Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications, and disclose a communication method and apparatus, enabling a WAB node to sense an NTN backhaul link of an unconnected part. The method comprises: in response to a multi-hop backhaul link comprising a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, sending first indication information to a second node, wherein a first node is a node in the multi-hop backhaul link and the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is a donor node of the second node, and / or the second node is a first access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link comprises the non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510353647.0, filed on March 24, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Relay nodes are typically deployed in areas with poor signal coverage to extend or improve network coverage. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is discussing a new type of relay node: the Wireless Access Backhaul (WAB) node (also known as a WAB device). A WAB node consists of a base station (e.g., a Next Generation Node B (gNB)) unit (called WAB-gNB) and a mobile terminal (MT) unit (called WAB-MT). When a single-hop backhaul link is used between the WAB node and the core network serving the WAB-MT, the WAB node can be aware of the backhaul link type (e.g., non-terrestrial network (NTN) backhaul link, terrestrial network (TN) backhaul link) and report the backhaul link type to the core network of the terminal served by the WAB-gNB. This allows the WAB-gNB's core network to configure Quality of Service (QoS) parameters (e.g., 5G QoS identifier, 5QI) appropriate for the backhaul link type for the terminal served by the WAB-gNB. In multi-hop backhaul link scenarios, since each node can only perceive the type of link connected to itself, but cannot perceive the type of link not directly connected to itself, if one or more hops in the backhaul link are NTN backhaul links, the WAB node may not be able to perceive that these links are NTN backhaul links, which in turn will prevent the WAB node from reporting multi-hop backhaul links, including NTN backhaul links, to the WAB-gNB core network. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus that enable WAB nodes to detect unconnected NTN backhaul links.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first node, or by a component of the first node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first node, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first node. For example, the first node can be a WAB node, an IAB node, an IAB host node, or an access and mobility management network element. The method includes: in response to a multi-hop backhaul link including a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, sending first indication information to a second node, wherein the first node is a node in the multi-hop backhaul link, the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or, the first node is the host node of the second node, and / or the second node is a first access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0006] This application provides a communication method in which a first node, upon determining that its multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, indicates to its child nodes, host nodes, or access and mobility management network elements connected to it that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. In this way, nodes in the multi-hop backhaul link, upon sensing a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, can send indication information indicating that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link to other nodes, enabling other nodes to perceive that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. This solves the technical problem in the prior art where nodes cannot perceive whether a backhaul link not directly connected to them is an NTN backhaul link, resulting in WAB nodes being unable to report to the core network of user terminals served by WAB-gNB that the multi-hop backhaul link includes an NTN backhaul link.

[0007] In some implementations, if a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, then the type of the multi-hop backhaul link can be defaulted to an NTN backhaul link. In this case, the first indication information can indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the second node is a child node of the first node, and the first indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in a flood message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in a radio resource control message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in an Xn interface message sent by the first node. Based on this, when the second node is a child node of the first node, the first node can indicate to the child node, through broadcast messages, flood messages, radio resource control messages, or Xn interface messages, that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, thereby allowing the first node to flexibly choose the method of sending the first indication information to the second node.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first node first receives second indication information from the third node, and then sends first indication information to the second node via a flooding message. The third node is the parent node of the first node, and the second indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. This method, where the first node sends the first indication information to the second node via a flooding message, improves the reliability of the first indication information transmission and eliminates the need for routing table forwarding.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the third node, or in a flood message sent by the third node, or in a radio resource control message sent by the third node, or in an Xn interface message sent by the third node. In other words, the third node can send the second indication information to the first node through a broadcast message, a flood message, a radio resource control message, or an Xn interface message, thus allowing the third node to flexibly choose the method of sending the second indication information to the first node.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the second node is a child node of the first node, including: a backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node being the second node.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first node is the host node of the second node, and the first indication information is carried in a radio resource control message or an F1 application protocol message sent by the first node to the second node; or, the first indication information is carried in an Xn interface message or a broadcast message sent by the first node to the second node. In other words, when the first node is the host node of the second node, the first node can send the first indication information to the host node through radio resource control messages, F1 application protocol messages, Xn interface messages, or broadcast messages, thereby allowing the first node to flexibly choose the method of sending the first indication information to the second node.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the second node includes a fourth node and / or each hop node between the fourth node and the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link, where the fourth node is an integrated access backhaul node under the non-terrestrial network cell in the multi-hop backhaul link. In other words, the first node can send first indication information to the fourth node and / or each hop node between the fourth node and the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link, thereby enabling each hop node under the NTN cell to become aware of the non-terrestrial network backhaul link in the multi-hop backhaul link. After these nodes become aware of the non-terrestrial network backhaul link, they can continue to indicate the non-terrestrial network backhaul link to their child nodes, thus ensuring that all nodes before these nodes become aware of the non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0014] In one possible implementation, when the first node detects that its backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, it determines that the multi-hop backhaul links include non-terrestrial network backhaul links. Alternatively, after receiving third indication information, it determines that the multi-hop backhaul links include non-terrestrial network backhaul links. The third indication information comes from the parent node of the first node, or from the core network equipment providing services to the mobile terminal unit of the first node, or from the node that has detected the non-terrestrial network backhaul links in the multi-hop backhaul links. The third indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul links include non-terrestrial network backhaul links. In other words, the first node determines that the multi-hop backhaul links include non-terrestrial network backhaul links when it detects that its directly connected backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, or when it receives indication from other nodes that the multi-hop backhaul links include non-terrestrial network backhaul links. In this way, the first node can not only detect whether its directly connected backhaul links are non-terrestrial network backhaul links, but also whether backhaul links not directly connected to it are non-terrestrial network backhaul links.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the parent node of the first node includes: the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node.

[0016] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second node, or by a component of the second node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second node, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second node. For example, the second node can be a WAB node, an IAB node, an IAB host node, or an access and mobility management network element. The method includes: receiving first indication information sent by a first node, wherein the first node is a node in a multi-hop backhaul link, the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is a host node of the second node, and / or the second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link, or the second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: sending a fourth indication information to the child nodes of the second node. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the fourth indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the second node, or in a flood message sent by the second node, or in a radio resource control message sent by the second node, or in an Xn interface message sent by the first node.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: sending a fifth indication information to the core network equipment serving the first user terminal. The fifth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, and the first user terminal is a user terminal served by the first node.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: sending a sixth indication information to the mobile terminal unit of one or more radio access backhaul nodes served by the access and mobility management network element. The sixth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the sixth indication information is carried in a non-access stratum message sent by the access and mobility management network elements.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the second node is a child node of the first node, including: a backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node being the second node.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the parent node of the first node includes: the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node.

[0025] Thirdly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a fifth node, or by a component of the fifth node, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the fifth node, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the fifth node. For example, the fifth node can be a WAB node, an IAB node, or an IAB host node. The method includes: applying to a fifth node, where the fifth node is a node in a multi-hop backhaul link, the method further includes: in response to the multi-hop backhaul link including a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, sending first indication information to a first access and mobility management network element, wherein the first access and mobility management network element is one or more access and mobility management network elements connected to the fifth node, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0026] In one possible implementation, when the fifth node detects that its backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, it determines that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Alternatively, when the fifth node receives the sixth indication information sent by the second access and mobility management network element, it determines that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. The second access and mobility management network element is a network element that provides core network services to the terminal unit of the fifth node. The sixth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0027] Fourthly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by an access and mobility management network element (AMLE), or by a component of the AMLE, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the AMLE, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the AMLE's functions. The method includes: applying to an AMLE, the AMLE being connected to at least one node in a multi-hop backhaul link; the method further includes: receiving first indication information from a fifth node, wherein the first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link; and sending sixth indication information to one or more radio access backhaul nodes or integrated backhaul nodes connected to the AMLE, wherein the sixth indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the sixth indication information is carried in a non-access stratum message sent by the access and mobility management network elements.

[0029] Fifthly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, wherein the modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0030] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any of their possible implementations. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any of their possible implementations.

[0031] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces.

[0032] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0033] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface being used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor being used to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0034] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; said processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

[0035] Ninthly, a communication device (e.g., a chip or chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0036] In some possible implementations, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0037] In some possible implementations, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may contain chips and other discrete components.

[0038] The communication device described in aspects five through nine may be the first node in aspect one, or a device included in the first node, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be the second node in aspect two, or a device included in the second node, such as a chip or chip system; or, the fifth node in aspect three, or a device included in the fifth node, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be the access network equipment in aspect four, or a device included in the access network equipment, such as a chip or chip system.

[0039] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be a first node, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the first node that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the first node; or, the communication device may be a second node, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) within the second node that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the second node; or... The communication device may be a fifth node, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the fifth node that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the fifth node; or, the communication device may be an access and mobility management network element, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the access and mobility management network element that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the fourth aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the access and mobility management network element.

[0040] It is understandable that when the communication device provided by any of the third to eighth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0041] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0042] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided that, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0043] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first node and a second node. The first node can be used to implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second node can be used to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof; alternatively, the communication system comprises a fifth node and an access and mobility management network element. The fifth node can be used to implement the method described in the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the access and mobility management network element can be used to implement the method described in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0044] The technical effects of any of the implementation methods in aspects two through thirteen can be found in the technical effects of different implementation methods in aspect one, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the WAB system provided in this application;

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system including WAB nodes provided in this application;

[0047] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the IAB node with CU-DU separation architecture provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the communication system provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the O-RAN provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application;

[0051] Figures 7-9 are schematic diagrams showing how the WAB node provided in this application accesses the IAB host node through a multi-hop IAB node;

[0052] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams showing how the WAB node provided in this application accesses the IAB host node through a multi-hop WAB node.

[0053] Figures 12-15 are schematic flowcharts of the communication method provided in this application;

[0054] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the WAB node access open RAN architecture provided in this application;

[0055] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application;

[0056] Figures 18-20 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0057] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. 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.

[0058] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0059] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0060] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0061] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0062] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0063] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0064] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0065] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given below.

[0066] 1. WAB

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a WAB system provided in this application. This WAB system can be applied to Vehicle Mounted Relay (VMR). In this WAB system, WAB nodes (relay nodes) can be deployed on mobile targets, such as vehicles or aircraft, to provide wireless coverage for terminals within the mobile target, thereby solving the problem of poor wireless signal quality within the mobile target. As shown in Figure 1, in this WAB system, the relay node is deployed on the vehicle, and the relay node connects to the base station (also known as BH gNB or BH-RAN-NODE) ​​via a wireless backhaul link.

[0068] In a WAB system, a relay node can also be called a WAB node. A WAB node includes gNB functionality (denoted as WAB-gNB) and MT functionality (denoted as WAB-MT, hereinafter referred to as MT).

[0069] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system including a WAB node provided in this application. As shown in Figure 2, the user equipment (UA) accesses the WAB-gNB through the Uu interface. After the UE sends data to the WAB-gNB, the MT obtains the data sent by the terminal from the WAB-gNB and wraps the terminal's data in the MT's PDU session (MT PDUsession). The MT then sends the terminal's data to the base station (gNB, also known as BH-RAN-NODE) ​​connected to the MT through the MT's Uu interface. The BH-RAN-NODE sends the terminal's data to the UPF (also known as the backhaul link UPF, BH UPF) through the N3 interface. The BH UPF removes the packet header information related to the MT, determines the packet header information related to the terminal, and then sends the terminal's data to the UPF based on the IP route in the packet header information related to the terminal. In this transmission process, it can be understood that a PDU session is established between the terminal and the UPF, and this PDU session is wrapped in the MT's PDU session.

[0070] In the WAB scenario, the data sent by the terminal is directly packetized in the MT's PDU Session. During the MT's backhaul, this data is regarded as the MT's own user plane data. After this data reaches the BH-RAN-NODE through the MT's DRB, the BH-RAN-NODE can only see the MT's data, not the data sent by the terminal. Only after it is sent to the MT's UPF will the MT-related packet header information be decrypted to expose the packet header information of the data sent by the terminal, and then forwarded to the terminal's UPF (UE's UPF).

[0071] The above examples illustrate how the terminal transmits user plane data with the UPF. The control plane transmission between WAB-gNB and AMF (UE / gNB's AMF) is similar, also wrapped in the MT's PDU Session, and forwarded by the MT's UPF to the WAB-gNB's AMF via IP routing.

[0072] Furthermore, the WAB-gNB can establish logical Xn interfaces with the BH-RAN-NODE and nearby base stations (other base stations, other gNBs). The data transmission method on the Xn interface (taking WAB-gNB sending data to BH-RAN-NODE as an example) involves the WAB-gNB first sending it to the MT's UPF via the MT's PDU Session, and then the MT's UPF forwarding it to the BH-RAN-NODE via IP routing. It can be understood that the aforementioned Xn / NG traffic of the WAB-gNB is transmitted through the MT's BH PDU Session.

[0073] 2. Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB)

[0074] IAB is a Layer 2 (L2) relay method, typically employing a CU-DU separation architecture. In this architecture, gNodeB is a logical node that can be divided into one CU (Central Unit) and one or more DUs (Distributed Units).

[0075] The CU is a logical node that carries the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) of the gNodeB and is used to control the operation of one or more DUs.

[0076] DU is a logical node that carries the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of gNodeB.

[0077] The CU and the DU it controls are connected via the F1 interface. The F1 application protocol (F1AP) is used to transmit configuration information of the radio bearers between the CU and the DU, and to establish a GTP (GPRS tunneling protocol) tunnel between the DU and the CU for each radio bearer.

[0078] As shown in Figure 3, the IAB node adopting the CU-DU separation architecture includes two types of network element nodes: the IAB host node (IAB-donor) and the IAB node. The IAB-donor contains the access network interface and backhaul link, which is used to connect to the core network and provide data forwarding functions; the IAB node is connected to the IAB-donor through the wireless backhaul link, responsible for providing wireless access services to terminals and acting as a relay node to extend the network coverage.

[0079] IAB-donor: A gNodeB (also known as a gNodeB-donor) that supports additional IAB functions and connects to the core network via non-IAB methods, such as fiber optics. An IAB-donor consists of IAB-donor-CU and IAB-donor-DU.

[0080] IAB-donor-CU: Provides connectivity for lAB-donor-DU and lAB-node-DU.

[0081] IAB-donor-DU: Provides access for terminals or IAB-MT.

[0082] IAB node: Supports access and backhaul via NR, including IAB node-MT (also known as IAB-MT) and IAB node-DU (also known as IAB-DU).

[0083] IAB node-MT (Mobile-Termination): Connects to its parent node's DU or IAB-donor-DU as a regular terminal, serving as a wireless transmission backhaul link;

[0084] IAB node-DU: The pole station cell on the access side under the IAB node, which provides blind spot coverage and provides access for ordinary terminals or lower-level IAB node-MT.

[0085] When a single-hop backhaul link is used between a WAB node and the core network serving WAB-MT, the WAB node can detect the backhaul link type (e.g., NTN backhaul link) and report it to the core network of the terminal served by WAB-gNB when the backhaul link is an NTN backhaul link. This allows the core network of the terminal served by WAB-gNB to configure the quality of service parameters (e.g., 5QI) suitable for the NTN backhaul link for the terminal served by WAB-gNB. However, in multi-hop backhaul link scenarios, since each node can only detect whether the link connected to it is an NTN backhaul link, but cannot detect whether the link not directly connected to it is an NTN backhaul link, if one or more hops in the backhaul link are NTN backhaul links, the WAB node may not be able to detect that these links are NTN backhaul links. Consequently, the WAB node cannot report multi-hop backhaul links, including NTN backhaul links, to the core network of WAB-gNB.

[0086] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a communication method in which a first node, upon determining that its multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, indicates to its child nodes, host nodes, or connected access and mobility management network elements that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. In this way, nodes in the multi-hop backhaul link, upon sensing a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, can send indication information indicating that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link to other nodes, enabling other nodes to perceive that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. This solves the technical problem in the prior art where nodes cannot perceive whether a link not directly connected to them is an NTN backhaul link, resulting in WAB nodes being unable to report to the WAB-gNB core network that the multi-hop backhaul link includes an NTN backhaul link.

[0087] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in various communication systems, including 3GPP communication systems such as 4th generation (4G) systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), 5th generation (5G) systems (e.g., New Radio (NR) systems), LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, sensing systems, integrated communication and sensing systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-type communication (MTC) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Bluetooth systems, Wi-Fi systems, long-range radio (LoRa) systems, or other future communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system; there is no limitation on this.

[0088] The communication systems described above are merely illustrative examples, and are not limited to those described herein. The communication systems provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solutions described herein. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0089] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to scenarios where WAB nodes access the core network through multi-hop backhaul links.

[0090] For example, as shown in Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication system includes: a WAB node 401, multiple intermediate nodes 402, and a core network device 403. The multiple intermediate nodes 402 are intermediate nodes in a multi-hop backhaul link.

[0091] Optionally, the terminal equipment involved in this application may be user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, user station, terminal station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, user terminal equipment (TE), mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, tablet computer, handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted equipment, vehicle-mounted transceiver unit, wearable device, or terminal device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted equipment, drone, robot, point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), or wearable device, virtual reality (VR) device. Wireless terminals can be categorized into various types, including VR (Augmented Reality) terminal devices, AR terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, transportation safety, smart city, and smart home terminals. Alternatively, terminal devices can be communication-enabled terminals within the Internet of Things (IoT), such as terminals in V2X (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication), D2D communication, or M2M communication. Terminal devices can be mobile or fixed.

[0092] The embodiments of this application do not limit the form of the terminal device. The device used to implement the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete components.

[0093] Optionally, the nodes involved in this application (including WAB nodes, intermediate nodes, IAB nodes, IAB host nodes, etc.) can be devices used to communicate with terminal devices. For example, these nodes can be nodes in 3GPP-related cellular systems, such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or nodes in future-oriented evolution systems (e.g., future communication network mobile communication systems). Alternatively, the node can also be a node in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or WiFi system. Alternatively, the node can also be a node in a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems; this application does not specifically limit this aspect.

[0094] In one possible scenario, a 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 future mobile communication network system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. This node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in V2X technology, a node can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0095] In another possible scenario, multiple nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different network nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, nodes can be centralized units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately 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).

[0096] 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 meaning. For example, a node can be a node or a module of a node in an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) system. In an ORAN system, CU can also be called open (O)-CU, DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0097] In this embodiment, the form of the node is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the node can be a node itself; it can also be a device that supports the node in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the node or used in conjunction with the node.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the node and terminal device in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a communication device, which may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the relevant functions of the terminal device or node in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or one or more functional modules within a single device. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this. It is understood that the aforementioned functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0100] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an O-RAN provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the DU is typically implemented using a multi-core processor and one or more hardware accelerators. Part of the DU protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the multi-core processor. Computationally intensive L1 and L2 functions can be offloaded to a hardware accelerator based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / graphics processing unit (GPU); or all L1 functions can be offloaded to an FPGA / GPU-based hardware accelerator, while other protocol stack content is implemented in software running on the processor; or the entire protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the processor. The hardware accelerator supports interconnection with x86 or non-x86 processors. Similarly, the accelerator has a multi-channel peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface pointing to the CPU and external connections via gigabit Ethernet (GE) connections.

[0101] An RU may include an O-RAN processing unit (OPU), a digital processing unit (DPU), and an RF processing unit.

[0102] The OPU is used to receive Enhanced Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) frames from the O-RAN fronthaul and perform fronthaul interface, L1 layer (coding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding), synchronization, beamforming, and resource unit mapping. The OPU can be implemented as a CPU, FPGA, or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0103] The DPU is used to perform synchronization, uplink (UL) digital downconversion (DDC), downlink (DL) digital upconversion (DUC), channel failure ratio (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD) processing. It improves power amplifier efficiency by reducing the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) / adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) of the RF front-end. The DPU can be implemented as an FPGA or ASIC.

[0104] The RF processing unit includes a transceiver module, up / down converters, power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and Tx / Rx filters. Conversion between the analog and digital domains can be performed within the transceiver module. This conversion includes, but is not limited to: digital-to-analog converter (DAC), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), RF sampling, and frequency conversion using a mixture of RF, intermediate frequency (IF), and local oscillator (LO) during up-conversion and down-conversion. Optionally, the physical and logical partitions within the RF processing unit do not require specific boundaries; that is, it is not necessary to distinguish between physical and logical partitions.

[0105] As another possible implementation, the RAN node can also be a non-real time ran intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC or NRT RIC) and / or a near-real time ran intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC or nRT RIC).

[0106] Non-RT RIC is used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of the RAN, enabling artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) for model training and updates, and guiding applications / functions within the Near-RT RIC based on policies. Near-RT RIC is used to implement near real-time intelligent management of the RAN, achieving near real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface. The E2 interface can be understood as an open interface between two nodes (or endpoints).

[0107] All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network equipment, or a device with some access network equipment functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the access network equipment.

[0108] In one possible implementation, terminal 220 is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Further, the terminal may also have sensing capabilities, such as transmitting sensing signals and receiving and processing signals reflected by targets in the environment. It can be a fixed device, mobile device, handheld device (e.g., mobile phone), wearable device, in-vehicle device, or a wireless device (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip system, etc.) built into the aforementioned devices. The terminal is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D communication, V2X communication, MTC communication, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, etc. For example, a terminal can be a handheld terminal in cellular communication, a communication device in D2D, an IoT device in MTC, a camera in intelligent transportation and smart cities, or a communication device on a drone; or, a terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal may sometimes be referred to as a UE, user terminal, user device, user unit, user station, terminal, access terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, mobile device, or wireless communication device, etc.

[0109] It should be noted that the system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0110] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the communication system shown in Figure 4. It should be noted that the message names, parameter names, or information names between the various communication devices in the following embodiments of this application are merely examples, and may be other names in other embodiments. The method provided in this application does not specifically limit these names.

[0111] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, each communication device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0112] It is understood that this application uses RAN nodes and terminals as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the RAN node in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the RAN node, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node's functions; similarly, the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the terminal, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal's functions.

[0113] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below. As shown in FIG6, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0114] Step 601: In response to the multi-hop backhaul link including a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, the first node sends a first indication message to the second node. Correspondingly, the second node receives the first indication message from the first node.

[0115] In this configuration, the first node is a node in the multi-hop backhaul link, the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is the host node of the second node, and / or the second node is a first access and mobility management network element connected to the first node. The first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Optionally, the second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link, or the second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link.

[0116] As an example, the first hop node in a multi-hop backhaul link is the WAB node (denoted as the first WAB node), the last node is the IAB host node (also known as the IAB donor), and the intermediate hop nodes can be either IAB nodes (also known as IAB nodes) or WAB nodes (also known as WAB nodes).

[0117] The first node can be the IAB host node in a multi-hop backhaul link. In this case, the second node can be an IAB node (denoted as the first IAB node) in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell and / or a node between the first IAB node and the first WAB node, and / or, the second node can also be the first WAB node. In other words, when the IAB host node determines that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, it sends a first indication message to the first IAB node and / or the node between the first IAB node and the first WAB node, and / or sends a first indication message to the first WAB node.

[0118] The first node can also be an intermediate hop node in a multi-hop backhaul link. In this case, the second node can be a child node of the intermediate hop node, and each node sequentially sends the first indication information to its own child node. Alternatively, the second node can also be an access and mobility management network element (denoted as the first access and mobility management network element) connected to the first node. In this case, the first node sends the first indication information to one or more connected first access and mobility management network elements, and each first access and mobility management network element then sends the first indication information to the WAB node connected to it. This transmission continues sequentially until the first WAB node obtains the first indication information.

[0119] The first node can also be a second access and mobility management network element, in which case the second node is a WAB node or an IAB node. The second access and mobility management network element sends first indication information to the WAB node or IAB node connected to it. After receiving the first indication information from the second access and mobility management network element, the WAB node or IAB node sends the first indication information to the access and mobility management network element connected to it, and so on, until the first WAB node obtains the first indication information.

[0120] In this application embodiment, the first indication information can be carried in different types of messages depending on the scenario.

[0121] As an example 1, if the second node is a child node of the first node, the first indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in a flood message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in an Xn interface message sent by the first node. In other words, if the second node is a child node of the first node, the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through a broadcast message; or, the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through a flood message; or, the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through an RRC message; or, the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through an Xn interface message.

[0122] As an example 2, if the first node is the host node of the second node, the first indication information is carried in an RRC message or an F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) message sent by the first node to the second node; or, the first indication information is carried in an Xn interface message or a broadcast message sent by the first node to the second node. In other words, if the first node is the host node of the second node, the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through an RRC message or an F1 Application Protocol message, or the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through an Xn interface message or a broadcast message. Optionally, if the first node is the host node of the second node, the second node may include a fourth node and / or each hop node between the fourth node and the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link, wherein the fourth node is an integrated access backhaul node in a non-terrestrial network cell in the multi-hop backhaul link, or the second node is a radio access backhaul node directly connected to the first node.

[0123] As an example 3, if the first node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the second node, then the first indication information is carried in a non-access stratum message sent by the first node to the second node. In other words, if the first node is a first access and mobility management network element connected to the second node, then the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through a non-access stratum message.

[0124] In some implementations, the first node can determine that a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link when it detects that its backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Alternatively, the first node can determine that a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link after receiving third indication information. This third indication information may originate from the first node's parent node, the core network equipment providing services to the first node's mobile terminal unit, or a node that has detected a non-terrestrial network backhaul link in the multi-hop backhaul link. The third indication information is used to indicate that a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. In other words, the first node can directly detect that its directly connected backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, or the first node can determine that a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link through indication information sent to it by other nodes.

[0125] This application provides a communication method in which a first node, upon determining that its multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, indicates to its child nodes, host nodes, or access and mobility management network elements connected to it that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. In this way, nodes in the multi-hop backhaul link, upon sensing a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, can send indication information indicating that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link to other nodes, enabling other nodes to perceive that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. This solves the technical problem in the prior art where nodes cannot perceive whether a link not directly connected to them is an NTN backhaul link, resulting in WAB nodes being unable to report to the WAB-gNB core network that the multi-hop backhaul link includes an NTN backhaul link.

[0126] In some implementations, if a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, then the type of the multi-hop backhaul link can be defaulted to an NTN backhaul link. In this case, the first indication information can indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link; in other words, the first indication information can indicate that the type of the multi-hop backhaul link is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0127] In some embodiments, the communication method provided in this application can be applied to scenarios where WAB nodes access IAB host nodes via multi-hop backhaul links, and the IAB host nodes are connected to core network equipment. WAB nodes can access the IAB host node through multi-hop IAB nodes, or WAB nodes can access the IAB host node through multi-hop WAB nodes, or WAB nodes can access the IAB host node through both multi-hop IAB nodes and other WAB nodes; this application does not limit the specific approach.

[0128] As an example, Figures 7-9 are schematic diagrams of the WAB node provided in this application accessing the IAB host node through a multi-hop IAB node; Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of the WAB node provided in this application accessing the IAB host node through a multi-hop WAB node.

[0129] As shown in Figure 7, the first WAB node is designated as WAB node 0. WAB node 0 is connected to IAB node 0, IAB node 0 is connected to IAB node 1, and IAB node 1 is connected to the IAB host node. The IAB host node can be deployed on non-terrestrial equipment (such as satellites, aircraft, etc.), and its backhaul link is an NTN link.

[0130] As shown in Figure 8, the first WAB node is denoted as WAB node 0. WAB node 0 is connected to IAB node 0, IAB node 0 is connected to IAB node 1, and IAB node 1 is connected to the IAB host node. IAB node 1 can be deployed on non-terrestrial equipment (such as satellites, aircraft, etc.), and its backhaul link is an NTN link.

[0131] As shown in Figure 9, the first WAB node is denoted as WAB node 0. WAB node 0 is connected to IAB node 0, IAB node 0 is connected to IAB node 1, IAB node 1 is connected to IAB node 2, and IAB node 2 is connected to the IAB host node. Specifically, IAB node 1 connects to IAB node 2 via NTN pass-through, in which case the backhaul link between IAB node 1 and IAB node 2 is an NTN link; and / or IAB node 2 connects to the IAB host node via NTN pass-through, in which case the backhaul link between IAB node 2 and the IAB host node is an NTN link.

[0132] As shown in Figure 10, the first WAB node is designated WAB node 0. WAB node 0 is connected to WAB node 1, WAB node 1 is connected to WAB node 2, and WAB node 2 is connected to the IAB host node. The link between WAB node 1 and WAB node 2 can be an NTN backhaul link, or the link between WAB node 2 and the IAB host node can be an NTN backhaul link. Furthermore, WAB node 0 is connected to AMF1, WAB node 1 is connected to AMF1, AMF2, and AMF3, and WAB node 2 is connected to AMF3 and AMF4.

[0133] As shown in Figure 11, the first WAB node is denoted as WAB node 0. WAB node 0 is connected to WAB node 1, WAB node 1 is connected to WAB node 2, WAB node 2 is connected to the IAB node, and the IAB node is connected to the IAB host node. The link between WAB node 1 and WAB node 2 can be an NTN backhaul link, or the link between WAB node 2 and the IAB node can be an NTN backhaul link, or the link between the IAB node and the IAB host node can be an NTN backhaul link. Furthermore, WAB node 0 is connected to AMF1, WAB node 1 is connected to AMF1, AMF2, and AMF3, and WAB node 2 is connected to AMF3 and AMF4.

[0134] It should be noted that Figures 7-11 are merely illustrative diagrams illustrating how a WAB node accesses an IAB host node through a multi-hop IAB node or a WAB node. In actual implementation, a WAB node can access an IAB host node through other forms of multi-hop nodes. For example, the intermediate hop nodes in Figures 7-11 can be arbitrarily combined to enable the WAB node to access the IAB host node through multi-hop nodes. This application does not limit this.

[0135] In some implementations, the first node can determine, through indications from other nodes, that a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Referring to Figure 6, as shown in Figure 12, prior to step 601 above, the method further includes:

[0136] Step 1201: The third node sends the second indication information to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the second indication information from the third node.

[0137] In this context, the third node is the parent node of the first node, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. The second indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the third node, or in a flood message sent by the third node, or in an RRC message sent by the third node, or in an Xn interface message sent by the third node.

[0138] In one implementation, the second indication information is carried in a broadcast message, flood message, or RRC message sent by the third node, while the first indication information is carried in a flood message sent by the first node. In other words, the third node sends the first indication information to the first node through a broadcast message, flood message, or RRC message, and the first node sends the second indication information to the second node through a flood message.

[0139] As another implementation, the second indication information is carried in the Xn interface message sent by the third node, and the first indication information is carried in the Xn interface message sent by the first node. In other words, the third node sends the second indication information to the first node through the Xn interface message, and the first node sends the first indication information to the second node through the Xn interface message.

[0140] As an example, the third node is the IAB host node; the first node is the intermediate hop IAB node or intermediate hop WAB node; the second node is a child node of the first node, such as the next hop IAB node or WAB node of the first node, or the second node is the first WAB node.

[0141] As another example, the third node is the IAB node or WAB node of the intermediate hop; the first node is the IAB node or WAB node of the next hop after the third node; and the second node is the first WAB node.

[0142] As another example, the third node is the intermediate hop WAB node, the first node is the access and mobility management network element, and the second node is the WAB node connected to the first node.

[0143] As another example, the third node is the first AMF, the first node is the WAB node connected to the first AMF (denoted as the second WAB node), and the second node is the second AMF connected to the WAB node.

[0144] In some implementations, if the second node is an intermediate node in a multi-hop backhaul link, the second node can also indicate to its child nodes that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Referring to Figure 6, as shown in Figure 12, after step 601 above, the method further includes:

[0145] Step 1202: The second node sends the fourth instruction information to the child nodes of the second node.

[0146] The fourth indication information is used to indicate that a multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0147] Optionally, the fourth indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the second node, or in a flood message sent by the second node, or in an RRC message sent by the second node, or in an Xn interface message sent by the first node.

[0148] The child nodes of the second node can be intermediate nodes in the multi-hop backhaul link, or the child nodes of the second node can be the first WAB node in the multi-hop backhaul link.

[0149] In some implementations, the second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link. Referring to Figure 6 and as shown in Figure 13, after step 601 above, the second node can indicate to the core network serving the first user terminal that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, specifically including:

[0150] Step 1301: The second node sends a fifth indication message to the core network device serving the first user terminal. Correspondingly, the core network device receives the fifth indication message from the second node.

[0151] The fifth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, and the first user terminal is a user terminal serving the first node.

[0152] As an example, if the first WAB node determines that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link based on the first indication information, the first WAB node sends a fifth indication information to the core network device serving the WAB-gNB so that the core network device serving the WAB-gNB configures the terminal with quality of service parameters, such as 5QI, that are appropriate for the NTN backhaul link.

[0153] It should be noted that, referring to Figure 2, the multi-hop backhaul link in this embodiment is the backhaul link between WAB-MT and BH AMF. When WAB-MT determines that the multi-hop backhaul link includes the NTN backhaul link, it indicates to WAB-gNB that the multi-hop backhaul link includes the NTN backhaul link. WAB-gNB then reports the fifth indication information to the core network device connected to WAB-gNB (such as the AMF serving the terminal or gNB).

[0154] In some other possible implementations, the second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, as shown in Figure 13. After step 601 above, the second node can indicate to other connected access and mobility management network elements that the multi-hop backhaul links include non-terrestrial network backhaul links, specifically including:

[0155] Step 1302: The second node sends a sixth indication message to the mobile terminal units of one or more radio access backhaul nodes serving the access and mobility management network element services. Correspondingly, the mobile terminal units of the radio access backhaul nodes receive the sixth indication message from the second node.

[0156] The sixth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Optionally, the sixth indication information is carried in a non-access stratum message sent by the access and mobility management network elements.

[0157] As an example, referring to Figure 10 above, when WAB node 2 detects that the link between WAB node 2 and IAB node is an NTN backhaul link, WAB node 2 sends NTN backhaul link indication information to AMF3 and AMF4. AMF3 and AMF4 then send NTN backhaul link indication information to the WAB nodes connected to them, with AMF3 sending the NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 1. After receiving the NTN backhaul link indication information, WAB node 1 sends NTN backhaul link indication information to AMF1 and AMF2. AMF1 and AMF2 then send NTN backhaul link indication information to the WAB nodes connected to them, with AMF1 sending the NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 0.

[0158] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the NTN backhaul link indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes the NTN backhaul link.

[0159] Optionally, in this embodiment, the parent node of a node refers to the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of that node. For example, the second node is a child node of the first node, including: the first node is the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the second node. The parent node of the first node includes: the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node. The backhaul access node can be a WAB node or an IAB node; this application does not limit this. As an example, referring to Figure 7, WAB node 0 is a child node of IAB node 0, and IAB node 0 is the parent node of WAB node 0; IAB node 0 is a child node of IAB node 1, and IAB node 1 is the parent node of IAB node 0.

[0160] As can be seen from Figures 7 to 11 above, in the scenario where the first WAB node accesses the IAB node through a multi-hop backhaul link, the first WAB node accesses the IAB node (referred to as scenario 1), or the first WAB node can access the WAB node (referred to as scenario 2). The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be described below in conjunction with scenario 1 and scenario 2 respectively.

[0161] Scenario 1: The first WAB node connects to the IAB node.

[0162] As an example, in Scenario 1, the first WAB node connects to the IAB host node through one or more intermediate hop IAB nodes. In Scenario 1, the IAB host node can send NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node (denoted as Scenario 1.1), or the IAB node can send NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node (denoted as Scenario 1.2), which will be explained below.

[0163] Scenario 1.1: The IAB host node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node.

[0164] As shown in Figure 14, in scenario 1.1, the process of the IAB host node sending NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node can be implemented through one or more of the following steps 1401 and 1402:

[0165] Step 1401: The IAB host node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the IAB node. Correspondingly, the IAB node receives the NTN backhaul link indication information from the IAB host node.

[0166] As one implementation, after the IAB host node detects the NTN backhaul link in the multi-hop backhaul link, it determines the NTN cell to which the NTN backhaul link belongs, and sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the IAB nodes under the NTN cell and to each IAB node between the IAB node and the first WAB node.

[0167] Optionally, the IAB host node can send NTN backhaul link indication information to the IAB node via RRC messages or F1AP messages.

[0168] Step 1402: The IAB host node or IAB node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node.

[0169] As one implementation, the IAB host node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node through the Xn interface message, or the IAB node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node through a broadcast message.

[0170] As an example, referring to Figure 9 above, after the IAB host node detects the NTN backhaul link of IAB node 1, it sends NTN backhaul link indication information to both IAB node 1 and IAB node 0 via RRC messages or F1AP messages. Following this, the IAB host node sends the NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 0 via Xn interface messages, or IAB node 0 sends the NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 0 via broadcast messages.

[0171] Scenario 1.2: The IAB node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node.

[0172] As shown in Figure 14, in scenario 1.2, the IAB node can send NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node through the following steps 1403.

[0173] Step 1403: The IAB node that senses the NTN backhaul link broadcasts the NTN backhaul link indication information, and the child node that receives the NTN backhaul link indication information floods the broadcast of the NTN backhaul link indication information.

[0174] Based on step 1403, each child node floods the NTN backhaul link indication information after receiving it, so that the first WAB node connected to the IAB node can receive the NTN backhaul link indication information flooded by the IAB node, which is the parent node of the first WAB node.

[0175] As an example, referring to Figure 9 above, after IAB node 1 detects the NTN backhaul link of IAB node 1, it broadcasts NTN backhaul link indication information. After receiving the NTN backhaul link indication information, IAB node 0 floods the broadcast of the NTN backhaul link indication information. WAB node 0 receives the NTN backhaul link indication information flooded by IAB node 0.

[0176] Scenario 2: The first WAB node connects to the WAB node.

[0177] As an example, in Scenario 2, the first WAB node connects to the IAB host node through one or more intermediate hop WAB nodes. In Scenario 2, the WAB node can send NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node (denoted as Scenario 2.1), or the AMF can send NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node (denoted as Scenario 2.2), which will be explained below.

[0178] Scenario 2.1: The WAB node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node.

[0179] As shown in Figure 15, in scenario 2.1, the process of the WAB node sending NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node can be implemented through the following steps 1501 or 1502.

[0180] Step 1501: The WAB node that senses the non-terrestrial network backhaul link broadcasts NTN backhaul link indication information, and the child node that receives the NTN backhaul link indication information floods the broadcast of the NTN backhaul link indication information.

[0181] Based on step 1501, each child node floods the NTN backhaul link indication information after receiving it, so that the first WAB node can receive the NTN backhaul link indication information flooded by the parent node.

[0182] As an example, referring to Figure 10, WAB node 2 detects that its backhaul link is an NTN backhaul link, so WAB node 2 broadcasts NTN backhaul link indication information. After receiving the NTN backhaul link indication information broadcast by WAB node 2, WAB node 1 floods the NTN backhaul link indication information. WAB node 0 receives the NTN backhaul link indication information flooded by WAB node 1.

[0183] Step 1502: The WAB node that detects the non-terrestrial network backhaul link sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the child node hop by hop through the Xn interface message.

[0184] As an example, referring to Figure 10, WAB node 2 detects that its own backhaul link is an NTN backhaul link. Then, WAB node 2 sends NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 1 through the Xn interface message, and WAB node 1 sends NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 0.

[0185] Scenario 2.2: AMF sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node.

[0186] As shown in Figure 15, in scenario 2.2, the WAB node that senses the NTN backhaul link sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the AMF connected to it, and the AMF sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the WAB node connected to it, until the first WAB node receives the NTN backhaul link indication information. This process can be specifically implemented through the following steps 1503 and 1504:

[0187] Step 1503: The WAB node that senses the non-terrestrial network backhaul link sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the connected AMF.

[0188] Step 1504: AMF sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the connected WAB node.

[0189] As an example, referring to Figure 10 above, when WAB node 2 detects that the link between WAB node 2 and IAB node is an NTN backhaul link, WAB node 2 sends NTN backhaul link indication information to AMF3 and AMF4. AMF3 and AMF4 then send NTN backhaul link indication information to the WAB nodes connected to them, with AMF3 sending the NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 1. After receiving the NTN backhaul link indication information, WAB node 1 sends NTN backhaul link indication information to AMF1 and AMF2. AMF1 and AMF2 then send NTN backhaul link indication information to the WAB nodes connected to them, with AMF1 sending the NTN backhaul link indication information to WAB node 0.

[0190] It should be noted that the above scenario 1 is illustrated with the intermediate jump node being an IAB node, and scenario 2 is illustrated with the intermediate jump node being a WAB node. In specific implementation, the intermediate jump node can include both IAB nodes and WAB nodes, and this application does not limit this.

[0191] As one implementation, in the scenario where the first WAB node accesses an IAB node or a WAB node, the IAB node or WAB node can be an IAB node in an O-RAN architecture. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a WAB node accessing an open RAN architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 16, the RIC is connected to the backhaul link access node-CU (BH-RAN-NODE-CU), the backhaul link access node-DU (BH-RAN-NODE-DU), WAB-CU, and WAB-DU respectively through the E2 interface. The backhaul link access node-CU is connected to the backhaul link access node-DU through the F1 interface, and the backhaul link access node-DU is connected to the WAB-MT through the Uu interface.

[0192] Referring to Figure 16 and Figure 17, the communication method provided in this embodiment, when applied to an IAB node in an O-RAN architecture, allows the IAB node to send NTN backhaul link indication information to the RIC, and the RIC to send NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node. This process specifically includes:

[0193] Step 1701: The intermediate hop node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the RIC. Correspondingly, the RIC receives the NTN backhaul link indication information from the intermediate hop node.

[0194] As one implementation, after determining that the multi-hop backhaul link includes the NTN backhaul link, the intermediate hop node sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the RIC through the E2 interface.

[0195] Step 1702: The RIC sends NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node. Correspondingly, the first WAB node receives the NTN backhaul link indication information from the RIC.

[0196] As one implementation, after receiving NTN backhaul link indication information from IAB-CU, IAB-DU, WAB-CU, or WAB-DU in the intermediate hop node, the RIC sends the NTN backhaul link indication information to the first WAB node through the E2 interface.

[0197] The method provided in this application has been described above. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0198] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware 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.

[0199] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0200] Figure 18 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 180. The communication device 180 includes a processing module 1801 and a transceiver module 1802. The communication device 180 can be used to implement the functions of the first to fifth nodes, or access and mobility management network elements, as described above. The first node can be a WAB node, an IAB node, an IAB host node, or an access and mobility management network element; the second node can be a WAB node, an IAB node, an IAB host node, or an access and mobility management network element.

[0201] In some embodiments, the communication device 180 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG18) for storing program instructions and data.

[0202] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1802, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1802 may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0203] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1802 may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively used to perform the receiving and sending steps performed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the technology described herein; the processing module 1801 may be used to perform the processing steps performed by the first node to the fifth node, or the access and mobility management network element in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the technology described herein.

[0204] When the communication device 180 is used to implement the function of the first node: the processing module 1801 is used to instruct the transceiver module 1802 to send a first indication information to the second node in response to the fact that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, wherein the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is the host node of the second node, and / or the second node is a first access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0205] In one possible implementation, the second node is a child node of the first node, and the first indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in a flood message sent by the first node; or, the first indication information is carried in an Xn interface message sent by the first node.

[0206] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is carried in the flood message sent by the first node. Before sending the first indication information to the second node, the method further includes: receiving second indication information from a third node, the third node being the parent node of the first node, and the second indication information being used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0207] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the third node, or in a flood message sent by the third node, or in a radio resource control message sent by the third node; or, or in an Xn interface message sent by the third node.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the second node is a child node of the first node, including: a backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node being the second node.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the first node is the host node of the second node, and the first indication information is carried in a radio resource control message or an F1 application protocol message sent by the first node to the second node; or, the first indication information is carried in an Xn interface message or a broadcast message sent by the first node to the second node.

[0210] In one possible implementation, the second node includes a fourth node and / or each hop node between the fourth node and the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link, wherein the fourth node is an integrated access backhaul node in a non-terrestrial network cell in the multi-hop backhaul link.

[0211] In one possible implementation, when it is detected that the backhaul link of the first node is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, it is determined that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Alternatively, after receiving the third indication information, it is determined that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. The third indication information comes from the parent node of the first node, or from the core network equipment providing services to the mobile terminal unit of the first node, or from the node that detects the non-terrestrial network backhaul link in the multi-hop backhaul link. The third indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0212] In one possible implementation, the parent node of the first node includes the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node.

[0213] When the communication device 180 shown in Figure 18 is the second node in the above embodiment:

[0214] The transceiver module 1802 is used to receive first indication information sent by the first node, wherein the first node is a node in the multi-hop backhaul link, the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is the host node of the second node, and / or the second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication information indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0215] In one possible implementation, the second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link, or the second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: sending a fourth indication information to the child nodes of the second node. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0217] In one possible implementation, the fourth indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the second node, or in a flood message sent by the second node, or in an Xn interface message sent by the first node.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: sending a fifth indication information to the core network equipment serving the first user terminal. The fifth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, and the first user terminal is a user terminal served by the first node.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: sending a sixth indication information to the mobile terminal unit of one or more radio access backhaul nodes served by the access and mobility management network element. The sixth indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the sixth indication information is carried in a non-access stratum message sent by the access and mobility management network elements.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the second node is a child node of the first node, including: a backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node being the second node.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the parent node of the first node includes the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node.

[0223] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] In this application, the communication device 180 can be presented in an integrated manner by dividing it into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0225] In some embodiments, when the communication device 180 in FIG18 is a chip or chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1802 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1801 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0226] Since the communication device 180 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0227] As a possible product form, the first to fifth nodes, or access and mobility management network elements described in the embodiments of this application, can be implemented using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0228] As another possible product form, the first to fifth nodes, or access and mobility management network elements, described in this application embodiment can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 19, which is a schematic diagram of the communication device 1900 provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1900 includes a processor 1901 and a transceiver 1902. The communication device 1900 can be a first node, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1900 can be a second node, or a chip or module therein. Figure 19 only shows the main components of the communication device 1900. In addition to the processor 1901 and transceiver 1902, the communication device may further include a memory 1903 and input / output devices (not shown in Figure 19).

[0229] Optionally, the processor 1901 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs, thereby implementing the methods provided in the above-described method embodiments. The memory 1903 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1902 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0230] Optionally, the processor 1901, transceiver 1902, and memory 1903 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0231] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1901 can read the software program in the memory 1903, execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1901 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1901. The processor 1901 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0232] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0233] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 180 can take the form of the communication device 1900 shown in FIG19 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0234] As an example, the function / implementation of the processing module 1801 in Figure 18 can be achieved by the processor 1901 in the communication device 1900 shown in Figure 19 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1903. The function / implementation of the transceiver module 1802 in Figure 18 can be achieved by the transceiver 1902 in the communication device 1900 shown in Figure 19.

[0235] As another possible product form, the first node or the second node in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG20, or include the components shown in FIG20. FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 2000 provided in this application. The communication device 2000 may be a first node or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the first node; or, it may be a second node or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the second node.

[0236] As shown in Figure 20, the communication device 2000 includes at least one processor 2001 and at least one communication interface (Figure 20 is merely an example illustrating the inclusion of a communication interface 2004 and a processor 2001). Optionally, the communication device 2000 may further include at least one of a communication bus 2002, a memory 2003, and a computer-readable storage medium 2007.

[0237] Processor 2001 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor (e.g., x86, ARM), a microcontroller, an FPGA, a GPU, a PLD, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware circuitry, other suitable hardware configured to perform various functions, or any combination thereof. Processor 2001 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0238] The communication bus 2002 is used to connect different components in the communication device 2000, enabling these components to communicate. For example, the communication bus 2002 communicatively couples various circuits together. The communication bus 2002 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be categorized as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 20, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus. For example, the communication bus 2002 can include any number of interconnect buses and bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the communication device. Furthermore, the communication bus 2002 can also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits.

[0239] As one possible implementation, the communication interface 2004 is used for communication with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, the communication interface 2004 can be a transceiver module, interface, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of communication. The transceiver can be coupled to an antenna array, and the transceiver and antenna array can be used together to communicate with the appropriate network type. The transceiver module is capable of both transmitting and receiving functions. When the transceiver module performs the transmitting function, it can be called a transmitting module (sometimes also called a transmitting unit), and when the transceiver module performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving module (sometimes also called a receiving unit). The transmitting module and the receiving module can be the same functional module, called the transceiver module, which performs both transmitting and receiving functions; or, the transmitting module and the receiving module can be different functional modules, with "transceiver module" being a collective term for these functional modules.

[0240] As another possible implementation, the communication interface 2004 can also be an input / output interface located within the processor 2001, used to implement signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0241] As another possible implementation, the communication interface 2004 can also be understood as a bus interface. It provides an interface between the communication bus and the transceiver. The transceiver can provide an interface or device for communicating with various other devices via wireless / wired transmission media. The transceiver can be coupled to an antenna array, and the transceiver and antenna array can be used together for communication with the appropriate type of network.

[0242] Memory 2003 can be a device with storage function for storing instructions and / or data. Instructions can be computer programs. For example, memory 2003 can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and / or instructions; it can also be random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and / or instructions; it can also be electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0243] It should be noted that the memory 2003 can exist independently of the processor 2001, or it can be integrated with the processor 2001. The memory 2003 can be located inside or outside the communication device 2000, without restriction.

[0244] The processor 2001 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 2003, or to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 2007, to implement the methods provided in the above embodiments of this application.

[0245] For example, the processor 2001 may also implement at least one of the following functions, or the processor 2001 executes instructions or computer programs stored in the memory 2003 or the computer-readable storage medium 2007 to implement at least one of the following functions: encoding, decoding, rate matching, rate matching de-scrambling, scrambling, modulation, demodulation, layer mapping, fast fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT), inverse discrete fourier transform (IDFT), precoding, resource element (RE) mapping, channel equalization, de-RE mapping, digital beamforming (BF), adding a cyclic prefix (CP), removing a CP, etc.

[0246] Optionally, the processor 2001 and / or memory 2003 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio network intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0247] As an optional implementation, the communication device 2000 may also include an output device 2005 and an input device 2006 (neither shown in Figure 20). The output device 2005 communicates with the processor 2001 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 2005 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 2006 communicates with the processor 2001 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 2006 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensor device, etc.

[0248] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 180 shown in FIG18 can take the form of the communication device 2000 shown in FIG20 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0249] As an example, the function / implementation of the processing module 1801 in Figure 18 can be achieved by the processor 2001 in the communication device 2000 shown in Figure 20 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 2003. The function / implementation of the transceiver module 1802 in Figure 18 can be achieved by the communication interface 2004 in the communication device 2000 shown in Figure 20.

[0250] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 20 does not constitute a specific limitation on the first node or the second node. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the first node or the second node may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0251] In one possible implementation, the processor in this application embodiment may include communication and processing circuitry. The communication and processing circuitry may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs various processes related to wireless communication or sensing (such as signal reception and / or signal transmission). The communication and processing circuitry may include two or more transmit / receive chains. The functions implemented by the communication and processing circuitry may also be processed on a computer-readable medium.

[0252] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0253] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. This memory stores necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, which a processor can invoke to instruct the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory may not be present in the communication device.

[0254] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, used to receive computer execution instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or may be transmitted through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0255] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0256] It is understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0257] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0258] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0259] 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.

[0260] It is understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described in this application can also 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.

[0261] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0262] 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.

[0263] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the 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 can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another 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 can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)). In this embodiment, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

[0264] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0265] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a first node, which is a node in a multi-hop backhaul link, the method includes: In response to the inclusion of a non-terrestrial network backhaul link in the multi-hop backhaul link, a first indication message is sent to a second node, wherein the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is the host node of the second node, and / or the second node is a first access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication message indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second node is a child node of the first node. The first indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the first node; or, The first indication information is carried in the flooding message sent by the first node; or, The first indication information is carried in the radio resource control message sent by the first node; or, The first indication information is carried in the Xn interface message sent by the first node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first indication information is carried in the flooding message sent by the first node. Before sending the first indication information to the second node, the method further includes: The system receives a second indication from a third node, which is the parent node of the first node. The second indication is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second indication information is carried in a broadcast message sent by the third node, or, The second indication information is carried in the flooding message sent by the third node, or, The second indication information is carried in the radio resource control message sent by the third node; or, The second indication information is carried in the Xn interface message sent by the third node.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The second node is a child node of the first node, including: The first node is the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the second node.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first node is the host node of the second node. The first indication information is carried in a radio resource control message or an F1 application protocol message sent by the first node to the second node; Alternatively, the first indication information may be carried in an Xn interface message or broadcast message sent by the first node to the second node.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second node includes the fourth node and / or each hop node between the fourth node and the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link, wherein the fourth node is an integrated access backhaul node in a non-terrestrial network cell in the multi-hop backhaul link.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, When it is detected that the backhaul link of the first node is a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, it is determined that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. Alternatively, after receiving the third indication information, it is determined that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link. The third indication information comes from the parent node of the first node, or from the core network equipment providing services to the mobile terminal unit of the first node, or from the node that senses the non-terrestrial network backhaul link in the multi-hop backhaul link. The third indication information is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

9. The method according to claim 3 or 8, characterized in that, The parent node of the first node includes the backhaul access node of the terminal unit of the first node.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to the second node, the method includes: The system receives a first indication message sent by a first node, wherein the first node is a node in a multi-hop backhaul link, the second node is a child node of the first node, and / or the first node is the host node of the second node, and / or the second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node, and the first indication message indicates that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link, or... The second node is the first wireless access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The second node is an intermediate node in the multi-hop backhaul link. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: Send a fourth indication message to the child node of the second node, the fourth indication message being used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The fourth indication information is carried in the broadcast message sent by the second node, or, The fourth indication information is carried in the flooding message sent by the second node, or... The fourth indication information is carried in the radio resource control message sent by the second node; or, The fourth indication information is carried in the Xn interface message sent by the first node.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, The second node is the first radio access backhaul node in the multi-hop backhaul link. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: A fifth indication message is sent to the core network equipment serving the first user terminal. The fifth indication message is used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link, and the first user terminal is the user terminal served by the first node.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second node is an access and mobility management network element connected to the first node. After receiving the first indication information sent by the first node, the method further includes: A sixth indication message is sent to the mobile terminal unit of one or more radio access backhaul nodes of the access and mobility management network element service, the sixth indication message being used to indicate that the multi-hop backhaul link includes a non-terrestrial network backhaul link.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The sixth indication information is carried in the non-access stratum message sent by the access and mobility management network element.

17. A communications device, characterized by include: A functional unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-16; wherein the action performed by the functional unit is implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software.

18. A communications device, characterized by include: processor; The processor is connected to a memory for storing computer execution instructions, and the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-16.

20. A chip, characterized by The chip includes a processor; the processor is connected to a memory for storing computer execution instructions, and the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-16.

21. A computer program product comprising instructions, wherein: When it is operated on a communication device, it causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-16.

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