Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method, apparatus and system. In the method, a first apparatus receives first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating a sidelink discontinuous reception (SL DRX) configuration of a second apparatus, and the SL DRX configuration of the second apparatus is used for determining a SL DRX configuration of the first apparatus; and the first apparatus receives first data on the basis of the SL DRX configuration of the first apparatus, wherein the first data is data sent to a third apparatus, and the third apparatus and the first apparatus may refer to a same apparatus or two different apparatuses. The first apparatus may configure the SL DRX configuration of the first apparatus on the basis of SL DRX of the second apparatus, or may report, when the second apparatus has no SL DRX configuration, a parameter for calculating a message reception time, so as to ensure that another apparatus can receive a paging message or a request message within an active period, thereby solving the problem of paging failure or connection failure.

Description

Communication methods, devices and systems

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510214390.0, filed on February 24, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus and system. Background Technology

[0003] Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is a key technology for saving device power consumption. With the rise of device-to-device (D2D) communication, such as Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), the DRX mechanism has been gradually extended to Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (SL DRX) to meet the specific needs of various D2D scenarios.

[0004] For D2D communication, User Equipment (UE) can reduce its power consumption through the SL DRX mechanism, thereby saving power and extending UE standby time. Taking a relay scenario as an example, if a remote UE needs to be configured in SL DRX mode, it will report auxiliary information to the Relay UE via dedicated SL signaling, including the remote UE's desired SL DRX configuration.

[0005] However, in multi-hop relay scenarios, if a relay UE in one hop is not configured with SL DRX, while other relay UEs or remote UEs need to be configured with SL DRX, it may result in each relay UE, acting as a transmitting (TX) UE, being unable to guarantee that the paging occasion (PO) of the received (RX) UE (such as the next hop relay UE or remote UE) will occur within the RX UE's SL DRX activation period when configuring SL DRX. This will cause the RX UE to fail to receive messages, ultimately leading to paging failure or connection failure for the RX UE (such as the remote UE). Furthermore, the probability of paging failure or connection failure increases with the number of hops. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system to solve the problem of terminal paging failure or connection failure in relay scenarios, especially in multi-hop relay scenarios.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a first device, which can be a communication device, a first terminal (such as a UE, or other device), or a component of the first terminal (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.). The same applies to a second device and a third device. Taking the first device as the first terminal, the second device as the second terminal, and the third device as the third terminal as an example, the method includes at least one of the following: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a discontinuous reception configuration on the side of the second terminal, the discontinuous reception configuration on the side of the second terminal being used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration on the side of the first terminal; receiving first data based on the discontinuous reception configuration on the side of the first terminal, the first data being data sent to the third terminal, the third terminal and the first terminal being one terminal or two different terminals.

[0008] By receiving the first indication information and configuring SL DRX, the first terminal, acting as an RX UE, can know whether the second terminal, acting as a TX UE, has configured SL DRX. For example, in a multi-hop relay scenario, when the second terminal is the previous hop UE of the first terminal, it can indicate its SL DRX configuration status to the first terminal. The first terminal can report parameters for calculating the specific time of receiving messages to achieve SL DRX configuration when the second terminal has not configured SL DRX, or it can configure its own SL DRX based on the second terminal's SL DRX when the second terminal has configured SL DRX, so as to ensure that the first terminal receives the first data during the activation period. The first data can be uplink data or downlink data. For example, in a downlink scenario, the first terminal can receive downlink data (such as paging messages) sent by the network to the third terminal (the next-hop UE of the first terminal, such as a remote UE) during the activation period and forward the downlink data to the third terminal; or in an uplink scenario, it can receive uplink data (such as request messages) sent by the remote UE to the third terminal during the activation period and forward the uplink data to the third terminal (the next-hop UE of the first terminal, such as the last-hop relay UE). When the first terminal and the third terminal are the same terminal (such as when there is no next-hop UE on the communication link of the first terminal), the first terminal only needs to receive the first data during the activation period, thereby solving the problem of paging failure or connection failure of remote UE in multi-hop relay scenarios.

[0009] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending first auxiliary information, the first auxiliary information being used to configure the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0010] By sending first auxiliary information, such as when the first terminal sends the first auxiliary information to the second terminal, the second terminal can configure the first terminal's SL DRX according to the first terminal's first auxiliary information, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period. When the third terminal is a different terminal from the first terminal, the third terminal can also send the first auxiliary information to configure the third terminal's SL DRX, so as to achieve a similar technical effect as the first terminal.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0012] By carrying configuration parameters for configuring the SL DRX of the first terminal in the first auxiliary information, the TX UE (such as the second terminal) of the first terminal can use the configuration parameters to configure the appropriate SL DRX configuration for the first terminal. Even if the TX UE does not configure the SL DRX, it can still configure the SL DRX for the first terminal according to the configuration parameters. The SL DRX of the first terminal takes into account the time when the first terminal receives messages, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period.

[0013] In an optional implementation, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0014] By including parameters in the configuration parameters for the first terminal, such as the time for calculating the received message, the number of terminals the received message passes through, and the time from receiving the message to forwarding the message, the TX UE can configure a more accurate SL DRX for the first terminal, thereby further ensuring that the first terminal can receive the paging message or request message at the corresponding time. Similarly, when the third terminal and the first terminal are two different terminals, the third terminal can also include the above information in its configuration parameters, allowing the TX UE of the third terminal to configure a more accurate SL DRX for it, achieving a similar technical effect to the first terminal.

[0015] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being an estimated delay from message sending to reception at the first terminal.

[0016] By receiving the second indication information, which indicates the estimated delay for the first terminal, taking into account the delays in message reception, forwarding, and expected processing, especially the delays incurred by each UE in a multi-hop scenario, the first terminal can be further enabled to receive paging or request messages within the activation period. Specifically, in downlink scenarios, this second indication information can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the second terminal is the relay UE of the last hop) or by the network; in uplink scenarios, it can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the second terminal is a remote UE). Correspondingly, each UE in the relay scenario can receive a delay information, indicating the estimated delay from message transmission to reception by the corresponding UE. This effectively solves the problem of not receiving paging messages within the activation period due to delays, ensuring that each UE can receive paging or request messages within the activation period.

[0017] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay, the first preset time interval being used to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message for the second terminal.

[0018] By receiving this third indication information, when the second terminal has not performed SL DRX configuration, the first terminal can receive a time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay. This effectively solves the problem of not receiving paging messages during the activation period due to the TX UE not performing SL DRX, thereby enabling the first terminal to receive paging or request messages during the activation period. Correspondingly, when the TX UE corresponding to each hop UE in the relay scenario has not performed SL DRX configuration, it can receive a third indication information to instruct it to receive a time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay, so that each hop UE can receive paging or request messages during the activation period.

[0019] Secondly, a communication method is provided, applied to a second device, which can be a communication device, a second terminal (such as a UE, or other devices), or a component of the second terminal (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). The same applies to the first and third devices. Taking the first device as the first terminal, the second device as the second terminal, and the third device as the third terminal as an example, the method can include at least one of the following: sending first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side, the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side being used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal side; sending first data, the first data being data sent to the third terminal, the third terminal and the first terminal being one terminal or two different terminals.

[0020] By sending the first indication information, the first terminal, acting as an RX UE, can know whether the second terminal, acting as a TX UE, has performed SL DRX configuration. For example, if the second terminal is any hop relay UE in a relay scenario, it can indicate its SL DRX configuration status to the first terminal. The first terminal can be any other relay UE or remote UE in the relay scenario. The first terminal can report parameters for calculating the specific time of receiving messages to achieve SL DRX configuration if the second terminal has not configured SL DRX, or it can perform its own SL DRX configuration based on the second terminal's SL DRX when the second terminal has configured SL DRX, so as to ensure that the first terminal receives the first data during the activation period. The first data can be uplink data or downlink data. For example, in a downlink scenario, the second terminal can forward downlink data (such as paging messages) sent by the network to the third terminal and send it to the first terminal. The first terminal receives the downlink data (such as paging messages) during the activation period and forwards it to the third terminal. Alternatively, in an uplink scenario, the second terminal can forward uplink data (such as request messages) sent by the remote UE (or directly sent by the second terminal as a remote UE) to the third terminal (such as an intermediate relay UE) to the first terminal (such as an intermediate relay UE). The first terminal then forwards the uplink data to the third terminal. When the first terminal and the third terminal are the same terminal, the first terminal does not need to forward the data, ensuring that either the third terminal or the first terminal can receive the first data during the activation period. This solves the problem of paging failure or connection failure of remote UE in multi-hop relay scenarios.

[0021] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving first auxiliary information, the first auxiliary information being used to configure the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0022] By receiving the first auxiliary information, the second terminal can configure the first terminal's SL DRX using the first auxiliary information, enabling the first terminal to receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period. When the third terminal is a different terminal from the first terminal, the third terminal can also send the first auxiliary information to configure the third terminal's SL DRX, achieving a similar technical effect to the first terminal.

[0023] In an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0024] By carrying configuration parameters for configuring the SL DRX of the first terminal in the first auxiliary information, the second terminal, as a TX UE, can use these configuration parameters to configure a suitable SL DRX configuration for the first terminal. Even if the second terminal does not configure SL DRX, it can still configure SL DRX for the first terminal according to these configuration parameters. The SL DRX of the first terminal takes into account the time when the first terminal receives messages, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period.

[0025] In conjunction with the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0026] By including parameters in the configuration parameters for the first terminal, such as the time for calculating the received message, the number of terminals the received message passes through, and the time from receiving the message to forwarding the message, the second terminal can configure a more accurate SL DRX for the first terminal, thereby further ensuring that the first terminal can receive the paging message or request message at the corresponding time. Correspondingly, when the third terminal and the first terminal are two different terminals, the third terminal can also include the above information in its configuration parameters, so that the third terminal's TX UE can configure a more accurate SL DRX for the third terminal, thus achieving a similar technical effect as the first terminal.

[0027] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending a second indication message, the second indication message being used to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being an estimated delay from message sending to message receiving at a first terminal.

[0028] By sending a second indication message, which indicates the estimated delay for the first terminal, taking into account the expected processing delays of the message from reception to forwarding, especially in multi-hop scenarios where the delay is generated by each hop UE, the first terminal can be further enabled to receive paging or request messages within the activation period. Specifically, in downlink scenarios, this second indication message can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the second terminal is the last-hop relay UE) or by the network; in uplink scenarios, it can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the second terminal is a remote UE). Correspondingly, the second terminal can send a delay message to each hop UE in the relay scenario to indicate the estimated delay from message transmission to reception by the corresponding UE. This effectively solves the problem of the corresponding RX failing to receive paging or request messages within the activation period due to delays, ensuring that each hop UE receives paging or request messages within the activation period.

[0029] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay, the first preset time interval being used to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the second terminal.

[0030] By sending this third indication information, when the second terminal has not performed SL DRX configuration, the first terminal can receive a time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay. This effectively solves the problem of not receiving paging messages during the activation period due to the second terminal not performing SL DRX, thereby enabling the first terminal to receive paging or request messages during the activation period. Correspondingly, when the TX UE corresponding to each hop UE in the relay scenario has not performed SL DRX configuration, it can receive a third indication information to instruct it to receive a time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay, so that each hop UE can receive paging or request messages during the activation period.

[0031] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, which may include modules corresponding to the methods described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. Optionally, the device includes at least one of the following: a first transceiver unit, configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information indicating a discontinuous reception configuration on the second terminal side, the discontinuous reception configuration on the second terminal side being used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration on the side of the first terminal;

[0032] The second transceiver unit is used to receive first data based on the side link discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal. The first data is data sent to the third terminal. The third terminal and the first terminal are one terminal or two different terminals.

[0033] In an optional implementation, the first transceiver unit is further configured to transmit first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0034] In an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0035] In an optional implementation, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0036] In an optional implementation, it further includes: a third transceiver unit, configured to receive second indication information, the second indication information being configured to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being an estimated delay from message transmission to reception at the first terminal.

[0037] In an optional implementation, it further includes: a third transceiver unit, configured to receive third indication information, the third indication information being configured to indicate an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay, the first preset time interval being configured to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message for the second terminal.

[0038] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which may include modules corresponding to the methods described in the second aspect or any of the embodiments of the second aspect. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software. Optionally, the device includes: a fourth transceiver unit, configured to transmit first indication information, the first indication information indicating a discontinuous reception configuration on the second terminal side, the discontinuous reception configuration on the second terminal side being used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration on the first terminal side; and / or, transmit first data, the first data being data sent to a third terminal, the third terminal and the first terminal being one terminal or two different terminals.

[0039] In an optional implementation, the fourth transceiver unit is further configured to receive first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0040] In an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0041] In an optional implementation, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0042] In an optional implementation, it further includes: a fifth transceiver unit, configured to send second indication information, the second indication information being configured to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being an estimated delay from message sending to message receiving at the first terminal.

[0043] In an optional implementation, the fifth transceiver unit is further configured to send third indication information, which indicates an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay. The first preset time interval indicates the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message for the second terminal.

[0044] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor can implement the methods in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods in the first or second aspect and any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. In the embodiments of this application, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a pin, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interface, and is not limited thereto.

[0045] In one alternative implementation, the communication device is a communication equipment (such as a first terminal or network device, or other equipment). When the communication device is a communication equipment, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0046] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured within a communication device. When the communication device is a chip configured within a communication device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0047] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0048] A sixth aspect provides a processor, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the methods described in the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0049] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods described in the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0051] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods of the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] Ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, the chip system being applied to an electronic device, the chip system including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the methods of the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal as described above.

[0054] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the features corresponding to the first aspect in the third to twelfth aspects can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the first to twentieth aspects above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a single-hop relay scenario;

[0056] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multi-hop relay scenario;

[0057] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the DRX mechanism principle;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the SL DRX configuration when the device is in RRC connected state;

[0059] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the SL DRX configuration when the device is in the RRC non-connected state;

[0060] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the paging process in SL DRX mode in a single-hop trunk scenario;

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a remote UE failing to receive paging messages in a multi-hop scenario;

[0062] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the UL / DL link in the SL DRX configuration;

[0063] Figure 9 is one of the architectural diagrams of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 12 is a second schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figure 13a is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 13b is a second schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 13c is a second schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 13d is a third schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0071] Figure 14a is a fourth schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 14b is a fifth schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figure 14c is a sixth schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0074] Figure 15 is a block diagram of an apparatus for implementing a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 16 is a second block diagram of an apparatus for implementing another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 17 is a third block diagram of an apparatus for implementing another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 19 is a schematic block diagram of the terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 20 is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0080] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technical background and related technologies will first be given:

[0081] A relay UE typically refers to a special type of user equipment (UE) in the field of wireless communication. It can not only receive and transmit data as a regular UE, but also act as a relay to forward wireless signals, thereby enhancing the coverage and quality of the wireless signal. This type of communication link via a relay UE can also be called an indirect path.

[0082] Relay UEs are used in both Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) networks, particularly in areas with poor signal coverage, such as remote areas and inside buildings. In certain Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) applications, such as densely populated urban areas or long-distance communication, relays can be used to enhance communication signals between vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure, especially in situations with insufficient signal coverage or obstructions. Relay devices can receive weak signals, amplify them, and retransmit them, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of communication.

[0083] Relay UEs can be divided into two types: UE-to-Network (U2N) Relay UEs and UE-to-UE (U2U) Relay UEs. U2N Relay UEs can receive signals from the network (such as a base station, gNB) and forward them to other UEs, which are called U2N remote UEs. This replaces a poor-quality link with two better-quality links, resulting in higher link capacity and better coverage, thus improving the communication quality of U2N remote UEs.

[0084] In a U2N scenario, as shown in Figure 1, the Relay UE connects to the gNB via the Uu interface and to the remote UE via the PC5 interface. The Relay UE in Figure 1 is a single-hop Relay UE, meaning the gNB and remote UE are connected through only one Relay UE. However, in a multi-hop relay scenario, the communication link involves more than one Relay UE. For example, a multi-hop U2N relay can support the following path: remote UE -> First Relay UE -> Second Relay UE -> last Relay UE -> gNB, as shown in Figure 2. The Relay UE connects to the gNB via the Uu interface, and the Relay UEs(s) connect to each other and to the remote UE via the PC5 interface. The First Relay UE and Second Relay UE can be collectively referred to as the Intermediate Relay UE.

[0085] In relay scenarios, the UE can reduce its power consumption through the Sidelink Discontinuous Reception (SL DRX) mechanism, thereby saving power and extending UE standby time. SL-DRX is an extension of the DRX (Discontinuous Reception) mechanism. DRX allows the UE to enter a low-power sleep state (Sleep time) when it does not need to receive data, waking up only during specific time windows (On duration) to receive paging messages or perform other necessary communications. One DRX cycle equals the sum of the active and sleep periods, as shown in Figure 3. DRX is particularly effective for application scenarios that do not require continuous high data transmission. Without DRX, whether in idle or connected states, the terminal would continuously listen to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) to check for information from the serving cell, even if the UE is not constantly interacting with the network. DRX allows the UE to listen to the network according to a pre-configured periodic pattern instead of continuously listening, which significantly reduces device power consumption and extends battery life.

[0086] Taking V2X scenarios as an example, SL-DRX, as an extension of DRX, allows vehicles to periodically turn off their receivers to save power when there is no data transmission requirement. Similar to DRX, SL-DRX also has a cycle, but its design takes into account the specific needs of V2X communication. The cycle and behavior of SL-DRX may differ from DRX because V2X communication has higher real-time and security requirements, thus its design considers high mobility, low latency, and high reliability. For example, the SL-DRX cycle may be shorter to ensure that vehicles can receive emergency information from other vehicles in a timely manner. The configuration of SL-DRX is as follows:

[0087] In related technologies, if a UE needs to configure DRX, the UE, acting as the receiver (RX), will send auxiliary information to the transmitter (TX), such as the selectable DRX period and activation period. The TX will then configure an appropriate DRX period (including the activation period and sleep period) for the RX based on the auxiliary information. In a relay scenario, if a remote UE needs to configure DRX mode, it will report SL DRX Assistance Information to the relay UE via SL dedicated signaling. This information may include the remote UE's desired SL DRX configuration, such as period length, activation period length, and frame offset. After receiving the auxiliary information, the relay UE will:

[0088] For a relay UE in Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state (RRC_CONNECTED), the relay UE can report the auxiliary information received from the remote UE to the base station via a Sidelink UE Information (SUI) message (specifically, the SL DRX receive list information (sl-DRX-InfoFromRxList) in the NR SUI message). Then, it obtains the SL DRX configuration from the base station and sends it to the RX. In other words, for a TX-UE in RRC connected state, the SL DRX is ultimately configured by the TX-UE's base station, as shown in Figure 4.

[0089] For Relay UEs in RRC disconnected state (RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE), there is no RRC connection with the base station, and there are currently no other data transmission requirements from the Remote UE. However, the Relay UE needs to help the Remote UE listen for paging messages and subsequently forward paging messages to the Remote UE via the PC5 interface. Therefore, the Relay UE needs to configure appropriate SL DRX for the Remote UE to ensure that the Remote UE can receive paging messages while saving the Remote UE's power consumption. The SL DRX configuration process is shown in Figure 5.

[0090] As is understandable, paging refers to the call process initiated by the network (NW) to the UE. For a Relay UE in an RRC-unconnected state, there is no RRC connection with the base station. Therefore, when a call, SMS, or data service needs to be delivered to a UE, the NW cannot communicate directly with that UE. Instead, it uses the paging mechanism to broadcast paging messages within the cell range where the UE may be camped. The UE needs to listen to these paging messages. When it receives a paging message relevant to itself, it responds to the network, thereby initiating an RRC connection establishment and establishing a communication link with the network. In the time domain, the UE will only attempt to receive paging messages at a specific paging occasion (PO) within a specific paging frame (PF) within its paging period. The paging period is the time interval during which the UE listens to the network for paging messages. The content of the Paging message is sent to the UE through the PDSCH resource location, which is indicated by the PDCCH scrambled with the Physical Cell-specific Non-Transitory Identifier (P-CNTI). The UE can determine the PF and PO locations through relevant formulas.

[0091] If the UE needs to configure DRX, it must ensure that it listens for paging messages during the active period. The DRX cycle and the paging cycle are the same concept. The UE wakes up at PO in each paging cycle, listens to the PDCCH channel, checks for paging messages, and if present, parses the acquired DCI to obtain the time-frequency position of the PDSCH channel. Finally, the terminal parses the paging content at the corresponding PDSCH channel position. If not, the UE enters sleep mode again until the next paging cycle. In this way, the UE can significantly reduce its radio resource usage, thereby saving battery power.

[0092] Therefore, in the SL DRX scenario where a gNB paging a Remote UE, since the gNB and relay UE can calculate the PO time separately (there will be an offset between them in the time domain to align the time), the gNB needs to send the paging message from the air interface at the PO time. In SL DRX mode, the relay UE will detect the PO during the active period of each DRX cycle and then forward the detected paging message to the Remote UE. If the Remote UE needs to be configured with SL DRX, in order to ensure that the Remote UE can receive the paging message during the active period, the relay UE must first estimate a delay. This delay includes the processing time of the relay UE and the transmission delay of the PC5 link, etc., and then configure an appropriate SL DRX for the Remote UE to ensure that the paging message is received during the active period, as shown in Figure 6.

[0093] However, if the above SL DRX mechanism is directly applied to a multi-hop relay scenario, it can only guarantee successful paging of the remote UE when each relay UE in the link is configured with SL DRX or none of them are configured. This is because the first relay UE connected to the base station (i.e., the last relay UE) can calculate the PO (Point of Interest). Therefore, when it configures SL DRX for the next relay UE, it ensures that the PO falls within the active period. Then, step by step, each relay UE ensures that the active periods match in the time domain when configuring SL DRX for the next relay UE, thus guaranteeing that the PO is always within the active period.

[0094] In a multi-hop relay scenario, as the number of hops increases, each relay UE can choose whether to configure SL DRX. However, only the last relay UE (also known as the First Relay UE or Relay UE 1) can consider PO when configuring SL DRX for the RX UE. This is because only the last relay UE has a Uu interface with the base station and needs to listen for paging messages. Other relay UEs do not need to listen for paging messages, so they do not actively calculate PO. Therefore, when other relay UEs configure SL DRX for their RX UEs, they do not consider the requirement that the PO time must fall within the active period. If, for example, a second-hop relay UE (Relay UE 2) does not configure SL DRX, but its next-hop relay UE (which could also be a remote UE) needs to configure SL DRX, Relay UE 2 will not consider the PO time when configuring SL DRX for its RX UE. This could lead to the RX UE not receiving paging messages during its active period, causing paging failure for the remote UE, as shown in Figure 7. In multi-hop scenarios (Figure 7 only illustrates a two-hop scenario), if any relay UE in one hop is not configured with SL DRX, while other relay UEs or remote UEs need to configure SL DRX, it may be possible that when each relay UE configures SL DRX for the RX UE (the next-hop relay UE or remote UE), it cannot guarantee that the PO will be active during the RX UE's active period. This will cause the RX UE to not receive paging messages, ultimately resulting in paging failure for the remote UE. In fact, the probability of paging failure increases with the number of hops.

[0095] Furthermore, after the remote UE successfully receives the paging message, it may subsequently send request messages to the relay UE (such as RRC connection establishment request (RRCSetupRequest), RRC connection recovery request (RRCResumeRequest), etc.). At this time, the relay UE does not need to receive other data from the remote UE, so it is usually possible to configure an SL DRX for the relay UE at this time. Note that this is the uplink (UL) link, where the TX UE is the remote UE and the RX UE is the relay UE, which is the opposite of the downlink (DL) link corresponding to the paging message, as shown in Figure 8. Therefore, the remote UE needs to reconfigure a set of SL DRX to save power consumption for the relay UE. To ensure that the relay UE can receive the request message sent by the remote UE, the remote UE will estimate its own processing time after receiving the paging message and the transmission latency of the PC5 link, and configure an appropriate SL DRX for the relay UE to ensure that the arrival time of the request message is within the active period of the relay UE.

[0096] However, in multi-hop relay scenarios, to save energy, relay UEs are configured with corresponding SL DRX for the UL link. Related technologies can only guarantee that the request message sent by the remote UE accurately reaches the NW when each hop of the relay UE in this UL link has either configured SL DRX or none has it configured. But if any hop of the relay UE does not have SL DRX configured, the next hop and subsequent relay UEs cannot accurately predict the arrival time of the request message when configuring SL DRX for their corresponding RX UE. This may cause the configured SL DRX activation period to mismatch with the arrival time of the request message, ultimately resulting in the remote UE being unable to access the NW and paging failure. The more hops, the greater the possibility of paging failure.

[0097] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, and system, which can be applied to a first terminal (which may be a UE, such as a relay UE) receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a second terminal-side downlink discontinuous reception configuration, the second terminal-side downlink discontinuous reception configuration being used to determine the first terminal's downlink discontinuous reception configuration; and receiving first data based on the first terminal's downlink discontinuous reception configuration, the first data being data sent to a third terminal, the third terminal and the first terminal being one terminal or two different terminals. In this process, for multi-hop scenarios, in the paging process, whether it is downlink (DL) or uplink (UL), each TX in the link, whether performing SL DRX or not, can send an indication information to the RX UE, indicating that the TX corresponding to the RX is not configured with SL DRX or the TX UE is configured with SL DRX. After receiving the indication information, if the RX UE needs to configure SL DRX, it can report the relevant configuration parameters (e.g., parameters for calculating PO in DL, and expected processing delay from receiving paging to sending the request in UL) to the TX (e.g., via DRX auxiliary information). The TX calculates the PO and then configures an appropriate SL DRX for the RX, or instructs the TX on its SL DRX configuration, allowing the RX to perform its own SL DRX configuration based on the TX's SL DRX. This ensures that the POs of the RX and TX are always aligned, thus ensuring that the PO of each hop UE is within the active period and reducing the possibility of paging failure. Furthermore, by indicating that the preset delay corresponding to the RX can be advanced by a gap, it can be ensured that the request message arrives at each hop UE within the SL DRX active period, ultimately enabling the remote UE to successfully access the NW. This effectively solves the paging failure problem in multi-hop scenarios.

[0098] In this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for the purpose of instructing A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0099] In this application, " / " can indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" can be used to describe three relationships between the related objects. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0100] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more, such as three, four, or more. Similar expressions (such as at least one, at least one, etc.) are used in the same way. "At least one of the following," "one or more of the following," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, which may include only a single item or a combination of multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, or b, or c; a and b; or a and c; or b and c; or a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0101] In this application, for the convenience of describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish them. The terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0102] In this application, the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "example," or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0103] In this application, "sending information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct transmission via the device's communication interface (such as an air interface, or simply air interface). "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of a module interface. "Sending" can include indirect transmission by the processing unit through the communication interface, meaning that after the processing unit outputs information / data through the module interface, it is transmitted to the device's communication interface and then sent out. "Receiving information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct reception via the communication interface. "Receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of a module interface. "Receiving information / data" can include indirect reception by the processing unit through the communication interface, meaning that after the communication interface receives information / data, it is transmitted to the processing unit's module interface and then input to the processing unit. "Sending information / data to… (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. It can include sending information / data directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information / data from… (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information / data directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information / data may undergo necessary processing, such as format changes, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information / data from the source. Similar statements in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be repeated here.

[0104] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, satellite communication systems, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, and the solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0105] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in this application. Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As shown in Figure 9, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 10 and a core network (CN) 20. Optionally, the communication system also includes an Internet 30. RAN 10 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 9, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 9, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 10 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 9). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 20. The core network equipment in core network 20 and RAN node 110 in RAN 10 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0106] RAN 10 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 10 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. RAN 10 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0107] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 9 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 10 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 9 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0108] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 9, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 9, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0109] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0110] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open Central Unit, responsible for handling control plane protocols, including the entity responsible for managing Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol entities), DU can also be called (Open Distributed Unit, O-DU, possessing baseband processing capabilities and complete protocol layer functions, mainly responsible for higher-level protocol functions such as data encryption and integrity protection. It also possesses physical layer high-level processing capabilities), CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called (Open Radio Unit, O-RU, possessing physical layer low-level signal processing capabilities, mainly responsible for the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU units in this application can be implemented through a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0111] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0112] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal and network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the terminal and network device.

[0113] The following describes the embodiments of this application in further detail using a Multi-hop Relay scenario as an example. The application scenarios of this embodiment may include, but are not limited to, the topology shown in Figure 10. As shown in Figure 10, a remote UE (which may correspond to one terminal 120 in Figure 9) is connected to the network (NW, which may include the access network and the core network, and may correspond to RAN10 and core network 20 in Figure 9) through multiple relay UEs (which may correspond to multiple terminals 120 in Figure 9). For example, a remote UE communicates with a gNB through a First Relay UE->Second Relay UE->last Relay UE connection. To simplify the process, the First Relay UE and / or Second Relay UE are collectively referred to as Intermediate Relay. Intermediate Relay can be a single hop (containing one Relay UE) or multiple hops (containing the First Relay UE, Second Relay UE, and more). When the remote UE is in an RRC disconnected state (such as idle or inactive state), the NW paging process for the remote UE is shown in Figure 9. Each relay UE needs to forward messages: forward the NW's paging message in the DL and forward the remote UE's request message in the UL. Only when each hop message is successfully delivered can the final paging success be guaranteed.

[0114] Since each relay UE can be configured with or without SL DRX, if a relay UE is not configured with SL DRX while other relay UEs or remote UEs need to be configured with SL DRX, it cannot be guaranteed that the paging occasion (PO) for receiving paging messages will be within the active period of the RX UE. This will cause the RX UE to not receive paging messages, ultimately resulting in paging failure of the remote UE.

[0115] In this embodiment, when each relay UE acts as a TX UE, it can send an indication message to the relay UE (or remote UE) acting as an RX UE, indicating that the TX UE has not configured SL DRX or the corresponding SL DRX configuration. After receiving the indication message from other relay UEs, if each relay UE needs to configure SL DRX, it can report the configuration-related parameters (e.g., parameters for calculating PO in DL) to the TX UE, which will then configure a suitable SL DRX for it. Alternatively, when the TX UE configures SL DRX, the RX UE can configure its own SL DRX based on the TX UE's SL DRX configuration, ensuring that the specific timing of message reception is aligned. This ensures that the PO of each hop UE is within the active period, reducing the possibility of paging failure. Furthermore, by indicating that the preset delay corresponding to the relay UE can be advanced by a gap, it can be ensured that the time when the request message arrives at each hop UE is within the SL DRX active period, ultimately enabling the remote UE to successfully access the NW.

[0116] The method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below, taking the first device as the first terminal, the second device as the second terminal, and the third device as the third terminal as examples, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0117] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment. The first terminal, the subject executing the method, can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, such as a UE device (any relay UE or remote UE as shown in Figure 10). As shown in Figure 11, it may include one or more steps from S1101 to S1103.

[0118] Step S1101: The first terminal receives first indication information, which is used to indicate the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side link, and the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side link is used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal side link.

[0119] Optionally, the first instruction information may be instruction information sent from the second terminal to the first terminal.

[0120] Optionally, if the second terminal does not perform SL DRX configuration, the first indication information may indicate that the second terminal has not configured SL DRX; or, if the second terminal performs SL DRX configuration, the first indication information may indicate that the second terminal has SL DRX configured.

[0121] For example, the second terminal acts as the transmitting (TX) device configured for SL DRX, and the first terminal acts as the receiving (RX) device configured for SL DRX. When the TX device indicates to the RX device that the TX device has not performed SL DRX configuration, the RX device knows that the TX has not configured SL DRX. The RX can report parameters for calculating the time of receiving messages based on the fact that the TX has not configured SL DRX, so that the TX device, which does not perform RX DRX, can also consider the time when the RX device receives messages. This allows the RX device to receive downlink messages (such as paging messages) from the network (NW) or uplink messages (such as request messages) from the remote UE during the SL DRX activation period.

[0122] For example, when the TX device is configured with SL DRX, by distributing the TX device's SL DRX, the RX device can utilize the TX's SL DRX to configure its own SL DRX. This allows the RX device's receive window to align with the TX device's transmit window, enabling the RX device to receive downlink messages (such as paging messages) from the network (NW) or uplink messages (such as request messages) from the remote UE during the SL DRX activation period. In multi-hop relay scenarios, through this SL DRX configuration sharing, each hop's device can receive data within the correct time window, ensuring that each node in the multi-hop link can successfully receive and forward data.

[0123] Optionally, the second terminal can be the last hop relay UE in a multi-hop relay scenario, or it can be an intermediate relay UE.

[0124] Optionally, the first terminal can be an intermediate relay UE between the second terminal and the third terminal. For example, if the second terminal is the last-hop relay UE, the first terminal can be Intermediate relay UE1, or if the second terminal is Intermediate relay UE1, the first terminal can be Intermediate relay UE2.

[0125] Optionally, the third terminal can be a remote UE, or the third terminal can be the last-hop relay UE.

[0126] It should be noted that the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal in this embodiment can be any UE in a multi-hop relay scenario. This embodiment does not make any special limitation on the UE identity of the above terminals in a multi-hop relay scenario. For ease of understanding, the second terminal in this embodiment is used to refer to the TX device, and the first terminal and the third terminal are used to refer to the RX device. In practical applications, any UE can be either a TX device or an RX device.

[0127] Optionally, in step S1102, the second terminal sends first data, which is data sent to the third terminal.

[0128] Understandably, the first data is the data sent to the third terminal, that is, the data that needs to be received by the third terminal. For example, in the downlink scenario, the downlink message sent by the network (through multi-hop relay UEs, which may include the second terminal and the first terminal) to the third terminal (remote UE), such as a paging message; or in the uplink scenario, the uplink message uploaded by the remote UE (through multi-hop relay UEs, which may include the first terminal and the second terminal) to the third terminal (last hop relay UE), such as a request message.

[0129] Optionally, in step S1103, the first terminal receives the first data based on the side link discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal.

[0130] Optionally, when the first terminal and the third terminal are the same terminal, that is, when the first terminal is the remote UE or the last hop relay UE in a multi-hop relay scenario, there is no need to forward the first data again.

[0131] Optionally, when the first terminal and the third terminal are two different terminals, the first terminal, as an intermediate relay UE, receives the first data during the activation period of its SL DRX configuration and forwards it to the third terminal, so that the third terminal can successfully receive the paging message or request message, thereby enabling the remote UE in the multi-hop relay scenario to successfully access the network.

[0132] Thus, by receiving the first indication information and configuring SL DRX, the first terminal, acting as an RX UE, can know whether the second terminal, acting as a TX UE, has configured SL DRX. For example, in a multi-hop relay scenario, when the second terminal is the previous hop UE of the first terminal, it can indicate its SL DRX configuration status to the first terminal. The first terminal can report parameters for calculating the specific time of receiving messages to achieve SL DRX configuration if the second terminal has not configured SL DRX, or it can configure its own SL DRX based on the second terminal's SL DRX when the second terminal has configured SL DRX, so as to ensure that the first terminal receives the first data during the activation period. This first data can be uplink data or downlink data. For example, in a downlink scenario, the first terminal can receive downlink data (such as paging messages) sent by the network to the third terminal (the next-hop UE of the first terminal, such as a remote UE) during the activation period and forward the downlink data to the third terminal; or in an uplink scenario, it can receive uplink data (such as request messages) sent by the remote UE to the third terminal during the activation period and forward the uplink data to the third terminal (the next-hop UE of the first terminal, such as the last-hop relay UE). When the first terminal and the third terminal are the same terminal (such as when there is no next-hop UE on the communication link of the first terminal), the first terminal only needs to receive the first data during the activation period, thereby solving the problem of paging failure or connection failure of remote UE in multi-hop relay scenarios.

[0133] In an optional implementation, the first terminal may send first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the first terminal's sidelink discontinuous reception.

[0134] Optionally, the first terminal may send first auxiliary information to the second terminal. The first terminal may send the first auxiliary information to the second terminal after receiving the first indication information. For example, the first indication information indicates that the second terminal has not configured SL DRX. Alternatively, the first terminal may also actively send the first auxiliary information to the second terminal.

[0135] By sending first auxiliary information, such as when the first terminal sends the first auxiliary information to the second terminal, the second terminal can configure the first terminal's SL DRX according to the first terminal's first auxiliary information, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period. When the third terminal is a different terminal from the first terminal, the third terminal can also send the first auxiliary information to its corresponding TX device to configure the third terminal's SL DRX, so as to achieve a similar technical effect as the first terminal.

[0136] Correspondingly, when the first terminal acts as a TX device, it can also receive first auxiliary information sent by the RX device requesting SL DRX configuration. For related explanations, please refer to the process of the second terminal acting as a TX device, which will not be elaborated here.

[0137] Optionally, the first auxiliary information may include configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives messages and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0138] By carrying configuration parameters for configuring the SL DRX of the first terminal in the first auxiliary information, the TX UE of the first terminal (such as the second terminal) can use the configuration parameters to configure the appropriate SL DRX configuration for the first terminal more quickly. Even if the TX UE has not configured the SL DRX, it can still configure the SL DRX for the first terminal according to the configuration parameters. The SL DRX of the first terminal takes into account the time when the first terminal receives messages, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period.

[0139] Furthermore, the configuration parameters may include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0140] The moment when the first terminal receives the message can refer to the moment when it receives the paging occcasion message sent by the network in the downlink (DL) scenario, or it can refer to the moment when it receives the request message (such as the RRCSetupRequest message) sent by the terminal (such as the remote UE) in the uplink (UL) scenario.

[0141] In one example, by including a parameter in the first configuration parameter for calculating the time when the first terminal receives a message, such as the parameter for calculating the first terminal receives a paging message in a downlink scenario (or the parameter for calculating the first terminal receives a request message in an uplink scenario), the second terminal can quickly calculate the time when the first terminal receives a paging message (or request message) based on this parameter and configure the corresponding SL DRX for the first terminal.

[0142] In another example, by including the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message in the first configuration parameter, that is, the number of relay UEs through which the message is received in the relay scenario, the time delay from sending the message to receiving the first terminal can be estimated based on the number of terminals (such as the time delay of a paging message from the NW to receiving the first terminal, or the time delay of a request message from the remote UE to receiving the first terminal). Based on the corresponding time delay, the moment when the first terminal receives the message can be determined, thereby quickly configuring SL DRX for the first terminal.

[0143] In another example, by including the estimated latency from receiving a message to forwarding a message in the first configuration parameters—that is, the time required for the first terminal to forward a paging message (or request message), i.e., the expected processing latency of the first terminal, including processing, queuing, and any necessary protocol operations—the second terminal configures its SL DRX period using the first terminal's expected processing latency. Specifically, the second terminal can determine based on the expected processing latency that the first terminal is likely to complete processing and be ready to forward the paging message, thus quickly configuring the SL DRX for the first terminal. Furthermore, based on the first terminal's expected processing latency, the second terminal can adjust the active period of the first terminal's SL DRX, ensuring that the first terminal is active when it is expected to complete processing and be ready to forward (i.e., the activation period), thereby receiving or forwarding the message at the corresponding time (enabling the next-hop terminal to successfully receive the message).

[0144] In some examples, the first configuration parameter may also carry any combination or all of the above information, or the first configuration parameter may also include other parameters for configuring SL DRX for the third terminal. This embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on this.

[0145] As can be seen, based on the above configuration parameters, the TX device can configure the first terminal with more accurate SL DRX, so that the third terminal can receive paging messages or request messages at the corresponding time. Accordingly, for any hop UE in a multi-hop relay scenario, the above method can be used to report auxiliary information (for example, when the third terminal is the RX device and the first device is the TX device, the third terminal can report auxiliary information to the first terminal), so that each hop UE can receive messages during the activation period, thereby further reducing the possibility of paging failure or connection failure.

[0146] The following example uses a multi-hop relay scenario, as shown in Figure 12. Assuming a three-hop relay UE, a last relay UE, intermediate relay UE1, intermediate relay UE2, and a remote UE, the (DL) communication process in this scenario can include the following steps:

[0147] Step 0: The Last relay UE or NW can actively calculate the time when the Last relay UE receives the paging occupancy (PO).

[0148] Understandably, for a Last relay UE, when it is in RRC disconnected state (RRC IDLE or INACTIVE), the NW cannot configure SL DRX for it, but it may have been configured earlier (for example, when it was in RRC_CONNECTED), and PO has been taken into account during the configuration.

[0149] Unlike related technologies, optionally, the Last relay UE can send a notification message, whether it has no SL DRX configured or not, indicating to the Intermediate relay UE 1 that it does not have SL DRX or its SL DRX is configured. This allows the relay UE 1 to add additional configuration-related parameters (such as parameters for calculating PO, expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging) to the reported SL DRX auxiliary information when the Intermediate relay UE 1 does not have SL DRX configured. In this case, the Last relay UE can be the second terminal, and the relay UE 1 can be the first terminal.

[0150] Optionally, in the above multi-hop relay scenario, any UE can be a first terminal, a second terminal, or a third terminal. For ease of understanding of this embodiment, Intermediate relay UE 2 will be described as the first terminal, Intermediate relay UE 1 as the second terminal, and remote UE as the third terminal. In different scenarios, since each of the above UEs may be an RX UE or a TX UE, each of the above UEs may be a first terminal, a second terminal, or a third terminal, and this application does not impose any particular limitation on this.

[0151] Optionally, for Intermediate relay UE 1, there are two options for whether or not to configure SL DRX:

[0152] Option 1: Intermediate relay UE 1 needs to be configured with SL DRX. This part is similar to related technologies, and the relevant explanations can be found in the above text and can be understood in conjunction with the corresponding explanations in Figure 6.

[0153] Step 1-1: Intermediate relay UE 1 reports auxiliary information to Last relay UE.

[0154] If the Last relay UE is in RRC connected state, perform the following steps:

[0155] Step 1-2: Last relay - UE reports auxiliary information to NW;

[0156] Step 2: NW decides on the SL DRX configuration of Intermediate relay UE 1;

[0157] Step 3-1: NW issues SL DRX configuration for Intermediate relay UE 1;

[0158] Step 3-2: The Last relay UE forwards the SL DRX configuration of the Intermediate relay UE 1.

[0159] If the Last relay UE is in a disconnected state (such as RRC IDLE or INACTIVE), perform the following steps:

[0160] Step 2: Last relay UE decides on the SL DRX configuration of Intermediate relay UE 1;

[0161] Step 3-2: The Last relay UE sends the SL DRX configuration to the Intermediate relay UE 1.

[0162] Option 2: Intermediate relay UE 1 does not require SL DRX configuration.

[0163] Step S1201: Send a first indication message (Notification 1). Intermediate relay UE 2 receives the first indication message, which instructs Intermediate relay UE 1 not to configure SL DRX. Based on the first indication message, Intermediate relay UE 2 adds additional configuration-related parameters (corresponding to the first auxiliary information) to the reported SL DRX auxiliary information, such as parameters for calculating PO, the number of hops, and the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging. Intermediate relay UE 1 makes the SL DRX decision.

[0164] It should be noted that the aforementioned first indication information may be actively sent by Intermediate relay UE 1, or it may be sent by Intermediate relay UE 1 after Intermediate relay UE 2 issues a request (such as requesting SL DRX configuration). This embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on this.

[0165] Correspondingly, for Intermediate relay UE 2, there are two scenarios regarding whether or not to configure SL DRX:

[0166] Option 1: SL DRX needs to be configured

[0167] Step 4-1: Intermediate relay UE 1 reports auxiliary information to Last relay UE. Unlike related technologies, if it receives the first indication message (Notification 1), Intermediate relay UE 2 needs to add additional configuration-related parameters (corresponding to the first auxiliary information) to the reported SL DRX auxiliary information. These parameters include, for example, the parameters for calculating the PO and the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging. At this time, the additional configuration-related parameters in the SL DRX auxiliary information reported by Intermediate relay UE 1 are also the configuration parameters. In some methods, Intermediate relay UE 1 can also report configuration parameters through a new message; this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0168] If both the Last relay UE and the Intermediate relay UE 1 are in RRC connected state, perform the following steps:

[0169] Step 4-2: Intermediate relay UE 1 reports the auxiliary information of Intermediate relay UE 2 to NW through Last relay UE;

[0170] Step 5: The NW decides on the SL DRX configuration of the Intermediate relay UE 1. Although additional parameters are added to the auxiliary information at this time, since both the Last relay UE and the Intermediate relay UE 1 are in the RRC connected state, these additional parameters can be known to the NW. Therefore, the NW can also calculate the PO in advance.

[0171] Step 6-1: NW sends the SL DRX configuration to Intermediate relay UE 2 via Last relay UE;

[0172] Step 6-2: Intermediate relay UE 1 forwards the SL DRX configuration of Intermediate relay UE 2.

[0173] If the Last relay UE or Intermediate relay UE 1 is in an RRC disconnected state (such as RRC IDLE or INACTIVE), perform the following steps:

[0174] Step 5: Intermediate relay UE 1 calculates the PO of Intermediate relay UE 2 based on the additional information in the auxiliary information, and then decides on the SL DRX configuration of Intermediate relay UE 2 based on the calculated PO;

[0175] Step 6-2: Intermediate relay UE 1 issues SL DRX configuration to Intermediate relay UE 1

[0176] Option 2: No SL DRX configuration required.

[0177] S1202, Issue the first instruction message (Notification1), instructing the remote UE to add additional configuration-related parameters to the reported SL DRX-assisted information, such as the parameters for calculating PO, the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging, etc.

[0178] For remote UEs, the process can be terminated if SL DRX is not configured. If SL DRX needs to be configured, the following steps should be performed:

[0179] Step 7-1: The remote UE reports auxiliary information to the intermediate relay UE 2. Unlike related technologies, if Notification 1 is received, the remote UE can add additional configuration-related parameters (corresponding to the first auxiliary information) to the reported SL DRX auxiliary information, such as parameters for calculating the PO and the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging. In some cases, the remote UE can also report the SL DRX auxiliary information (including configuration parameters) via a new message; this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0180] If the Last relay UE, Intermediate relay UE 1, and Intermediate relay UE 2 are all in RRC connected state, the operation (Step 7-2, Step 8, Step 9-1) is similar to Step 4-2, Step 5, and Step 6-1 for Intermediate relay UE 2, and the relevant explanations will not be repeated.

[0181] If one or more of the Last relay UE, Intermediate relay UE 1, and Intermediate relay UE 2 are in an RRC disconnected state (such as RRC IDLE or INACTIVE):

[0182] Step 8: Intermediate relay UE 2 calculates the PO of the remote UE based on the additional information in the auxiliary information, and then decides on the SL DRX configuration of the remote UE based on the calculated PO;

[0183] Step 9-2: Intermediate relay UE 2 sends the SL DRX configuration to the remote UE.

[0184] This embodiment addresses multi-hop scenarios by configuring SL DRX through the issuance or reporting of indication information. This ensures that during paging of a remote UE by the NW, each TX in the link can indicate the RX UE's SL DRX configuration without performing SL DRX itself. After receiving the indication information, if the RX UE needs to configure SL DRX, it can report configuration-related parameters (such as parameters for calculating the PO, the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging, etc.) to the TX (e.g., via DRX auxiliary information messages). The TX then calculates the PO and configures the appropriate SL DRX for the RX, ensuring that the PO of each UE is active within the activation period.

[0185] It should be noted that the above communication process is based on the DL scenario, and the same applies to the UL scenario; the relevant explanations will not be repeated here. Furthermore, this embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on the order of the above execution steps. SL DRX is based on hop-by-hop configuration (according to DL: from NW to remote UE) to ensure that Paging messages can be accurately received.

[0186] Figures 13a and 13b are schematic flowcharts of another communication method provided by the embodiments of this application. One possible approach, as shown in Figure 13a, may include the following steps based on Figure 11: Step S1301: The first terminal receives second indication information, which is used to indicate the first preset delay corresponding to the first terminal. The first preset delay is the estimated delay from message sending to message receiving at the first terminal.

[0187] Optionally, in the example scenario of Figure 13a, the second indication information is sent by the second terminal. For example, in the downlink scenario, the second terminal is a Last Reley UE, or in the uplink scenario, the second terminal is a remote UE. In some embodiments, in the downlink scenario, the second indication information may also be sent by the network (NW), which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0188] Understandably, a message can be the first data sent to a third terminal, or when the third terminal and the first terminal are the same terminal, the message can be the first data sent to the first terminal.

[0189] Another possible approach, as shown in Figure 13b, is that the first terminal can also receive only the second instruction information, that is, execute step S1301 alone without executing the first instruction information. The first terminal can use the second instruction information to configure the SL DRX of the first terminal and receive the first data based on the SL DRX configuration of the first terminal.

[0190] Optionally, in the downlink (DL) scenario, the second indication information can be indicated by the network (NW) or by the last-hop relay UE (e.g., the second terminal is the last-hop relay UE). The NW can include the radio access network (RAN) or the open radio access network (O-RAN). Taking the O-RAN issuing the third indication information as an example, its network architecture can be as shown in Figure 13c.

[0191] Continuing with the example of a multi-hop relay scenario, during the paging process of a remote UE, the NW or the last-hop relay UE calculates the PO location and estimates the preset delay for each hop (including the first preset delay from paging being sent from the network to the first terminal for reception, which may include the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging). The NW can then send the message to each hop UE one by one (or simultaneously) through the second indication information until the remote UE is reached. The activation period for each hop can be delayed by one delay, so that each hop can receive the paging message within the activation period and successfully forward the request message to the remote UE, thereby enabling the remote UE to be successfully paging.

[0192] Optionally, in the uplink (UL) scenario, the second indication information can be sent by other terminals (such as a remote UE). For example, after a remote UE successfully receives a paging message, if it needs to establish a connection with the NW, it can send a request message to the NW. The remote UE can preset the delay for each hop (including the first preset delay from when the request message is sent from the remote UE to when it is received by the first terminal, such as the expected processing delay from when the request message is received to when it is forwarded) and send the second indication information one by one (or simultaneously) until the last hop relay UE. The activation period of each hop is delayed by one delay, so that each hop can receive the request message within the activation period and successfully forward the request message to the network, thereby enabling the remote UE to successfully connect to the network.

[0193] By receiving the second indication information, which indicates the estimated delay for the first terminal, taking into account the delays in message reception, forwarding, and expected processing, especially the delays incurred by each UE in a multi-hop scenario, the first terminal can be further enabled to receive paging or request messages within the activation period. Specifically, in downlink scenarios, this second indication information can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the last-hop relay UE) or by the network; in uplink scenarios, it can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the remote UE). Correspondingly, each UE in a relay scenario can receive a delay information, indicating the estimated delay from message transmission to reception by the corresponding UE. This effectively solves the problem of not receiving paging messages within the activation period due to delays, ensuring that each UE can receive paging or request messages within the activation period.

[0194] Furthermore, considering the case where the terminal is not configured with SL DRX, in an optional implementation, as shown in Figure 13d, taking the example scenario in Figure 13b as an example, in addition to the steps in Figure 13b, the following steps may also be included: Step S1302, the first terminal receives third indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay, and the first preset time interval is used to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message for the second terminal.

[0195] Optionally, the third indication information can be sent by the second terminal. For example, if the second terminal is not configured with SL DRX, by sending the third indication information to the first terminal (in this case, the second terminal is the upstream terminal of the first terminal), the first terminal is instructed to advance the delay by a preset time interval (gap). For example, in the downlink (DL) scenario, this gap is the expected processing delay from receiving paging to forwarding paging by the upstream terminal of the first terminal (i.e., the second terminal). That is, the delay of the first terminal does not need to include this gap because the second terminal is not configured with SL DRX. The same applies to request messages in the uplink (SL) scenario. In other words, the SL DRX of the first terminal can be directly aligned with the upstream terminal of the first terminal, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period.

[0196] Thus, by receiving the third indication information, when the previous hop terminal has not performed SL DRX configuration, the first terminal can be further enabled to receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period by advancing the estimated delay by an interval.

[0197] Correspondingly, the first terminal can also send a third indication information to the next hop terminal (such as the third terminal). In this case, the third indication information is used to indicate the corresponding preset time interval based on the delay corresponding to the third terminal. The delay corresponding to the third terminal is the estimated time delay from the message being sent to the third terminal and received by the third terminal. The preset time interval corresponding to the third terminal includes the estimated time delay from the first terminal receiving the message to forwarding the message.

[0198] It should be noted that the method by which the first terminal sends the third indication information is similar to the principle of receiving the third indication information. For relevant explanations, please refer to the above. The same applies to any other UE in the relay scenario. This embodiment will not elaborate further.

[0199] By receiving this third indication information, when the second terminal has not performed SL DRX configuration, the first terminal can receive a time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay. This effectively solves the problem of not receiving paging messages during the activation period due to the TX UE not performing SL DRX, thereby enabling the first terminal to receive paging or request messages during the activation period. Correspondingly, when the TX UE corresponding to each hop UE in the relay scenario has not performed SL DRX configuration, it can receive a third indication information to instruct it to receive a time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay, so that each hop UE can receive paging or request messages during the activation period.

[0200] Correspondingly, in this way, in multi-hop relay scenarios, if a certain hop does not perform SL DRX, by sending an indication message on that hop, the paging message or request message can reach each hop UE within the SL DRX activation period, so that each hop UE can receive the paging message or request message, thereby enabling the remote UE to successfully paging or successfully access the NW.

[0201] In some embodiments, the first terminal may also be the last-hop relay UE or a remote UE in a relay scenario. For example, in a downlink scenario, when the first terminal is the last-hop relay UE, the delay of each hop UE can be determined and sent to these UEs through a second indication message. Or, in an uplink scenario, when the first terminal is a remote UE, the delay of each hop UE can be determined and sent to these UEs through a second indication message, and so on. For example, when the first terminal is a remote UE, if the remote UE needs to establish a connection with the NW after successfully receiving the paging message, the remote UE sends a request message to the NW. At this time, the remote UE can preset the delay of each hop and send it one by one (or synchronously) until the last-hop relay UE. The activation period of each hop is delayed by one delay. Correspondingly, if a certain hop does not perform SL DRX, then the hop can also send a third indication message to advance the corresponding gap under the corresponding delay, so that the time for the request message to reach each hop UE is within the SL DRX activation period, thereby ensuring that the remote UE successfully accesses the NW.

[0202] Optionally, continuing with the multi-hop relay scenario as an example, as shown in Figures 14a-14c, Figure 14a illustrates the process of the NW sending the second indication information and the relay UE sending the third indication information (or receiving the third indication information from other relay UEs when they are not configured for SL DRX) in the downlink (DL) scenario. Figure 14b illustrates the process of the remote UE sending the second indication information and the relay UE sending the third indication information (or receiving the third indication information from other relay UEs when they are not configured for SL DRX) in the uplink scenario, assuming that the uplink message at this time is the RRCSetupRequest message sent by the remote UE. Figure 14c illustrates the implementation method of the downlink (DL) scenario under the ORAN architecture.

[0203] The DL scene shown in Figure 14a has the following specific steps:

[0204] Step 0, Last relay UE or NW can actively calculate the PO time of Last relay UE.

[0205] In step S1401, the Last relay UE estimates the delay for each hop UE, i.e., the possible arrival time of the paging message in each hop UE. This includes considering factors such as the number of hops, transmission delay on PC5, and the expected processing delay for each hop UE from receiving the paging message to forwarding it. The Last relay UE then sends the preset delay, either hop-by-hop or hop-by-hop. Taking hop-by-hop sending as an example:

[0206] Step S1402-1: The Last relay UE sends the preset delay Delay1 to the Intermediate relay UE 1;

[0207] Step S1402-2: The Last relay UE sends the preset delay Delay2 to the Intermediate relay UE 2;

[0208] Step S1402-3: The Last relay UE sends the preset delay Delay3 to the remote UE.

[0209] Understandably, the process described above, from S1402-1 to S1402-3, constitutes the transmission flow of the second indication information (Notification2). When the second terminal (or any other terminal) is the Last relay UE, a first preset delay can be estimated for each UE, and the second indication information can be sent.

[0210] Optionally, for Intermediate relay UE 1, there are two options for whether or not to configure SL DRX:

[0211] Option 1: SL DRX needs to be configured. This part is similar to Option 1 in the corresponding example in Figure 12, and the relevant explanation will not be repeated.

[0212] Option 2: No SL DRX configuration required.

[0213] Step S1403: Send the third indication information (Notification3). That is, Intermediate relay UE 2 receives the third indication information. Intermediate relay UE 1 indicates to Intermediate relay UE 2 that the preset delay of Intermediate relay UE 2 can be advanced by one gap. For example, this gap refers to the expected processing delay of the previous hop UE (i.e., Intermediate relay UE 1) from receiving paging to forwarding paging. That is, Dealy 2 does not need to add this gap because Intermediate relay UE 1 has not configured SL DRX. Therefore, it is equivalent to the SL DRX of Intermediate relay UE 2 being directly aligned with its previous hop, i.e., the Last relay UE.

[0214] At this time, Intermediate relay UE 2 is the first terminal and Intermediate relay UE 1 is the second terminal. The first terminal can receive the second instruction information and the third instruction information. In addition, the first terminal can also send the third instruction information. The process of sending the third instruction information is described below.

[0215] For Intermediate relay UE 2, there are two scenarios regarding whether or not to configure SL DRX:

[0216] Option 1: SL DRX needs to be configured. This part is similar to Option 1 in the example corresponding to Figure 12, and the relevant explanation will not be repeated.

[0217] It should be noted that the auxiliary information reported by Intermediate relay UE 1 to Last relay UE may include the recommended SL DRX. This recommended SL DRX takes into account PO through Delay2 and Notification.

[0218] Option 2: No SL DRX configuration required.

[0219] Step S1404: Send the third indication information (Notification3) to indicate that the remote UE's preset delay Dealy 3 can be advanced by one gap. For example, this gap refers to the expected processing delay of the previous hop UE (i.e., Intermediate relay UE 2) from receiving paging to forwarding paging. That is, Dealy 3 does not need to be added to this gap because Intermediate relay UE 2 is not configured with SL DRX. Therefore, it is equivalent to the remote UE's SL DRX being directly aligned with its most recent hop that has configured SL DRX.

[0220] At this point, the remote UE is the third terminal.

[0221] For remote UEs, no additional operations are required if SL DRX is not configured. If SL DRX needs to be configured, the operation is similar to Option 1 of Intermediate relay UE 2, and the relevant explanations will not be repeated.

[0222] It should be noted that this embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on the order of the above execution steps, wherein SL DRX is based on hop-by-hop configuration (according to DL: from NW to remote UE) to ensure that Paging messages can be received accurately.

[0223] During this process, the Last relay UE can estimate the delay for each hop UE and then send the preset delay to the corresponding UE. Simultaneously, each hop TX in the link, without performing SL DRX, will send an indication message to the RX UE, indicating that the preset delay for the RX can be advanced by one gap. This ensures that during the paging process of the NW to the remote UE, even if each hop UE in the link may be configured with SL DRX, the PO of each hop UE is within the active period, thus enabling the remote UE to successfully receive the paging message.

[0224] In the SL scenario shown in Figure 14b, the specific steps are as follows:

[0225] Step 0: The remote UE receives a paging message from the network.

[0226] Remote UE or NW can actively calculate the PO time of Remote UE.

[0227] In step S1405, the remote UE estimates the delay of each hop UE, that is, the time when the request message may arrive in each hop UE, such as considering the number of hops, the transmission delay on PC5, and the expected processing delay of each hop UE from receiving the request message to forwarding the request message.

[0228] Optionally, the remote UE can transmit the preset delay, either hop-by-hop or individually. Taking individually transmission as an example:

[0229] Step S1406-1: The remote UE sends the preset delay Delay1 to the intermediate relay UE 2;

[0230] Step S1406-2: The remote UE sends the preset delay Delay2 to the intermediate relay UE 1;

[0231] Step S1406-3: The remote UE sends the preset delay Delay3 to the last hop relay UE.

[0232] In this process, steps S1406-1 to S1406-3 are the process of sending the second indication information in the uplink scenario. For example, when the second terminal (or any terminal) is a remote UE, the corresponding first preset delay can be estimated for each hop UE, and the second indication information can be sent to each hop UE.

[0233] Optionally, for Intermediate relay UE 2, there are two options for whether or not to configure SL DRX:

[0234] Option 1: SL DRX needs to be configured. This part is similar to the process corresponding to Figure 8, and the relevant explanations will not be repeated.

[0235] Option 2: No SL DRX configuration required.

[0236] Step S1407: Send the third indication information (Notification3) to indicate that the preset delay of Intermediate relay UE 1 can be advanced by one gap. For example, this gap refers to the expected processing delay of the previous hop UE from receiving the request message to forwarding the request message. That is, Dealy2 does not need to be added to this gap because Intermediate relay UE 2 is not configured with SL DRX. In other words, the SL DRX of Intermediate relay UE 2 can be directly aligned with its previous hop (i.e., remote UE).

[0237] For Intermediate relay UE 1, there are two scenarios regarding whether or not to configure SL DRX:

[0238] Option 1: SL DRX needs to be configured, which is similar to the process shown in Figure 8. The relevant explanations will not be repeated here.

[0239] Option 2: No SL DRX configuration required.

[0240] Step S1408: Send the third indication information (Notification3) to indicate that the Last relay UE's preset delay Dealy 3 can be advanced by one gap. For example, this gap refers to the expected processing delay of the previous hop UE from receiving the request message to forwarding the request message. That is, Dealy 3 does not need to add this gap because the Intermediate relay UE 2 is not configured with SL DRX. That is, the SL DRX of the Last relay UE can be directly aligned with its most recently configured hop.

[0241] For Last relay UEs, no additional operations are required if SL DRX is not configured. If SL DRX is configured, some operations are similar to Option 1 of Intermediate relay UE 2. The relevant explanations will not be repeated here.

[0242] It should be noted that this embodiment does not impose any particular limitation on the order of the above execution steps. SL DRX is based on hop-by-hop configuration (according to UL: from remote UE to NW) to ensure that the request message of the remote UE can accurately reach the NW.

[0243] During this process, the remote UE can estimate the delay of each hop UE and then send the preset delay to the corresponding UE. At the same time, each hop TX in the link will send an indication message to the RX UE without performing SL DRX, indicating that the preset delay of the RX can be advanced by one gap, so that the time for the request message to reach each hop UE is within the SL DRX activation period, thereby enabling the remote UE to successfully access the NW.

[0244] In the O-RAN scenario shown in Figure 14c, the specific steps are as follows:

[0245] Step 0: The last relay UE calculates the PO by carrying parameters in the message sent by the NW, while the NW calculates the PO by using the relevant parameters reported by the last relay UE;

[0246] In the SL DRX configuration, if NW decision is required, the UE sends messages to the network to the O-RU first, and then the O-RU passes them to the O-DU. If the decision is made by the O-CU, then the O-DU passes them to the O-CU.

[0247] The NW initiates a paging process to the remote UE, which is then sent from the O-CU or O-DU to the O-RU, and finally from the O-RU to the last relay UE.

[0248] It should be noted that the unexplained parts of the SL DRX configuration in the O-RAN scenario (such as delay delivery, instruction information delivery, etc.) are similar to the relevant steps in Figure 14a, and the relevant explanations will not be repeated here.

[0249] The above method can be used for group handover within a site in multi-hop scenarios. It enables information exchange between different UEs and the network through the O-RAN architecture and configures SL DRX for connected UEs. During SL DRX configuration, relevant indication information is used to show whether the TX UE corresponding to the RX UE has configured SL DRX and information such as delay, effectively avoiding situations where the UE is in a sleep state when a message arrives.

[0250] It should be noted that the technical solution provided in this embodiment can not only effectively solve the handover problem in multi-hop relay scenarios, but is also compatible with various relay terminal handover scenarios. The SL DRX configuration in the above-mentioned multi-hop scenario is only one scenario of this application example, and is not a limitation on the technical solution of this application.

[0251] This embodiment also provides a communication method that can be applied to a second terminal. Referring again to FIG11, the method may include at least one of the following steps: the second terminal sends first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the second terminal's side link discontinuous reception configuration, the second terminal's side link discontinuous reception configuration being used to determine the first terminal's side link discontinuous reception configuration; the second terminal sends first data, the first data being data sent to a third terminal, the third terminal and the first terminal being one terminal or two different terminals.

[0252] By sending the first indication information, the first terminal, acting as an RX UE, can know whether the second terminal, acting as a TX UE, has performed SL DRX configuration. For example, if the second terminal is any hop relay UE in a relay scenario, it can indicate its SL DRX configuration status to the first terminal. The first terminal can be any other relay UE or remote UE in the relay scenario. The first terminal can report parameters for calculating the specific time of receiving messages to achieve SL DRX configuration if the second terminal has not configured SL DRX, or it can perform its own SL DRX configuration based on the second terminal's SL DRX when the second terminal has configured SL DRX, so as to ensure that the first terminal receives the first data during the activation period. The first data can be uplink data or downlink data. For example, in a downlink scenario, the second terminal can forward downlink data (such as paging messages) sent by the network to the third terminal and send it to the first terminal. The first terminal receives the downlink data (such as paging messages) during the activation period and forwards it to the third terminal. Alternatively, in an uplink scenario, the second terminal can forward uplink data (such as request messages) sent by the remote UE (or directly sent by the second terminal as a remote UE) to the third terminal (such as an intermediate relay UE) to the first terminal (such as an intermediate relay UE). The first terminal then forwards the uplink data to the third terminal. When the first terminal and the third terminal are the same terminal, the first terminal does not need to forward the data, ensuring that either the third terminal or the first terminal can receive the first data during the activation period. This solves the problem of paging failure or connection failure of remote UE in multi-hop relay scenarios.

[0253] In an optional implementation, the method may further include the step of receiving first auxiliary information, the first auxiliary information being used to configure the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0254] By receiving the first auxiliary information, the second terminal can configure the first terminal's SL DRX using the first auxiliary information, enabling the first terminal to receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period. When the third terminal is a different terminal from the first terminal, the third terminal can also send the first auxiliary information to configure the third terminal's SL DRX, achieving a similar technical effect to the first terminal.

[0255] In an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0256] By carrying configuration parameters for configuring the SL DRX of the first terminal in the first auxiliary information, the second terminal, as a TX UE, can use these configuration parameters to configure a suitable SL DRX configuration for the first terminal. Even if the second terminal does not configure SL DRX, it can still configure SL DRX for the first terminal according to these configuration parameters. The SL DRX of the first terminal takes into account the time when the first terminal receives messages, so that the first terminal can receive paging messages or request messages during the activation period.

[0257] In an optional implementation, the configuration parameters may include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0258] By including parameters in the configuration parameters for the first terminal, such as the time for calculating the received message, the number of terminals the received message passes through, and the time from receiving the message to forwarding the message, the second terminal can configure a more accurate SL DRX for the first terminal, thereby further ensuring that the first terminal can receive the paging message or request message at the corresponding time. Correspondingly, when the third terminal and the first terminal are two different terminals, the third terminal can also include the above information in its configuration parameters, so that the third terminal's TX UE can configure a more accurate SL DRX for the third terminal, thus achieving a similar technical effect as the first terminal.

[0259] In an optional implementation, the method may further include the following steps: the second terminal sends a second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being the estimated delay from message sending to message receiving at the first terminal.

[0260] By sending a second indication message, which indicates the estimated delay for the first terminal, taking into account the expected processing delays of message reception and forwarding, especially the delays incurred by each UE in a multi-hop scenario, the first terminal can be further enabled to receive paging or request messages within the activation period. Specifically, in downlink scenarios, this second indication message can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the last-hop relay UE) or by the network; in uplink scenarios, it can be sent by the second terminal (e.g., the remote UE). Correspondingly, the second terminal can send a delay message to each UE in a relay scenario to indicate the estimated delay from message transmission to reception by the corresponding UE. This effectively solves the problem of the corresponding RX failing to receive paging or request messages within the activation period due to delays, ensuring that each UE receives paging or request messages within the activation period.

[0261] In an optional implementation, the method may further include the following steps: sending a third indication message, the third indication message being used to indicate an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay, the first preset time interval being used to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the second terminal.

[0262] By sending this third indication information, when the second terminal has not performed SL DRX configuration, the first terminal can receive the paging message one time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay. This effectively solves the problem of not receiving the paging message during the activation period due to the second terminal not performing SL DRX, thereby enabling the first terminal to receive the paging message or request message during the activation period. Correspondingly, when the TX UE corresponding to each hop UE in the relay scenario has not performed SL DRX configuration, it can receive a third indication information to instruct it to receive the paging message or request message one time interval earlier than its corresponding estimated delay, so that each hop UE can receive the paging message or request message during the activation period. It should be noted that the above steps of the second terminal are peer operations corresponding to the method embodiment of the first terminal side. The relevant content is similar to the content of the method embodiment of the first terminal side described above. For reference, please refer to Figures 11-14c for examples. The relevant explanations will not be repeated here.

[0263] This embodiment can also provide a communication method that can be applied to network devices. Specifically, the network side sends a second indication information, which indicates the estimated latency corresponding to the first terminal, and / or the estimated latency corresponding to the second terminal, and / or the estimated latency corresponding to the third terminal. This estimated latency takes into account the latency of message reception, forwarding, and expected processing, especially in multi-hop scenarios where the latency generated by each UE is high. This can effectively solve the problem of not receiving paging messages during the activation period due to latency.

[0264] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to several accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0265] Figures 15 to 20 are schematic block diagrams of possible apparatuses provided in embodiments of this application. One apparatus provided in this application, as shown in Figure 15, includes at least one of a first transceiver unit 1501 and a second transceiver unit 1502.

[0266] In an optional implementation, device 1500 is used to implement the function of the first terminal in any of the method embodiments corresponding to Figures 11-14c. For example, device 1500 may correspond to the first terminal in Figure 11.

[0267] The first transceiver unit 1501 is used to receive first indication information, which is used to indicate the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side link, and the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side link is used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal side link.

[0268] The second transceiver unit 1502 is used to receive first data based on the side link discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal. The first data is data sent to the third terminal. The third terminal and the first terminal are one terminal or two different terminals.

[0269] In conjunction with the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the first transceiver unit 1501 is further configured to transmit first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0270] In conjunction with the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0271] In conjunction with the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0272] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG16, the device may further include: a third transceiver unit 1503, for receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being the estimated delay from message sending to reception at the first terminal.

[0273] In conjunction with the third aspect, in an optional implementation, it further includes: a third transceiver unit.

[0274] In an optional implementation, the third transceiver unit 1503 is further configured to receive third indication information, which indicates an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay. The first preset time interval indicates the estimated delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message for the second terminal. It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the method embodiments corresponding to Figures 11-14c, and can achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the parts and beneficial effects that are the same as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described here.

[0275] Another communication device provided in this application embodiment, as shown in FIG17, may include a fourth transceiver unit 1701.

[0276] In an optional implementation, device 1700 is used to implement the function of the second terminal in the method embodiment corresponding to FIG15. For example, device 1700 may correspond to the second terminal in FIG15.

[0277] The fourth transceiver unit 1701 is used to send first indication information, which is used to indicate the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side link, and the discontinuous reception configuration of the second terminal side link is used to determine the discontinuous reception configuration of the first terminal side link; and / or, send first data, which is data sent to a third terminal, wherein the third terminal and the first terminal are one terminal or two different terminals.

[0278] In an optional implementation, the fourth transceiver unit 1701 is further configured to receive first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the side link discontinuous reception of the first terminal.

[0279] In an optional implementation, the first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first terminal. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first terminal receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first terminal based on the time.

[0280] In an optional implementation, the configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first terminal receives the message; the number of terminals through which the first terminal receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the first terminal.

[0281] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in an optional implementation, it further includes: a fifth transceiver unit, configured to send second indication information, the second indication information being configured to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being an estimated delay from message transmission to reception at the first terminal.

[0282] In an optional implementation, the fifth transceiver unit is further configured to send third indication information, which indicates an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay. The first preset time interval indicates the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message for the second terminal.

[0283] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the method embodiment corresponding to FIG15 and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0284] This application also provides a communication device that can implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, the device can correspond to the network device. The communication device may include a sixth transceiver unit for sending second instruction information. The relevant descriptions will not be repeated here.

[0285] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0286] Figure 18 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 18, the device 1800 includes one or more processors 1810. The processor 1810 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (e.g., a vehicle or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0287] Alternatively, in one design, processor 1810 may include a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 1810, causing device 1800 to perform the methods performed by the first terminal or network device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 1800 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG18) for implementing the functions of the first terminal or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0288] For example, processor 1810 can be used to execute a computer program in memory to implement the steps performed by the first terminal or network device in the method embodiment shown in the method embodiment.

[0289] Optionally, the device 1800 may include one or more memories 1820 storing computer programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1810, causing the device 1800 to perform the methods performed by the first terminal or network device in the above embodiments.

[0290] Optionally, the processor 1810 and / or memory 1820 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0291] Optionally, the device 1800 may also include a communication interface 1830. The processor 1810, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., a first terminal or network device). The communication interface 1830, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver functions of the device; for example, the communication interface 1830 can be used to receive first configuration information.

[0292] Optionally, the device 1800 also includes a communication interface 1830. The processor 1810 and the communication interface 1830 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1830 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0293] When device 1800 is used to implement the method corresponding to the method embodiment, communication interface 1830 can be used to perform the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit. Whether communication interface 1830 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the scheme executed by device 1800 is used to perform a sending action or a receiving action.

[0294] When the aforementioned device 1800 is a chip applied to a first terminal, the chip implements the functions of the first terminal in the above method embodiments. The chip of the first terminal receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to the first terminal by network devices; or, the chip of the first terminal sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first terminal, and these signals may be sent to network devices by the terminal.

[0295] When the aforementioned device 1800 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives signals from other modules in the network device, which may be signals sent by a terminal to the network device; or, the chip of the network device sends signals to other modules in the network device, which may be signals sent by the network device to the first terminal.

[0296] It is understood that when the device 1800 is a terminal or network device, the communication interface 1830 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the device 1800 is a chip applied to the first terminal or network device, the communication interface 1830 can be an input / output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0297] Optionally, the device 1800 also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the device 1800.

[0298] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 1900 can be applied to the system shown in Figure 9 to perform the functions of the first terminal in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 1900 includes a processor 1901 and a transceiver 1902. Optionally, the terminal device 1900 also includes a memory 1903. The processor 1901, transceiver 1902, and memory 1903 can communicate with each other through an internal connection path to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1903 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1901 is used to call and run the computer programs from the memory 1903 to control the transceiver 1902 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the terminal device 1900 may also include an antenna 1904 for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1902 via wireless signals.

[0299] The processor 1901 and the memory 1903 can be combined into a single processing device. The processor 1901 executes the program code stored in the memory 1903 to achieve the aforementioned functions. In specific implementations, the memory 1903 can be integrated into the processor 1901 or be independent of the processor 1901.

[0300] The transceiver 1902 described above can correspond to the transceiver unit or communication interface described above. The transceiver 1902 may include a receiver (or receiver circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0301] It should be understood that the terminal device 1900 shown in Figure 19 can implement the various processes involving the first terminal or network device in the above method embodiments. The operation and / or function of each module in the terminal device 1900 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0302] The processor 1901 described above can be used to execute the actions implemented internally by the first terminal or network device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the transceiver 1902 can be used to execute the actions described in the preceding method embodiments whereby the network device sends data to the terminal or the terminal receives data from the network device. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0303] Optionally, the terminal device 1900 may also include a power supply 1905 for providing power to various devices or circuits in the terminal.

[0304] In addition, to further enhance the functionality of the terminal, the terminal device 1900 may also include one or more of the following: an input unit 1906, a display unit 1907, an audio circuit 1908, a camera 1909, and a sensor 810. The audio circuit may also include a speaker 1908a, a microphone 1908b, etc.

[0305] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the network device provided in an embodiment of this application, such as a schematic diagram of a base station. The base station 2000 can be applied to the system shown in Figure 9 to perform the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 20, the base station 2000 may include one or more of the following: one or more (DU+RU) 2010s and one or more CUs 2020s. The CU 2020 can communicate with the next-generation core (NG core). The DU may include at least one antenna 2011, at least one radio frequency unit 2012, at least one processor 2013, and at least one memory 2014. The DU is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals, converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, and performing some baseband processing. The CU 2020 may include at least one processor 2022 and at least one memory 2021. The CU 2020 and the DU can communicate through an interface. The control plane (CP) interface can be Fs-C, such as F1-C, and the user plane (UP) interface can be Fs-U, such as F1-U. DUs and RUs can work together to implement the functions of the physical (PHY) layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DUs and RUs can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level and RF functions in the PHY layer. Higher-level functions in the PHY layer may include a portion of the PHY layer's functions, which are closer to the medium access control (MAC) layer, while lower-level functions in the PHY layer may include another portion of the PHY layer's functions, which are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0306] The CU 2020 is mainly used for baseband processing and base station control. The DU and CU 2020 can be physically located together or physically separated, i.e., a distributed base station. The CU 2020 is the control center of the base station, which can correspond to a processing unit or graph processor, and is mainly used to complete baseband processing functions. For example, the CU 2020 can be used to control the base station to execute the network device operation procedures described in the above method embodiments.

[0307] Specifically, baseband processing on the CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above are set in the CU, while the functions of protocol layers below PDCP, such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the MAC layer, are set in the DU. Alternatively, the CU may implement the functions of the RRC and PDCP layers, while the DU may implement the functions of the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0308] Alternatively, the base station 2000 may include one or more radio frequency units (RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. A DU may include at least one processor 2013 and at least one memory 2014, an RU may include at least one antenna 2011 and at least one radio frequency unit 2012, and a CU may include at least one processor 2022 and at least one memory 2021.

[0309] In one example, the CU 2020 can be composed of one or more boards. These boards can collectively support a single access-indicating radio access network (such as a 5G network), or they can each support radio access networks with different access standards (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). The memory 2021 and processor 2022 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry. Similarly, the DU can be composed of one or more boards. These boards can collectively support a single access-indicating radio access network (such as a 5G network), or they can each support radio access networks with different access standards (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). The memory 2014 and processor 2013 can serve one or more boards. That is, each board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0310] It should be understood that the base station 2000 shown in Figure 20 can implement the various processes involved in the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3. The operation and / or function of each module in the base station 2000 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0311] It should be understood that the base station 2000 shown in Figure 20 is only one possible architecture for a network device and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. The method provided in this application can be applied to network devices with other architectures, such as network devices including CU, DU, and AAU. This application does not limit the specific architecture of the network device.

[0312] It should be understood that Figure 20 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the network device may not depend on the structure shown in Figure 20. For example, the network device may also include an AAU, a CU and / or a DU, or a BBU and an adaptive radio unit (ARU). This application does not limit this.

[0313] The aforementioned CU and / or DU can be used to perform the actions implemented internally by the network device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the AAU can be used to perform the actions described in the preceding method embodiments whereby the network device sends data to the processing device or the processing device receives data from the network device. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0314] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions.

[0315] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0316] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0317] The memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0318] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the first terminal or network device involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as sending, receiving, or processing information involved in the above methods.

[0319] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0320] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0321] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), wherein when the computer program is run, the method executed by the first terminal in the above method embodiments is executed, or the method executed by the network device is executed.

[0322] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the method executed by the first terminal in the above-described method embodiments is executed, or the method executed by the network device is executed.

[0323] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned first terminal and network device.

[0324] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0325] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0326] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0327] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0328] The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separate. The component shown as a unit may or may not be a physical unit; that is, it may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0329] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0330] If this function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, or part of it, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0331] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first device, including at least one of the following: Receive first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the second device side crosslink discontinuous reception configuration, the second device side crosslink discontinuous reception configuration is used to determine the first device side crosslink discontinuous reception configuration; The first data is received based on the side-link discontinuous reception configuration of the first device. The first data is data sent to the third device, and the third device and the first device are one device or two different devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Send first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the side link discontinuous reception of the first device.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first device. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first device receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first device based on the time.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first device receives a message; the number of terminals through which the first device receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive a second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being the estimated delay elapsed from message sending to message receiving from the first device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Also includes: The third indication information is received, which is used to indicate that the first preset time interval is advanced based on the first preset time delay. The first preset time interval is used to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the second device.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, including at least one of the following: Send a first indication message, the first indication message being used to indicate the second device side crosslink discontinuous reception configuration, the second device side crosslink discontinuous reception configuration being used to determine the first device side crosslink discontinuous reception configuration; Send first data, which is data sent to a third device, wherein the third device and the first device are one device or two different devices.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive first auxiliary information, which is used to configure the side link discontinuous reception of the first device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first auxiliary information includes configuration parameters for configuring the sidelink discontinuous reception of the first device. The configuration parameters are used to determine the time when the first device receives a message and to determine the sidelink discontinuous reception configuration for the first device based on the time.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The configuration parameters include at least one of the following: parameters for calculating the time when the first device receives a message; the number of terminals through which the first device receives the message; and the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-10, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a second indication message, which is used to indicate a first preset delay, the first preset delay being the estimated delay from message sending to message receiving in the first device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7-11, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a third indication message, which is used to indicate an advance of a first preset time interval based on a first preset time delay. The first preset time interval is used to indicate the estimated time delay from receiving the message to forwarding the message by the second device.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, the processor executing the computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or to cause the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor controls the communication interface to implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or, causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes: storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or causing the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

17. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system is applied to an electronic device, the chip system including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; or to cause the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

18. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the second communication device is used to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12; or, The first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the second communication device is used to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

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