CN114390620A

CN114390620A - Downlink data transmission method and device, relay node and network equipment

Info

Publication number: CN114390620A
Application number: CN202011138571.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王达; 曾二林
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-22
Filing date: 2020-10-22
Publication date: 2022-04-22

Abstract

The invention provides a downlink data transmission method, a downlink data transmission device, a relay node and network equipment. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a data packet sent by a network device, wherein the data packet comprises: indication information; determining a target node of a next hop of the relay node according to the indication information; and sending the data packet to the target node. According to the embodiment of the invention, the relay node receives the data packet sent by the network equipment, determines the target node of the next hop according to the indication information in the data packet, and sends the data packet to the target node. When the relay node is connected with the source cell and the target cell simultaneously in the switching process, the source cell and the target cell can send downlink data packets to the relay node, so that the switching time delay of transmission services is reduced, and the interruption of the transmission services in the switching process is avoided.

Description

Downlink data transmission method and device, relay node and network equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a downlink data transmission method, an apparatus, a relay node, and a network device.

Background

Since the 5G system uses a higher frequency spectrum than the 4G system, the coverage area of the base station is reduced, and thus, a technique for solving the coverage area of the base station is developed. For example, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) network technology achieves the purpose of expanding the coverage area of a base station by a wireless signal relay manner among a plurality of base station nodes. For another example, a terminal (UE-to-Network Relay) having a Relay function is introduced, an interface between the Relay terminal (UE) and the Network uses a Uu interface, and an interface between the relayed UE uses a PC5 interface. The above-mentioned technologies for solving the coverage of the base station all introduce a relay node, which may be a base station with a relay function or a terminal with a relay function.

The relay node is movable, when an IAB node in the IAB technology is switched from one parent node to another parent node, or a relay UE is switched from one cell to another cell, the configuration used by the IAB node or the relay UE needs to be reconfigured, and since the service can be normally transmitted after the reconfiguration is completed after the parent node is switched, the delay or interruption of the transmission service may be caused.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a downlink data transmission method, a downlink data transmission device, a relay node and network equipment, which are used for solving the problem of transmission service interruption when the relay node switches a connection cell.

The embodiment of the invention provides a downlink data transmission method, which is applied to a relay node and comprises the following steps:

receiving a data packet sent by a network device, wherein the data packet comprises: indication information;

determining a target node of a next hop of the relay node according to the indication information;

and sending the data packet to the target node.

Optionally, the network device is a source network device connected to the relay node, or the network device is a target network device to which the relay node is to be handed over.

Optionally, the relay node is a relay integrated access backhaul IAB node or a relay terminal.

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, the data packet further includes: destination address and transmission path identification.

Optionally, the determining, according to the indication information, a target node of a next hop of the relay node includes:

under the condition that the indication information is first information, determining the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier; or

Under the condition that the indication information is second information, determining the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier; or

And under the condition that the indication information is second information, determining the target node according to the destination address.

Optionally, in a case that the indication information is first information, the method further includes:

under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, discarding the data packet; or

And under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, storing the data packet until the data packet can be transmitted when the target node can be determined according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a downlink data transmission method, which is applied to network equipment and comprises the following steps:

determining indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating a relay node to determine a target node of a next hop;

transmitting a data packet to the relay node, the data packet comprising: the indication information.

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, the determining the indication information includes:

determining the indication information as first information under the condition that a migration node on a transmission path of the data packet is connected with a source cell and a target cell; otherwise, determining the indication information as second information.

Optionally, the first information is used to instruct the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier;

the second information is used for instructing the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, or instructing the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address.

Optionally, the migration node is: and integrating the access backhaul IAB node, the relay terminal and one of the terminals.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a relay node, including: a transceiver, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, the processor implementing the following steps when executing the computer program:

and sending the data packet to the target node.

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, when determining the target node of the next hop of the relay node according to the indication information, the processor is further configured to:

Optionally, in a case that the indication information is first information, the processor is further configured to:

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device, including: a transceiver, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, the processor implementing the following steps when executing the computer program:

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, when determining the indication information, the processor is further configured to:

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a downlink data transmission apparatus, which is applied to a relay node, and includes:

a first receiving module, configured to receive a data packet sent by a network device, where the data packet includes: indication information;

the first determining module is used for determining a target node of the next hop of the relay node according to the indication information;

and the first sending module is used for sending the data packet to the target node.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a downlink data transmission apparatus, which is applied to a network device, and includes:

a second determining module, configured to determine indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate a relay node to determine a target node of a next hop;

a second sending module, configured to send a data packet to the relay node, where the data packet includes: the indication information.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a processor-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which, when being executed by a processor, implements the steps of the downlink data transmission method described above.

The technical scheme of the invention has the beneficial effects that:

in the embodiment of the invention, the relay node receives the data packet sent by the network equipment, determines the target node of the next hop according to the indication information in the data packet, and sends the data packet to the target node. When the relay node is connected with the source cell and the target cell simultaneously in the switching process, the source cell and the target cell can send downlink data packets to the relay node, so that the switching time delay of transmission services is reduced, and the interruption of the transmission services in the switching process is avoided.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows an IAB network topology of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an IAB node;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack of an IAB node of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a UE-to-Network Relay of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data plane protocol stack of a relay UE node according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating UE handover in DAPS technology according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a protocol stack for the DAPS technique of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a downlink data transmission method according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a packet transmission process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a second flowchart illustrating a downlink data transmission method according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a downlink data transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 12 is a second schematic structural diagram of a downlink data transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay node according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the following detailed description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In the following description, specific details such as specific configurations and components are provided only to help the full understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. Thus, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

In various embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the sequence numbers of the following processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein.

In the embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that "B corresponding to a" means that B is associated with a from which B can be determined. It should also be understood that determining B from a does not mean determining B from a alone, but may be determined from a and/or other information.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the access network may be an access network including a Macro Base Station (Macro Base Station), a micro Base Station (Pico Base Station), a Node B (3G mobile Station), an enhanced Base Station (eNB), a Home enhanced Base Station (Femto eNB or Home eNode B or Home eNB or HeNB), a relay Station, an access point, an RRU (Remote Radio Unit), an RRH (Remote Radio Head), and the like. The user terminal may be a mobile phone (or handset), or other device capable of sending or receiving wireless signals, including user Equipment, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communicator, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) or a mobile smart hotspot capable of converting mobile signals into WiFi signals, a smart appliance, or other devices capable of autonomously communicating with a mobile communication network without human operation, and so on.

In making the description of the embodiments of the present invention, some concepts used in the following description will first be explained.

The PC5 interface, also known as the direct communication interface (SL).

The link between the relay and the network is called Backhaul Link (BL) for the relayed UE.

IAB network technology:

an IAB network topology diagram is shown in fig. 1, and an IAB network deployment is composed of an IAB host node or central control node (IAB node), an IAB node (node), and a UE. The IAB donor is used for connecting the core network, returning the information of the IAB node and the UE to the core network and transmitting the information of the core network to the IAB node and the UE. The IAB donor is also responsible for managing IAB nodes throughout the IAB network.

The IAB node is responsible for relaying and transmitting information of the UE to the iabbdonor and relaying and transmitting information of the IAB donor to the UE through a radio link (Uu interface). The IAB nodes and the IAB donors are connected through wireless links, namely Uu interfaces.

The relay function of the IAB node is implemented by a backhaul Protocol layer (BAP layer) in the IAB node.

In the IAB network topology, one IAB node is composed of two parts, as shown in fig. 2, one part is an IAB Mobile Termination (IAB MT), the IAB MT is connected to a Distributed Unit (DU) part in a base station or an IAB node, and the base station or the IAB node is called a parent node of the IAB Mobile Termination; the other part is an IAB DU, which is an MT part for a downlink UE or IAB node, which is called a child node of the IAB DU.

As shown in fig. 1, IAB node1 is a parent node of IAB node2, IAB node 3 is a child node of IAB node2, and IAB node 3 is a descendant node of IAB node 1.

The protocol stack of the IAB node is shown in fig. 3. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer is composed of a Physical layer (PHY), a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Backhaul Access Protocol (BAP) layer.

Switching scenario of IAB node: the IAB node handover specifically refers to the IAB node being handed over from a source parent node to a target parent node. IAB node handover involves two handover scenarios. Firstly, the IAB node is switched from a source parent node to a target parent node, but the connected donor CU is not changed, only the donor DU different from the lower side of the donor CU is changed, and the switching is intra-CU switching; and the other is that the IAB node is switched from the source parent node to the target parent node, the connected donor CU is changed, namely the source donor CU is switched to the target donor CU, and the switching is inter-CU switching.

The relay UE: to extend network coverage, one solution is to introduce relays. The relay may be a terminal having a relay function. For UE-to-Network Relay, the interface between the Relay and the Network uses the Uu interface, and the interface between the relayed UE (far-end UE) uses the PC5 interface (also called the Sidelink interface). The link between the relay UE and the network side device may be referred to as a Backhaul link (Backhaul link) for the remote UE. The schematic diagram of the UE-to-Network Relay is shown in FIG. 4.

The protocol stack of the relay UE node is shown in fig. 5. Consists of a physical layer (PHY), a MAC layer, an RLC layer, and an adaptation layer (adaptation layer).

Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) in NR Uu: the DAPS technology is used for reducing the switching time delay when the UE carries out cell switching. In the switching process of the UE, the UE establishes connection with the target cell, meanwhile, connection with the source cell is maintained, downlink data are respectively sent to the UE through the source cell and the target cell, and the same data packet or different data packets can be sent. And then releasing the connection of the source cell, thereby achieving the purpose of zero-interruption switching. As shown in particular in fig. 6.

The protocol stack of the DAPS technique is shown in fig. 7. The UE adopts a dual Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Protocol stack, which corresponds to the source cell and the target cell respectively. The 2 PDCP entities perform duplicate packet detection and packet reordering functions in the same buffer, so that downlink data packets are respectively delivered by 2 cells, and may send the same data packets, or may arrive at different times and be out of order.

Specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide a downlink data transmission method, an apparatus, a relay node, and a network device, so as to solve the problem of interruption of a transmission service when a relay node switches a connection cell in the prior art.

As shown in fig. 8, an embodiment of the present invention provides a downlink data transmission method, which is applied to a relay node, and specifically includes the following steps:

step 801, receiving a data packet sent by a network device, where the data packet includes: indication information;

the data packet is sent by a network device, which may be a Donor IAB node or a base station, where when the network device is the Donor IAB node, the IAB scenario, that is, the IAB Donor node in fig. 1, includes an IAB-Donor CU and an IAB-Donor DU, and is used to control the IAB node and data transmission in the entire IAB topology structure.

When the network device is a base station, the network device can be applied to a UE-to-network relay scenario, and the network device is a base station node in the scenario and can control relay UE and remote UE connected to the base station and data transmission.

And the network equipment sends the data packet to the relay node and carries out downlink transmission to the UE through the relay node. The data packet includes indication information, for example, the indication information is set in a packet header of the data packet, and the indication information is used for indicating the relay node to determine a node of a next hop.

Step 802, determining a target node of a next hop of the relay node according to the indication information;

the indication information is added by the network device in the data packet, for example, in a header of the data packet. And the relay node receives the data packet and determines a next hop node to which the data packet is to be sent, namely the target node, according to the indication information in the data packet.

Step 803, sending the data packet to the target node. And after determining the target node, the relay node sends the data packet to the target node.

In this embodiment, the relay node receives a data packet sent by the network device, determines a target node of a next hop according to indication information in the data packet, and sends the data packet to the target node. When the relay node is connected with the source cell and the target cell simultaneously in the switching process, the source cell and the target cell can send downlink data packets to the relay node, so that the switching time delay of transmission services is reduced, and the interruption of the transmission services in the switching process is avoided.

The network device is a source network device connected with the relay node, or the network device is a target network device to which the relay node is to be switched. The relay node is a relay integrated access return IAB node or a relay terminal.

The network equipment can be a Donor IAB node or a base station, when the network equipment is the Donor IAB node, the relay node is an IAB node, namely a relay IAB node, and when the intra-CU handover process is carried out, the Donor IAB node is an IAB-Donor node for controlling the relay node; when the inter-CU handover procedure is performed, the Donor IAB node may be a source IAB-Donor node of the relay node, that is, an IAB-Donor node that controls the relay node, or may be a target IAB-Donor node, that is, an IAB-Donor node that controls the relay node after handover.

When the network equipment is a base station, the relay node is relay UE, when the switching process in the base station is carried out, namely the relay UE connected is switched, the relay UE is still connected to the base station, and the base station is a base station node for controlling the relay UE; when performing a handover procedure between base stations, that is, after a connected relay UE is handed over, the base station is connected to another base station, and the base station may be a source base station node of the relay node, that is, a base station node controlling the relay UE, or may be a target base station node, that is, a base station node controlling the relay UE after the handover.

The target node is a child node of the relay node. The child node of the relay node may be another relay node, that is, the data packet may be transmitted to a next hop node of the another relay node through the another relay node; alternatively, the child node may be a destination IAB node or UE, that is, a destination IAB node or a destination UE for the packet transmission.

The data packet further includes: destination address and transmission path identification. For example: and setting the destination address and the transmission path identification in the packet header of the data packet. The destination address is used for indicating a destination IAB node or a destination UE to which the data packet needs to be transmitted; the transmission path identifier is used to indicate a path through which the data packet is transmitted, i.e. a relay node that needs to be passed. The transmission path indicated by the transmission path identifier is a transmission path that is preset when the network device (i.e., the Donor IAB node or the base station) transmits the data packet.

Specifically, the indication information may include two cases, for example: the indication information includes "yes" or "no", and may be represented by 1 bit, 1 represents "yes", and 0 represents "no".

Further, the determining a target node of a next hop of the relay node according to the indication information includes:

In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate a manner in which the relay node determines a target node, that is, whether a node of a next hop must be selected according to a destination address of a packet and a transmission path identifier. When the indication information is first information, the relay node must determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier; when the indication information is the second information, the relay node may determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, or may determine the target node only according to the destination address.

Taking the first information as yes and the second information as no as an example, if the indication information is yes, the relay node is indicated to have to select a node of a next hop according to a destination address of the data packet and the transmission path identifier; if the indication information is 'no', the indication information indicates that the relay node can select the node of the next hop according to the destination address of the data packet only.

Specifically, when the relay node determines the target node, a table may be searched to obtain a node of a next hop according to a destination address and a transmission path identifier carried in a data packet; if a plurality of nodes which meet the next hop of the condition exist, one of the nodes can be randomly selected; the table may be configured for the network device (i.e., the Donor IAB node or base station) to be a relay node.

The relay node may also find the next-hop node only according to the destination address carried in the data packet, and if there are multiple eligible next-hop nodes, one of the nodes is randomly selected. It should be noted that, the node of the next hop selected at this time may not be the node of the next hop selected according to the transmission path identifier of the data packet, that is, the preset transmission path of the data packet is changed. This way of changing the transmission path may be caused by a break or congestion occurring on the predetermined transmission path of the data packet.

Taking the IAB network as an example, for example: the preset transmission path is from IAB node1 to IABnode 2 and then to IAB node 3. However, when the path between the IAB node2 and the IAB node 3 is interrupted or congested, the IAB node2 may select another node according to the destination address carried in the packet, and may also use the node where the packet is successfully transmitted to the destination address as the node of the next hop, for example, the IAB node2 transmits the packet to the IAB node 4 instead of the IAB node 3, that is, the preset transmission path of the packet is changed.

In this embodiment, the indication information can ensure that the data packet can be transmitted according to a preset transmission path, that is, the data packet can be respectively transmitted from the source cell and the target cell to the relay node, so that the switching delay of the transmission service is reduced, and the interruption of the transmission service in the switching process is avoided.

The indication information is determined by the network device according to the migration node on the data packet transmission path, and the migration node may be an IAB node (an IAB scene), or a relay UE (a UE-to-network relay scene), or a UE (a UE in the IAB scene or the UE-to-network relay scene). If the migration node on the data packet transmission path is connected to the source cell and the target cell simultaneously or connected to the source relay node and the target relay node simultaneously during handover, the network device (i.e., the Donor IAB node or the base station) sets the indication information in the data packet as the first information. In other cases, the network device (i.e., the Donor IAB node or the base station) may set the indication information in the data packet as the second information.

Optionally, in a case that the indication information is first information, the method further includes: under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, discarding the data packet; or, under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, storing the data packet until the data packet can be transmitted when the target node can be determined according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier.

In this embodiment, when the indication information is the first information, the relay node must determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier. If the relay node searches the table according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier carried in the data packet, the relay node cannot find the next hop node, that is, cannot transmit the data packet according to the preset transmission path, the relay node discards the data packet; or the relay node stores the data packet, and continues to search for the next-hop target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier until the next-hop target node can be found, and then transmits the data packet.

The following describes a specific implementation process of the downlink data transmission method, taking the network device as a Donor IAB node or a base station as an example, that is, the network device is suitable for an IAB network or a UE-to-network relay scenario.

As shown in fig. 9, there are a plurality of relay nodes, and a source network device (a source Donor IAB node or a source base station) sends a data packet a to a relay node1, where the data packet a may be transmitted to the migration node through the relay node1, the relay node 3, the relay node 5, and the relay node 7; the target network device (target Donor IAB node or target base station) sends a data packet b to the relay node2, and the data packet b may be transmitted to the migration node through the relay node2, the relay node 4, the relay node 6, and the relay node 8. In the migration node handover process, the source cell (cell of the relay node 7) and the target cell (cell of the relay node 8) are connected at the same time, or the source relay node (relay node 7) and the target relay node (relay node 8) are connected at the same time. The specific implementation process of the downlink data transmission method is as follows:

the method comprises the following steps: the Donor IAB node or the base station sends a data packet to the migration node; or sending a data packet to a descendant node of the migration node, wherein the data packet passes through the migration node;

a) the method comprises the following steps The Donor IAB node or the base station sends a data packet a, and the setting of the data packet a comprises the following steps:

i. destination address: migrating node addresses, or descendant node addresses of the migrating nodes;

transmission path identification: for example: the identifier 1 indicates that the transmission path is from relay node 1- > relay node 3- > relay node 5- > relay node 7- > migration node;

indication information: set to "yes," e.g., 1 bit equals 1.

b) The method comprises the following steps The Donor IAB node or the base station sends a data packet b, and the setting of the data packet b comprises the following steps:

transmission path identification: for example: a mark 2 represents that a transmission path from the relay node 2- > the relay node 4- > the relay node 6- > the relay node 8- > the migration node;

indication information: set to "yes," e.g., 1 bit equals 1.

c) The method comprises the following steps The data packet a and the data packet b may be the same data packet or different data packets. By setting different transmission path identifiers, it can be ensured that a data packet sent to the migration node or a descendant node of the migration node reaches the migration node through different relay nodes (or cells), thereby achieving the purposes of reducing the switching time delay of the transmission service and avoiding the interruption of the transmission service in the switching process.

Step two: when the relay node transmits the packet, since the indication information is set to "yes", the node of the next hop must be selected according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier.

For example, on the transmission path of the packet b, the relay node 4 must select the relay node 6 of the next hop according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, but cannot select the next hop for transmission to the relay node 5. If the path between the relay node 4 and the relay node 6 is interrupted or congested, the relay node 4 cannot transmit the data packet b to the relay node 5, and only discards the data packet a or waits for the link to be recovered and then transmits the data packet b. The reason is as follows: if the relay node 4 transmits the data packet b to the relay node 5, the transmission path of the data packet b is changed, so that all the data packets are transmitted from the relay node 7 to the migration node, and the purposes of reducing the switching time delay of the transmission service and avoiding the interruption of the transmission service in the switching process cannot be achieved.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the relay node receives the data packet sent by the network equipment, determines the target node of the next hop according to the indication information in the data packet, and sends the data packet to the target node. When the relay node is connected with the source cell and the target cell simultaneously in the switching process, the source cell and the target cell can send downlink data packets to the relay node, so that the switching time delay of transmission services is reduced, and the interruption of the transmission services in the switching process is avoided.

As shown in fig. 10, a downlink data transmission method is further provided in a first embodiment of the present invention, and is applied to a network device, and includes:

step 1010, determining indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the relay node to determine a target node of a next hop.

The indication information is determined by the network device, and the network device is a source network device connected with the relay node, or the network device is a target network device to which the relay node is to be switched. The network device may be a Donor IAB node or a base station. And when the network equipment is a Donor IAB node, aiming at an IAB scene, the network equipment comprises an IAB-Donor CU and an IAB-Donor DU, and is used for controlling the IAB node and data transmission in the whole IAB topological structure.

Step 1020, sending a data packet to the relay node, the data packet including: the indication information.

The data packet is sent by network equipment, the network equipment sends the data packet to the relay node, and downlink transmission is carried out to the UE through the relay node. The data packet includes indication information, for example, the indication information is set in a packet header of the data packet, and the indication information is used to indicate the relay node to determine a target node of a next hop. And after determining the target node of the next hop, the relay node sends the data packet to the next hop node.

In this embodiment, the network device determines the indication information, adds the indication information to a data packet, and sends the data packet to the relay node, and after receiving the data packet, the relay node determines a target node of a next hop according to the indication information and sends the data packet to the target node, so that when the relay node is connected to the source cell and the target cell simultaneously during the handover process, both the source cell and the target cell can send downlink data packets to the relay node, thereby reducing the handover delay of the transmission service and avoiding interruption of the transmission service during the handover process.

The relay node is a relay integrated access return IAB node or a relay terminal. When the network equipment is a Donor IAB node, the relay node is an IAB node, namely a relay IAB node, and when the intra-CU switching process is carried out, the Donor IAB node is an IAB-Donor node for controlling the relay node; when the inter-CU handover procedure is performed, the Donor IAB node may be a source IAB-Donor node of the relay node, that is, an IAB-Donor node that controls the relay node, or may be a target IAB-Donor node, that is, an IAB-Donor node that controls the relay node after handover.

When the network equipment is a base station, the relay node is a relay terminal, and when a switching process in the base station is carried out, namely after the connected relay UE is switched, the relay node is still connected to the base station, and the base station is a base station node for controlling the relay UE; when performing a handover procedure between base stations, that is, after a connected relay UE is handed over, the base station is connected to another base station, and the base station may be a source base station node of the relay node, that is, a base station node controlling the relay UE, or may be a target base station node, that is, a base station node controlling the relay UE after the handover.

The data packet further includes: destination address and transmission path identification. The destination address is used for indicating a destination IAB node or a destination UE to which the data packet needs to be transmitted; the transmission path identifier is used to indicate a path through which the data packet is transmitted, i.e. a relay node that needs to be passed. The transmission path indicated by the transmission path identifier is a transmission path that is preset when the network device (i.e., the Donor IAB node or the base station) transmits the data packet.

Further, the determining the indication information may include: determining the indication information as first information under the condition that a migration node on a transmission path of the data packet is connected with a source cell and a target cell; otherwise, determining the indication information as second information. The migration node is as follows: and integrating the access backhaul IAB node, the relay terminal and one of the terminals.

In this embodiment, the indication information may include two cases, for example: the indication information includes "yes" or "no", and may be represented by 1 bit, 1 represents "yes", and 0 represents "no". The indication information is determined by the network device according to a migration node, where the migration node may be an IAB node (IAB scene) or a relay UE (UE-to-network relay scene) or a UE (UE in the IAB scene or the UE-to-network relay scene). If the migration node is connected with the source cell and the target cell simultaneously or connected with the source relay node and the target relay node simultaneously during the handover, the network device sets the indication information as the first information. In other cases, the network device sets the indication information as second information.

The first information is used for indicating the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier; the second information is used for instructing the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, or instructing the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address.

Specifically, the network device may configure a table for the relay node, so that the relay node searches the table to obtain a node of a next hop according to a destination address and a transmission path identifier carried in a data packet; if a plurality of nodes which meet the next hop of the condition exist, one of the nodes can be randomly selected; the relay node may also find the table to obtain the next-hop node only according to the destination address carried in the data packet.

It should be noted that, when the relay node does not find the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier in the data packet sent by the network device, the data packet may be discarded; or, under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, storing the data packet until the data packet can be transmitted when the target node can be determined according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier.

In the embodiment of the invention, the network equipment determines the indication information, adds the indication information into the data packet, and sends the data packet to the relay node, and after the relay node receives the data packet, the relay node determines the target node of the next hop according to the indication information and sends the data packet to the target node, so that the source cell and the target cell can both send the downlink data packet to the relay node when the relay node is simultaneously connected with the source cell and the target cell in the switching process, thereby reducing the switching time delay of the transmission service and avoiding the interruption of the transmission service in the switching process.

The above embodiments describe the downlink data transmission method of the present invention, and the following embodiments further describe corresponding apparatuses with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 11, an embodiment of the present invention provides a downlink data transmission apparatus 1100, which is applied to a relay node, and includes:

a first receiving module 1110, configured to receive a data packet sent by a network device, where the data packet includes: indication information;

a first determining module 1120, configured to determine, according to the indication information, a target node of a next hop of the relay node;

a first sending module 1130, configured to send the data packet to the target node.

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, the first determining module includes:

a first determining unit, configured to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier when the indication information is first information; or

A second determining unit, configured to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier when the indication information is second information; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and a third determining unit, configured to determine the target node according to the destination address when the indication information is the second information.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

the first processing module is used for discarding the data packet under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier; or

And the second processing module is used for storing the data packet under the condition that the target node is not found according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier, and transmitting the data packet until the target node can be determined according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier.

It should be noted that, the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented in the embodiment of the method for a relay node, and can achieve the same technical effect, and details of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the embodiment of the method are not described herein again.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 12, an embodiment of the present invention provides a downlink data transmission apparatus 1200, which is applied to a network device, and includes:

a second determining module 1210, configured to determine indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate a relay node to determine a target node of a next hop;

a second sending module 1220, configured to send a data packet to the relay node, where the data packet includes: the indication information.

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, the second determining module includes:

a third determining unit, configured to determine that the indication information is the first information when the migration node on the transmission path of the data packet is connected to the source cell and the target cell; otherwise, determining the indication information as second information.

It should be noted that, the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented in the method embodiment applied to the network device, and can achieve the same technical effect, and details of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are not described herein again.

It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a processor readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be substantially implemented or contributed by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

As shown in fig. 13, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a relay node, which includes a transceiver 1304, a memory 1303, a processor 1301, and a computer program stored in the memory 1303 and operable on the processor.

The memory 1303 is used for storing computer programs; a transceiver 1304, connected to the bus interface 1302, for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1301; a processor 1301, configured to read the computer program in the memory 1303 and execute the following operations:

and sending the data packet to the target node.

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, when determining the target node of the next hop of the relay node according to the indication information, the processor 1301 is further configured to:

Optionally, in a case that the indication information is first information, the processor 1301 is further configured to:

In fig. 13, among other things, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors represented by processor 1301 and various circuits of memory represented by memory 1303 linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1304 may be a plurality of elements including a transmitter and a transceiver providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor 1301 is responsible for managing a bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1303 may store data used by the processor 1301 in performing operations.

The processor 1301 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and may also have a multi-core architecture.

It should be noted that, the relay node provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment applied to the relay node, and can achieve the same technical effect, and details of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are not described herein again.

As shown in fig. 14, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a network device, which includes a transceiver 1404, a memory 1403, a processor 1401, and a computer program stored in the memory 1403 and running on the processor.

A memory 1403 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 1404 connected to the bus interface 1402, for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1401; a processor 1401 for reading the computer program in the memory 1403 and for performing the following operations:

Optionally, the target node is a child node of the relay node.

Optionally, when the processor 1401 determines the indication information, it is further configured to:

Wherein in fig. 14 a bus architecture may comprise any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by processor 1401, and various circuits, represented by memory 1403, linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1404 may be a plurality of elements, including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor 1401 is responsible for managing a bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1403 may store data used by the processor 1401 in performing operations.

The processor 1401 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and may also be a multi-core architecture.

It should be noted that, the network device provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment applied to the network device, and can achieve the same technical effect, and details of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are not described herein again.

In addition, a storage medium readable by a processor is provided, and a computer program is stored on the storage medium, where the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the steps of the downlink data transmission method. And the same technical effect can be achieved, and in order to avoid repetition, the description is omitted. The readable storage medium may be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a processor, including but not limited to magnetic memory (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magneto-optical disks (MOs), etc.), optical memory (e.g., CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory (e.g., ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, nonvolatile memory (NAND FLASH), Solid State Disks (SSDs)), etc.

Furthermore, it is to be noted that in the device and method of the invention, it is obvious that the individual components or steps can be decomposed and/or recombined. These decompositions and/or recombinations are to be regarded as equivalents of the present invention. Also, the steps of performing the series of processes described above may naturally be performed chronologically in the order described, but need not necessarily be performed chronologically, and some steps may be performed in parallel or independently of each other. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or any of the steps or elements of the method and apparatus of the present invention may be implemented in any computing device (including processors, storage media, etc.) or network of computing devices, in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof, which can be implemented by those skilled in the art using their basic programming skills after reading the description of the present invention.

Thus, the objects of the invention may also be achieved by running a program or a set of programs on any computing device. The computing device may be a general purpose device as is well known. The object of the invention is thus also achieved solely by providing a program product comprising program code for implementing the method or the apparatus. That is, such a program product also constitutes the present invention, and a storage medium storing such a program product also constitutes the present invention. It is to be understood that the storage medium may be any known storage medium or any storage medium developed in the future. It is further noted that in the apparatus and method of the present invention, it is apparent that each component or step can be decomposed and/or recombined. These decompositions and/or recombinations are to be regarded as equivalents of the present invention. Also, the steps of executing the series of processes described above may naturally be executed chronologically in the order described, but need not necessarily be executed chronologically. Some steps may be performed in parallel or independently of each other.

While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A downlink data transmission method is applied to a relay node, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

and sending the data packet to the target node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device is a source network device connected to the relay node, or wherein the network device is a target network device to which the relay node is to be handed over.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relay node is a relay Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) node or a relay terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target node is a child node of the relay node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet further comprises: destination address and transmission path identification.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining a target node of a next hop of the relay node according to the indication information comprises:

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the case that the indication information is first information, the method further comprises:

8. A downlink data transmission method is applied to network equipment and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the target node is a child node of the relay node.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the relay node is a relay Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) node or a relay terminal.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining the indication information comprises:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data packet further comprises: destination address and transmission path identification.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first information is used to instruct the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier;

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the migration node is: and integrating the access backhaul IAB node, the relay terminal and one of the terminals.

15. A relay node, comprising: a transceiver, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor when executing the computer program implements the steps of:

and sending the data packet to the target node.

16. The relay node of claim 15, wherein the network device is a source network device connected to the relay node, or wherein the network device is a target network device to which the relay node is to be handed over.

17. The relay node according to claim 15, wherein the relay node is a relay Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) node or a relay terminal.

18. The relay node of claim 15, wherein the target node is a child node of the relay node.

19. The relay node of claim 15, wherein the packet further comprises: destination address and transmission path identification.

20. The relay node of claim 19, wherein the processor, when determining a target node of a next hop of the relay node according to the indication information, is further configured to:

21. The relay node of claim 20, wherein if the indication information is first information, the processor is further configured to:

22. A network device, comprising: a transceiver, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor when executing the computer program implements the steps of:

23. The network device of claim 22, wherein the target node is a child node of the relay node.

24. The network device of claim 22, wherein the relay node is a relay Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) node or a relay terminal.

25. The network device of claim 22, wherein the processor, when determining the indication information, is further configured to:

26. The network device of claim 25, wherein the data packet further comprises: destination address and transmission path identification.

27. The network device of claim 26, wherein the first information is configured to instruct the relay node to determine the target node according to the destination address and the transmission path identifier;

28. The network device of claim 25, wherein the migration node is: and integrating the access backhaul IAB node, the relay terminal and one of the terminals.

29. A downlink data transmission device applied to a relay node is characterized by comprising:

30. A downlink data transmission device applied to a network device is characterized by comprising:

31. A processor-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the steps of the method for downstream data transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the steps of the method for downstream data transmission according to any one of claims 8 to 14.