CN115669211A

CN115669211A - Relay method and terminal

Info

Publication number: CN115669211A
Application number: CN202080101053.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨皓睿
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2020-08-12
Filing date: 2020-08-12
Publication date: 2023-01-31
Also published as: WO2022032539A1

Abstract

The application relates to a relay method and a terminal. The relay method comprises the following steps: the first terminal receives a first indication indicating whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode. According to the embodiment of the application, the relay service in the energy-saving mode can be realized by indicating whether the terminal supports or is in the energy-saving mode, so that the purpose of saving energy for the terminal is achieved.

Description

Relay method and terminal

Technical Field

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

Background

With the continuous development of the application of the fifth Generation communication (5 th-Generation, 5G), network Controlled Interactive Services (NCIS) service is introduced into the standard as a new service form to perform the related standardized service.

The NCIS service mainly aims at applications such as Augmented Reality (AR), virtual Reality (VR), and games, and has high requirements on service quality such as rate, time delay, packet loss rate, and high-speed encoding and decoding. For example: for VR games, 10Gbps rate is needed, and the packet loss rate can not exceed 10E-4 (power of 10 minus 4). A session established for the NCIS service is an NCIS session, and User Equipment (UE) in the same NCIS session may be considered to form an NCIS group, for example: and (5) grouping in the game.

A remote (remote) UE communication is served through a terminal-to-network relay (UE-to-network relay) to provide services of higher speed, reliability, and the like, and a coverage area may also be expanded. For example: remote UEs that are not in coverage may obtain service through relay (relay) UEs. How to save energy in the relay process needs to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a relay method and a terminal, which can realize energy conservation of the terminal.

An embodiment of the present application provides a relay method, including:

the first terminal receives a first indication indicating whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode.

An embodiment of the present application provides a relay method, including:

the second terminal sends a first indication indicating whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode.

An embodiment of the present application provides a first terminal, including:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the second terminal supports or is in the energy saving mode.

The embodiment of the present application provides a first terminal, where the receiving unit is further configured to receive a discovery message from the second terminal, where the discovery message includes the first indication and a first timer.

The embodiment of the application provides terminal equipment which comprises a processor and a memory. The memory is used for storing computer programs, and the processor is used for calling and running the computer programs stored in the memory so as to enable the terminal equipment to execute the relay method.

The embodiment of the application provides a chip for realizing the relay method.

Specifically, the chip includes: and the processor is used for calling and running the computer program from the memory so that the equipment provided with the chip executes the relay method.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the relay method described above.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions enable a computer to execute the relay method described above.

Embodiments of the present application provide a computer program, which when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the relay method described above.

According to the embodiment of the application, the relay service in the energy-saving mode can be realized by indicating whether the terminal supports or is in the energy-saving mode, so that the purpose of saving energy for the terminal is achieved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture of ProSe UE-to-Network Relay (ProSe UE-to-Network Relay).

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a relay method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a relay method according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of example 1 of a relay method according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of example 2 of a relay method according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a second terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a second terminal according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: global System for Mobile communications (GSM) System, code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) System, wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) System, general Packet Radio Service (GPRS), long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) System, LTE-a System, new Radio (NR) System, evolution System of NR System, LTE-based Access to unlicensed spectrum, LTE-U) System, NR-based to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) System, non-Terrestrial communication network (NTN) System, universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), wireless Fidelity (WiFi), 5th-Generation (5G) System, or other communication systems.

Generally, the conventional Communication system supports a limited number of connections and is easy to implement, however, with the development of Communication technology, the mobile Communication system will support not only conventional Communication but also, for example, device to Device (D2D) Communication, machine to Machine (M2M) Communication, machine Type Communication (MTC), vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) Communication, or Vehicle to internet (V2X) Communication, and the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these Communication systems.

Optionally, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a Carrier Aggregation (CA) scenario, may also be applied to a Dual Connectivity (DC) scenario, and may also be applied to an independent (SA) networking scenario.

Optionally, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum may also be considered as a shared spectrum; alternatively, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to a licensed spectrum, where the licensed spectrum may also be regarded as an unshared spectrum.

Various embodiments are described in conjunction with network Equipment and terminal Equipment, where the terminal Equipment may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a User terminal, a wireless communication device, a User agent, or a User device.

The terminal device may be a Station (ST) in a WLAN, and may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with Wireless communication capability, a computing device or other processing device connected to a Wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next generation communication system such as an NR Network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) Network, and so on.

In the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can be deployed on the land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.).

In this embodiment, the terminal device may be a Mobile Phone (Mobile Phone), a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal device, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal device in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal device in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal device in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal device in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal device in city (smart city), a wireless terminal device in smart home (smart home), or the like.

By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable equipment can also be called wearable intelligent equipment, is the general term of applying wearable technique to carry out intelligent design, develop the equipment that can dress to daily wearing, like glasses, gloves, wrist-watch, dress and shoes etc.. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the clothing or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also realizes powerful functions through software support, data interaction and cloud interaction. The generalized wearable smart device includes full functionality, large size, and can implement full or partial functionality without relying on a smart phone, such as: smart watches or smart glasses and the like, and only focus on a certain type of application functions, and need to be used in cooperation with other devices such as smart phones, such as various smart bracelets for physical sign monitoring, smart jewelry and the like.

In this embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device, and the network device may be an Access Point (AP) in a WLAN, a Base Station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a Base Station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, a relay Station or an Access Point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a PLMN network for future evolution, or a network device in an NTN network.

By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, a network device may have a mobile nature, e.g., the network device may be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite, balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite, a geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellite, a High Elliptic Orbit (HEO) satellite, and the like. Alternatively, the network device may be a base station installed on land, water, or the like.

In this embodiment of the present application, a network device may provide a service for a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (e.g., a frequency domain resource or a spectrum resource) used by the cell, where the cell may be a cell corresponding to the network device (e.g., a base station), and the cell may belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a Small cell (Small cell), where the Small cell may include: urban cells (Metro cells), micro cells (Micro cells), pico cells (Pico cells), femto cells (Femto cells), and the like, and the small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-rate data transmission services.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a communication system 100. The communication system comprises one network device 110 and two terminal devices 120. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include a plurality of network devices 110, and each network device 110 may include other numbers of terminal devices 120 within a coverage area thereof, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the communication system 100 may further include other network entities such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), which is not limited in this embodiment.

The network device may further include an access network device and a core network device. I.e. the wireless communication system further comprises a plurality of core networks for communicating with the access network devices. The access network device may be a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a Next Radio (NR) system, or an evolved base station (evolved Node B) in an authorized assisted access long-term evolution (LAA-LTE) system, such as an eNB or an e-NodeB) macro base station, a micro base station (also referred to as a "small base station"), a pico base station, an Access Point (AP), a Transmission Point (TP), or a new generation base station (g-NodeB).

It should be understood that a device having a communication function in a network/system in the embodiments of the present application may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system shown in fig. 1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device and a terminal device having a communication function, and the network device and the terminal device may be specific devices in this embodiment, which are not described herein again; the communication device may further include other devices in the communication system, such as other network entities like a network controller, a mobility management entity, and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment.

It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and/or" herein is merely an association describing 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. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

It should be understood that "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, a indicates B, which may mean that a directly indicates B, e.g., B may be obtained by a; it may also mean that a indicates B indirectly, for example, a indicates C, and B may be obtained by C; it can also mean that there is an association between a and B.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "correspond" may indicate that there is a direct correspondence or an indirect correspondence between the two, may also indicate that there is an association between the two, and may also indicate and be indicated, configure and configured, and so on.

For convenience of understanding of technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following description is provided for related technologies of the embodiments of the present application, and the following related technologies may be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as alternatives, which all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, the architecture is a (ProSe-Services, proSe) UE-to-network relay (ProSe UE-to-network relay) system architecture in a 4G network. The Remote terminal (Remote UE) is connected with the ProSe UE to Network Relay (ProSe UE-to-Network Relay) through a PC5 interface, and the Relay terminal is connected with the RAN (e.g., E-UTRA or NR base station) through a Uu interface. The UE accesses EPC (Evolved Packet Core)/5 GC (5G Core) through N1 interface.

For a 5G terminal-to-network relay (UE-to-network relay) architecture, there are two possible architecture modes, i.e., a L3 (Layer-3, layer three) architecture or a L2 (Layer-2, layer two) architecture.

The main differences between the L3 architecture and the L2 architecture are as follows:

under the L3 architecture, a Remote (Remote) UE does not need to register in the network, and may transmit data only through a Relay (Relay UE), such as a ProSe terminal-to-network Relay (ProSe UE-to-network Relay), like the architecture under the 4G network.

Under the L2 architecture, the remote UE and the normal UE are similar, and the required procedures (e.g., registration, session establishment) are performed. However, data and signaling under the L2 architecture are transmitted to a base station, e.g., eNB, through the relay UE.

In the process of ProSe UE to network relay in EPS (Evolved Packet System), the relay UE may establish a new PDN connection for relay. In order for the relay UE to transmit relay Data of the remote UE, the relay UE needs to use an appropriate Public Data Network (PDN) connection (connection). Which PDN connection to use for transmitting the relay data is decided by the relay UE. For example, the relay UE may transmit all relay data using one dedicated PDN connection.

In the L3 architecture under the 5G network, the remote UE may also establish a proper PDU session (session) for transmitting data of the remote UE in a similar manner. Illustratively, the flow of the uplink data may include: remote UE- > Relay UE- > RAN- >5GC- > DNN- > Application server (Application server). And (4) descending and reversing.

In the 5G network, in order to save power for the UE, a Mobile originated Connection Only (MICO) mode is introduced. The MICO mode is mainly directed to services having only an uplink and no downlink data. In the MICO mode, after the UE enters the idle state, the network does not page the UE, and the UE does not need to monitor a paging channel all the time, thereby achieving the effect of saving electricity.

When the UE needs to enter the MICO mode, the UE sends a Registration request (Registration request) message to the AMF, wherein the MICO indication (indication) is carried in the Registration request message. An example of the format indicated by the MICO is as follows in table 1. When the AMF agrees that the UE enters the MICO mode, the AMF carries an MICO indication in a Registration Accept (Registration Accept) message. Since the network no longer pages the UE, the Registration Area (RA) no longer needs to be limited to the paging Area, and can become the entire PLMN. The UE does not need to make Registration update (Registration update) to the AMF while moving within the RA.

TABLE 1 MICO indication

Wherein, the MICO Indication IEI is an Information Element Identification (Information Element Identification) indicated by the MICO, the RAAI is a Registration Area Allocation Indication (Registration Area Allocation Indication), when the RAAI value is 1, the Registration Area is the whole PLMN, the SPRTI is a strict Periodic Registration Timer Indication (strict Periodic Registration Timer Indication) indicating whether a strict Periodic Registration Timer is supported, and the Spare indicates Spare.

In addition, since some services need to reply a response message to the UE within a certain time after receiving uplink data of the UE, it is necessary to page the UE within a certain time. In this case, the UE simultaneously provides an active time (active time) when requesting the MICO mode. The AMF determines the final active time in combination with subscription information, local configuration information, and the like of the UE, and sends the final active time to the UE in Registration accept (Registration accept). After entering the idle state, the UE starts the active time and needs to monitor the paging channel before expiration. The network also considers the UE to be reachable during active time.

If Relay UE enters the MICO mode, the Relay UE can only send uplink data through the Relay UE, and the Relay UE may not be found by the network after the Relay UE enters the idle state. The Relay method of the embodiment of the application can realize that Relay is performed for the Remote UE through the Relay UE in the MICO mode.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a relay method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may alternatively be applied to the system shown in fig. 1, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following.

S210, the first terminal receives a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the second terminal supports or is in the energy saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal is a Remote (Remote) terminal, and the second terminal is a Relay (Relay) terminal. The power saving (power saving) mode may also be a power saving mode. For example, the power saving mode may include a MICO mode, an eDRX (Extended DRX) mode, and the like.

In the MICO mode, after the terminal enters the idle state, if there is active time (active time), the network does not page the terminal after the active time expires, and the terminal does not need to monitor the paging channel all the time, thereby achieving the effect of saving power.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the receiving, by the first terminal, the first indication includes:

the first terminal receives a discovery message from the second terminal, the discovery message including the first indication and a first timer.

Illustratively, in a relay discovery mode, the second terminal may broadcast discovery messages and may also transmit discovery messages to one or more target terminals. After receiving the discovery message, the first terminal may determine whether to select the second terminal as a relay according to the discovery message.

Illustratively, the first indication may indicate whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode. The discovery message may also carry a first timer. The first timer may be an active time (active time) of the second terminal if the first indication represents an indication of whether the second terminal is supported or at MICO. The first timer may be a paging time window (paging time window) of the second terminal if the first indication represents an indication of whether the second terminal supports or is in eDRX.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

the first terminal sends a second indication indicating whether the first terminal seeks a relay that supports or is in a power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the sending, by the first terminal, the second instruction includes:

the first terminal sends a message for searching for a relay, wherein the message for searching for the relay comprises the second indication and a second timer;

the first terminal receives a first indication comprising: the first terminal receives a response message from the second terminal, wherein the response message comprises the first indication and a first timer;

wherein the second indication indicates that the first terminal seeks a relay that is supported or in an energy saving mode, and the first indication indicates that the second terminal supports or is in an energy saving mode.

For example, in another relay discovery mode, the first terminal may broadcast a seek relay message, which may also be sent to one or more target terminals. A second indication may be carried in the find relay message indicating that the first terminal is looking for a relay that is supported or in a power saving mode. A second timer may also be carried in the discovery relay message. After receiving the relay searching message, the second terminal can send a response message to the first terminal, and the first terminal can be informed that the second terminal supports or is in an energy-saving mode through a first indication carried in the response message. The response message may also carry a first timer. After receiving the response message, the first terminal may determine whether to select the second terminal as the relay according to the response message.

Illustratively, the first timer may be an active time (active time) of the second terminal if the first indication is a MICO indication. The second timer may be an active time (active time) of the first terminal if the second indication is a MICO indication. The first timer may be a paging time window of the second terminal if the first indication is an eDRX indication. The second timer may be a paging time window of the first terminal if the second indication is an eDRX indication.

the first terminal determines whether to select the second terminal as a relay based on at least one of:

whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode;

a first timer;

a second timer.

Illustratively, based on whether the second terminal supports or is in the energy saving mode represented by the first indication, the first terminal may determine whether the second terminal needs to be selected as the relay according to its own traffic demand. For example, the first indication may indicate that the second terminal supports or is in the MICO mode, and the first terminal may select the second terminal as the relay without performing downlink data transmission; and when the first terminal needs to perform downlink data transmission, the second terminal is not selected as the relay.

For example, if there are a plurality of second terminals that can be selected as relays, the selection may be performed according to the own second timer and the first timer of each second terminal. For example, a second terminal to which a first timer closest to a second timer of the first terminal belongs is selected as the relay.

the first terminal transmits a third instruction indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode to the second terminal selected as the relay.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the sending, by the first terminal, a third instruction to the second terminal selected as the relay includes:

and the first terminal sends a message for establishing connection to the second terminal selected as the relay, wherein the message for establishing connection comprises the third indication.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the message for establishing a connection further includes the second timer.

Illustratively, the first terminal sends a connection establishment request message including a third indication indicating whether to use the PC5MICO mode to the second terminal selected as the relay. The second timer included in the connection setup request message may be an active time of the first terminal.

the first terminal receives a fourth instruction from the second terminal, the fourth instruction being used to indicate that the second terminal accepts the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the receiving, by the first terminal, a fourth instruction from the second terminal includes:

the first terminal receives a message for accepting connection from the second terminal, and the message for accepting connection includes the fourth indication.

Illustratively, the first terminal receives a connection setup accept message from the second terminal including a fourth indication indicating that the second terminal accepts the PC5MICO mode.

the first terminal sends a fifth instruction to the second terminal, where the fifth instruction is used to indicate that the first terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the fifth instruction is obtained by the first terminal connecting a first Access and mobility management element (AMF) through a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) of the first terminal.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the sending, by the first terminal, a fifth instruction to the second terminal includes:

and the first terminal sends a message including the fifth indication and a third timer to the second terminal, wherein the third timer is acquired by the first terminal through the NAS connection first AMF of the first terminal.

For example, the first terminal may send an update message to the second terminal, where the update message carries a fifth indication indicating that the first terminal enters the energy saving mode. The update message may also carry a third timer that the first terminal acquires from the AMF connected to the first terminal. If the first terminal does not carry the second timer of the first terminal in the above-mentioned relay searching message, the third timer of the first terminal may be carried by the update message.

Exemplarily, at layer 2 (L2 relay), the first terminal may connect to the AMF (i.e., the first AMF) through its NAS to acquire the third timer. For example, the first terminal connecting the AMF may acquire an active time of the first terminal in the MICO mode, or the first terminal connecting the AMF may acquire a paging time window of eDRX of the first terminal. At layer 3 (L2 relay), the first terminal is not directly connected to the AMF and may not include the process of acquiring and transmitting the third timer.

the first terminal receives a message from the second terminal accepting updating of the fifth indication and the third timer.

Illustratively, after receiving the update message, the second terminal returns an update accept message to the first terminal if the fifth indication and the third timer are updated locally. For example, if the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters the MICO mode, the third timer may be an active time of the first terminal.

the first terminal receives a sixth indication from the second terminal, the sixth indication being used for indicating that the second terminal enters the energy saving mode, and the sixth indication being obtained by the second terminal from the second AMF.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the receiving, by the first terminal, a sixth indication from the second terminal includes:

the first terminal receives a message from the second terminal including the sixth indication and the fourth timer, the fourth timer being obtained from the second AMF for the second terminal.

Exemplarily, the second terminal may connect the AMF (i.e., the second AMF) as a relay. The second terminal may obtain the sixth indication from the second AMF through a registration procedure. In the registration process, the second terminal may send a registration request message to the AMF, where the registration request message may carry an indication requesting to enter the energy saving mode. A timer requesting to enter the energy saving mode may also be carried in the registration request message. The timer may be a maximum of the first timer and the second timer, or a maximum of the second timer and the third timer. If the AMF accepts the request of the second terminal, a registration accept message may be returned to the second terminal, and a sixth indication for indicating that the second terminal enters the power saving mode may be carried in the registration accept message. A fourth timer may also be carried in the registration accept message. The fourth timer may be the same as or different from the timer carried in the registration request message, and is determined by the AMF.

Illustratively, the fourth timer may indicate an active time of the second terminal if the sixth indication indicates that the second terminal enters the MICO mode.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a relay method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may alternatively be applied to the system shown in fig. 1, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following.

S310, the second terminal sends a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the second terminal supports or is in the energy saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the sending, by the second terminal, the first indication includes:

the second terminal sends a discovery message including the first indication and a first timer.

the second terminal receives a second indication indicating whether the first terminal seeks a relay that is supported or in a power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the receiving, by the second terminal, the second indication includes:

the second terminal receives a message for finding a relay from the first terminal, wherein the message for finding the relay comprises the second indication and a second timer;

the second terminal sends a first indication, comprising: the second terminal sends a response message to the first terminal, wherein the response message comprises the first indication and a first timer;

the second terminal receives a third indication from the first terminal indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the receiving, by the second terminal, a third indication from the first terminal includes:

the second terminal receives a message for establishing connection from the first terminal, wherein the message for establishing connection comprises the third indication.

the second terminal sends a fourth indication to the first terminal, the fourth indication being used to indicate that the second terminal accepts the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the sending, by the second terminal, a fourth instruction to the first terminal includes:

and the second terminal sends a message for accepting connection to the first terminal, wherein the message for accepting connection comprises the fourth indication.

the second terminal receives a fifth indication from the first terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters the energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection to the first AMF.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the receiving, by the second terminal, a fifth instruction from the first terminal includes:

the second terminal receives a message from the first terminal, the message including the fifth indication and the third timer, where the third timer is obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.

the second terminal transmits a message for registration including a MICO indication and a maximum timer in a case that a power saving mode needs to be entered, or includes an enhanced discontinuous reception Extended DRX parameter in the message for registration.

Illustratively, the second terminal may connect the AMF (i.e., the second AMF) as a relay. The second terminal may obtain the sixth indication from the second AMF through a registration procedure. In the registration process, the second terminal may send a registration request message to the AMF, where the registration request message may carry an indication requesting entry into the energy saving mode. A timer requesting to enter the energy saving mode may also be carried in the registration request message. If the AMF accepts the request of the second terminal, a registration accept message may be returned to the second terminal, and a sixth indication for indicating that the second terminal enters the power saving mode may be carried in the registration accept message. A fourth timer may also be carried in the registration accept message. The fourth timer may be the same as or different from the timer carried in the registration request message, and is determined by the AMF.

Illustratively, the registration request message includes a MICO indication and a maximum activity time. The sixth indication included in the registration receipt message returned by the AMF is used to indicate that the second terminal enters the MICO mode, and the fourth timer may indicate an active time of the second terminal.

Illustratively, the message for registration includes an enhanced discontinuous reception Extended DRX (eDRX) parameter, which is referred to as an IE (information element) example of the Extended DRX parameter in table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Extended DRX parameter

Optionally, in this embodiment, the maximum timer is a maximum value of the first timer and the second timer, or a maximum value of the second timer and the third timer.

Exemplarily, at layer 3, the maximum value of the first timer and the second timer may be taken as the maximum timer. In layer 2, the maximum value of the first timer and the third timer may be used as the maximum timer.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the sending, by the second terminal, a message for registration when the second terminal needs to enter the energy saving mode includes:

the second terminal transmits the message for registration to the second AMF in case of a need to enter the power saving mode.

the second terminal receives a message for accepting registration from the second AMF, where the message for accepting registration includes a sixth indication and the fourth timer, and the sixth indication indicates that the second terminal enters the power saving mode.

and the second terminal sends the sixth indication to the first terminal, wherein the sixth indication is used for indicating that the second terminal enters the energy-saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the sending, by the second terminal, the sixth indication to the first terminal includes:

the second terminal sends a message to the first terminal including the sixth indication and a fourth timer.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal may be a remote terminal, and the second terminal may be a relay terminal.

For a specific example of the method 300 executed by the second terminal in this embodiment, reference may be made to the related description about the second terminal, for example, a relay terminal in the method 200, and details are not repeated herein for brevity.

Example 1: the scheme for layer 3 (L3 relay) is shown in fig. 5.

S11, the remote UE may select a relay UE using mode a or mode B as described below.

Mode a (Model a):

s11-1. Relay (Relay) UE sends discovery message, which contains MICO mode indication (first indication) to indicate whether Relay UE is in MICO mode. The discovery message may optionally contain an active time (active time) of the relay UE. The relay UE may default to using the MICO, otherwise the relay UE also contains whether or not the MICO is supported.

Mode B (Model B):

s11-21, the remote UE sends a search relay message. The find relay message optionally contains whether to find a relay in the MICO mode (second indication), its own active time.

S11-22. Relay UE supporting or in MICO sends response information, which contains MICO mode indication (first indication) to indicate whether relay UE is in MICO mode. Wherein the response information optionally contains an active time of the relay UE. The relay UE may default to using MICO, otherwise the relay UE also contains whether or not MICO is supported.

S12, the Remote end (Remote) UE decides whether to select the relay UE and establish connection according to whether the relay UE is in the MICO mode and the active time. For example: if the remote UE needs to perform downlink data transmission, a relay UE supporting or being MICO is not selected. If the remote UE can accept the relay UE in the MICO mode and if there are multiple relay UEs to choose from, the relay UE's active time and its closest may be selected.

The remote UE sends a connection setup request message to the selected relay UE, including whether to use PC5MICO mode (third indication), the active time of the remote UE. The PC5 is connected to only transmit upstream data, and does not have Relay to remote downstream data.

And S13, the relay UE sends a connection establishment acceptance message. Wherein the accept message optionally contains an accept PC5MICO mode indication (fourth indication). If the relay UE accepts PC5MICO, qoS flow (flow) -related parameters are not included in the accept message because the QoS flow parameters sent by the relay UE to the remote UE are not needed in PC5MICO mode for downlink data transmission.

S14, the relay UE takes the maximum value of the activity time of one or more remote UEs and the activity time of the relay UE.

And S15, when the relay UE needs to enter the MICO, sending a Registration request (Registration request) message to the AMF, wherein the Registration request message comprises the MICO indication and the active time. The MICO indication is used to indicate that the relay UE requests to enter the MICO, and the active time may be the active time determined at step S14. If there is a new remote UE access that results in a change in the active time, the relay UE repeats this step.

S16.AMF replies to the Registration accept (Registration accept) message. The registration acceptance message may include a MICO indication (sixth indication) and an activity time. The MICO indication may indicate that the AMF accepts the relay UE to enter the MICO. The activity time may be determined by the AMF based on the activity time received in the previous step and the associated configuration information.

S17, the relay UE sends a notification message to the remote UE to notify the remote UE that the relay UE enters an MICO mode.

In this example, the relay UE implements the relay service in the MICO mode, achieving power saving for the relay UE and the remote UE.

Example 2: the layer 2 (L2 relay) scheme is shown in fig. 6.

S21 to S23 may be similar to S11 to S13 in example 1 described above, and are not described in detail here. In the mode B, if the relay search message does not carry the active time of the remote UE, the relay search message may carry the active time of the remote UE in a subsequent update process.

And S24, in the layer 2 (L2 relay), the remote UE needs to access the network and establish the PC5 connection with the relay UE, so that the remote UE cannot enter the MICO mode when the connection establishment request is made, and the relay UE needs to be informed through subsequent signaling.

The remote UE may connect to the AMF through its own NAS. So when the remote UE needs to enter the MICO, the remote UE implements the interaction in the related art, and can obtain the MICO indication and the active time from the AMF.

The remote UE sends an update request message to the relay UE, the update request message including an indication that entry into the MICO mode is requested, and the active time obtained from the AMF.

And S25, the relay UE replies the update acceptance information.

S26 to S29 may be similar to S14 to S17 in example 1 described above, and are not described in detail here.

The embodiments of the present application are also applicable to terminal-to-terminal relay (UE-to-UE relay). Based on the scheme, the third terminal can be added as the destination terminal of the first terminal to really transmit the data. The second terminal determines its own timer according to the timers of the first and third terminals, and transmits the own timer to its own AMF together with the instruction for entering the energy saving mode, and the AMF returns a sixth instruction and a fourth timer of the second terminal. And the second terminal informs the first terminal and the third terminal of the fourth timer.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The first terminal 400 may include:

a receiving unit 410, configured to receive a first indication, where the first indication indicates whether the second terminal supports or is in the power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a discovery message from the second terminal, where the discovery message includes the first indication and the first timer.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, as shown in fig. 8, the first terminal further includes:

a sending unit 420, configured to send a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate whether the first terminal seeks a relay that supports or is in the energy saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the sending unit is further configured to send a message for finding a relay, where the message for finding a relay includes the second indication and a second timer;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a response message from the second terminal, where the response message includes the first indication and a first timer;

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the first terminal further includes:

a selecting unit 430 configured to determine whether to select the second terminal as a relay based on at least one of:

whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode;

a first timer;

a second timer.

a connection unit 440, configured to send a third indication to the second terminal selected as the relay, the third indication indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the connection unit is further configured to send a message for establishing a connection to the second terminal selected as the relay, where the message for establishing a connection includes the third indication.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the connection unit is further configured to receive a fourth indication from the second terminal, where the fourth indication is used to indicate that the second terminal accepts the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the connection unit is further configured to receive a message for accepting a connection from the second terminal, where the message for accepting a connection includes the fourth indication.

an updating unit 450, configured to send a fifth indication to the second terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters the energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal through its own NAS connection.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the updating unit is further configured to send, to the second terminal, a message that includes the fifth indication and a third timer, where the third timer is obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the updating unit is further configured to receive a message from the second terminal, where the message is used to accept the update of the fifth indication and the third timer.

a notification unit 460, configured to receive a sixth indication from the second terminal, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the second terminal enters the power saving mode, and the sixth indication is obtained by the second terminal from the second AMF.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the notification unit is further configured to receive, from the second terminal, a message including the sixth indication and the fourth timer, where the fourth timer is obtained by the second terminal from the second AMF.

The first terminal 400 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the first terminal in the foregoing method embodiments. The corresponding processes, functions, implementation manners and beneficial effects of the modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the first terminal 400 may refer to the corresponding descriptions in the above method embodiments, and are not described herein again. It should be noted that the functions described in relation to the respective modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) in the first terminal 400 in the application embodiment may be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.), or may be implemented by the same module (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.).

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a second terminal 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The second terminal 500 may include:

a sending unit 510, configured to send a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the second terminal supports or is in the power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the sending unit is further configured to send a discovery message, where the discovery message includes the first indication and the first timer.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, as shown in fig. 10, the second terminal further includes:

a receiving unit 520, configured to receive a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate whether the first terminal seeks a relay that supports or is in the energy saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the receiving unit 520 is further configured to receive a message for finding a relay from the first terminal, where the message for finding a relay includes the second indication and a second timer;

the sending unit is further configured to send a response message to the first terminal, where the response message includes the first indication and the first timer;

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the second terminal further includes:

a connection unit 530, configured to receive a third indication from the first terminal, where the third indication indicates whether to use the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the connection unit is further configured to receive a message for establishing a connection from the first terminal, where the message for establishing a connection includes the third indication.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the connection unit is further configured to send a fourth instruction to the first terminal, where the fourth instruction is used to indicate that the second terminal accepts the PC5 power saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the connection unit is further configured to send a message for accepting a connection to the first terminal, where the message for accepting a connection includes the fourth indication.

an updating unit 540, configured to receive a fifth indication from the first terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters the energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the updating unit is further configured to receive a message from the first terminal, where the message includes the fifth indication and the third timer, and the third timer is acquired by the first terminal through its NAS connection to the first AMF.

a registering unit 550, configured to send a message for registration if the power saving mode needs to be entered, where the message for registration includes a MICO indication and a maximum timer, or the message for registration includes an enhanced discontinuous reception Extended DRX parameter.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the maximum timer is a maximum value of the first timer and the second timer, or a maximum value of the first timer and the third timer.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the registration unit is further configured to send the message for registration to the second AMF if the power saving mode needs to be entered.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the registration unit is further configured to receive a message for accepting registration from the second AMF, where the message for accepting registration includes a sixth indication and the fourth timer, and the sixth indication indicates that the second terminal enters the power saving mode.

a notification unit 560, configured to send the sixth indication to the first terminal, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the second terminal enters the energy saving mode.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the notification unit is further configured to send a message including the sixth indication and a fourth timer to the first terminal.

The second terminal 500 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the second terminal in the foregoing method embodiments. The corresponding processes, functions, implementation manners and beneficial effects of the modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the second terminal 500 may refer to the corresponding descriptions in the above method embodiments, and are not described herein again. It should be noted that the functions described in relation to the respective modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) in the second terminal 500 of the application embodiment may be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.), or may be implemented by the same module (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.).

Fig. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 includes a processor 610, and the processor 610 can call and run a computer program from a memory to make the communication device 600 implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 11, the communication device 600 may further include a memory 620. From the memory 620, the processor 610 may call and run a computer program to make the communication device 600 implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

The memory 620 may be a separate device from the processor 610, or may be integrated into the processor 610.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 11, the communication device 600 may further include a transceiver 630, and the processor 610 may control the transceiver 630 to communicate with other devices, and specifically, may transmit information or data to the other devices or receive information or data transmitted by the other devices.

The transceiver 630 may include a transmitter and a receiver, among others. The transceiver 630 may further include one or more antennas.

Optionally, the communication device 600 may be a terminal device in this embodiment, for example, the first terminal or the second terminal described above, and the communication device 600 may implement a corresponding process implemented by the terminal device in each method in this embodiment, which is not described herein again for brevity.

Optionally, the communication device 600 may be a network device in this embodiment, and the communication device 600 may implement a corresponding process implemented by the network device in each method in this embodiment, which is not described herein again for brevity.

Fig. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a chip 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 700 includes a processor 710, and the processor 710 can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 12, the chip 700 may further include a memory 720. From the memory 720, the processor 710 can call and run a computer program to implement the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the present application.

The memory 720 may be a separate device from the processor 710 or may be integrated into the processor 710.

Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an input interface 730. The processor 710 may control the input interface 730 to communicate with other devices or chips, and in particular, may obtain information or data transmitted by other devices or chips.

Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an output interface 740. The processor 710 may control the output interface 740 to communicate with other devices or chips, and in particular, may output information or data to the other devices or chips.

Optionally, the chip may be applied to the network device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip may implement the corresponding process implemented by the network device in each method in the embodiment of the present application, and for brevity, details are not described here again.

Optionally, the chip may be applied to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip may implement a corresponding process implemented by the terminal device in each method in the embodiment of the present application, and for brevity, details are not described here again.

The chips applied to the network device and the terminal device may be the same chip or different chips.

It should be understood that the chips mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip or a system-on-chip.

The aforementioned processors may be general purpose processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor etc.

The above-mentioned memories may be either volatile or nonvolatile memories, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memories. 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. The volatile memory may be a Random Access Memory (RAM).

It should be understood that the above memories are exemplary but not limiting illustrations, for example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous Link DRAM (SLDRAM), direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM), and the like. That is, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

Fig. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 800 includes a first terminal 810 and a second terminal 820.

A first terminal 810 configured to receive a first indication indicating whether a second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode.

A second terminal 820 configured to send a first indication, where the first indication indicates whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode.

The first terminal 810 may be a remote terminal, and the second terminal 820 may be a relay terminal. The first terminal 810 may be configured to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above-described method, and the second terminal 820 may be configured to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above-described method. For brevity, further description is omitted herein.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, produce, in whole or in part, the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the application. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that includes one or more of the 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 (e.g., solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

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.

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.

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

A relay method, comprising:

the first terminal receives a first indication indicating whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first terminal receiving the first indication comprises:

the first terminal receives a discovery message from the second terminal, wherein the discovery message comprises the first indication and a first timer.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the first terminal sends a second indication, wherein the second indication is used for indicating whether the first terminal searches for a relay which supports or is in an energy-saving mode.
The method of claim 3, the first terminal sending a second indication comprising:

the first terminal sends a message for searching for a relay, wherein the message for searching for the relay comprises the second indication and a second timer;

the first terminal receives a first indication comprising: the first terminal receives a response message from the second terminal, wherein the response message comprises the first indication and a first timer;

wherein the second indication indicates that the first terminal seeks a relay that is supported or in an energy saving mode, and the first indication indicates that the second terminal supports or is in an energy saving mode.
The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the method further comprises:

the first terminal determines whether to select the second terminal as a relay based on at least one of:

whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode;

a first timer;

a second timer.
The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

the first terminal transmits a third indication to the second terminal selected as the relay, the third indication indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode.
The method of claim 6, wherein the first terminal sending a third indication to a second terminal selected as a relay comprises:

and the first terminal sends a message for establishing connection to a second terminal selected as a relay, wherein the message for establishing connection comprises the third indication.
The method of claim 7, wherein the message for establishing a connection further comprises the second timer.
The method of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the method further comprises:

and the first terminal receives a fourth instruction from the second terminal, wherein the fourth instruction is used for indicating that the second terminal accepts the PC5 energy-saving mode.
The method of claim 9, wherein the first terminal receiving a fourth indication from the second terminal comprises:

and the first terminal receives a message for accepting connection from the second terminal, wherein the message for accepting connection comprises the fourth indication.
The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the method further comprises:

the first terminal sends a fifth indication to the second terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal connecting a first access and mobility management element (AMF) through a non-access stratum (NAS) of the first terminal.
The method of claim 11, wherein the first terminal sending a fifth indication to the second terminal comprises:

and the first terminal sends a message including the fifth indication and a third timer to the second terminal, wherein the third timer is acquired by the first terminal through the NAS connection first AMF of the first terminal.
The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

the first terminal receives a message from the second terminal for accepting updating of the fifth indication and the third timer.
The method of any of claims 6 to 13, wherein the method further comprises:

the first terminal receives a sixth indication from the second terminal, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the second terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the sixth indication is obtained by the second terminal from a second AMF.
The method of claim 14, wherein the first terminal receiving a sixth indication from the second terminal comprises:

the first terminal receives a message including the sixth indication and a fourth timer from the second terminal, where the fourth timer is acquired by the second terminal from the second AMF.
A relay method, comprising:

the second terminal sends a first indication, wherein the first indication is used for indicating whether the second terminal supports or is in the energy-saving mode.
The method of claim 16, wherein the second terminal transmitting the first indication comprises:

and the second terminal sends a discovery message, wherein the discovery message comprises the first indication and a first timer.
The method of claim 16, further comprising:

and the second terminal receives a second indication, wherein the second indication is used for indicating whether the first terminal searches for the relay which supports or is in the energy-saving mode.
The method of claim 18, the second terminal receiving a second indication comprising: the first terminal receives a message for finding a relay from the first terminal, wherein the message for finding the relay comprises the second indication and a second timer;

the second terminal sends a first indication, comprising: the second terminal sends a response message to the first terminal, wherein the response message comprises the first indication and a first timer;

wherein the second indication indicates that the first terminal seeks a relay that is supported or in an energy saving mode, and the first indication indicates that the second terminal supports or is in an energy saving mode.
The method of any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the method further comprises:

the second terminal receives a third indication from the first terminal, the third indication indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode.
The method of claim 20, wherein the second terminal receiving a third indication from the first terminal comprises:

and the second terminal receives a message for establishing connection from the first terminal, wherein the message for establishing connection comprises the third indication.
The method of claim 21, wherein a second timer is further included in the message for establishing a connection.
The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein the method further comprises:

and the second terminal sends a fourth instruction to the first terminal, wherein the fourth instruction is used for indicating that the second terminal accepts the PC5 energy-saving mode.
The method of claim 23, wherein the second terminal sending a fourth indication to the first terminal comprises:

and the second terminal sends a message for accepting connection to the first terminal, wherein the message for accepting connection comprises the fourth indication.
The method of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises:

the second terminal receives a fifth indication from the first terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal through its own NAS connection first AMF.
The method of claim 25, wherein the second terminal receiving a fifth indication from the first terminal comprises:

and the second terminal receives a message including the fifth indication and a third timer from the first terminal, where the third timer is acquired by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.
The method of any of claims 20 to 26, wherein the method further comprises:

the second terminal sends a message for registration under the condition that the second terminal needs to enter the energy-saving mode, wherein the message for registration comprises a MICO indication and a maximum timer, or the message for registration comprises an enhanced discontinuous reception Extended DRX parameter.
The method of claim 27, wherein the maximum timer is a maximum of the first timer and the second timer or a maximum of the first timer and the third timer.
The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein the second terminal sending a message for registration if it needs to enter a power saving mode, comprises:

and the second terminal sends the message for registration to a second AMF under the condition that the energy-saving mode needs to be entered.
The method of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises:

the second terminal receives a message for accepting registration from the second AMF, wherein the message for accepting registration comprises a sixth indication and a fourth timer, and the sixth indication indicates that the second terminal enters a power saving mode.
The method of claim 30, wherein the method further comprises:

and the second terminal sends the sixth indication to the first terminal, wherein the sixth indication is used for indicating that the second terminal enters an energy-saving mode.
The method of claim 31, wherein the second terminal sending the sixth indication to the first terminal comprises:

the second terminal sends a message including the sixth indication and a fourth timer to the first terminal.
A first terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate whether a second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode.
The first terminal of claim 33, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive a discovery message from the second terminal, the discovery message including the first indication and a first timer.
The first terminal of claim 33, wherein the first terminal further comprises:

a sending unit, configured to send a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate whether the first terminal searches for a relay that supports or is in an energy saving mode.
The first terminal of claim 35, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send a message for finding a relay, where the message for finding a relay includes the second indication and a second timer;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a response message from the second terminal, where the response message includes the first indication and a first timer;

wherein the second indication indicates that the first terminal seeks a relay that is supported or in an energy saving mode, and the first indication indicates that the second terminal supports or is in an energy saving mode.
The first terminal of any of claims 33 to 36, wherein the first terminal further comprises:

a selecting unit for determining whether to select the second terminal as a relay based on at least one of:

whether the second terminal supports or is in a power saving mode;

a first timer;

a second timer.
The first terminal of claim 37, wherein the first terminal further comprises:

a connection unit for transmitting a third instruction indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode to the second terminal selected as the relay.
The first terminal of claim 38, wherein the connection unit is further configured to send a message for establishing a connection to the second terminal selected as the relay, and the message for establishing a connection includes the third indication.
The first terminal of claim 39, wherein the message for establishing a connection further comprises the second timer.
The first terminal of any of claims 38-40, wherein the connection unit is further configured to receive a fourth indication from the second terminal, the fourth indication indicating that the second terminal accepts the PC5 power save mode.
The first terminal of claim 41, wherein the connection unit is further configured to receive a message from the second terminal for accepting a connection, the message for accepting a connection including the fourth indication.
The first terminal of claim 38 or 37, wherein the first terminal further comprises:

an updating unit, configured to send a fifth indication to the second terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal connecting the first access and the mobility management element AMF through a non-access stratum NAS of the first terminal.
The first terminal of claim 43, wherein the updating unit is further configured to send a message to the second terminal, the message including the fifth indication and a third timer, the third timer being obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.
The first terminal of claim 44, wherein the updating unit is further configured to receive a message from the second terminal accepting updating the fifth indication and the third timer.
The first terminal of any one of claims 38 to 45, wherein the first terminal further comprises:

a notification unit, configured to receive a sixth indication from the second terminal, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the second terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the sixth indication is obtained by the second terminal from a second AMF.
The first terminal of claim 46, wherein the notification unit is further configured to receive a message from the second terminal including the sixth indication and a fourth timer, the fourth timer being obtained by the second terminal from the second AMF.
A second terminal, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate whether the second terminal supports or is in the energy saving mode.
The second terminal of claim 48, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a discovery message, the discovery message including the first indication and a first timer.
The second terminal of claim 48, further comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate whether the first terminal searches for a relay that supports or is in an energy saving mode.
The second terminal according to claim 50, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive a message for finding a relay from the first terminal, and the message for finding a relay includes the second indication and a second timer;

the sending unit is further configured to send a response message to the first terminal, where the response message includes the first indication and a first timer;

wherein the second indication indicates that the first terminal seeks a relay that is supported or in an energy saving mode, and the first indication indicates that the second terminal supports or is in an energy saving mode.
The second terminal of any of claims 48 to 51, wherein the second terminal further comprises:

a connection unit for receiving a third indication from the first terminal, the third indication indicating whether to use the PC5 power saving mode.
The second terminal of claim 52, wherein the connection unit is further configured to receive a message from the first terminal for establishing a connection, and the message for establishing a connection includes the third indication.
The second terminal of claim 53, wherein the message for establishing a connection further comprises a second timer.
A second terminal according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the connection unit is further adapted to send a fourth indication to the first terminal, the fourth indication indicating that the second terminal accepts the PC5 power saving mode.
The second terminal of claim 55, wherein the connection unit is further configured to send a message to the first terminal for accepting a connection, and the message for accepting a connection includes the fourth indication.
The second terminal of claim 56, wherein the second terminal further comprises:

an updating unit, configured to receive a fifth indication from the first terminal, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the first terminal enters an energy saving mode, and the fifth indication is obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.
The second terminal of claim 57, wherein the updating unit is further configured to receive a message from the first terminal, the message including the fifth indication and a third timer, the third timer being obtained by the first terminal through its NAS connection first AMF.
The second terminal of any of claims 52-58, wherein the second terminal further comprises:

a registering unit, configured to send a message for registration when a power saving mode needs to be entered, where the message for registration includes a MICO indication and a maximum timer, or the message for registration includes an enhanced discontinuous reception Extended DRX parameter.
The second terminal of claim 59, wherein the maximum timer is the maximum of the first and second timers or the maximum of the first and third timers.
The second terminal of claim 59 or 60, wherein the registration unit is further configured to send the message for registration to the second AMF if a power saving mode needs to be entered.
The second terminal of claim 61, wherein the registration unit is further configured to receive a message from the second AMF for accepting registration, the message for accepting registration including a sixth indication and a fourth timer, the sixth indication indicating that the second terminal enters a power saving mode.
The second terminal of claim 62, wherein the second terminal further comprises:

a notification unit, configured to send the sixth indication to the first terminal, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the second terminal enters an energy saving mode.
The second terminal of claim 63, wherein the notification unit is further configured to send a message to the first terminal including the sixth indication and a fourth timer.
A terminal device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor being configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 15.
A terminal device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor being configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform the method of any of claims 16 to 32.
A chip, comprising: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory so that a device on which the chip is installed performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.
A chip, comprising: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory so that a device on which the chip is installed performs the method of any one of claims 16 to 32.
A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.
A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 16 to 32.
A computer program product comprising computer program instructions to cause a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.
A computer program product comprising computer program instructions to cause a computer to perform the method of any of claims 16 to 32.
A computer program for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.
A computer program for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 16 to 32.