CN115150894A

CN115150894A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN115150894A
Application number: CN202110352279.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 酉春华; 徐小英
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-31
Filing date: 2021-03-31
Publication date: 2022-10-04
Also published as: WO2022206393A1

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device, which can solve the problem that random access cannot be completed in time, thereby reducing data transmission delay and improving communication efficiency, and can be applied to systems such as NR (non-random access) and LTE (long term evolution). The method comprises the following steps: the first request message is sent to the second network device and the first response message is received from the second network device. The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides in the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

Description

Communication method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus.

Background

In the fifth generation (5 g) communication system, the terminal device has three Radio Resource Control (RRC) states, which are a CONNECTED (CONNECTED) state, an IDLE (IDLE) state and an INACTIVE (INACTIVE) state.

In particular, the inactive state is an intermediate state between the connected state and the idle state. The terminal device may initiate a Random Access (RA) procedure to the network device in the inactive state to recover the connection and enter the connected state, so as to transmit data in the connected state, or may transmit data in the inactive state through the RA procedure, so as to implement data transmission.

However, after the terminal device performs cell reselection, the reselected network device cannot complete the random access procedure in time and enters a connected state, which results in an increase in data transmission delay and an impact on communication efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method and device, which can solve the problem that random access cannot be completed in time, thereby reducing data transmission delay and improving communication efficiency.

In order to achieve the purpose, the following technical scheme is adopted in the application:

in a first aspect, a method of communication is provided. The communication method is applied to the first network equipment. The communication method comprises the following steps: the first request message is sent to the second network device and the first response message is received from the second network device. The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides in the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

According to the method of the first aspect, since the second network device is an anchor network device of the terminal device, the data transmission policy of the terminal device may be configured for the first network device. Therefore, after the terminal device triggers the random access process, the first network device can forward the data of the terminal device in time according to the data transmission strategy, and then complete the random access process and enter a connection state, thereby reducing the data transmission delay and improving the communication efficiency.

In one possible design, the data transmission policy may include: a correspondence between data of the terminal device and radio resources of the terminal device. Thus, if the terminal device has data to be transmitted, the terminal device may notify the first network device of the radio resource corresponding to the data according to the corresponding relationship, so that the first network device may determine the data according to the corresponding relationship, for example, determine the type of the data, or determine the transmission mode of the data. Therefore, the first network equipment can cooperate with the terminal equipment to complete the random access process in time and enter a connection state, so that the data can be transmitted in time, the data transmission delay can be reduced, and the communication efficiency can be improved.

Optionally, the radio resource may include one or more of: a radio bearer, a radio link control, RLC, channel, or a logical channel. Therefore, no matter which wireless resource is informed to the first network device by the terminal device, the first network device determines the data of the terminal device according to the corresponding relation, and cooperates with the terminal device to complete the random access process in time and enter a connection state, so that the communication efficiency is improved.

Optionally, the method of the first aspect may further include: first indication information from the terminal equipment is received. Wherein the first indication information may be used to indicate a radio resource of the terminal device. Therefore, the first network device can send the first radio resource control RRC recovery message to the terminal device according to the first indication information, so that the terminal device can quickly recover the connection state, thereby transmitting data in time, reducing data transmission delay and improving communication efficiency.

Further, before sending the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device, the method of the first aspect may further include: a second request message is sent to the second network device and a second response message is received from the second network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to recover the connected state, and the second response message may be used to instruct the terminal device to recover the connected state. The second network device can be a network device in which the terminal device resides in history, such as an anchor point network device, and can accurately judge whether the terminal device needs to recover the connection state, so that data transmission errors caused by misjudgment of the first network device are avoided, and the reliability of data transmission can be improved.

Further, the second response message may include the first RRC recovery message so that the first network device may directly forward the first RRC recovery message. In other words, the first RRC recovery message is a message generated by the second network device, not a message generated by the first network device. Therefore, the second network device can be prevented from sending the configuration information required for generating the first RRC recovery message to the first network device, so that the leakage risk of the configuration information is reduced, and the network security is improved.

Further, the first response message may include a first RRC recovery message. In other words, before the terminal device obtains the data to be transmitted, the second network device sends the first RRC recovery message to the first network device in advance, so that the terminal device can receive the first RRC recovery message more quickly, and thus recover the connection state more quickly, further reduce the data transmission delay, and improve the communication efficiency.

It should be noted that, the method described in the first aspect may be executed by the first network device, may also be executed by a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the first network device, and may also be executed by an apparatus including the first network device, which is not limited in this application.

In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided. The communication method is applied to the second network device. The communication method comprises the following steps: a first request message is received from a first network device and a first response message is sent to the first network device. The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides at the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

In one possible design, the data transmission policy may include: and the data of the terminal equipment corresponds to the wireless resources of the terminal equipment.

Optionally, the radio resource may include one or more of: a radio bearer, a radio link control, RLC, channel, or a logical channel.

In a possible design, the method according to the second aspect may further include: a second request message is received from the first network device and a second response message is sent to the first network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to restore the connected state, and the second response message may be used to instruct the terminal device to restore the connected state.

Optionally, the second response message may include the first RRC recovery message.

In one possible design, the first response message may include a first RRC recovery message.

It should be noted that, the method described in the second aspect may be executed by the second network device, may also be executed by a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the second network device, and may also be executed by an apparatus including the second network device, which is not limited in this application.

In addition, for technical effects of the method according to the second aspect, reference may be made to technical effects of the method according to the first aspect, and details are not repeated here.

In a third aspect, a communications apparatus is provided. The device includes: the device comprises a receiving module and a sending module. The sending module is configured to send the first request message to the second network device. A receiving module, configured to receive a first response message from a second network device. The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides at the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

In one possible design, the data transmission policy may include: the correspondence between the data of the terminal device and the radio resources of the terminal device.

Optionally, the apparatus of the third aspect may further include: and a processing module. The receiving module is further configured to receive first indication information from the terminal device. Wherein the first indication information may be used to indicate a radio resource of the terminal device. In this way, the processing module is configured to control the sending module to send the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device according to the first indication information.

Further, the sending module is further configured to send a second request message to the second network device before sending the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device. The receiving module is further configured to receive a second response message from the second network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to recover the connected state, and the second response message may be used to instruct the terminal device to recover the connected state.

Further, the second response message may include the first RRC recovery message.

Further, the first response message may include a first RRC recovery message.

Alternatively, the receiving module and the transmitting module may be integrated into a transceiver module. Wherein, the transceiver module is used to implement the transmitting function and the receiving function of the apparatus in the third aspect.

Optionally, the apparatus of the third aspect may further include a storage module storing the program or the instructions. The program or instructions, when executed by the processing module, cause the apparatus to perform the method of the first aspect.

It should be noted that the apparatus in the third aspect may be executed by the first network device, may also be executed by a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the first network device, and may also be executed by an apparatus including the first network device, which is not limited in this application.

In addition, for technical effects of the method according to the third aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects of the method according to the first aspect, and details are not repeated here.

In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes: the device comprises a receiving module and a sending module. The receiving module is used for receiving a first request message from a first network device. And the sending module is used for sending the first response message to the first network equipment. The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides in the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

In one possible design, the receiving module is further configured to receive a second request message from the first network device, and the sending module is further configured to send a second response message to the first network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to restore the connected state, and the second response message may be used to instruct the terminal device to restore the connected state.

Optionally, the apparatus of the fourth aspect may further comprise a processing module. The processing module is used for realizing the processing function of the device.

Alternatively, the receiving module and the transmitting module may be integrated into a transceiving module. The transceiver module is configured to implement the sending function and the receiving function of the apparatus according to the fourth aspect.

Optionally, the apparatus of the fourth aspect may further comprise a storage module storing the program or the instructions. The program or instructions, when executed by the processing module, cause the apparatus to perform the method of the second aspect.

It should be noted that the apparatus in the fourth aspect may be executed by a second network device, may also be executed by a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the second network device, and may also be executed by an apparatus including the second network device, which is not limited in this application.

In addition, for technical effects of the apparatus according to the fourth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects of the method according to the first aspect, and details are not repeated here.

In a fifth aspect, a communications apparatus is provided. The device includes: a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

In one possible design, the apparatus of the fifth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transmit-receive circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be for use in the apparatus of the fifth aspect to communicate with other apparatuses.

In this application, the apparatus according to the fifth aspect may be the network device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly provided in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device.

In addition, for technical effects of the apparatus according to the fifth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect, and details are not repeated here.

In a sixth aspect, a communications apparatus is provided. The device includes: a processor and a memory; the memory is adapted to store a computer program which, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

In one possible design, the apparatus of the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transmit-receive circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be for the apparatus of the sixth aspect to communicate with other apparatuses.

In this application, the apparatus according to the sixth aspect may be the network device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly provided in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device.

Moreover, for technical effects of the apparatus according to the sixth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect, which are not described herein again.

In a seventh aspect, a communications apparatus is provided. The device comprises: a processor and interface circuitry. The interface circuit is used for receiving code instructions and transmitting the code instructions to the processor; the processor is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

Optionally, the apparatus of the seventh aspect may further include: a receiver and a transmitter. Wherein the receiver is used for realizing the receiving function of the device, and the transmitter is used for realizing the transmitting function of the device. Alternatively, the transmitter and receiver may be integrated into one device, such as a transceiver. The transceiver is used for realizing the sending function and the receiving function of the device.

Optionally, the apparatus of the seventh aspect may further comprise a memory, the memory storing the program or the instructions. The program or instructions, when executed by a processor of the seventh aspect, cause the apparatus to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

In this application, the apparatus in the seventh aspect may be the network device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly provided in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device.

Moreover, for technical effects of the apparatus in the seventh aspect, reference may be made to technical effects of the method in the first aspect or the second aspect, which are not described herein again.

In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The apparatus comprises a processor and a transceiver, wherein the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit, the transceiver is used for information interaction between the apparatus and other apparatuses, and the processor executes program instructions to perform the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

Optionally, the apparatus of the eighth aspect may further comprise a memory, the memory storing the program or instructions. The program or instructions, when executed by a processor of the eighth aspect, cause the apparatus to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

In this application, the apparatus according to the eighth aspect may be the network device in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly provided in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device.

In addition, for technical effects of the apparatus according to the eighth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect, which are not described herein again.

In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes one or more network devices. The network device is configured to perform the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium comprising: computer programs or instructions; the computer program or instructions, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a first schematic architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a first schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a first flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a second flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a third schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a first schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical terms related to the present application will be described first.

1. In an idle state

The idle state may be a state in which the terminal device is not connected to the network device. In an idle state, the terminal device may perform a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection process, a cell reselection process, a system message broadcast process, and the like. In addition, in an idle state, since the terminal device is not connected to the network device, does not access the network, does not occupy the service resource of the network device, and does not obtain the context of the terminal device, data transmission is not possible.

2. Connected state

The connection state may be a state in which the terminal device completes connection with the network device. In the connected state, an RRC connection is established between the terminal device and the network device, such as a connection of a Data Radio Bearer (DRB) or a connection of a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB). In this manner, the terminal device can obtain a context from the network device and transfer data according to the context.

The terminal device can enter a connected state from an idle state. For example, the terminal device may enter a connected state by sending an RRC connection establishment request (RRC connection establishment request) message to the network device, thereby establishing an RRC connection with the network device. Alternatively, the terminal device may enter the connected state from the inactive state. For example, the terminal device may resume the RRC connection with the network device through a random access procedure, such as sending an RRC resume request (RRC resume request) message to the network device to enter a connected state. In addition, the terminal device can also be released from the connection state to an idle state or an inactive state. For example, the terminal device may receive an RRC release message from the network device, and release the RRC release message to an idle state or an inactive state according to the RRC release message, so as to reduce resource overhead and power consumption, thereby improving the endurance of the terminal device.

3. Non-activated state

The inactive state may be an intermediate state between the connected state and the idle state, and may also be referred to as a "third state". In the inactive state, the terminal device may implement data transmission through a random access procedure. For example, the terminal device may implement data early transmission in an inactive state through a random access procedure, which is also referred to as "data forward transmission" or "Small Data Transmission (SDT)". For another example, the terminal device may also quickly recover the connection state through the random access procedure, and transmit data in the connection state. The data transmission in the connected state may be non-small data transmission (non-SDT), but is not limited thereto.

In addition, because the inactive state can store the context of the terminal device, compared with the method for recovering the connection state from the idle state, the method for recovering the connection state from the inactive state does not need to regenerate the context, so that signaling interaction can be reduced, data transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

4. Cell reselection

As described above, in the inactive state or the idle state, the terminal device may reselect from the currently camped cell to another cell, such as reselecting and camping on a cell with a better signal. The cell reselection may include intra-station reselection and inter-station reselection, among others. Intra-station reselection generally refers to a terminal device reselecting from one cell of the same network device to another cell, while inter-station reselection generally refers to a terminal device reselecting from a cell of one network device to a cell of another network device.

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application may be applied to various communication systems, for example, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a vehicle to any object (V2X) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle networking communication system, a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5G mobile communication system, such as a New Radio (NR) system, and a future communication system, such as a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system.

This application is intended to present various aspects, embodiments, or features around a system that may include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. Furthermore, a combination of these schemes may also be used.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplarily", "for example", etc. are used for indicating as examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the term using examples is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

In the embodiment of the present invention, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", "signaling" may be used in combination, and it should be noted that the meaning to be expressed is consistent when the difference is not emphasized. "of", "corresponding", and "corresponding" may sometimes be used in combination, it being noted that the intended meaning is consistent when no distinction is made.

In the examples of the present application, the subscripts are sometimes as W ₁ It may be mistaken for a non-subscripted form such as W1, whose intended meaning is consistent when the distinction is not emphasized.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiment of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and do not form a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and it can be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems with the evolution of the network architecture and the occurrence of a new service scenario.

For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application will be first described in detail by taking the communication system shown in fig. 1 as an example. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system to which the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applicable.

As shown in fig. 1, the communication system includes a network device and a terminal device.

The terminal device may access a wireless network to obtain a service provided by another network, such as a Data Network (DN), through the wireless network, or communicate with another device through the wireless network, such as may communicate with another terminal device. The wireless network includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a Core Network (CN). The RAN, which may also be referred to as AN Access Network (AN), may include one or more network devices, such as a first network device and a second network device, for accessing the terminal device to the wireless network, and the CN may include one or more core network elements (not shown in fig. 1) for managing the terminal device and providing a gateway for communicating with the DN.

In particular, the terminal equipment, also referred to as User Equipment (UE), includes equipment for providing voice and/or data services to a user, and may include, for example, a handheld device having a wireless connection function or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device may communicate with the CN via the RAN, exchanging voice and/or data with the RAN. The terminal device may include a wireless terminal device, a mobile terminal device, a D2D terminal device, a V2X terminal device, a machine-to-machine/machine-type communications (M2M/MTC) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, an Access Point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user agent, or user equipment, etc. For example, mobile telephones, also referred to as "cellular" telephones, computers with mobile terminal equipment, portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included mobile devices, and the like may be included. Examples of such devices include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet computers (pads), computers with wireless transceiving functions, virtual Reality (VR) terminals, and Augmented Reality (AR). It may also include a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an RSU having a terminal function, and the like. It may also be an on-board module, an on-board component, an on-board chip, or an on-board unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. Constrained devices may also be included, such as devices that consume less power, or devices that have limited storage capabilities, or devices that have limited computing capabilities, etc. Examples of information sensing devices include bar codes, radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors, global Positioning Systems (GPS), laser scanners, and the like.

It should be understood that, in the present application, the apparatus for implementing the terminal function may be a terminal device, or may be an apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a combined device, a component capable of implementing the terminal device function, and the apparatus may be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices. The technical solution provided in this application is described by taking the apparatus for implementing the terminal function as a terminal device, but is not limited thereto.

The network device may be a node or a device that accesses the terminal device to the wireless network, and may also be referred to as a base station, including but not limited to: a new generation base station (generation Node B, gNB), evolved Node B (eNB), radio Network Controller (RNC), node B (NB), base Station Controller (BSC), base Transceiver Station (BTS), home base station (HeNB) or (home Node B, HNB)), base Band Unit (BBU), transmission and Reception Point (TRP), transmission and reception point (TP), or mobile switching center (msc), etc. in the 5G communication system.

It should be understood that, in the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device may be a network device, or may be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a system on a chip or a combined device and a component capable of implementing the function of the network device, and the apparatus may be installed in the network device. In this application, the device for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example of the network device, and the technical solutions provided in this application are introduced, but not limited thereto.

Further, an interface between the network device and the terminal device may be a Uu interface, which is also referred to as an "air interface. Of course, in future communications, the names of these interfaces may not be changed, or other names may be substituted, which is not limited in this application. Illustratively, the communication between the network device and the terminal device follows a certain protocol layer structure, for example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. The user plane protocol layer structure may include a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, an MAC layer, and a physical layer, and in a possible implementation, the PDCP layer may further include a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer.

The network device may implement the functions of the above-described protocol layers, such as RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC, by one node, or may implement the functions of these protocol layers by a plurality of nodes. For example, in an evolved fabric, a network device may include one or more Centralized Units (CUs) and one or more Distributed Units (DUs), which may be centrally controlled by a CU. As an example, the interface between a CU and a DU may be referred to as an F1 interface. Wherein, the Control Plane (CP) interface can be F1-C, and the User Plane (UP) interface can be F1-U. CUs and DUs may be partitioned according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the functions of the PDCP layer and the above protocol layers are set in the CU, and the functions of the PDCP layer and the below protocol layers (e.g., the RLC layer, the MAC layer, etc.) are set in the DU.

It is understood that the above-mentioned division of the processing functions of the CUs and the DUs according to the protocol layers is only an example, and the division may also be performed in other manners, for example, the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are disposed in the CUs, the functions of the RLC layer and the protocol layers below are disposed in the DUs, for example, the CUs or the DUs may be divided into the functions having more protocol layers, and for example, the CUs or the DUs may also be divided into partial processing functions having the protocol layers. In one design, some of the functions of the RLC layer and the functions of protocol layers above the RLC layer are provided in the CUs, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are provided in the DUs. In another design, the functions of the CU or the DU may also be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, divided by time delay, and the function that processing time needs to meet the delay requirement is set in the DU, and the function that does not need to meet the delay requirement is set in the CU. In another design, a CU may also have one or more functions of the core network. Illustratively, CUs may be located on the network side to facilitate centralized management; the DU may have multiple rf functions, or may have a remote rf function. This is not limited in the examples of the present application.

Illustratively, the functionality of a CU may be implemented by one entity, or by different entities. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the functionality of the CUs may be further split, such as separating the control plane and the user plane and implementing them by different entities, respectively a control plane CU entity, such as a CU-CP entity, and a user plane CU entity, such as a CU-UP entity. Wherein, the CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the function of the network equipment. The interface between the CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity may be an E1 interface, the interface between the CU-CP entity and the DU may be an F1-C interface, and the interface between the CU-UP entity and the DU may be an F1-U interface. Wherein one DU and one CU-UP may be connected to one CU-CP. One DU may be connected to a plurality of CUs-UPs and one CU-UP may be connected to a plurality of DUs under the control of the same CU-CP.

It should be understood that in the above-described architectures illustrated in fig. 2 and 3, the signaling generated by the CU may be transmitted to the terminal device through the DU, or may be transmitted to the CU through the DU. The DU may not parse the signaling, but directly encapsulate the signaling through a protocol layer and then transmit the encapsulated signaling to the terminal device or the CU. For example, the signaling of the RRC or PDCP layer is eventually processed as data of the physical layer to be transmitted to the terminal device, or converted from received data of the physical layer. Under this architecture, the signaling of the RRC or PDCP layer may also be considered to be sent by the DU, or sent by the DU and the radio frequency device.

It should be noted that the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present application may be applicable to communication between any two network devices shown in fig. 1, and for specific implementation, reference may be made to the following method embodiment, which is not described herein again.

It should be noted that the scheme in the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names may also be replaced with names of corresponding functions in other communication systems.

It should be appreciated that fig. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of an example for ease of understanding only, and that other network devices, and/or other terminal devices, not shown in fig. 1, may also be included in the communication system.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application will be specifically described below with reference to fig. 4 to 6.

Exemplarily, fig. 4 is a first flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The communication method may be applied to communication between any two network devices shown in fig. 1, such as a first network device and a second network device.

As shown in fig. 4, the communication method includes the steps of:

s401, the first network device sends a first request message to the second network device.

Wherein the first network device and the second network device may be different network devices. The first network device may be a network device where the terminal device currently resides, and the second network device may be a network device where the terminal device historically resides, such as an anchor network device of the terminal device. The anchor point network device releases the terminal device to the inactive state, or the network device to which the last resident cell belongs before the terminal device enters the inactive state, and stores the context of the terminal device. That is, the terminal device first camps on a cell of the second network device, and then is handed over to the first network device through inter-station cell reselection, and camps on the cell of the first network device.

The first request message may be a context recovery request (retrieve UE context request) message, and may be used to request a context of the terminal device, where the context may include a data transmission policy of the terminal device. Wherein the terminal device is in an inactive state. For the convenience of understanding, the terminal device referred to in the following of the present application generally refers to a terminal device in an inactive state without specific description. For example, the terminal device sending a message means that the terminal device sends the message in an inactive state.

Specifically, after the terminal device completes camping in the cell of the first network device, the terminal device may send a first RRC recovery request message to the first network device, so as to implement data transmission in the inactive state. For example, the terminal device may package the first RRC recovery request message and the first data to generate a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) of the MAC layer and send the PDU to the first network device through the physical layer, or the first data may be included in the first RRC recovery request message, so as to implement data transmission. The first data may be Small Data (SD), such as Data Radio Bearer (DRB) data or data of which the data amount of a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) does not exceed a data threshold. The first RRC recovery request message may include a first inactive-radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI). The first I-RNTI may be allocated by the second network device for the terminal device, corresponds to a context of the terminal device, and indicates that the context is stored in the second network device. In this way, after receiving the first RRC recovery request message from the terminal device, the first network device may send the context recovery request message to the second network device according to the first I-RNTI.

It should be understood that the terminal device sending the first RRC recovery request message is only an example and is not limited. For example, the terminal device may also send a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

S402, the first network equipment receives a first response message from the second network equipment.

The first response message may be a context recovery response (retrieve UE context response) message or a context recovery failure (retrieve UE context failure) message. For example, if the second network device determines that the anchor network device may switch to the first network device, the context restoration response message may be sent. If the second network device determines that the anchor network device may not be switched to the first network device, a context restoration failure message may be sent. If the first response message is a context restoration response message, the first response message may include the complete context of the terminal device, such as including the data transmission policy of the terminal device, and one or more of the following configurations of the terminal device: SDAP configuration, PDCP configuration, RLC configuration, or Radio Bearer (RB) configuration, etc. If the first response message is a context recovery failure message, the first response message may only include the data transmission policy of the terminal device, but is not limited to this, and may also include a partial context of the terminal device, such as including the RLC configuration of the terminal device.

The data transmission policy may be used to indicate transmission modes of various types of data of the terminal device, and may be a policy acquired by the first network device from the terminal device when the terminal device resides in the first network device, where the policy includes a correspondence between data of the terminal device and radio resources of the terminal device.

As a possible implementation manner, the correspondence may be a correspondence between a type of the data and an identifier of the radio resource. Wherein the type may include SD and non-small data (N-SD), and the radio resource may include one or more of: a radio bearer, such as a DRB, or SRB, a Radio Link Control Channel (RLCC), or a Logical Channel (LC). The number of logical channels may be one or multiple, and the multiple logical channels may also be referred to as a Logical Channel Group (LCG). In other words, the correspondence may include a correspondence between the SD and the identity of the one or more first wireless resources, and/or include a correspondence between the N-SD and the identity of the one or more second wireless resources. For ease of understanding, the following description is given by way of example.

It should be understood that, since the radio resources collectively include the first radio resource and the second radio resource, in the case where the SD corresponds to the identifier of the first radio resource, the remaining identifiers of the radio resources, such as the identifier of the second radio resource, may correspond to the N-SDs. Conversely, in the case that the N-SD corresponds to the identifier of the second radio resource, the remaining identifiers of the radio resources, such as the identifier of the first radio resource, facilitate the SD correspondence. That is, when one of the corresponding relationships is determined, the other corresponding relationship is determined accordingly. Thus, the first network device may only configure one of the corresponding relationships, for example, only configure the corresponding relationship between the N-SD and the identifier of the one or more second wireless resources, so as to save the storage space of the first network device, optimize the resource configuration, and provide the operation efficiency. For example, in an aspect, the correspondence between the SD and the identifier of the one or more first wireless resources may include one or more of the following: the correspondence relationship between SD and RB1, the correspondence relationship between SD and RLCC1, the correspondence relationship between SD and LC1-LC5, or the correspondence relationship between SD and LCG1 (LCG 1 includes LC1-LC 5). On the other hand, the correspondence relationship between the N-SD and the one or more second wireless resources may include: the corresponding relation between N-SD and RB2, the corresponding relation between N-SD and RLCC2, the corresponding relation between N-SD and LC6-LC10, or the corresponding relation between N-SD and LCG2 (LCG 2 comprises LC6-LC 10).

As another possible implementation manner, the correspondence relationship may be a correspondence relationship between a transmission manner of the data and the identifier of the radio resource. The transmission mode may include SDT and N-SDT. In other words, the correspondence may include a correspondence of the SDT with the one or more first radio resources and a correspondence including an identification of the N-SDT with the one or more second radio resources. For ease of understanding, the following description continues with the above example.

For another example, in an aspect, the identification correspondence between the SDT and the one or more first wireless resources may include one or more of the following: the corresponding relation between SDT and RB1, the corresponding relation between SDT and RLCC1, the corresponding relation between SDT and LC1-LC5, or the corresponding relation between SDT and LCG 1. On the other hand, the correspondence relationship between the N-SDT and the one or more second radio resources may include: the corresponding relation between the N-SDT and the RB2, the corresponding relation between the N-SDT and the RLCC2, the corresponding relation between the N-SDT and the LC6-LC10 or the corresponding relation between the N-SDT and the LCG 2.

It should be understood that, since the radio resources may include the multiple radio resources, no matter which radio resource is notified by the terminal device to the first network device, the first network device may also determine, according to the correspondence, which type of data of the terminal device arrives, so that the first network device may complete a random access procedure in time with the terminal device to enter a connected state, thereby improving communication efficiency.

Further, the second network device may send the first response message to the first network device. Accordingly, the first network device may receive the first response message from the second network device, and obtain the data transmission policy in the first response message, so that the first network device may cooperate with the terminal device to complete data transmission in time according to the data transmission policy. For example, if data, such as second data, is to be transmitted on the terminal device, the terminal device may notify the first network device of the wireless resource corresponding to the second data according to the corresponding relationship, so that the first network device may determine the second data according to the corresponding relationship, for example, determine whether the type of the second data is SD or N-SD, or determine whether the transmission mode of the second data is SDT or N-SDT. Therefore, the first network equipment can cooperate with the terminal equipment to complete the random access process in time and enter a connection state, so that the second data can be transmitted in time, the data transmission delay can be reduced, and the communication efficiency can be improved. How to cooperate with the terminal device to complete the random access procedure may refer to the following description in the first implementation scenario, and details are not repeated here.

Optionally, in a first implementation scenario of the embodiment shown in fig. 4, after S402, the method shown in fig. 4 may further include: and receiving first indication information from the terminal equipment, and sending a first RRC recovery message to the terminal equipment according to the first indication information.

The first indication information may be used to indicate the radio resource of the terminal device, for example, to indicate the radio resource by carrying an identifier of the radio resource, so as to indicate that the terminal device has second data to be transmitted. The first indication information may be an RRC message, such as an RRC recovery request message, which is not limited. The first RRC recovery message may be a message sent by the first network device to perform a random access procedure, and is used to instruct the terminal device to recover the connected state.

Specifically, when the terminal device acquires the second data, the wireless resource corresponding to the second data may be determined, so that the identifier of the wireless resource is carried in the first indication information. If the correspondence is a correspondence between the type of the second data and the radio resource, the terminal device may determine the type of the second data first, and then determine the identifier of the corresponding radio resource in the correspondence according to the type. If the correspondence is a correspondence between the transmission mode of the second data and the radio resource, the terminal device may determine the transmission mode of the second data first, and then determine the identifier of the corresponding radio resource in the correspondence according to the transmission mode. For ease of understanding, the following description continues with the above example.

For example, if the type of the second data is SD, the terminal device may determine that the identifier includes one or more of the following items according to the type being SD: RB1, RLCC1, LC1-LC5, or LCG1, and carried into the first indication information. Or, if the type of the second data is N-SD, the terminal device may determine that the identifier includes one or more of the following items according to the type of the second data being N-SD: RB2, RLCC2, LC6-LC10, or LCG2, and is carried into the first indication information.

For another example, if the transmission mode of the second data is SDT, the terminal device may determine that the identifier includes one or more of the following items according to the transmission mode being SDT: RB1, RLCC1, LC1-LC5 or LCG1, and is carried into the first indication information. Or, if the transmission mode of the second data is N-SDT, the terminal device may determine, according to the transmission mode being N-SDT, that the identifier includes one or more of the following: RB2, RLCC2, LC6-LC10, or LCG2, and is carried into the first indication information.

Further, the terminal device may send the first indication information to the first network device. Accordingly, the first network device may receive the first indication information from the terminal device. In this way, the first network device may determine, according to the radio resource indicated by the first indication information, for example, according to the identifier of the radio resource in the first indication information, the transmission mode or type corresponding to the identifier in the correspondence, so as to execute a random access procedure, for example, execute an SDT procedure, or execute an N-SDT procedure, according to the transmission mode or type. Described separately below.

A. SDT procedure

Wherein, if the first network device determines that the transmission mode is the SDT, or the type is determined to be SD, the SDT procedure may be performed.

Specifically, the first network device may receive the SD from the terminal device and send the SD to a core network element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, thereby completing the SDT procedure.

As a mode, after sending the first indication information to the first network device, the terminal device may continue to send an RRC message carrying the SD to the first network device, for example, send a second RRC recovery request message. Thus, if the first network device receives the second RRC recovery request message, the SD may be sent to the core network element, thereby completing the SDT procedure. Alternatively, the SD may be carried in the first indication information. That is, the terminal device may transmit the first indication information together with the SD. Therefore, if the first network device determines to execute the SDT procedure, the SD may be sent to the core network element in time, so as to further reduce the data transmission delay and improve the communication efficiency.

B. N-SDT procedure

If the first network device determines that the transmission mode is N-SDT or the type is N-SD, the N-SDT process may be executed.

Specifically, the first network device may send a first RRC recovery message to the terminal device, so that the terminal device may recover the connected state from the inactive state according to the first RRC recovery message, recover the RRC connection with the first network device, and send the N-SD to the first network device.

As one approach, the first RRC recovery message may be a message received after determining to perform the N-SDT procedure. For example, if the first network device determines to perform the N-SDT procedure, the second request message may be sent to the second network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to recover the connection state, and includes, for example, the first indication information. Accordingly, the second network device may instruct the terminal device to resume the connected state, such as sending a second response message to the first network device. The second response message may include the first RRC recovery message, so as to instruct the terminal device to recover the connected state. In this way, if the first network device receives the second response message from the second network device, the first RRC recovery message in the second response message may be sent to the terminal device.

Alternatively, the first RRC recovery message may be a message received before determining to perform the N-SDT procedure. For example, the first response message may include the first RRC recovery message. That is, before the terminal device acquires the second data, the second network device sends the first RRC recovery message to the first network device in advance. Therefore, the first network device can send the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device in time, so that the terminal device can receive the first RRC recovery message faster, and thus recover the connected state faster, further reduce data transmission delay, and further improve communication efficiency.

It should be understood that, because the second network device may be an anchor point network device of the terminal device, the second network device may accurately determine whether the terminal device needs to recover the connection state, thereby avoiding a data transmission error caused by a misdetermination of the first network device, and further improving reliability of data transmission.

It should also be appreciated that whichever way the first RRC recovery message is sent, the first RRC recovery message is a message generated by the second network device and not a message generated by the first network device. Therefore, the second network device can be prevented from sending the configuration information required for generating the first RRC recovery message to the first network device, so that the leakage risk of the configuration information is reduced, and the network security is improved.

The principle of the communication method provided by the present application is described above with reference to fig. 4, and the application of the method in practical scenarios is specifically described below with reference to fig. 5 and 6.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method shown in fig. 4 in a first application scenario. In fig. 5, the UE is the terminal device, the first gNB is the first network device, and the second gNB is the second network device. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 5, the device suitable for the first application scenario may further include one or more of the following: an UPF network element, an AMF network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element (not shown in fig. 5), a Session Management Function (SMF) network element (not shown in fig. 5), a Unified Data Repository (UDR) network element (not shown in fig. 5), a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element (not shown in fig. 5), and the like. The AMF network element may also be replaced by a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network element, and the UPF network element may also be replaced by a serving gateway (S-GW) network element, which is not limited in this respect.

As shown in fig. 5, in the first application scenario, the communication method may include:

s501, the second gNB sends a first RRC release message to the UE.

The first RRC release message may carry the first I-RNTI, and the second gNB is an anchor network device of the UE.

S502, the UE is released from the connected state to the inactivated state.

The UE may release from the connected state to the inactive state according to the first RRC release message, and retain the context of the UE itself.

S503, the UE reselects from the cell of the second gNB to the cell of the first gNB.

Wherein the UE may reselect from the cell of the second gNB to the cell of the first gNB and continue to remain in the inactive state.

S504, the UE sends a first RRC recovery request message to the first gNB.

If the UE has SD to transmit, the UE may send a first RRC recovery request message to the first gNB according to the context of the UE itself. The first RRC recovery request message may carry the SD and the first I-RNTI.

S505, the first gNB sends a context restoration request message to the second gNB.

The first gNB may obtain the SD and the first I-RNTI carried in the context restoration request message. In this way, the first gbb may determine, according to the first I-RNTI, that the anchor network device of the UE is the second gbb, and thereby send the context restoration request message to the second gbb.

S506, the second gNB sends a context restoration response message to the first gNB.

The context restoration response message may carry a correspondence between the data of the UE and the radio resource. In addition, for specific implementation of S505 and S506, reference may be made to the related descriptions in S401 and S402, and details are not described here.

S507, the first gNB sends a path switch request (path switch request) message to the AMF network element.

S508, the AMF network element modifies the bearing of the UE on the UPF network element.

The AMF network element can modify the bearer of the UE on the UPF network element from 'UE → second gNB → UPF network element' to 'UE → first gNB → UPF network element' according to the path switching request message.

S509, the AMF network element sends a path switch request acknowledgement (path switch request ACK) message to the first gNB.

S510, the first gNB sends the SD to the UPF network element.

Wherein, since the first gNB may determine that the bearer modification is successful according to the path switching request acknowledgement message, the first gNB may send the SD to the UPF network element, thereby completing the SDT procedure in the inactive state.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned S507-S510 are optional flows. For example, if the context restoration response message carries the complete context of the UE, it indicates that the anchor network device of the UE is switched from the second gNB to the first gNB. As such, the first gNB may perform S507-S510. Otherwise, if the context restoration response message only carries part of the context of the UE or does not carry the context of the UE, it indicates that the anchor network device of the UE is still the second gNB. As such, the first gNB may not perform S507-S510 and send the SD to the second gNB.

S511, the UE sends the first indication information to the first gNB.

If the N-SD needs to be transmitted, the UE may send first indication information to the first gNB, so that the first gNB may determine to execute the N-SDT procedure according to the first indication information. In addition, for a specific implementation of S511, reference may be made to the related description in S402, and details are not described herein again. Further, the execution order between S511 and S505 to S510 is not limited.

S512, the first gNB sends a second request message to the second gNB.

S513, the second gNB sends a second response message to the first gNB.

Wherein the second response message comprises the first RRC recovery message. The specific implementation of S512-S513 can refer to the related description in S402, and will not be described herein.

S514, the first gNB sends a first RRC recovery message to the UE.

S515, the UE restores the connected state from the inactive state.

The UE may recover the connected state from the inactive state according to the first RRC recovery message, thereby recovering the RRC connection with the first gNB.

S516, the UE sends the N-SD to the first gNB.

The UE can send the N-SD to the first gNB in the connected state.

S517, the first gNB sends the N-SD to the UPF network element.

Thus, the first gNB completes the N-SDT procedure.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method shown in fig. 4 in a second application scenario. In fig. 6, the UE is the terminal device, the first gNB is the first network device, and the second gNB is the second network device. In addition, as shown in fig. 6, the device suitable for the second application scenario may further include one or more of the following: a UPF network element, an AMF network element, a PCF network element (not shown in fig. 6), an SMF network element (not shown in fig. 6), a UDR network element (not shown in fig. 6), a UDM network element (not shown in fig. 6), etc. The AMF network element may also be correspondingly changed to an MME network element, and the UPF network element may also be correspondingly changed to an S-GW network element, which is not limited to this.

As shown in fig. 6, in the second application scenario, the communication method may include:

s601, the second gNB sends a first RRC release message to the UE.

S602, the UE is released from the connected state to the non-activated state.

S603, the UE reselects from the cell of the second gNB to the cell of the first gNB.

S604, the UE sends a first RRC recovery request message to the first gNB.

S605, the first gNB sends a context restoration request message to the second gNB.

S606, the second gNB sends a context restoration response message to the first gNB.

The context recovery response message may not only carry a correspondence between data of the UE and the radio resource, but also carry the first RRC recovery message. In addition, the specific implementation of S601-S604 may refer to the related descriptions in S501-S504, and the specific implementation of S605 and S606 may refer to the related descriptions in S401 and S402, which are not described herein again.

S607, the first gNB sends a path switching request message to the AMF network element.

And S608, the AMF network element modifies the bearing of the UE on the UPF network element.

S609, the AMF network element sends a path switch request acknowledgement message to the first gNB.

S610, the first gNB sends the SD to the UPF network element.

The specific implementation of S607-S610 can refer to the related descriptions in S507-S510, and will not be described herein again.

S611, the UE sends the first indication information to the first gNB.

If the UE has an N-SD to transmit, the UE may send first indication information to the first gNB, so that the first gNB may determine to execute the N-SDT procedure according to the first indication information. In addition, for a specific implementation of S611, reference may be made to the related description in S402 described above, and details are not described herein again. Further, the execution order between S611 and S605 to S610 is not limited.

S612, the first gNB sends a first RRC recovery message to the UE.

Since the first gNB may acquire the first RRC recovery message when executing the S606 procedure, if the first gNB determines to execute the N-SDT procedure, the first RRC recovery message may be sent to the UE in time.

S613, the UE restores the connected state from the inactive state.

S614, the UE sends the N-SD to the first gNB.

S615, the first gNB sends the N-SD to the UPF network element.

The specific implementation of S613-S615 can refer to the related descriptions in S515-S517, and will not be described herein again.

Based on the communication method shown in any one of fig. 4 to fig. 6, since the second network device may configure the data transmission policy of the terminal device for the first network device, after the terminal device triggers the random access procedure, the first network device may send the data of the terminal device in time according to the data transmission policy, so that the random access procedure can be completed in time, and the terminal device enters the connection state in time, thereby reducing the data transmission delay and improving the communication efficiency.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 4 to 6. A communication apparatus for performing the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 7 to 8.

Fig. 7 is a first schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 7, the communication apparatus 700 includes: a receiving module 701 and a transmitting module 702. For convenience of explanation, fig. 7 shows only the main components of the communication apparatus.

In some embodiments, the communications apparatus 700 may be adapted to be used in the communications system shown in fig. 1, to perform the function of the first network device in the communications method shown in fig. 4, or to perform the function of the first gNB in the communications method shown in fig. 5 or fig. 6.

The sending module 702 is configured to send the first request message to the second network device.

A receiving module 701, configured to receive a first response message from a second network device.

The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides in the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

In one possible design, the data transmission policy may include: a correspondence between data of the terminal device and radio resources of the terminal device.

Optionally, the communication apparatus 700 may further include: a processing module 703 (shown in fig. 7 by a dashed box). The receiving module 701 is further configured to receive first indication information from the terminal device. Wherein the first indication information may be used to indicate a radio resource of the terminal device. Thus, the processing module 703 is configured to control the sending module 702 to send the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device according to the first indication information.

Further, the sending module 702 is further configured to send the second request message to the second network device before sending the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device by the sending module 702. The receiving module 701 is further configured to receive a second response message from the second network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to restore the connected state, and the second response message may be used to instruct the terminal device to restore the connected state.

Further, the first response message may include a first RRC recovery message.

Alternatively, the receiving module 701 and the sending module 702 may also be integrated into one module, such as a transceiver module (not shown in fig. 7). The transceiver module is used for implementing a sending function and a receiving function of the communication device 700.

Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a memory module (not shown in fig. 7) that stores programs or instructions. The program or instructions, when executed by the receiving module 701, enable the communication apparatus 700 to perform the functions of the first network device in the communication method illustrated in fig. 4, or the functions of the first gNB in the communication method illustrated in fig. 5 or fig. 6.

It is to be understood that the processing module 701 involved in the communication device 700 may be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, and may be a processor or a processing unit; the transceiver module 702 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit component, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

It should be noted that the communication apparatus 700 may be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device, which is not limited in this application.

In addition, the technical effect of the communication apparatus 700 can refer to the technical effect of the communication method shown in any one of fig. 4 to 6, and is not described herein again.

In other embodiments, the communication apparatus 700 may be applied in the communication system shown in fig. 1, and perform the function of the second network device in the communication method shown in fig. 4, or perform the function of the second gNB in the communication method shown in fig. 5 or fig. 6.

The receiving module 701 is configured to receive a first request message from a first network device.

A sending module 702, configured to send a first response message to the first network device.

The first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of the terminal equipment. The terminal device is in an inactive state and resides at the first network device. The first response message includes the data transmission policy.

In one possible design, the data transmission policy may include: and the corresponding relation between the data of the terminal equipment and the wireless resources of the terminal equipment.

In one possible design, the receiving module 701 is further configured to receive a second request message from the first network device. The sending module 702 is further configured to send a second response message to the first network device. The second request message may be used to request the terminal device to restore the connected state, and the second response message may be used to instruct the terminal device to restore the connected state.

Alternatively, the receiving module 701 and the transmitting module 702 may also be integrated into one module, such as a transceiver module (not shown in fig. 7). The transceiver module is used for implementing a sending function and a receiving function of the communication device 700.

Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a processing module 700 (shown in fig. 7 as a dashed box). The processing module 703 is configured to implement a processing function of the communication apparatus 700.

Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a memory module (not shown in fig. 7) that stores programs or instructions. The program or instructions, when executed by the receiving module 701, enable the communication apparatus 700 to perform the functions of the second network device in the communication method illustrated in fig. 4, or the functions of the second gNB in the communication method illustrated in fig. 5 or fig. 6.

It is to be understood that the processing module 701 involved in the communication device 700 may be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, which may be a processor or a processing unit; the transceiver module 702 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit component, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

It should be noted that the communication apparatus 700 may be the network device shown in fig. 1, a chip (system) or other component or assembly provided in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 700 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any one of fig. 4 to 6, which are not described herein again.

Furthermore, the processing module 701 involved in the communication apparatus 700 may be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, which may be a processor or a processing unit; the transceiver module 702 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit component, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

Exemplarily, fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be a network device, or may be a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the network device. As shown in fig. 8, the communication device 800 may include a processor 801. Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a memory 802 and/or a transceiver 803. The processor 801 is coupled to the memory 802 and the transceiver 803, such as may be connected via a communication bus.

The following specifically describes each constituent element of the communication apparatus 800 with reference to fig. 8:

the processor 801 is a control center of the communication apparatus 800, and may be a single processor or a collective term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 801 is one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), or may be an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application, such as: one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).

Alternatively, the processor 801 may perform various functions of the communication device 800 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 802, as well as invoking data stored in the memory 802.

In particular implementations, processor 801 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in fig. 8, as one embodiment.

In particular implementations, communication apparatus 800 may also include multiple processors, such as processor 801 and processor 804 shown in fig. 8, for example, as an example. Each of these processors may be a single-Core Processor (CPU) or a multi-Core Processor (CPU). A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

The memory 802 is configured to store a software program for executing the scheme of the present application, and is controlled by the processor 801 to execute the software program.

Alternatively, memory 802 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to these. The memory 802 may be integrated with the processor 801 or may be independent of the processor 801, and is coupled to the processor 801 through an interface circuit (not shown in fig. 8) of the communication device 800, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

A transceiver 803 for communication with other communication devices. For example, the communication apparatus 800 is a terminal device, and the transceiver 803 may be used for communication with a network device or another terminal device. As another example, the communication apparatus 800 is a network device, and the transceiver 803 may be used for communication with a terminal device or with another network device.

Optionally, the transceiver 803 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not separately shown in fig. 8). Wherein the receiver is configured to implement a receive function and the transmitter is configured to implement a transmit function.

Alternatively, the transceiver 803 may be integrated with the processor 801 or may be independent and coupled to the processor 801 through an interface circuit (not shown in fig. 8) of the communication apparatus 800, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that the structure of the communication device 800 shown in fig. 8 does not constitute a limitation of the communication device, and an actual communication device may include more or less components than those shown, or combine some components, or arrange different components.

In addition, for technical effects of the communication apparatus 800, reference may be made to the technical effects of the communication methods described in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not repeated here.

It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general purpose processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

It will also be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the subject application can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically Erasable EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. Volatile memory can be Random Access Memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of Random Access Memory (RAM) are available, such as Static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous Link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct bus RAM (DR RAM).

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (e.g., circuitry), firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions or computer programs. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are produced in whole or in part when the computer instructions or the computer program are loaded or executed on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more collections of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a solid state disk.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" herein is merely one type of association relationship that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the "/" in this document generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship, but may also indicate an "and/or" relationship, and may be understood with particular reference to the former and latter contexts.

In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple.

It should be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned 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 application.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one position, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

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 functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) 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.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a first network device includes:

sending a first request message to a second network device, wherein the first request message is used for requesting a data transmission policy of a terminal device, the terminal device is in an inactive state, and the terminal device resides in the first network device;

receiving a first response message from the second network device, wherein the first response message includes the data transmission policy.

2. The communication method according to claim 1,

the data transmission strategy comprises: and the corresponding relation between the data of the terminal equipment and the wireless resources of the terminal equipment.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, wherein the radio resource includes one or more of: a radio bearer, a radio link control, RLC, channel, or a logical channel.

4. A method of communicating according to claim 2 or 3, the method further comprising:

receiving first indication information from the terminal equipment, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the wireless resources;

and sending a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) recovery message to the terminal equipment according to the first indication information.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, wherein before said sending the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device, the method further comprises:

sending a second request message to the second network device, wherein the second request message is used for requesting the terminal device to restore a connection state;

and receiving a second response message from the second network device, wherein the second response message is used for indicating the terminal device to restore the connection state.

6. The communications method of claim 5, wherein the second response message comprises the first RRC recovery message.

7. The communications method of claim 4, wherein the first response message comprises the first RRC recovery message.

8. A communication method applied to a second network device includes:

receiving a first request message from a first network device, wherein the first request message is used for requesting a data transmission strategy of a terminal device, the terminal device is in an inactive state, and the terminal device resides in the first network device;

transmitting a first response message to the first network device, wherein the first response message includes the data transmission policy.

9. The communication method according to claim 8,

the data transmission strategy comprises: and the data of the terminal equipment corresponds to the wireless resources of the terminal equipment.

10. The communication method according to claim 9,

the radio resources include one or more of: a radio bearer, a radio link control, RLC, channel, or a logical channel.

11. A method of communication according to any of claims 8-10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second request message from the first network device, wherein the second request message is used for requesting the terminal device to restore a connection state;

and sending a second response message to the first network device, wherein the second response message is used for indicating the terminal device to restore the connection state.

12. The communication method according to claim 11,

the second response message comprises a first RRC recovery message.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 10,

the first response message comprises a first RRC recovery message.

14. A communications apparatus, comprising: the device comprises a receiving module and a sending module; wherein,

the sending module is configured to send a first request message to a second network device, where the first request message is used to request a data transmission policy of a terminal device, the terminal device is in an inactive state, and the terminal device resides in a first network device;

the receiving module is configured to receive a first response message from the second network device, where the first response message includes the data transmission policy.

15. The communication device of claim 14,

16. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the radio resources include one or more of: a radio bearer, a radio link control, RLC, channel, or a logical channel.

17. The communications apparatus of claim 15, the apparatus further comprising: a processing module, wherein,

the receiving module is further configured to receive first indication information from the terminal device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the radio resource;

and the processing module is configured to control the sending module to send a first RRC recovery message to the terminal device according to the first indication information.

18. The communication device of claim 17,

the sending module is further configured to send a second request message to the second network device before the sending module sends the first RRC recovery message to the terminal device, where the second request message is used to request the terminal device to recover the connected state;

the receiving module is further configured to receive a second response message from the second network device, where the second response message is used to indicate that the terminal device recovers the connected state.

19. The communications apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second response message comprises the first RRC recovery message.

20. The communications apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first response message comprises the first RRC recovery message.

21. A communications apparatus, comprising: a sending module and a receiving module, wherein,

the receiving module is configured to receive a first request message from a first network device, where the first request message is used to request a data transmission policy of a terminal device, the terminal device is in an inactive state, and the terminal device resides in the first network device;

the sending module is configured to send a first response message to the first network device, where the first response message includes the data transmission policy.

22. The communication device of claim 21,

the data transmission strategy comprises the following steps: and the data of the terminal equipment corresponds to the wireless resources of the terminal equipment.

23. The communication device of claim 22,

the wireless resources include one or more of: a radio bearer, a radio link control, RLC, channel, or a logical channel.

24. The communication device according to any of claims 21-23,

the receiving module is further configured to receive a second request message from the first network device, where the second request message is used to request the terminal device to recover the connection state;

the sending module is further configured to send a second response message to the first network device, where the second response message is used to indicate that the terminal device recovers the connected state.

25. The communication device of claim 24,

the second response message comprises a first RRC recovery message.

26. The communication device according to any of claims 21-23,

the first response message comprises a first RRC recovery message.

27. A communications apparatus, comprising: a processor coupled with a memory;

the processor configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-7 or to perform the method of any of claims 8-13.

28. A communications apparatus, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; wherein,

the interface circuit is used for receiving code instructions and transmitting the code instructions to the processor;

the processor is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1-7 or to perform the method of any one of claims 8-13.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising a computer program or instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13.

30. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising: computer program or instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-13 when the computer program or instructions are run on the computer.