous device or a previous hop device of the first device. Correspondingly, the first relay device can be closer to the terminal device relative to the second relay device, and can be referred to as a next device or a next hop device of the second device. In the embodiment, the first notification message indicates a first link state, which can represent the state of the link between the previous device connected with the second device and the second device, or can represent the state of any link before the link according to the link direction between the network device and the terminal device, or can represent the state of the end-to-end link between the second device and the network device.

[0073] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 3 receives the first notification message from the relay device 2, and the first link state in the first notification message can be the state of the link 12, the state of the link 11, or the state of the link 21. Among them, the link 21 represents the end-to-end link between the network device and the relay device 2, the link 31 represents the end-to-end link between the network device and the relay device 3, and the link 41 represents the end-to-end link between the network device and the terminal device.

[0074] In the embodiment, the first link state can also represent the state of the second device, or can represent the state of any device between the second device and the network device.

[0075] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 3 receives the first notification message from the relay device 2, and the first link state in the first notification message can be the state of the relay device 2 or the state of the relay device 1.

[0076] Specifically, the first link state includes at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay device relay reselection.

[0077] The relay device Uu radio link failure means that the relay device detects that the link between the relay device and the network device has a radio link failure. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 1 detects that the link between the relay device 1 and the network device has a certain number of radio link out-of-sync, and considers that the Uu radio link failure occurs. The relay device 1 can send the first notification message to the relay device 2, indicating that the first link state is the relay device Uu radio link failure. At this time, the first link state is the state of the relay device 1 or the state of the link 11.

[0078] The relay device PC5 radio link failure means that the relay device detects that the link between the relay device and the previous hop relay device has a PC5 radio link failure. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 2 detects that the link between the relay device 2 and the relay device 1 has a certain number of radio link out-of-sync, and considers that the PC5 radio link failure occurs. The relay device 2 can send the first notification message to the relay device 3, indicating that the first link state is the relay device PC5 radio link failure. At this time, the first link state is the state of the relay device 2 or the state of the link 12.

[0079] The relay device RRC failure means that the RRC connection establishment or the RRC connection recovery between the relay device and the network device fails. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 2 sends an RRC connection establishment request message to the network device, to request to access the network, and starts a timer T300. When the T300 expires, the relay device 2 still does not receive the RRC connection establishment message sent by the network device, and considers that the RRC connection establishment failure occurs. The relay device 2 can send the first notification message to the relay device 3, indicating that the first link state is the relay device RRC failure. At this time, the first link state is the state of the relay device 2 or the state of the link 21.

[0080] The relay device handover means that the relay device has a handover. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the communication link between the relay device 1 and the network device deteriorates, and the relay device 1 switches to another network device. At this time, the first link state can be the relay device handover.

[0081] The relay device cell path switch indicates that the relay device switches from one cell to one relay device, or switches from one relay device to one cell, or switches from one relay device to another relay device. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 1 accesses the cell 1, the signal quality of the cell 1 becomes poor, and the relay device cannot find another cell meeting the condition, the relay device 1 accesses the relay device 4 through path switching, and the first link state at this time can be relay device path switching.

[0082] The relay device cell reselection indicates that the relay device has performed cell reselection. For example, the relay device 1 reselects and accesses a cell 3, and the first link state at this time can be relay device cell reselection.

[0083] The relay reselection indicates that the relay device has performed reselection. For example, the relay device 1 reselects and accesses the relay device 4, and the first link state at this time can be relay reselection.

[0084] Step 502: The first device determines the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device.

[0085] The RRC state of the first device can include one of the following: connected state, inactive state, and idle state. When the first device is in the connected state, it indicates that the first device has established an RRC connection with the network device.

[0086] In this embodiment, the first device determines the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device.

[0087] In one specific embodiment, the first device can determine the second link state according to the first notification message. For example, the first device directly determines that the second link state is the same as the first link state in the first notification message.

[0088] In another specific embodiment, the first device can determine the second link state according to the RRC state of the first device. For example, when the first device is in the idle state or the inactive state, the first device determines the second link state based on the RRC state of the first device.

[0089] In another specific embodiment, the first device can determine the second link state according to the first notification message and the RRC state of the first device. For example, when the first device is in the connected state, the first device determines the second link state based on the first notification message and the RRC state of the first device.

[0090] In this embodiment, the second link state can represent the state of the link between the previous device connected to the first device and the first device, or can represent the state of any link before the link in the link direction between the network device and the terminal device, or can represent the state of the end-to-end link between the first device and the network device.

[0091] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 2 receives the first notification message from the relay device 1, and determines the second link state. The second link state can be the state of the link 12, the state of the link 11, or the state of the link 21.

[0092] The second link state can also represent the state of the first device, or the state of any device between the first device and the network device.

[0093] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 2 receives the first notification message from the relay device 1, and determines the second link state. The second link state can be the state of the relay device 2, or the state of the relay device 1.

[0094] Specifically, the second link state includes at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay reselection.

[0095] In a specific application scenario, referring to FIG. 6, in the multi-hop relay scenario, the relay device 1 is the second device, the relay device 2 is the first device, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, and the relay device 2 determines the second link state.

[0096] For another example, the relay device 2 is the second device, the relay device 3 is the first device, the relay device 2 sends the first notification message to the relay device 3, and the relay device 3 determines the second link state.

[0097] Step 503: The first device sends a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device. The second notification message indicates a third link state.

[0098] In this embodiment, the first device sends the second notification message to the next device thereof. The next device of the first device is the next device in the link direction from the network device to the terminal device, which can be the next relay device or the terminal device.

[0099] In one specific embodiment, the first device can send the second notification message according to the first notification message. For example, the first device directly forwards the first notification message, and at this time, the third link state in the second notification message can be the same as the first link state in the first notification message.

[0100] In another embodiment, the first device can send the second notification message according to the RRC state of the first device. For example, when the first device is in the idle state or the inactive state, the first device no longer sends the second notification message based on the first notification message, but sends the second notification message based on the state of the first device.

[0101] In another embodiment, the first device can send the second notification message according to the RRC state of the first device. For example, when the first device is in the idle state or the inactive state, the first device no longer sends the second notification message based on the first notification message, but sends the second notification message based on the state of the first device.

[0102] In this embodiment, the second notification message indicates a third link state, which can represent the state of the link between the previous device connected to the first device and the first device, or can represent the state of any link before the link in the direction of the link between the network device and the terminal device, or can represent the state of the end-to-end link between the first device and the network device.

[0103] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 2 sends the second notification message, and the third link state in the second notification message can be the state of the link 12, the state of the link 11, or the state of the link 21.

[0104] The third link state can also represent the state of the first device, or can represent the state of any device between the first device and the network device.

[0105] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 2 sends the second notification message, and the third link state in the second notification message can be the state of the relay device 2, or the state of the relay device 1.

[0106] Specifically, the third link state includes at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay reselection.

[0107] In a specific application scenario, please refer to FIG. 6, in this multi-hop relay scenario, the relay device 1 is the second device, the relay device 2 is the first device, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, and the relay device 2 sends the second notification message to the relay device 3.

[0108] For another example, the relay device 2 is the second device, the relay device 3 is the first device, the relay device 2 sends the first notification message to the relay device 3, and the relay device 3 sends the second notification message to the terminal device.

[0109] It should be noted that the serial numbers of the steps in the embodiments do not represent the execution sequence of the steps.

[0110] It can be understood that, in specific implementation, the communication method can be implemented in the form of a software program running in a processor integrated in a chip or a chip module. The method can also be implemented in the form of software combined with hardware, and the application does not make any limitation.

[0111] The following describes how the first device determines the second link state and how the first device determines the second notification message in combination with different RRC states of the first device and the first notification message.

[0112] In embodiment 1, the RRC state of the first device is the connected state, the first device receives the first link state from the second device, and the first device determines that the second link state is the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0113] In this embodiment, when the first device is in the RRC connected state, no matter what the first link state in the first notification message is, the first device considers that the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs.

[0114] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 performs handover, for example, the relay device 1 performs handover to another network device, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, and the first notification message indicates the first link state, where the first link state is the relay device handover (relay UE-HO). Specifically, the first link state is that the relay device 1 performs handover. When the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it determines that the second link state is the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure. Specifically, the relay device 2 considers that the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs.

[0115] In embodiment 2, the RRC state of the first device is the connected state, the first device receives the first link state from the second device, and the first device determines that the second link state is to initiate RRC connection reestablishment.

[0116] In this embodiment, when the first device is in the connected state, no matter what the first link state in the first notification message is, the first device initiates RRC connection reestablishment.

[0117] For example, please refer to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 occurs handover, for example, the relay device 1 switches to other network device, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the first link state, wherein the first link state is relay UE-HO, specifically, the first link state is that the relay device 1 occurs handover. When the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, the second link state is determined to be initiated RRC connection reestablishment, specifically, the relay device 2 initiates the RRC connection reestablishment process.

[0118] In the embodiment 3, the RRC state of the first device is connected state, the first device receives the first link state from the second device, the first device sends the second notification message, and indicates that the third link state is relay UE-Uu radio link failure or relay UE-PC5 radio link failure.

[0119] In the implementation, when the first device is in the connected state, no matter what the first link state in the first notification message is, the first device sends the second notification message to the next device, and indicates that the third link state is relay UE-Uu radio link failure or relay UE-PC5 radio link failure.

[0120] For example, please refer to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 occurs handover, for example, the relay device 1 switches to other network device, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the first link state, wherein the first link state is relay UE-HO, specifically, the first link state is that the relay device 1 occurs handover. When the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, and the third link state is indicated in the second notification message, wherein the third link state is relay UE-Uu radio link failure, specifically, the third link state is that the relay device 2 occurs Uu radio link failure, or that the end-to-end link between the relay device 2 and the network device occurs Uu radio link failure.

[0121] In the implementation, if the first link state is relay UE-Uu radio link failure or relay UE-PC5 radio link failure, the first device can directly forward the first notification message, that is, at this time, the third link state can also be the same as the first link state.

[0122] In the embodiment, the first device initiates the RRC reestablishment procedure, and the first device sends the second notification message to the next device to indicate the procedure initiated by the first device, i.e., the third link state is relay UE radio link reestablishment.

[0123] In a specific embodiment, the first device initiates the RRC reestablishment procedure, and the first device sends the second notification message to the next device to indicate the procedure initiated by the first device, i.e., the third link state is relay UE radio link reestablishment.

[0124] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 performs handover, for example, the relay device 1 performs handover to another network device, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, and the first notification message indicates the first link state, where the first link state is relay UE-HO, specifically, the first link state is that the relay device 1 performs handover. After the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, the RRC connection reestablishment is performed, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, where the second notification message indicates the third link state, where the third link state is relay UE radio link reestablishment, specifically, the third link state is that the relay device 2 performs the RRC connection reestablishment.

[0125] In another specific embodiment, the first device initiates the RRC reestablishment procedure, and in the case of RRC reestablishment failure, the first device can send the second notification message to the next device to indicate the result of the procedure initiated by the first device, i.e., the third link state is relay UE radio link reestablishment failure.

[0126] Correspondingly, the first device initiates the radio link connection release, and the first device indicates the third link state as relay UE radio link connection release through the second notification message.

[0127] Correspondingly, the first device initiates the radio link connection recovery, and the first device indicates the third link state as relay UE radio link connection recovery through the second notification message.

[0128] Correspondingly, the first device initiates the radio link connection recovery, and in the case of radio link connection recovery failure, the first device indicates the third link state as relay UE radio link connection recovery failure through the second notification message.

[0129] In the embodiment, the RRC state of the first device is the idle state or the inactive state, and the first device maintains the connection with the second device.

[0130] In the embodiment, when the RRC state of the first device is the idle state or the inactive state, the first device can decide to keep the connection with the second device or release the connection with the second device. When the first device keeps the connection with the second device, the first device determines the second link state according to the first link state in the first notification message.

[0131] In one specific implementation, when the first notification message indicates the relay device switching or the relay device cell reselection, that is, when the first link state is the relay device switching or the relay device cell reselection, the second link state is the relay device cell reselection.

[0132] For example, please refer to FIG. 6. When the relay device 1 switches, for example, the relay device 1 switches to another network device, at this time, the link 11 switches, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the relay device switching, when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it decides to keep the connection with the relay device 1, and determines that the second link state is the relay device cell reselection. Specifically, the relay device 2 performs cell reselection.

[0133] In another specific implementation, when the first notification message indicates the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure, the second link state is the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0134] For example, please refer to FIG. 6. When the relay device 1 has a Uu radio link failure, at this time, the link 11 changes, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the relay device Uu radio link failure, when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it decides to keep the connection with the relay device 1, and determines that the second link state is the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure. Specifically, the relay device 2 considers that the Uu radio link failure or the PC5 radio link failure occurs.

[0135] In another specific implementation, when the first notification message indicates the relay device RRC failure, the second link state is the relay device RRC failure.

[0136] For example, please refer to FIG. 6. When the relay device 1 has an RRC failure, at this time, the link 11 changes, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the RRC failure, when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it decides to keep the connection with the relay device 1, and determines that the second link state is the relay device RRC failure. Specifically, the relay device 2 considers that the RRC failure occurs.

[0137] In another embodiment, the first notification message indicates a relay device path switch or a relay device relay reselection, and the second device's cell does not change, and the second link state is a relay device relay reselection.

[0138] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 performs a relay reselection, and the cell accessed by the relay device 1 changes, at this time, the link 11 and the link 12 change, the relay device 1 sends a first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates a relay device relay reselection, and when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is determined to maintain the connection with the relay device 1, and the second link state is determined to be a relay device cell reselection, specifically, the relay device 2 performs a cell reselection.

[0139] In another embodiment, the first notification message indicates a relay device path switch or a relay device relay reselection, and the second device's cell does not change, and the second link state is a relay device relay reselection.

[0140] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 performs a relay reselection, and the cell accessed by the relay device 1 does not change, at this time, the link 11 and the link 12 change, the relay device 1 sends a first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates a relay device relay reselection, and when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is determined to maintain the connection with the relay device 1, and the second link state is determined to be a relay device relay reselection, specifically, the relay device 2 performs a relay reselection.

[0141] In an embodiment 6, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the first device maintains the connection with the second device.

[0142] In this embodiment, when the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, the first device can determine to maintain the connection with the second device or release the connection with the second device. In the case where the first device maintains the connection with the second device, the first device sends a second notification message according to the first link state in the first notification message, and indicates a third link state.

[0143] In an embodiment, the first notification message indicates a relay device path switch or a relay device cell reselection, that is, the first link state is a relay device path switch or a relay device cell reselection, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection.

[0144] In this embodiment, the first device determines the third link state to be a relay device cell reselection, and the first device can send the third link state to the next relay device or the terminal device through the second notification message.

[0145] For example, please refer to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 switches, for example, the relay device 1 switches to other network devices, at this time, the link 11 switches, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the relay device switching, when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is decided to keep the connection with the relay device 1, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, the second notification message indicates the relay device cell reselection.

[0146] In another specific embodiment, the first notification message indicates the relay device Uu radio link failure or relay device PC5 radio link failure, and the third link state is the relay device Uu radio link failure or relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0147] In this embodiment, the first device determines that the Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs, and the first device can send the third link state to the next relay device or the terminal device through the second notification message.

[0148] For example, please refer to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 occurs Uu radio link failure, at this time, the link 11 changes, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the Uu radio link failure, when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is decided to keep the connection with the relay device 1, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, the second notification message indicates the relay device Uu radio link failure or relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0149] In another specific embodiment, the first notification message indicates the relay device RRC failure, and the third link state is the relay device RRC failure.

[0150] In this embodiment, the first device determines that the RRC failure occurs, and the first device can send the third link state to the next relay device or the terminal device through the second notification message.

[0151] For example, please refer to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 occurs RRC failure, at this time, the link 11 changes, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates the RRC failure, when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is decided to keep the connection with the relay device 1, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, the second notification message indicates the relay device RRC failure.

[0152] In another specific embodiment, the first notification message indicates the relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection, and the cell of the second device changes, and the third link state is the relay device cell reselection.

[0153] In this embodiment, the first device determines that the cell of the second device changes, and the first device can send the third link state to the next relay device or the terminal device through the second notification message.

[0154] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 performs relay reselection, and the cell accessed by the relay device 1 changes, the link 11 and the link 12 change at this time, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates that the relay device performs relay reselection, and when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is determined to maintain the connection with the relay device 1, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, the second notification message indicates that the relay device performs cell reselection.

[0155] In another specific embodiment, the first notification message indicates that the relay device performs path switching or relay reselection, and the cell of the second device does not change, and the third link state is relay reselection of the relay device.

[0156] In this embodiment, the first device determines that the cell of the second device does not change, and the first device can send the third link state to the next relay device or the terminal device through the second notification message.

[0157] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the relay device 1 performs relay reselection, and the cell accessed by the relay device 1 does not change, the link 11 and the link 12 change at this time, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicates that the relay device performs relay reselection, and when the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, it is determined to maintain the connection with the relay device 1, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, the second notification message indicates that the relay device performs relay reselection.

[0158] In embodiment 7, the RRC state of the first device is idle state or inactive state, and the first device releases the connection with the second device.

[0159] Different from the foregoing embodiment 5, in this embodiment, the first device determines to release the connection between the first device and the second device. In this case, the first device reselects a cell or a relay device, and the first device can determine the second link state accordingly.

[0160] In one specific embodiment, when the first device reselects to a target cell, the first device determines that the second link state is cell reselection of the relay device.

[0161] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 3 is in the idle state, when the relay device 3 receives the first notification message from the relay device 2, the relay device 3 determines to release the connection between the relay device 3 and the relay device 2. And the relay device 3 reselects to a target cell, then the relay device 3 determines that the third link state is relay device cell reselection, specifically, the relay device 3 considers that cell reselection occurs.

[0162] In another specific embodiment, in the case that the first device reselects to a target relay device, the first device determines that the second link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0163] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 3 is in the idle state, when the relay device 3 receives the first notification message from the relay device 2, the relay device 3 determines to release the connection between the relay device 3 and the relay device 2. And the relay device 3 reselects to a target relay device, for example, the relay device 4, then the relay device 3 determines that the third link state is relay device relay reselection, specifically, the relay device 3 considers that relay reselection occurs.

[0164] Embodiment 8, the RRC state of the first device is the idle state or the inactive state, and the first device releases the connection with the second device.

[0165] Different from the foregoing embodiment 6, in the present embodiment, the first device determines to release the connection between the first device and the second device. In this case, the first device reselects a cell or reselects a relay device, and the first device can send the third link state to the next relay device or the terminal device through the second notification message.

[0166] In the present embodiment, the third link state in the second notification message can be considered to indicate the link state of the first device.

[0167] In one specific embodiment, in the case that the first device reselects to a target cell, the first device sends the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device cell reselection.

[0168] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 3 is in the idle state, when the relay device 3 receives the first notification message from the relay device 2, the relay device 3 determines to release the connection between the relay device 3 and the relay device 2. And the relay device 3 reselects to a target cell, then the relay device 3 sends the second notification message to the terminal device, and the second notification message indicates relay device cell reselection.

[0169] In another specific embodiment, in the case that the first device reselects to a target relay device, the first device sends the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0170] For example, referring to FIG. 6, the relay device 3 is in the idle state, when the relay device 3 receives the first notification message from the relay device 2, the relay device 3 determines to release the connection between the relay device 3 and the relay device 2. And the relay device 3 reselects to a target relay device, for example, the relay device 4, then the relay device 3 sends the second notification message to the terminal device, the second notification message indicates the relay device relay reselection.

[0171] Embodiment 9, the first device directly determines that the second link state is the same as the first link state.

[0172] In this embodiment, no matter what the RRC state of the first device is, the first device determines the second link state according to the first notification message. That is, the first device directly determines that the second link state is the same as the first link state upon receiving the first notification message from the second device.

[0173] In a specific implementation, the first link state includes at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay device relay reselection. The second link state is the same as the first link state.

[0174] Embodiment 10, the first device directly forwards the first notification message.

[0175] In this embodiment, no matter what the RRC state of the first device is, the first device sends the second notification message according to the first notification message. That is, the first device directly forwards the first notification message to the next relay device or the terminal device upon receiving the first notification message from the second device. In this case, the content of the second notification message is the same as that of the first notification message, that is, the third link state is the same as the first link state.

[0176] In a specific implementation, the first link state includes at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay device relay reselection. The third link state is the same as the first link state.

[0177] In the above Embodiment 1 to Embodiment 10, the second notification message is further used to indicate the link and / or the relay device. Wherein, the link indicated by the second notification message is the link between the second device and the first device, or any link before the link between the second device and the first device in the link direction from the network device to the terminal device. In this embodiment, the first device can make the receiver of the second notification message know which link state the third link state is and which relay device link state the third link state is by indicating the link and / or the relay device in the second notification message, further improving the communication experience.

[0178] For example, please refer to FIG. 6, in the multi-hop relay scenario, the relay device 1 is the second device, the relay device 2 is the first device, and the relay device 2 sends the second notification message to the relay device 3. In addition to indicating the third link state, the second notification message can also indicate the identifier 11 of the link 11, i.e., indicating that the third link state is the state of the link 11. Similarly, in addition to indicating the third link state, the second notification message can also indicate the identifier 1 of the relay device 1, i.e., indicating that the third link state is the state of the relay device 1.

[0179] For another example, the relay device 2 is the second device, the relay device 3 is the first device, and the relay device 3 sends the second notification message to the terminal device. In addition to indicating the third link state, the second notification message can also indicate the identifier 12 of the link 12 or the identifier 11 of the link 11, i.e., indicating that the third link state is the state of the link 12 or the link 11. Similarly, in addition to indicating the third link state, the second notification message can also indicate the identifier 1 of the relay device 1 or the identifier 2 of the relay device 2, i.e., indicating that the third link state is the state of the relay device 1 or the relay device 2.

[0180] In a specific application scenario, when the relay device 1 switches, the relay device 1 sends the first notification message to the relay device 2, the first notification message indicating the relay device switching. When the relay device 2 receives the first notification message, the RRC connection is reestablished, and the second notification message is sent to the relay device 3, the second notification message indicating the relay device Uu radio link failure, the identifier 12 of the link 12, and the identifier 2 of the relay device 2.

[0181] In a non-limiting embodiment, the second notification message can include an indication type field, and the third link state is carried in the indication type field.

[0182] For example, the value of the indication type field can be any one of the following: relayUE-Uu-RLF (wireless link failure of Uu interface), relayUE-PC5-RLF (wireless link failure of PC5 interface), relayUE-HO (relay device handover), relayUE-CellReselection (relay device cell reselection), relayUE-Uu-RRC-Failure (RRC failure of Uu interface), relayUE-PathSwitching (relay device path switching), relay UE-RelayReselection (relay device relay reselection), and the like.

[0183] In one non-limiting embodiment, the first device and the second device are in a sidelink (SL) connection. In this case, the first notification message and the second notification message can be sidelink notification messages (NotificationMessageSidelink).

[0184] In one non-limiting embodiment, the first device and the second device can also be connected through a Uu interface.

[0185] Referring to FIG. 7, a communication apparatus 70 can include:

[0186] The communication module 701 is configured to receive a first notification message from a second device.

[0187] The communication module 701 is further configured to send a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or an RRC state of the first device, the second notification message being used to indicate a link state.

[0188] The determination module 702 is configured to determine a second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device.

[0189] Further, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state. The communication module 701 sends the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device Uu wireless link failure or a relay device PC5 wireless link failure, or the third link state is a relay device wireless link reestablishment.

[0190] Further, the RRC state of the first device is a connected state. The determination module 702 is further configured to determine to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment procedure.

[0191] Further, the communication apparatus 70 can further include a processing module, which determines that a wireless link failure occurs.

[0192] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The processing module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device. The communication module 701 is further configured to send the second notification message in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device cell switch or a relay device cell reselection, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection.

[0193] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The determining module 702 is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and determine a cell reselection in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device switch or a relay device cell reselection.

[0194] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The processing module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device. The communication module 701 is further configured to send the second notification message in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure, and the third link state is a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0195] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The processing module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device. The communication module 701 is further configured to send the second notification message in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device relay reselection, and a cell of the second device changes, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection.

[0196] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The determining module 702 is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and determine a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure.

[0197] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The processing module is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device. The communication module 701 is further configured to send the second notification message in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device relay reselection, and a cell of the second device does not change, and the second notification message indicates a relay device relay reselection.

[0198] Further, the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state. The determining module 702 is further configured to determine to maintain the connection between the first device and the second device; and determine a cell reselection in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device path switch or a relay device relay reselection, and a cell of the second device changes.

[0199] Further, the RRC state of the first device is idle state or inactive state. The processing module is further configured to determine to release the connection between the first device and the second device. The communication module 701 is further configured to send the second notification message in the case of reselecting to a target cell, and the third link state is relay device cell reselection; or the communication module 701 is further configured to send the second notification message in the case of reselecting to a target relay device, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

[0200] In specific implementations, the communication apparatus 70 described above can correspond to a chip with a communication function in the first device, such as a System-On-a-Chip (SOC), a baseband chip, etc.; or a chip module including a chip with a communication function; or a chip module including a chip with a data processing function, or the first device.

[0201] For other related descriptions of the communication apparatus 70, refer to the related descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] For each device, product, etc. described in the foregoing embodiments, each module / unit included therein can be a software module / unit, a hardware module / unit, or partially a software module / unit and partially a hardware module / unit. For example, for each device, product, etc. applied to or integrated into a chip, each module / unit included therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program running on a processor integrated in the chip, and the remaining (if any) part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit; for each device, product, etc. applied to or integrated into a chip module, each module / unit included therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (e.g., a chip, a circuit module, etc.) or different components of the chip module, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program running on a processor integrated in the chip module, and the remaining (if any) part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit; for each device, product, etc. applied to or integrated into a terminal device, each module / unit included therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (e.g., a chip, a circuit module, etc.) or different components of the terminal device, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program running on a processor integrated in the terminal device, and the remaining (if any) part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit.

[0203] The embodiments of the present application further disclose a storage medium, which is a computer readable storage medium, and has stored thereon a computer program. The computer program can execute the steps of the method shown in the foregoing embodiments when running. The storage medium can include a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc. The storage medium can also include a non-volatile memory or a non-transitory memory, etc.

[0204] Please refer to FIG. 8, the embodiments of the present application further provide a hardware structure schematic diagram of a communication device. The device includes a processor 801, a memory 802 and a transceiver 803.

[0205] The processor 801 can be a general central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs of the embodiments of the present application. The processor 801 can also include multiple CPUs, and the processor 801 can be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits or processing cores for processing data (for example, computer program instructions).

[0206] The memory 802 can be a ROM, or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions; a RAM, or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions; an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of storing instructions or data that can be accessed by a computer, without any limitation on the application. The memory 802 can exist independently (in which case the memory 802 can be located inside or outside the apparatus), or can be integrated with the processor 801. The memory 802 can contain computer program codes. The processor 801 is configured to execute the computer program codes stored in the memory 802, thereby implementing the methods provided by the embodiments of the application.

[0207] The processor 801, the memory 802 and the transceiver 803 are connected through a bus. The transceiver 803 is configured to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Optionally, the transceiver 803 can include a transmitter and a receiver. The device for implementing the receiving function in the transceiver 803 can be regarded as a receiver, which is configured to perform the receiving steps in the embodiments of the application. The device for implementing the transmitting function in the transceiver 803 can be regarded as a transmitter, which is configured to perform the transmitting steps in the embodiments of the application.

[0208] When the structural schematic diagram shown in FIG. 8 is used to illustrate the structure of the first device involved in the above embodiments, the processor 801 is configured to control and manage the actions of the first device, for example, the processor 801 is configured to support the first device to perform the actions performed by the first device in the other processes described in the embodiments of the application. The processor 801 can communicate with other network entities through the transceiver 803, for example, with the network device or other relay devices described above. The memory 802 is configured to store the program codes and data of the first device.

[0209] In the embodiments of the application, the unidirectional communication link from the access network to the terminal device is defined as a downlink, the data transmitted on the downlink is defined as downlink data, and the transmission direction of the downlink data is defined as a downlink direction. The unidirectional communication link from the terminal device to the access network is defined as an uplink, the data transmitted on the uplink is defined as uplink data, and the transmission direction of the uplink data is defined as an uplink direction.

[0210] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document merely describes an associated relationship between associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document represents that the front and rear associated objects are a "or" relationship.

[0211] The "multiple" appearing in the embodiments of the present application refers to two or more than two.

[0212] The first, second, and the like appearing in the embodiments of the present application are only used for description and distinction of the described objects, and there is no order, nor does it represent a special limitation on the number of devices in the embodiments of the present application, and cannot constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0213] The "connection" appearing in the embodiments of the present application refers to direct connection or indirect connection and various connection modes to realize communication between devices, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0214] The above embodiments can be realized all or partially by software, hardware, firmware or other any combination. When realized by software, the above embodiments can be realized all or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless mode.

[0215] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, the execution order of the processes should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0216] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods, devices and systems can be implemented in other manners. For example, the embodiments of the device described above are merely schematic; the division of the units is merely logical function division; and there can be another division manner in actual implementation; for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between different units, or the among different units, can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0217] The units described as separated components can or can not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiments of the present application.

[0218] In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be a physical unit, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of hardware plus software function units.

[0219] The integrated unit implemented in the form of software function units can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The software function unit stored in the storage medium includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute some steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0220] Although the present application is disclosed as above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present application, can make various modifications and changes, and therefore the scope of protection of the present application should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a first device, the communication method comprising: receiving a first notification message from a second device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; determining a second link state according to the first notification message and / or a radio resource control (RRC) state of the first device, and / or transmitting a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device, the second notification message being used to indicate a third link state, the first link state, the second link state and the third link state being the same or different. the first device is a first relay device, or a terminal device; the second device is a second relay device; the first link state comprises at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, a relay device relay reselection; the RRC state of the first device is a connected state, and the determining a second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining that a relay device Uu radio link failure or a relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs; the RRC state of the first device is the connected state, and the determining a second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to initiate a RRC connection reestablishment procedure; the RRC state of the first device is the connected state, and the transmitting a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: transmitting the second notification message, the third link state being a relay device Uu radio link failure, or the third link state being a relay device PC5 radio link failure; the RRC state of the first device is the connected state, and the transmitting a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: transmitting the second notification message, the third link state being a relay device radio link reestablishment; the RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining a second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep a connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device handover or a relay device cell reselection, determining that a cell reselection occurs; the RRC state of the first device is the idle state or the inactive state, and the transmitting a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep a connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates a relay device path switch or a relay device cell reselection, transmitting the second notification message, the third link state being a relay device cell reselection. ​ ​ 2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, ​ ​ 3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, ​ 4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, ​ ​ 5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, ​ ​ 6. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein ​ ​ 7. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein ​ ​ 8. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein ​ ​ ​ 9. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, ​ ​ ​ 10. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device Uu radio link failure or relay device PC5 radio link failure, determining that the relay device Uu radio link failure or the relay device PC5 radio link failure occurs.

11. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection, and the cell of the second device changes, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device cell reselection.

12. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection, and the cell of the second device does not change, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection, and the cell of the second device does not change, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the determining the second link state according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection, and the cell of the second device does not change, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to keep the connection between the first device and the second device; in a case where the first notification message indicates relay device path switching or relay device relay reselection, and the cell of the second device does not change, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is relay device relay reselection.

16. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the relay device is a base station. The RRC state of the first device is an idle state or an inactive state, and the sending of the second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device comprises: determining to release the connection between the first device and the second device; in the case of reselecting to a target cell, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device cell reselection; or in the case of reselecting to a target relay device, sending the second notification message, and the third link state is a relay device relay reselection.

17. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein, The second notification message is also used to indicate a link and / or a relay device, the link being a link between the second device and the first device, or any link before the link between the second device and the first device in the link direction from a network device to a terminal device.

18. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein, The second notification message comprises an indication type field, and the third link state is carried in the indication type field.

19. A communication method applied to a second device, the communication method comprising: sending a first notification message to a first device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; the first device being a first relay device or a terminal device; the second device being a second relay device.

20. The communication method according to claim 19, wherein, The first link state comprises at least one of a relay device Uu radio link failure, a relay device PC5 radio link failure, a relay device RRC failure, a relay device handover, a relay device path switch, a relay device cell reselection, and a relay device relay reselection.

21. A communication apparatus for a first device, the communication apparatus comprising: a communication module configured to receive a first notification message from a second device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; the communication module is further configured to determine a second link state according to the first notification message and / or an RRC state of the first device, and / or to send a second notification message according to the first notification message and / or the RRC state of the first device, the second notification message being used to indicate a third link state.

22. A communication apparatus applied to a second device, the communication apparatus comprising: a communication module configured to send a first notification message to a first device, the first notification message indicating a first link state; the first device being a first relay device or a terminal device; the second device being a second relay device.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to perform the steps of the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 20.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer program / instruction, the computer program / instruction being executed by a processor to implement the steps of the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 20.

25. A communication apparatus comprising a memory and a processor, the memory having stored thereon a computer program executable by the processor to perform the steps of the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 18.

26. A communication device comprising a memory and a processor, said memory having stored thereon a computer program operable to be run on said processor, said processor being configured to operate said computer program to perform the steps of the communication method of claim 19 or 20.

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