WO2023072291A1 - Multi-hop relay connection establishment method, apparatus, and device, and medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to a multi-hop relay connection establishment method, apparatus, and device, and a medium, the method comprising: sending a second direct connection communication request message to a UE-to-network relay at a distance of N hops, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-network relay at a distance of N hops, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and on the basis of the first communication link and a second communication link established with a remote UE, performing message transfer between the remote UE and the UE-to-network relay at a distance of N hops. The present application solves the problem of a remote UE being connected to a UE-to-network relay by means of multiple hops.

Description

A method, device, equipment and medium for establishing a multi-hop relay connection

Cross References to Related Applications

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application submitted to the China Patent Office on November 01, 2021, with the application number 202111284242.4 and the application name "A method, device, equipment and medium for establishing a multi-hop relay connection", all of which The contents are incorporated by reference in this application.

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and in particular to a method, device, device and medium for establishing a multi-hop relay connection.

Background technique

The ProSe (Proximity Services, Adjacent business) has been researched and standardized. An important scenario in ProSe is that Remote UE (Remote User Equipment, remote user equipment) communicates with the network through UE-to-Network Relay (user equipment to network equipment relay) to obtain Related Services. After the Remote UE discovers the UE-to-Network Relay through the discovery process, it establishes a PC5 connection with it and communicates with the network through the UE-to-Network Relay.

Currently, Remote UE is supported to connect to UE-to-Network Relay through one hop (a PC5 communication link). The specific process is as follows: first, Remote UE and UE-to-Network Relay obtain service authorization information and perform PC5 discovery and PC5 communication Parameter information; then UE-to-Network Relay pre-establishes a PDU (Protocol Data Unit, protocol data unit) session for relaying Remote UE data; secondly, Remote UE discovers UE-to-Network Relay through the discovery process; then Remote UE Establish a PC5 connection with UE-to-Network Relay, and UE-to-Network Relay may create a new PDU session to relay the data of Remote UE; finally, UE-to-Network Relay assigns an IP address to Remote UE, and Remote UE passes UE -to-Network Data transmission between Relay and the network.

Remote UE accessing the network through UE-to-Network Relay can improve network coverage and save UE power. It is an important form of network access in public safety and commercial applications. In some scenarios, the Remote UE is connected to the UE-to-Network Relay through one hop, which often cannot meet the actual needs, such as in areas with poor network signals such as basements or forests.

Contents of the invention

This application provides a multi-hop relay connection establishment method, device, equipment and medium to solve the connection problem between Remote UE and UE-to-Network Relay in areas with poor network signals.

In the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection is provided, which is applied to a first UE-to-UE (user equipment to user equipment) relay capable of relaying, and the method includes:

Send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, where N is a value an integer greater than or equal to 1;

Based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE, perform message transfer between the remote UE and the N-hop UE-to-Network relay.

In a possible implementation manner, before sending the second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, the method further includes:

Broadcast the relay capability of the first UE-to-UE relay through a message, and receive a first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE according to the broadcast message; wherein, in the first direct communication request message Application layer user identification and relay indication including UE-to-Network relay;

Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, including:

According to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and the corresponding to the application layer user identification 1. A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops.

In a possible implementation manner, establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops includes:

If N is equal to 1, according to the relay indication, send the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message identified by the user;

receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop.

In a possible implementation manner, establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops includes:

If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user ID, the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay is used to indicate that the second UE-to-UE relay initiates a communication corresponding to the application layer user ID The communication link between UE-to-Network relays;

receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops.

In a possible implementation manner, after establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, further comprising:

Broadcasting the instruction information for establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through a message;

The method also includes:

receiving a first direct connection request message sent by a remote UE, and returning a first direct connection response message to the remote UE, and establishing a second communication link with the remote UE; wherein the first direct connection The communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information.

In a possible implementation, after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE, it also includes:

determining a second communication link established with the remote UE;

A mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link is stored.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

receiving a router solicitation message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link;

Determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship, and send a router request to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or second UE-to-UE relay through the first communication link information;

receiving a router notification message sent by the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, where the router notification message includes a UE-to-Network The IP address assigned by the relay;

sending the IP address to a remote UE based on the first communication link.

The second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, which is applied to a remote UE, including:

The first direct communication request message sent to the UE-to-UE relay;

Receive a first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay, where the first direct communication response message is used to determine to establish a communication connection with the UE-to-UE relay.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an apparatus for establishing a multi-hop relay connection is provided, and the apparatus includes:

The first communication link establishment module is configured to send a second direct connection communication request message to a UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through the first UE-to-UE relay with relay capability, and the distance from A first communication link is established between N-hop UE-to-Network relays, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1;

The message transfer module is configured to perform the relaying from the remote UE to the UE based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying Message transmission between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops.

In a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection is provided, the device comprising:

The first direct communication request message sending module is used to relay the first direct communication request message sent to UE-to-UE through the remote UE;

The first direct communication response message receiving module is configured to receive the first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay through the remote UE, and the first direct communication response message is used to determine the connection with the A communication connection is established between the UE-to-UE relays.

According to the fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided an electronic device including: a processor, and a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; wherein, the processor executes the executable instructions to implement the above-mentioned multi-hop Follow the steps of the connection establishment method.

According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the steps of the above method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection are implemented.

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application bring at least the following beneficial effects:

This application proposes a method for Remote UE to connect to UE-to-Network Relay through UE-to-UE Relay, which solves the problem of remote UE connecting to UE through multi-hop in scenarios with poor network signals, such as basements or forests -to-Network Relay problem.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For Those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

Figure 1a is an exemplary 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay architecture diagram;

Fig. 1b is an exemplary UE-to-Network Relay connection establishment flowchart;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection applied to a first UE-to-UE Relay with relay capability shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a Remote UE connected to UE-to-Network Relay through two hops shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection applied to a Remote UE shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a flow chart of establishing a multi-hop UE-to-Network Relay connection shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a multi-hop UE-to-Network Relay connection in which UE-to-UE Relay first establishes a connection to UE-to-Network Relay shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of the IP address allocation of multi-hop UE-to-Network Relay shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a module structure applied to a device for establishing a first UE-to-UE Relay multi-hop relay connection with relay capability shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a module structure applied to a device for establishing a Remote UE multi-hop relay connection shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device applied to a method for establishing a first UE-to-UE Relay multi-hop relay connection with relay capability shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device applied to a method for establishing a Remote UE multi-hop relay connection shown in an exemplary embodiment;

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of a program product showing a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Apparently, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of this application.

The following is an explanation of some words that appear in the text:

1. The term "and/or" in the embodiments of this application describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there may be three relationships, for example, A and/or B, which can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and There are three cases of B. The character "/" generally indicates that the contextual objects are an "or" relationship.

2. The terms "first" and "second" in the description and claims of the present application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, but not necessarily used to describe a specific sequence or sequence. It is to be understood that the data so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application described herein can be practiced in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

The application scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application more clearly, and do not constitute limitations on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the application. Those of ordinary skill in the art know that with the development of new application scenarios It appears that the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems. Wherein, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

Figure 1a shows the 5G ProSe UE-to-Network Relay architecture. When the UE is outside the coverage of the network or the signal quality of the Uu interface is poor, it cannot directly connect to the network. It can connect to the network through Remote UE and UE-to-Network Relay. The specific process is shown in Figure 1b, which mainly includes the following steps:

Step 1a, UE-to-Network Relay obtains service authorization information and parameter information for PC5 discovery and PC5 communication;

Step 1b, Remote UE acquires service authorization information, and parameter information for PC5 discovery and PC5 communication;

Step 2, UE-to-Network Relay pre-establishes a PDU session for relaying Remote UE data;

Step 3, Remote UE discovers UE-to-Network Relay through the discovery process;

Step 4, establish a PC5 connection between Remote UE and UE-to-Network Relay; UE-to-Network Relay may create a new PDU session for relaying Remote UE data;

Step 5, UE-to-Network Relay assigns an IP address to the Remote UE;

Step 6, Remote UE performs data transmission between the UE-to-Network Relay and the network.

UE-to-Network Relay registers to the network through the Uu interface, establishes PDU session and QoS (Quality of Service, quality of service) flow to realize communication with the network. The Remote UE communicates with the UE-to-Network Relay through the PC5 interface, and forwards data through the PDU session and QoS flow of the UE-to-Network Relay to achieve the purpose of communicating with the network.

In some scenarios where the network signal is poor, the Remote UE can often connect to the UE-to-Network through one hop, which often cannot meet the actual needs. For example, in the basement or in the forest, the Remote UE often needs to connect to the UE-to-Network through multiple hops. Relay, and how Remote UE connects to UE-to-Network Relay through multi-hop is an unsolved problem.

In order to solve the above problems, in the embodiment of the present application, a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection is provided. Based on the same idea, a device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Example 1

A method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection provided by this application is described below through specific embodiments. This method is applied to the first UE-to-UE relay with relay capability, as shown in FIG. 2 , including:

Step 201, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, where N is an integer whose value is greater than or equal to 1;

There are two situations for the value of the above N:

In the first case, when N is equal to 1, the first UE-to-UE relay sends a second direct connection communication request message to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay;

In the second case, when N is greater than 1, the first UE-to-UE relay sends the second direct connection communication request message to the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay.

Figure 3 shows two hops, that is, the UE-to-Network Relay architecture when N is equal to 1. Remote UE connects to UE-to-UE Relay through one hop, and UE-to-UE Relay connects to UE through one hop. -to-Network Relay. This application can realize a UE-to-Network Relay architecture with more than two hops by adding UE-to-UE Relay.

Step 202, based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE, perform message transfer between the remote UE and the N-hop UE-to-Network relay.

The first UE-to-UE relay determines to establish the second communication link with the remote UE by receiving the first direct connection request message sent by the remote UE and sending the first direct connection response message to the remote UE. After the first communication link and the second communication link are established, the first UE-to-UE relay may store the mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link.

The above-mentioned first direct connection request message/second direct connection communication request may carry relevant content in the direct connection request message defined in the existing protocol, so as to assist in establishing the remote UE and the first UE-to-UE relay The second communication link between the first UE-to-UE relay and the first communication link between the first UE-to-UE relay and the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops. For example, the first direct communication request can specifically carry the relay service code (Relay Service Code), the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer user identification of the first UE-to-UE relay, and the second direct communication request The message may specifically carry the Relay Service Code, the application-layer user identifier of the first UE-to-UE relay, and the application-layer user identifier of the UE-to-Network relay.

Using the method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection provided by the embodiment of the present application, it is realized that in a scenario where the network signal is poor, the Remote UE can be connected to the UE-to-Network Relay through a multi-hop UE-to-UE Relay to complete data transmission.

The second communication link between the Remote UE and the first UE-to-UE relay, and the first communication link between the first UE-to-UE relay and the N-hop UE-to-Network relay The communication link can be in any of the following ways:

Mode 1, the remote UE first establishes a second communication link with the first UE-to-UE relay, and then the first UE-to-UE relay establishes a UE-to-Network with a distance of N hops a first communication link between the relays;

Mode 2, the first UE-to-UE relay first establishes the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay at a distance of N hops, and the remote UE then establishes the first UE-to-UE relay The second communication link between.

The specific implementation of the embodiment of the application when adopting the above-mentioned mode 1 is as follows:

First, if the first UE-to-UE relay has the relay capability, it broadcasts through a message;

Then, after receiving the remote UE according to the broadcast message, the first direct communication request message sent, in addition to including the Relay Service Code, the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the first UE in the first direct communication request message - The application layer user ID of the to-UE relay, including the application layer user ID and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay;

Secondly, according to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, which is the same as the application layer user identification Establishing a second communication link between corresponding UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops;

According to the value of N, it can be divided into the following two cases:

1) If N is equal to 1, then according to the relay indication, send the next-hop UE-to-Network relay carrying the application layer user identity of the remote UE and the first UE-to-UE relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user identifier;

receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop.

2) If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network The second direct connection communication request message of the relayed application layer user identifier, the UE-to-Network relayed application layer user identifier is used to instruct the second UE-to-UE relay to initiate communication with the application layer user Identify the communication link between the corresponding UE-to-Network relays;

receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops.

Finally, send the first direct communication response message to the remote UE, determine the second communication link established with the remote UE, and store the mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link . The specific implementation of the embodiment of the application when adopting the above-mentioned mode 2 is as follows:

First, the first UE-to-UE relay with relay capability determines the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through the discovery and selection process;

Then, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, where the second direct connection communication request message includes the application layer user identifier and relay capability of the UE-to-Network relay, The relay capability indicates that the first UE-to-UE relay has a relay capability, and a second communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and N hops away;

According to the value of N, it can be divided into the following two cases:

1) If N is equal to 1, then send a second direct connection communication request message carrying the application layer user identifier and relay capability of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay ;

receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop.

2) If N is greater than 1, then send the second direct connection communication request message carrying the relay capability and the application layer user identifier of the UE-to-Network relay to the second UE-to-UE relay of the next hop, so The application layer user identifier of the UE-to-Network relay is used to instruct the second UE-to-UE relay to initiate a communication link between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier ;

receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops.

Secondly, broadcast the indication information of establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through a message;

Finally, receiving the first direct connection request message sent by the remote UE, and returning a first direct connection response message to the remote UE, and establishing a second communication link with the remote UE; wherein, the first The direct communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information, and stores the mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link.

As an optional implementation manner, the above-mentioned method 1 or method 2 is used to establish a second communication link between the remote UE and the first UE-to-UE relay, and establish a second communication link between the first UE-to-UE relay and the first UE-to-UE relay. A second communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops, and after the first UE-to-UE relay stores the mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link , the multi-hop UE-to-Network relay assigns an IP address for the remote UE, specifically, it can be to assign an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6, Internet Protocol Version 6) address, and this embodiment also includes:

receiving a router solicitation message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link;

Determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship, and send a router request to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or second UE-to-UE relay through the first communication link information;

receiving a router notification message sent by the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, where the router notification message includes a UE-to-Network The IP address assigned by the relay;

sending the IP address to a remote UE based on the first communication link.

The embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, which is applied to a Remote UE, as shown in Figure 4, including:

Step 401, relaying the first direct communication request message sent to UE-to-UE;

Step 402: Receive a first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay, where the first direct communication response message is used to establish a communication connection with the UE-to-UE relay .

In a scenario where the network signal is poor, the Remote UE can connect to the UE-to-Network Relay through one or more UE-to-UE Relays to complete data transmission by using the method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection provided by the embodiment of the present application.

The specific implementation of the embodiment of the application when adopting the above-mentioned mode 1 is as follows:

Firstly, the first UE-to-UE relay broadcasts its relay capability through a message, and sends a first direct communication request message to the first UE-to-UE relay according to the broadcast message, and the first In addition to the Relay Service Code, the application layer user ID of the remote UE and the application layer user ID of the first UE-to-UE relay, the direct connection communication request message also includes the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay and a relay indication, so that the first UE-to-UE relay is relayed to the UE-to-Network relay corresponding to the application layer user identifier of the UE-to-Network relay and N hops away according to the relay indication Sending a second direct connection communication request message;

Then, the first UE-to-UE relay receives the first direct communication response message sent by the first UE-to-UE relay after receiving the second direct communication response message of the UE-to-Network Relay with a distance of N hops, and determines the connection with the first UE-to-UE relay. A second communication link is established between the first UE-to-UE relay, and the first direct communication response message includes the Relay Service Code, the application layer user identifier of the remote UE, and the first UE-to-UE The application layer user ID of the relay and the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay.

The specific implementation of the embodiment of the application when adopting the above-mentioned mode 2 is as follows:

First, according to the indication information of establishing the first communication link between the first UE-to-UE relay and the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops broadcast by the message, the first UE-to-UE relay is sent to the first UE-to- The UE relay sends the first direct connection communication request message, and the first direct connection communication request message includes the Relay Service Code, the application layer user identification of the remote UE, and the application layer user identification of the first UE-to-UE relay ;

Then, receiving the first direct communication response message sent by the first UE-to-UE relay after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE, and determining the connection with the first UE-to-UE The second communication link established by the UE relay, the first direct communication response message includes the Relay Service Code, the application layer user identifier of the remote UE, and the application layer user identifier of the first UE-to-UE relay.

As an optional implementation manner, after the second communication link is established between the remote UE and the first UE-to-UE relay using the above method 1 or method 2, the multi-hop UE-to-Network relay Distributing an IP address for the remote UE, specifically may be distributing an IPv6 address, and this embodiment also includes:

sending a router solicitation message to the first UE-to-UE relay over a second communication link;

receiving a router advertisement message sent by the first UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, where the router advertisement message includes an IP address assigned by the UE-to-Network relay;

Using the IP address, data transmission is performed through the first UE-to-UE relay and UE-to-Network relay.

From the perspective of interaction between multiple network entities, a specific example of a multi-hop relay connection method provided by the present application is given below.

Example 1

This example is the multi-hop relay connection method when the above method 1 is adopted and N is equal to 1. Before the Remote UE initiates this process, the UE-to-UE Relay determines the UE-to-Network Relay through the discovery and selection process, and the Remote UE passes The discovery and selection process determines the UE-to-UE Relay. As shown in Figure 5, the specific steps are:

Step 1. The Remote UE sends the first direct communication request message to the UE-to-UE Relay, which includes the Relay Service Code, the application layer user identifier (Remote UE user info) of the remote UE, and the UE-to-UE Relay application layer user identification (UE-to-UE Relay user info), UE-to-Network relay application layer user identification (UE-to-Network Relay user info) and relay indication (relay indication);

The Remote UE determines the source ID (Source Layer-2 ID) and destination ID (Destination Layer-2 ID) used to send the first direct communication request message, where the Source Layer-2 ID is generated by the Remote UE itself, and the Destination Layer-2 ID Source Layer-2 ID used by UE-to-UE Relay when broadcasting Relay Service Code.

Step 2: After receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the Remote UE, the UE-to-UE Relay judges that the request message needs to be forwarded according to the relay indication;

Step 3, UE-to-UE Relay sends a second direct connection communication request message to UE-to-Network Relay, and the second direct connection communication request message includes Relay Service Code, Remote UE user info, UE-to-UE Relay user info and UE-to-Network Relay user info;

UE-to-UE Relay determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the second direct connection request message, where Source Layer-2 ID is generated by UE-to-UE Relay itself, and Destination Layer-2 ID is Source Layer-2 ID used by UE-to-Network Relay when broadcasting Relay Service Code.

Step 4a, establishing a first communication link between UE-to-UE Relay and UE-to-Network Relay;

Step 4b, establishing a second communication link between the Remote UE and the UE-to-UE Relay;

Step 5, UE-to-Network Relay establishes a PDU session;

Step 6, UE-to-Network Relay returns the second direct communication response message to UE-to-UE Relay, and determines that the first communication link is established between UE-to-UE Relay and UE-to-Network Relay, the second 2. The direct connection communication response message includes Relay Service Code, Remote UE user info, UE-to-UE Relay user info, UE-to-Network Relay user info and relay indication;

UE-to-Network Relay determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the second direct communication response message, where Source Layer-2 ID (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_1) is determined by UE-to-Network Relay Generated by itself, the Destination Layer-2 ID is the Source Layer-2 ID (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_2) used when UE-to-UE Relay sends the second direct communication request message in step 3. In the subsequent communication process, the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID of UE-to-UE Relay are Layer-2 ID_2 and Layer-2 ID_1 respectively, and the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID of UE-to-Network Relay are The Destination Layer-2 IDs are Layer-2 ID_1 and Layer-2 ID_2 respectively.

Step 7, the UE-to-UE Relay returns the first direct communication response message to the Remote UE, and determines that a second communication link is established between the Remote UE and the UE-to-UE Relay, and the first direct communication response message includes the Relay Service Code, Remote UE user info, UE-to-UE Relay user info, and UE-to-Network Relay user info.

UE-to-UE Relay determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the first direct communication response message, where Source Layer-2 ID is generated by UE-to-UE Relay itself (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_3), the Destination Layer-2 ID is the Source Layer-2 ID (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_4) used when the Remote UE sends the first direct communication request message in step 1. In the subsequent communication process, the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID of Remote UE are Layer-2 ID_4 and Layer-2 ID_3 respectively, and the Source Layer-2 ID of UE-to-UE Relay is used as Destination Layer-2 The IDs are Layer-2 ID_3 and Layer-2 ID_4 respectively.

PC5 communication link PC5 link-1 between Remote UE and UE-to-UE Relay can be identified by Layer-2 ID_3 and Layer-2 ID_4, PC5 communication between UE-to-UE Relay and UE-to-Network Relay Link PC5 link-2 can be identified by Layer-2 ID_1 and Layer-2 ID_2. UE-to-UE Relay saves the mapping relationship between PC5 link-1 and PC5 link-2.

Example 2

This example is a multi-hop relay connection method when the above method 2 is adopted and N is equal to 1. It is that UE-to-UE Relay first establishes the first communication link to UE-to-Network Relay, and then establishes Remote UE to UE -to-UE Relay's second communication link connection. As shown in Figure 6, the specific steps are:

Step 1, UE-to-UE Relay discovers UE-to-Network Relay through the process of discovery and selection, and sends a second direct connection communication request message to UE-to-Network Relay, which contains Relay Service Code, UE-to -UE Relay user info, UE-to-Network Relay user info and relay capability (relay capability), where relay capability indicates that the UE will provide multi-hop connection services for UE-to-Network Relay as UE-to-UE Relay;

UE-to-UE Relay determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the second direct communication request message, where Source Layer-2 ID is generated by UE-to-UE Relay itself, and Destination Layer-2 ID Source Layer-2 ID used by UE-to-Network Relay when broadcasting Relay Service Code.

Step 2, establishing a first communication link between UE-to-UE Relay and UE-to-Network Relay;

Step 3, UE-to-Network Relay establishes a PDU session;

Step 4, UE-to-Network Relay returns the second direct communication response message to UE-to-UE Relay, UE-to-UE Relay determines to establish the first communication link with UE-to-Network Relay, and sends The indication information that the first communication link has been established is broadcast through a message, and the message includes Relay Service Code, UE-to-UE Relay user info and UE-to-Network Relay user info;

UE-to-Network Relay determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the second direct communication response message, where Source Layer-2 ID (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_1) is determined by UE-to-Network Relay Generated by itself, the Destination Layer-2 ID is the Source Layer-2 ID (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_2) used by UE-to-UE Relay when sending the first direct communication request message in step 1. In the subsequent communication process, the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID of UE-to-UE Relay are Layer-2 ID_2 and Layer-2 ID_1 respectively, and the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID of UE-to-Network Relay are The Destination Layer-2 IDs are Layer-2 ID_1 and Layer-2 ID_2 respectively.

Step 5, after the Remote UE receives the indication information broadcast by the UE-to-UE Relay that the first communication link has been established, it sends the first direct communication request message to the UE-to-UE Relay, which contains the Relay Service Code , UE-to-UE Relay user info and Remote UE user info;

The Remote UE determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the first direct communication request message, where the Source Layer-2 ID is generated by the Remote UE itself, and the Destination Layer-2 ID is the UE-to-UE Relay in Source Layer-2 ID used when broadcasting Relay Service Code.

Step 6, establishing a second direct communication link between the Remote UE and the UE-to-UE Relay;

Step 7, the UE-to-UE Relay returns the first direct communication response message to the Remote UE, and the Remote UE determines to establish a second direct communication link with the UE-to-UE Relay. The first direct communication response message contains the Relay Service Code, Remote UE user info and UE-to-UE Relay user info.

UE-to-UE Relay determines the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID used to send the first direct communication response message, where Source Layer-2 ID is generated by UE-to-UE Relay itself (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_3), the Destination Layer-2 ID is the Source Layer-2 ID (assumed to be Layer-2 ID_4) used when the Remote UE sends the first direct communication request message in step 5. In the subsequent communication process, the Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID of Remote UE are Layer-2 ID_4 and Layer-2 ID_3 respectively, and the Source Layer-2 ID of UE-to-UE Relay is used as Destination Layer-2 The IDs are Layer-2 ID_3 and Layer-2 ID_4 respectively.

PC5 communication link PC5 link-1 between Remote UE and UE-to-UE Relay can be identified by Layer-2 ID_3 and Layer-2 ID_4, PC5 communication between UE-to-UE Relay and UE-to-Network Relay Link PC5 link-2 can be identified by Layer-2 ID_1 and Layer-2 ID_2. UE-to-UE Relay saves the mapping relationship between PC5 link-1 and PC5 link-2.

Example 3

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of multi-hop UE-to-Network Relay IP address allocation according to an exemplary embodiment. This process occurs after the second communication link is established between the Remote UE and the UE-to-UE Relay, and after the first communication link is established between the UE-to-UE Relay and the UE-to-Network Relay, where the second Both the communication link and the first communication link are PC5 communication links, represented by PC5 link-1 and PC5 link-2 respectively. UE-to-UE Relay saves the mapping relationship between PC5 link-1 and PC5 link-2. As shown in Figure 7, the specific steps are:

Step 1, Remote UE sends a Router Solicitation (router request) message to UE-to-UE Relay through PC5 link-1;

Step 2, UE-to-UE Relay cannot process the Router Solicitation message, UE-to-UE Relay decides to forward the router solicitation message, UE-to-UE Relay according to the determined mapping between PC5 link-1 and PC5 link-2 The relationship is determined to use PC5 link-2 to forward the message;

Step 3, UE-to-UE Relay sends a Router Solicitation message to UE-to-Network Relay through PC5 link-2;

Step 4, UE-to-Network Relay assigns IPv6 prefix (Internet Protocol Version 6, Internet Protocol Version 6 prefix) to Remote UE, UE-to-Network Relay sends Router Advertisement (router Advertisement) to UE-to-UE Relay through Router Solicitation Notification) message, which contains IPv6 prefix;

Step 5, UE-to-UE Relay determines to use PC5 link-1 to forward the message according to the determined mapping relationship between PC5 link-1 and PC5 link-2;

Step 6, UE-to-UE Relay sends a Router Advertisement message to Remote UE through PC5 link-1;

Step 7, Remote UE performs data transmission through UE-to-UE Relay and UE-to-Network Relay.

Example 2

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides a device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection. Since the device is the device in the method in the embodiment of the present application, and the problem-solving principle of the device is similar to the method, Therefore, the implementation of the device can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repetition will not be repeated.

As shown in Figure 8, the above-mentioned device includes the following modules:

The first communication link establishment module 801 is configured to send a second direct connection communication request message to a UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying, and the A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops, where N is an integer with a value greater than or equal to 1;

The message transfer module 802 is configured to perform the remote UE-to-UE relay based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying. Message transfer between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops.

As an optional implementation manner, the relay capability of the UE-to-UE relay is broadcast through a message, and the first communication link establishing module is configured to use the first UE-to-UE relay capability with the relay capability to - before the UE relay sends the second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, it receives the first direct connection communication request message sent by the remote UE according to the broadcast message, the first direct connection The communication request message includes the UE-to-Network relay application layer user identification and relay indication;

Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, including:

According to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and the corresponding to the application layer user identification 1. A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops.

As an optional implementation manner, the first communication link establishment module is configured to relay the UE-to-Network with a distance of N hops through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying Establishing a first communication link between, including:

If N is equal to 1, according to the relay indication, send the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message identified by the user;

receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop.

As an optional implementation manner, the first communication link establishment module is configured to relay the UE-to-Network with a distance of N hops through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying Establishing a first communication link between, including:

If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user ID, the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay is used to indicate that the second UE-to-UE relay initiates a communication corresponding to the application layer user ID The communication link between UE-to-Network relays;

receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops.

As an optional implementation manner, the first communication link establishment module is configured to relay the UE-to-Network with a distance of N hops through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying After the first communication link is established, it also includes:

Broadcasting the instruction information for establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through a message;

The unit also includes:

The second communication link establishment module is configured to receive the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying, and return the first direct communication request message to the remote UE A connection response message, establishing a second communication link with the remote UE; wherein, the first direct connection communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information.

As an optional implementation manner, the first communication link establishment module is configured to relay through the first UE-to-UE capable of relaying after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE ,Also includes:

determining a second communication link established with the remote UE;

A mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link is stored.

As an optional implementation, the device also includes:

A router request message receiving module, configured to receive the router request message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying;

A router request message sending module, configured to determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying, and transmit the message to the downlink through the first communication link. A hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay sends a router solicitation message;

The router notifies the message sending module, configured to receive the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying or the UE-to-UE relay through the second UE-to-UE relay A router notification message sent by the second communication link, wherein the router notification message includes the IP address allocated by the UE-to-Network relay;

An IP address sending module, configured to send the IP address to the remote UE based on the first communication link through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection. A device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection is provided. As shown in FIG. 9 , the device includes:

The first direct communication request message sending module 901, configured to relay the first direct communication request message sent from the remote UE to UE-to-UE;

The first direct communication response message receiving module 902 is configured to receive the first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay through the remote UE, and the first direct communication response message is used to determine the connection with A communication connection is established between the UE-to-UE relays.

Example 3

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, since the electronic device is the electronic device in the method in the embodiment of the present application, and the electronic device solves the problem The principle is similar to the method, so the implementation of the electronic device can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repetition will not be repeated.

An electronic device 100 according to this embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to FIG. 10 . The electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 10 is only an example, and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the electronic device 100 may be in the form of a general computing device, for example, it may be a terminal device. Components of the electronic device 100 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processor 101, at least one memory 102 storing processor-executable instructions, and a bus 103 connecting different system components (including the memory 102 and the processor 101).

The processor implements the following steps by running the executable instructions:

Send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, where N is a value an integer greater than or equal to 1;

Based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE, perform message transfer between the remote UE and the N-hop UE-to-Network relay.

As an optional implementation manner, before sending the second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, the processor further executes:

The relay capability of the UE-to-UE relay is broadcast through a message, and receives a first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE according to the broadcast message; wherein, the first direct communication request message includes Application layer user identification and relay indication of UE-to-Network relay;

Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, including:

According to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and the corresponding to the application layer user identification 1. A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops.

As an optional implementation manner, establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops includes:

If N is equal to 1, according to the relay indication, send the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message identified by the user;

receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop.

As an optional implementation manner, establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops includes:

If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user ID, the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay is used to indicate that the second UE-to-UE relay initiates a communication corresponding to the application layer user ID The communication link between UE-to-Network relays;

receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay;

According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops.

As an optional implementation manner, after establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, the processor further executes:

Broadcasting the instruction information for establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops through a message;

The method also includes:

receiving a first direct connection request message sent by a remote UE, and returning a first direct connection response message to the remote UE, and establishing a second communication link with the remote UE; wherein the first direct connection The communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information.

As an optional implementation manner, after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE, the method further includes:

determining a second communication link established with the remote UE;

A mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link is stored.

As an optional implementation manner, the processor also executes:

receiving a router solicitation message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link;

Determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship, and send a router request to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or second UE-to-UE relay through the first communication link information;

receiving a router notification message sent by the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, where the router notification message includes a UE-to-Network The IP address assigned by the relay;

sending the IP address to a remote UE based on the first communication link.

Bus 103 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a processor, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus structures.

The memory 102 may include readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 1021 and/or cache memory 1022 , and may further include a read only memory (ROM) 1023 .

Memory 102 may also include programs/utilities 1025 having a set (at least one) of program modules 1024 including, but not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, which Each or some combination of the examples may include the implementation of a network environment.

The electronic device 100 can also communicate with one or more external devices 104 (such as keyboards, pointing devices, etc.), and can also communicate with one or more devices that enable the user to interact with the electronic device 100, and/or communicate with the electronic device 100. Any device (eg, router, modem, etc.) capable of communicating with one or more other computing devices communicates. Such communication may occur through input/output (I/O) interface 105 . Moreover, the electronic device 100 can also communicate with one or more networks (such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) and/or a public network such as the Internet) through the network adapter 106 . As shown, the network adapter 106 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 100 through the bus 103 . It should be appreciated that although not shown, other hardware and/or software modules may be used in conjunction with electronic device 100, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives And data backup storage system, etc.

An electronic device 110 according to this embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to FIG. 11 . The electronic device 110 shown in FIG. 11 is only an example, and should not limit the functions and scope of use of this embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the electronic device 110 may be in the form of a general-purpose computing device, for example, it may be a terminal device. Components of the electronic device 110 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processor 111, at least one memory 112 storing processor-executable instructions, and a bus 113 connecting different system components (including the memory 112 and the processor 111).

The processor implements the following steps by running the executable instructions:

The first direct communication request message sent to the UE-to-UE relay;

Receive a first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay, where the first direct communication response message is used to determine to establish a communication connection with the UE-to-UE relay.

Bus 113 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a processor, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus structures.

Memory 112 may include readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 1121 and/or cache memory 1122 , and may further include read only memory (ROM) 1123 .

Memory 112 may also include programs/utilities 1125 having a set (at least one) of program modules 1124 including, but not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, which Each or some combination of the examples may include the implementation of a network environment.

Electronic device 110 may also communicate with one or more external devices 114 (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, etc.), and may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 110, and/or communicate with one or more devices that enable electronic device 110 to Any device (eg, router, modem, etc.) capable of communicating with one or more other computing devices communicates. Such communication may occur through input/output (I/O) interface 115 . Moreover, the electronic device 110 can also communicate with one or more networks (such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) and/or a public network such as the Internet) through the network adapter 116 . As shown, network adapter 116 communicates with other modules of electronic device 110 via bus 113 . It should be appreciated that although not shown, other hardware and/or software modules may be used in conjunction with electronic device 110, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives And data backup storage system, etc.

Example 4

In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present application can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program code. When the program product runs on the terminal device, the program code is used to make the terminal device execute the above-mentioned The steps of each module in the multi-hop relay connection establishment device described in the "Exemplary Method" section according to various exemplary embodiments of the present application, for example, the terminal device can be used in UE-to-Network with a distance of N hops After sending the second direct connection communication request message, establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, where N is an integer with a value greater than or equal to 1; based on the first The communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE perform operations such as message transfer between the remote UE and the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops.

A program product may take the form of any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of readable storage media include: electrical connection with one or more conductors, portable disk, hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

As shown in FIG. 12 , a program product 120 for setting up a multi-hop relay connection according to an embodiment of the present application is described, which can adopt a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program codes, and can be downloaded at Runs on end devices such as personal computers. However, the program product of the present application is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, and the program may be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device, or device.

A readable signal medium may include a data signal carrying readable program code in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such propagated data signals may take many forms, including - but not limited to - electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including - but not limited to - wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Program codes for performing the operations of the present application can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages—such as Java, C++, etc., as well as conventional procedural programming Language - such as "C" or similar programming language. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computing device and partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server to execute. In cases involving a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device through any kind of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or, alternatively, may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., using an Internet service Provider via Internet connection).

It should be noted that although several modules or sub-modules of the system are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is only exemplary and not mandatory. Actually, according to the embodiment of the present application, the features and functions of two or more modules described above may be embodied in one module. Conversely, the features and functions of one module described above may be further divided to be embodied by a plurality of modules.

In addition, although the operations of the various modules of the system of the present application are described in a specific order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in this specific order, or that all shown operations must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally or alternatively, certain operations may be omitted, multiple operations may be combined for execution as one operation, and/or one operation may be decomposed for execution as multiple operations.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage and optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each procedure and/or block in the flowchart and/or block diagram, and a combination of procedures and/or blocks in the flowchart and/or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or processor of other programmable data processing equipment to produce a machine such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment produce a A device for realizing the functions specified in one or more steps of the flowchart and/or one or more blocks of the block diagram.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, the instructions The device realizes the function specified in one or more procedures of the flowchart and/or one or more blocks of the block diagram.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, causing a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby The instructions provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flow chart or blocks of the flowchart and/or the block or blocks of the block diagrams. Other embodiments of the present application will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any modification, use or adaptation of the application, these modifications, uses or adaptations follow the general principles of the application and include common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the application . The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the application indicated by the following claims.

It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the precise constructions which have been described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (25)

A method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, characterized in that it is applied to UE-to-UE relay from a first user equipment capable of relaying to user equipment UE-to-UE, the method comprising: Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops from the user equipment to the network device, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, wherein , N is an integer whose value is greater than or equal to 1; Based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE, perform message transfer between the remote UE and the N-hop UE-to-Network relay. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Broadcast the relay capability of the first UE-to-UE relay through a message, and receive a first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE according to the broadcast message; wherein, in the first direct communication request message Application layer user identification and relay indication including UE-to-Network relay; Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, including: According to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and the corresponding to the application layer user identification 1. A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops. The method according to claim 2, wherein establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops comprises: If N is equal to 1, according to the relay indication, send the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message identified by the user; receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop; According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop. The method according to claim 2, wherein establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay of the distance N hops comprises: If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user ID, the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay is used to indicate that the second UE-to-UE relay initiates a communication corresponding to the application layer user ID The communication link between UE-to-Network relays; receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay; According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops. The method according to claim 1, wherein after establishing the first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, further comprising: Broadcasting indication information through a message, where the indication information is indication information for establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops; The method also includes: receiving a first direct connection request message sent by a remote UE, and returning a first direct connection response message to the remote UE, and establishing a second communication link with the remote UE; wherein the first direct connection The communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE, further comprising: determining a second communication link established with the remote UE; A mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link is stored. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: receiving a router solicitation message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link; Determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship, and send a router request to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or second UE-to-UE relay through the first communication link information; receiving a router notification message sent by the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, where the router notification message includes a UE-to-Network The IP address assigned by the relay; sending the IP address to a remote UE based on the first communication link. A method for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, characterized in that it is applied to a remote user equipment RemoteUE, and the method includes: The first direct connection communication request message sent from the user equipment to the user equipment UE-to-UE relay; Receive a first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay, where the first direct communication response message is used to determine to establish a communication connection with the UE-to-UE relay. A device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, characterized in that the device includes: The first communication link establishment module is configured to send the second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops from the user equipment to the network equipment UE-to-Network relay through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying , establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, where N is an integer whose value is greater than or equal to 1; The message transfer module is configured to perform the relaying from the remote UE to the UE based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE through the first UE-to-UE relay capable of relaying Message transmission between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops. The device according to claim 9, wherein the first communication link establishment module is also used for: Broadcast the relay capability of the first UE-to-UE relay through a message, and receive a first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE according to the broadcast message; wherein, in the first direct communication request message Application layer user identification and relay indication including UE-to-Network relay; The first communication link establishment module is configured to send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establish a communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops. a first communication link comprising: According to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and the corresponding to the application layer user identification 1. A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops. The device according to claim 10, wherein the first communication link establishment module is configured to establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, comprising: If N is equal to 1, according to the relay indication, send the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message identified by the user; receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop; According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop. The device according to claim 10, wherein the first communication link establishment module is configured to establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, comprising: If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user ID, the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay is used to indicate that the second UE-to-UE relay initiates a communication corresponding to the application layer user ID The communication link between UE-to-Network relays; receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay; According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops. The device according to claim 9, wherein the first communication link establishment module is configured to establish a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, further include: Broadcasting indication information through a message, where the indication information is indication information for establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops; The unit also includes: A second communication link establishment module, configured to receive a first direct connection request message sent by a remote UE, and return a first direct connection response message to the remote UE, and establish a second communication link with the remote UE wherein, the first direct communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information. The device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the first communication link establishment module, after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE, further includes: determining a second communication link established with the remote UE; A mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link is stored. The device according to claim 14, further comprising: A router request message receiving module, configured to receive a router request message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link; A router request message sending module, configured to determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship, and relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network or the second UE-to-Network through the first communication link The to-UE relay sends a router solicitation message; A router notification message sending module, configured to receive a router notification message sent by the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, the router notification The message includes the IP address assigned by the UE-to-Network relay; An IP address sending module, configured to send the IP address to the remote UE based on the first communication link. A device for establishing a multi-hop relay connection, characterized in that the device includes: The first direct communication request message sending module is used to relay the first direct communication request message sent from the remote UE to the user equipment UE-to-UE; The first direct communication response message receiving module is configured to receive the first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay through the remote UE, and the first direct communication response message is used to determine the connection with the A communication connection is established between the UE-to-UE relays. An electronic device, characterized in that it is applied to a first UE-to-UE relay with relay capability, and includes: a processor, and a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; wherein, the processor passes Run described executable instruction to realize following steps: Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops from the user equipment to the network device, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, wherein , N is an integer whose value is greater than or equal to 1; Based on the first communication link and the second communication link established with the remote UE, perform message transfer between the remote UE and the N-hop UE-to-Network relay. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the processor further executes: Broadcast the relay capability of the first UE-to-UE relay through a message, and receive a first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE according to the broadcast message; wherein, in the first direct communication request message Application layer user identification and relay indication including UE-to-Network relay; Sending a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, including: According to the application layer user identification and relay indication of the UE-to-Network relay, send a second direct connection communication request message to the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, and the corresponding to the application layer user identification 1. A first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays with a distance of N hops. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops comprises: If N is equal to 1, according to the relay indication, send the application layer user identification of the remote UE and the application layer of the first UE-to-UE relay to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message identified by the user; receiving the second direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-Network relay of the next hop; According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of 1 hop. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops comprises: If N is greater than 1, according to the relay indication, send the second UE-to-UE relay carrying the relay indication, the application layer user identity of the remote UE, and the UE-to-Network relay The second direct connection communication request message of the application layer user ID, the application layer user ID of the UE-to-Network relay is used to indicate that the second UE-to-UE relay initiates a communication corresponding to the application layer user ID The communication link between UE-to-Network relays; receiving a second direct communication response message sent by the next-hop second UE-to-UE relay; According to the second direct connection communication response message, it is determined that a first communication link is established between UE-to-Network relays corresponding to the application layer user identifier and with a distance of N hops. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein after the first communication link is established with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops, the processor further executes: Broadcasting indication information through a message, where the indication information is indication information for establishing a first communication link with the UE-to-Network relay with a distance of N hops; The processor also executes: receiving a first direct connection request message sent by a remote UE, and returning a first direct connection response message to the remote UE, and establishing a second communication link with the remote UE; wherein the first direct connection The communication request message is sent by the remote UE after receiving the broadcasted indication information. The electronic device according to any one of claims 18-21, wherein after receiving the first direct communication request message sent by the remote UE, the processor further executes: determining a second communication link established with the remote UE; A mapping relationship between the first communication link and the second communication link is stored. The electronic device according to claim 22, wherein the processor further executes: receiving a router solicitation message sent by the remote UE through the second communication link; Determine the corresponding first communication link according to the mapping relationship, and send a router request to the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or second UE-to-UE relay through the first communication link information; receiving a router notification message sent by the next-hop UE-to-Network relay or a second UE-to-UE relay through the second communication link, where the router notification message includes a UE-to-Network The IP address assigned by the relay; sending the IP address to a remote UE based on the first communication link. An electronic device, characterized in that it is applied to a remote UE, includes: a processor, and a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; wherein, the processor implements the following steps by running the executable instructions: The first direct connection communication request message sent from the user equipment to the user equipment UE-to-UE relay; Receive a first direct communication response message sent by the UE-to-UE relay, where the first direct communication response message is used to determine to establish a communication connection with the UE-to-UE relay. A computer readable and writable storage medium, on which computer instructions are stored, characterized in that, when the instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is realized, or the method according to claim 8 is realized .

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