CN118042651A

CN118042651A - Relay link release method and device and communication equipment

Info

Publication number: CN118042651A
Application number: CN202211380001.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王文
Original assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Current assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-04
Filing date: 2022-11-04
Publication date: 2024-05-14
Also published as: WO2024093919A1

Abstract

The application discloses a relay link release method, a device and communication equipment, belonging to the technical field of communication, wherein the relay link release method in the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps: in the case that the first condition is met, the first user equipment UE sends a first request message to the relay UE, the first request message being used for requesting release of the U2U relay link associated with the second UE, the first request message including first information for indicating the second UE; wherein the first condition includes at least one of: the first UE is one of at least two third UEs connected with the second UE through a relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected to the first UE through the relay UE.

Description

Relay link release method and device and communication equipment

Technical Field

The application belongs to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a relay link release method, a relay link release device and communication equipment.

Background

An end-to-end (UE (User Equipment) to UE, U2U) relay communication system is introduced in the related art to enable communication between a source UE and a target UE through a relay UE.

In the U2U relay communication system, there may be a requirement of sharing an end-to-end direct communication interface connection (PC 5 link), abbreviated as PC5 connection, where multiple target UEs share the PC5 link between the source UE and the relay UE, or where multiple source UEs share the PC5 link between the relay UE and the target UE.

However, in the scenario of sharing the PC5 link, its link release procedure is not clear. Therefore, how to release the specific end-to-end U2U relay communication connection correctly implemented in the shared U2U relay communication scenario is a problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a relay link release method, a relay link release device and communication equipment, which can solve the problem of releasing a specific end-to-end U2U relay communication connection which is correctly realized in a shared U2U relay communication scene.

In a first aspect, a relay link release method is provided, which includes: in the case that the first condition is met, the first UE sends a first request message to the relay UE, where the first request message is used to request to release a U2U relay link related to the second UE, and the first request message includes first information used to indicate the second UE; wherein the first condition includes at least one of: the first UE is a UE of at least two third UEs connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE.

In a second aspect, a relay link release apparatus is provided, which may include: a receiving module and a processing module. The receiving module is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first UE, where the first request message is used to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is used to indicate the second UE; the processing module is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the first request message received by the receiving module; wherein the first request message is sent by the first UE if a first condition is satisfied, the first condition including at least one of: the first UE is one of at least two third UEs connected with the second UE through a relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE.

In a third aspect, a relay link release method is provided, which includes: the relay UE receives a first request message sent by a first UE, wherein the first request message is used for releasing a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message comprises first information for indicating the second UE; the relay UE responds to the first request message and executes a release related operation of the U2U relay link related to the second UE; wherein the first request message is sent by the first UE if a first condition is satisfied, the first condition including at least one of: the first UE is a UE of at least two third UEs connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE.

In a fourth aspect, a relay link release apparatus is provided, which may include: a receiving module and a processing module; the receiving module is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first UE, where the first request message is used to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is used to indicate the second UE; the processing module is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the first request message received by the receiving module; wherein the first request message is sent by the first UE if a first condition is satisfied, the first condition including at least one of: the first UE is one of at least two third UEs connected with the second UE through a relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE.

In a fifth aspect, a relay link release method is provided, which includes: a second UE receives a second request message sent by a relay UE, wherein the second request message is used for requesting to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message comprises second information for indicating a first UE, and the first UE and the second UE are connected through the relay UE; the second UE responds to the second request message and releases the relay link related to the second UE;

The second request message is sent by the relay UE when a first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, where the first unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE.

In a sixth aspect, a relay link release apparatus is provided, which may include: a receiving module and a processing module. The receiving module is configured to receive a second request message sent by a relay UE, where the second request message is used to request to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message includes second information used to indicate a first UE, and the first UE is connected with the second UE through the relay UE; the processing module is configured to release the relay link related to the second UE in response to the second request message received by the receiving module; the second request message is sent by the relay UE when a first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, where the first unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, which when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, which when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, which when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the fifth aspect.

In a tenth aspect, a terminal is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, where the processor is configured to determine whether a first condition is met, and the communication interface is configured to send a first request message to a relay UE, where the first request message is configured to request release of a U2U relay link related to a second UE, where the first request message includes first information configured to indicate the second UE, where the first condition is met.

An eleventh aspect provides a terminal, including a processor and a communication interface, where the communication interface is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first UE, where the first request message is configured to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is configured to indicate the second UE; the processor is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link associated with the second UE in response to a first request message received by the communication interface. Wherein the first request message is sent by the first UE if a first condition is satisfied, the first condition including at least one of: the first UE is a UE of at least two third UEs connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE.

A twelfth aspect provides a terminal, including a processor and a communication interface, where the communication interface is configured to receive a second request message sent by a relay UE, where the second request message is configured to request to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message includes second information for indicating a first UE, and the first UE is connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the processor is configured to release the relay link associated with the second UE in response to the second request message. The second request message is sent by the relay UE when a first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, where the first unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE.

A thirteenth aspect provides a communication system comprising the communication device of the seventh and eighth aspects above; the communication device of the seventh aspect is configured to perform the step of the relay link release method of the first aspect, and the communication device of the eighth aspect is configured to perform the step of the relay link release method of the third aspect. Or includes the communication device of the seventh, eighth and ninth aspects; the communication device according to the seventh aspect is configured to perform the step of the relay link release method according to the first aspect, the communication device according to the eighth aspect is configured to perform the step of the relay link release method according to the third aspect, and the communication device according to the ninth aspect is configured to perform the step of the relay link release method according to the fifth aspect.

In a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a readable storage medium having stored thereon a program or instructions which when executed by a processor, implement the method according to the first aspect, the method according to the third aspect, or the steps of the method according to the fifth aspect.

In a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the processor being coupled, the processor being for running a program or instructions to implement the method of the first aspect, the method of the third aspect, or the method of the fifth aspect.

In a sixteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program/program product stored in a storage medium, the computer program/program product being executable by at least one processor to perform the method according to the first aspect, the method according to the third aspect, or the steps of the method according to the fifth aspect.

In the embodiment of the application, under the condition that a first condition is met, a first User Equipment (UE) sends a first request message to a relay UE, wherein the first request message is used for requesting to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message comprises first information for indicating the second UE; wherein the first condition includes at least one of: the first UE is a UE of at least two third UEs connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE. By the scheme, in a scenario that a plurality of UEs (such as at least two source UEs or at least two target UEs) share the same relay UE, namely, in a U2U communication scenario of sharing the relay UE, when a UE in the plurality of UEs needs to release a U2U relay link between the UE and a specific UE, since the UE can send a release request message including first information indicating the specific UE to the relay UE, the relay UE can be ensured to accurately release the U2U link related to the specific UE.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is one of block diagrams of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable;

FIG. 2 is a second block diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable;

FIG. 3 is a third block diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable;

fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a relay link release method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a second flowchart of a relay link release method according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 6 is a third flowchart of a relay link release method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a relay link release method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a fourth block diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable;

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a relay link release method according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 10 is a fifth block diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay link release device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a second schematic structural diagram of a relay link release device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a third schematic structural diagram of a relay link release device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which are derived by a person skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the application, fall within the scope of protection of the application.

The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application are capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein, and that the "first" and "second" distinguishing between objects generally are not limited in number to the extent that the first object may, for example, be one or more. Furthermore, in the description and claims, "and/or" means at least one of the connected objects, and the character "/" generally means a relationship in which the associated object is an "or" before and after.

It should be noted that the techniques described in the embodiments of the present application are not limited to long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE)/LTE evolution (LTE-Advanced, LTE-a) systems, but may also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA), time division multiple access (Time Division Multiple Access, TDMA), frequency division multiple access (Frequency Division Multiple Access, FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access, OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (Single-carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access, SC-FDMA), and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in embodiments of the application are often used interchangeably, and the techniques described may be used for both the above-mentioned systems and radio technologies, as well as other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes a New Radio (NR) system for exemplary purposes and NR terminology is used in much of the following description, but these techniques may also be applied to applications other than NR system applications, such as 6 th Generation (6G) communication systems.

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless communication system to which an embodiment of the present application is applicable. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network device 12. The terminal 11 may be a Mobile phone, a tablet Computer (Tablet Personal Computer), a Laptop (Laptop Computer) or a terminal-side device called a notebook, a Personal digital assistant (Personal DIGITAL ASSISTANT, PDA), a palm Computer, a netbook, an ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (ultra-Mobile Personal Computer, UMPC), a Mobile internet appliance (Mobile INTERNET DEVICE, MID), an augmented reality (augmented reality, AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) device, a robot, a wearable device (Wearable Device), a vehicle-mounted device (VUE), a pedestrian terminal (PUE), a smart home (home device with a wireless communication function, such as a refrigerator, a television, a washing machine, a furniture, etc.), a game machine, a Personal Computer (Personal Computer, a PC), a teller machine, or a self-service machine, etc., and the wearable device includes: intelligent wrist-watch, intelligent bracelet, intelligent earphone, intelligent glasses, intelligent ornament (intelligent bracelet, intelligent ring, intelligent necklace, intelligent anklet, intelligent foot chain etc.), intelligent wrist strap, intelligent clothing etc.. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The network-side device 12 may include an access network device or a core network device, where the access network device 12 may also be referred to as a radio access network device, a radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN), a radio access network function, or a radio access network element. Access network device 12 may include a base station, a WLAN access Point, a WiFi node, or the like, which may be referred to as a node B, an evolved node B (eNB), an access Point, a base transceiver station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a Basic service set (Basic SERVICE SET, BSS), an Extended service set (Extended SERVICE SET, ESS), a home node B, a home evolved node B, a transmission and reception Point (TRANSMITTING RECEIVING Point, TRP), or some other suitable terminology in the art, and the base station is not limited to a particular technical vocabulary so long as the same technical effect is achieved, and it should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only a base station in an NR system is described as an example, and the specific type of the base station is not limited.

The relay link release method, the device, the UE and the communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings through some embodiments and application scenarios thereof.

The R18 near field communication problem introduces a U2U relay communication scenario, and for this communication scenario, there may be a need for sharing a PC5link, which may also be referred to as a shared relay UE, and at least one of the following may be effectively avoided by sharing the PC5 link:

And the scene A and the same source terminal UE respectively establish PC5 links of a plurality of source terminal UEs and the relay UE through the relay UE.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, a U2U relay link between a source UE and 3 target UEs may be implemented by sharing a PC5 relay link between the source UE and the relay UE.

And in the scene B, the same target UE and the relay UE establish a plurality of PC5 links to realize the U2U relay link with a plurality of source end UEs.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, by sharing the PC5 link between the target UE and the relay UE, the U2U relay link between the 3 source UE and the target UE may be implemented.

However, the manner in which the PC5 is connected is shared as described above: the release of a U2U relay connection between certain ones may lead to a potential risk of other U2U relay connections being released.

As in scenario a, if the source UE only wants to release the end-to-end U2U relay link with the target UE #1, if the relay UE receives the PC5 LINK RELEASE of the source UE according to the R17 version and the previous processing of the PC5 LINK RELEASE, the PC5 link release procedure between the source UE and the relay UE is executed. Resulting in interruption of the U2U relay communication of the source UE with the target UEs #2 and # 3. Even though the identity of the target UE is carried in PC5 LINK RELEASE, there is currently no provision for PC5 LINK RELEASE to reserve the processing of PC5 link, and therefore a standardized description is required to correctly implement release of a specific end-to-end U2U relay link in the shared U2U relay communication. The same applies to scenario B above.

Therefore, how to release a specific end-to-end connection correctly implemented in a communication scenario of sharing U2U relay is a problem to be solved.

In the relay link release method provided by the embodiment of the application, under the condition that the first condition is met, the first User Equipment (UE) sends a first request message to the relay UE, wherein the first request message is used for requesting to release the U2U relay link related to the second UE, and the first request message comprises first information for indicating the second UE; wherein the first condition includes at least one of: the first UE is one of at least two third UEs connected with the second UE through a relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected to the first UE through the relay UE. It is understood that the first condition is used to characterize the communication scenario of the shared U2U relay. In this way, in a scenario where a plurality of UEs (e.g., at least two source UEs or at least two target UEs) share the same relay UE, that is, in a U2U communication scenario where the relay UE is shared, when a UE of the plurality of UEs needs to release a U2U relay link between the UE and a specific UE, since the UE can send a release request message including first information indicating the specific UE to the relay UE, it can be ensured that the relay UE can accurately release the U2U link related to the specific UE.

The embodiment of the present application provides a method for releasing a relay link, and fig. 4 shows a flow chart of the method for releasing a relay link provided by the embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 4, the method for releasing a relay link provided by the embodiment of the present application may include the following steps 401 to 404.

Step 401, the first UE determines whether a first condition is satisfied.

Wherein the first condition may include at least one of the following (1) and (2):

The first UE is one of at least two third UEs connected with the second UE through a relay UE;

the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected to the first UE through the relay UE.

In the embodiment of the present application, satisfying the first condition may be understood as: the U2U relay communication system in which the first UE is located satisfies a first condition. Specifically, if the U2U relay communication system in which the first UE is located meets the first condition, it indicates that the communication system is a communication system of the shared relay UE, and the first UE continues to execute step 402. If the U2U relay communication system where the first UE is located meets the first condition, the communication system is a communication system of a non-shared relay UE, and the first UE may directly send a third request message requesting to release the U2U relay link.

Optionally, the third UE and the fourth UE are a source UE and a target UE, respectively; or the third UE and the fourth UE are the target UE and the source UE, respectively.

That is, in the relay link release method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the first UE may be a source UE, and the second UE may be a target UE; or the first UE may be the target UE and the second UE may be the source UE. The method is specifically determined according to actual use requirements, and the embodiment of the application is not limited.

In other words, in the relay link release method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the source UE or the target UE may initiate the relay link release procedure.

Step 402, the first UE sends a first request message to the relay UE.

Step 403, the relay UE receives the first request message.

Alternatively, in mode 1, if the first request message includes first information for indicating the second UE, the first request message may be used to request to release the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

In mode 2, if the first request message does not include information indicating any third UE, it indicates that the first request message is used for requesting to release the U2U relay link with at least one third UE.

In order to facilitate understanding of the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the following embodiments are all illustrated by taking the first information included in the first request message as an example, unless otherwise specified.

It is understood that, for the relay UE, the first request message is sent by the first UE if the first condition is satisfied. For a description of the first condition, see the relevant description in step 401 above.

Optionally, the first information may include at least one of: an identity of the second UE; an internet protocol (Internet Protocol, IP) address of the second UE; layer (L) 2 identity of the second UE; a Multiple access channel (Multiple ACCESS CHANNEL, MAC) address of the second UE. As such, since the first request message may include: at least one of the identity, the IP address, the MAC address, and the layer 2 address of the second UE, so that after the relay UE receives the first request message, the U2U relay link associated with the second UE can be accurately released according to the first information.

Optionally, the first request message may be one of the following:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

a PC5 unicast link modification (modification) request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

Alternatively, in the case where the first request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message, the first request message in mode 1 differs from the PC5 unicast link release request message in the related art in that the first request message includes first information. The first request message in mode 2 is the same as the PC5 unicast link release request message in the related art.

Optionally, in the case that the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, the first request message further includes first removal operation indication information. The first request message includes first information and removal operation instruction information.

The first removing operation indication information is used for releasing the U2U relay link.

For other descriptions of the "PC5 unicast link release request message" and the "PC5 unicast link modification request message", see related art.

Optionally, the "U2U relay link related to the second UE" may include any one of the following: a first PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE; the first PC5 unicast links PC5 context associated with the first UE.

Step 404, the relay UE performs a release related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the first request message.

For a description of the "U2U relay link related to the second UE", reference is made to the description of the "U2U relay link related to the second UE" in the above embodiment.

In the embodiment of the present application, after the relay UE receives the first request message, it may determine whether the first PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE is a shared unicast link in response to the first request message, and perform an operation corresponding to the determination result of the first PC5 unicast link (see step 404b and step 404c described below).

It should be noted that, in the step 404 is illustrated by taking the first request message including the first information as an example, in an actual implementation, if the first request message does not include the first information, the relay UE may directly initiate to release the U2U relay link between the first UE and at least one fourth UE, and a specific release manner refers to the related art.

Alternatively, in the case where the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the first request message further includes first removal operation indication information, the above step 404 may be specifically implemented by the following step 404 a.

In step 404a, the relay UE performs, in response to the first request message, a release-related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE according to the first removal operation indication information and the first information.

It can be appreciated that the relay UE may determine "U2U relay link related to the second UE" according to the first information; and according to the first removal operation indication information, determining: the operation "remove" or "release", i.e., release related operations. Thereby realizing the following steps: and releasing related operation of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

Alternatively, in the case that the first request message includes the first information, the above step 404 may be specifically implemented by the following step 404b or step 404 c.

In step 404b, the relay UE responds to the first request message, and initiates a release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link in the case that the first PC5 unicast link is an unshared unicast link.

Wherein the first PC5 unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE.

In step 404c, the relay UE sends a second request message to the second UE in response to the first request message, where the first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link.

Wherein the second request message may be for requesting release of a U2U relay link associated with the second UE, and the second request message includes second information for indicating the first UE, the first UE being connected with the second UE through the relay UE.

It may be appreciated that after the relay UE transmits the second request message to the second UE, the second UE may receive the second request message and perform a release-related operation of the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the second request message.

Optionally, the second information may include at least one of:

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identity of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

In this way, after the second UE receives the second request message, the first UE may be determined from the at least one third UE according to the second information.

Alternatively, the second request message may be one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

For further description of the second request message, see the description of the first request message in the above embodiments.

Optionally, in the case that the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, the second request message may further include second removal operation indication information; wherein the second removal operation indication information is used for releasing the U2U relay link.

In the relay link release method provided by the embodiment of the application, in a scenario that a plurality of UEs (such as at least two source UEs or at least two target UEs) share the same relay UE, namely in a U2U communication scenario of sharing relay UEs, when a UE in the plurality of UEs needs to release a U2U relay link between the UE and a specific UE, since the UE can send a release request message including first information indicating the specific UE to the relay UE, the relay UE can be ensured to accurately release the U2U link related to the specific UE. .

Optionally, after the step 404, the method for releasing a relay link according to the embodiment of the present application may further include a step 405 described below.

Step 405, the first UE maintains a U2U relay link with the fifth UE.

Wherein the fifth UE includes UEs other than the second UE among the at least two fourth UEs.

In this way, it may be ensured that after releasing the U2U relay link associated with the second UE, the first UE is still able to communicate with a UE of the at least two fourth UEs other than the second UE via the relay UE.

Optionally, in conjunction with fig. 4, as shown in fig. 5, after step 404, the method for releasing a relay link according to the embodiment of the present application may further include steps 406 and 407 described below.

Step 406, the relay UE sends a first reply message to the first UE.

Step 407, the first UE receives the first reply message.

The first reply message is used for indicating a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

It should be noted that, step 405 may be performed before step 406, before step 407, or after step 407.

Alternatively, if the first request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message, the first reply message is a PC5 connection release accept message.

If the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, the first reply message is a PC5 unicast link modification acceptance (accept) message.

If the first request message is a dedicated request message for releasing the relay link of the specific U2U, i.e. a dedicated PC5-S information, then the first reply message is a corresponding PC5-S accept message.

In this way, since the relay UE may send the first reply message to the first UE after performing the release related operation of the U2U relay link related to the second UE, the first UE may be enabled to learn the release result of the release related operation of the U2U relay link according to the first reply message.

Optionally, after the step 404a, the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include at least one of the following step 408 and step 409.

Step 408, the relay UE maintains a PC5 unicast link with the sixth UE.

Step 409, the relay UE deletes the PC5 context of the second UE.

Wherein the sixth UE includes: at least two third UEs; and UEs other than the second UE among the at least two fourth UEs.

In this way, on the one hand, since the relay UE maintains the PC5 unicast link with the UE other than the second UE among the at least two third UEs and the at least two fourth UEs, it is possible to ensure that the at least two third UEs and the UE other than the second UE among the at least two fourth UEs continue to communicate through the relay UE. On the other hand, the relay UE can delete the PC5 context of the second UE after releasing the unicast link of the first PC5, so that the memory occupation of the relay UE can be reduced, and the space utilization rate of the relay UE can be improved.

Optionally, in conjunction with fig. 4, as shown in fig. 6, after the step 404b (i.e. the relay UE sends the second request message to the second UE), the method for releasing the relay link according to the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps 410 and 411.

Step 410, the second UE receives the second request message sent by the relay UE.

Wherein the second request message is for requesting release of a relay link associated with the second UE, the second request message including second information for indicating the first UE.

In step 411, the second UE releases the relay link related to the second UE in response to the second request message.

The second request message is sent by the relay UE when the first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, and the first unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE.

For further description of step 410 and step 411, see the relevant description in the above embodiments.

Optionally, "the second UE releasing the relay link associated with the second UE" includes:

In the case that the second information is included in the second request message, the second UE deletes the PC5 context associated with the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link.

In case that the information indicating the UE (e.g., the second information) is not included in the second request message, the second UE initiates a release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link.

It will be appreciated that after the second UE deletes the PC5 context associated with the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link, communication between the first UE and the second UE via the relay UE is no longer possible. Specifically, since the PC5 context associated with the first UE includes: the second UE may not continue to communicate with the first UE after deleting the PC5 context associated with the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link.

Optionally, in a case where the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the second request message further includes second removal operation indication information, where the second removal operation indication information is used for release of the U2U relay link, the second UE releasing the relay link related to the second UE may include: and the second UE releases the relay link related to the second UE according to the second information and the second removing operation indication information.

It can be appreciated that the relay UE may determine "the U2U relay link related to the second UE" according to the second information, e.g. determine that the U2U relay link between the second UE and the first UE needs to be removed; and according to the first removal operation indication information, determining: the operation "remove" or "release", i.e., release related operations.

In this way, since the U2U relay link related to the second UE can be accurately released through the second information and the second removal operation indication information added in the PC5 unicast link modification request message, flexibility of releasing the relay link can be improved.

In this way, in the case that the first UE needs to release the U2U relay link related to the second UE, and when the PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE is the shared unicast link, since the release operation of the U2U relay link related to the second UE can be performed by the second UE, it can be ensured that the second UE can still communicate with UEs other than the first UE among the at least two third UEs through the relay UE after releasing the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

Optionally, in the case where the second request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message or a PC5 unicast link modification request message, after the step 410, the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include a step 412 described below.

Step 412, the second UE maintains a first PC5 unicast link with the relay UE.

In this way, when the second UE releases the relay link related to the second UE, the second UE can maintain the first PC5 unicast link with the relay UE, so that the second UE can be ensured to communicate with UEs other than the first UE in the at least two third UEs, and stability of the U2U relay communication system is improved.

It should be noted that the execution sequence between the step 411 and the step 412 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, after the step 411, the method for releasing a relay link according to the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps 413 and 414.

Step 413, the second UE sends a second reply message to the relay UE.

Step 414, the relay UE receives the second reply message.

Wherein the second reply message is used to indicate a release result of the relay link associated with the second UE.

Optionally, if the second request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message, the second reply message is a PC5 connection release accept message; if the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, the second reply message is a PC5 unicast link modification acceptance (accept) message; if the second request message is a dedicated request message for releasing the specific U2U relay link, i.e. a dedicated PC5-S message, the second reply message is a corresponding PC5-S accept message.

Optionally, in the case that the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the step 406, the step 406 is specifically performed after the step 414; and step 406 may be specifically implemented by step 406a described below.

Step 406a, the relay UE sends the first reply message to the first UE according to the second reply message.

Alternatively, the relay UE may send the first reply message to the first UE according to the release result indicated by the second reply message. If the second reply message indicates that the relay link associated with the second UE is successfully released, the first reply message also indicates that the relay link associated with the second UE is successfully released; if the second reply message indicates that the relay link release associated with the second UE fails, the first reply message also indicates that the relay link release associated with the second UE fails.

In this way, since the second UE may transmit the second reply message indicating the release result of the relay link related to the second UE to the relay UE, the relay UE may receive the second reply message. In this way, on the one hand, the relay UE can be made aware of the release result of the relay link related to the second UE; on the other hand, the relay UE may be enabled to send the first reply message to the first UE based on the second reply message, so that the first UE knows a release result of the relay link related to the second UE. This can improve communication efficiency.

The relay link release method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below by taking the first PC5 unicast link as an unshared unicast link (scenario one) and the shared unicast link (scenario two) as examples.

Scene one: in the case where the first PC5 unicast link is an unshared unicast link, as shown in fig. 7, the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include the following steps 701 to 703.

Step 701, when the first condition is satisfied, the first UE sends a first request message to the relay UE.

Step 702, the relay UE receives a first request message.

In step 703, the relay UE initiates a release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link in response to the first request message.

Wherein the first request message may include first information.

Optionally, after step 701, the method for releasing a relay link according to the embodiment of the present application may further include step 704 described below.

Step 704, the first UE maintains a U2U relay link with the fifth UE.

Optionally, after step 703, the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include step 705 and step 706 described below.

Step 705, the relay UE sends a first reply message to the first UE.

In step 706, the first relay UE receives the first reply message.

For the detailed descriptions of steps 701 to 706, refer to the related descriptions in the above embodiments, and in order to avoid repetition, the description is omitted.

Scenario 1 is described below in connection with specific examples.

Illustratively, the first condition is assumed to include: the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected to the first UE through the relay UE. In connection with fig. 2 above, as shown in fig. 8, assuming that the first UE is a source UE, at least two fourth UEs include: target UEs #1, #2, #3; the first information indicates the target ue#1. It can be seen that the PC5 unicast link between the source UE and the relay UE is shared by the target UEs #1, #2, # 3. Referring to fig. 8, the relay link release method provided in the present example may include:

Step 81, the source UE sends a first request message to the relay UE.

It is understood that after the source UE transmits the first request message, the relay UE may receive the first request message.

Wherein the first request message may be at least one of: PC5 LINK RELEASE request message (i.e., PC5 unicast link release request message), PC5 link modification request message (PC 5 unicast link modification request message), dedicated release end-to-end U2U relay link release message (i.e., dedicated request message for releasing a specific U2U relay link, i.e., defining a new PC5-S message).

Optionally, when the first request message is a PC5 LINK RELEASE request message or a dedicated release end-to-end U2U relay connection release message:

If the first request message includes the first information, the first request message is used for requesting the relay UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay link between the source UE and the specific target UE (e.g., target ue#1).

Wherein the first information may include at least one of: the identity of target ue#1, the IP address of target ue#1, the mac address of target ue#1, the layer 2 identity of target ue#1.

If the first request message does not contain the first information, the first request message is used to request the message relay UE to release the U2U relay links of the source UE and all the target UEs (i.e., target UEs #1, #2 and # 3).

Optionally, when the first request message PC5 link modification requests, the first request message includes, in addition to the first information, first removal operation indication information, where the first removal operation indication information is used for releasing the U2U relay link.

Step 82, the relay UE initiates a PC5 unicast link release procedure with at least one target UE in response to the first request message.

Alternatively, when the first request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message or a dedicated request message for releasing a specific U2U relay link:

If the first request message does not include the first information, the relay UE initiates a PC5 unicast link release process with all target UEs.

If the first information is included in the first information, the relay UE initiates a PC5 unicast link release procedure with the target ue#1 (target ue#1 in the above figure). Further optionally, the relay UE may also maintain the PC5 unicast link with the source UE after the relay initiates the PC5 unicast link release procedure with the particular target UE; and/or deleting the PC5 context of the target UE #1 corresponding to the source UE.

Alternatively, when the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, also referred to as: PC5 link modification requests a message: the relay UE may specifically initiate a PC5 unicast link release procedure with a specific target UE (target UE #1 in the above figure) according to the first information and the first removal operation indication information. Further alternatively, after the relay UE initiates the PC5 unicast link release procedure with the specific target UE, the relay UE may further delete the PC5 context of the target UE (e.g., target UE # 1) corresponding to the source UE.

Optionally, after step 82, the relay link release method provided in this example may further include step 83 described below.

Step 83, the relay UE sends a first reply message to the source UE.

It may be appreciated that after the relay UE transmits the first reply message to the source UE, the source UE may receive the first reply message.

The first reply message is used for indicating the relay UE to release the release result of the U2U relay link between the source UE and all target UEs or the specific target UE.

Note that, one double-headed arrow in fig. 8 is used to indicate: PC5 unicast links between one UE (source UE or target UE) and relay UE.

For example: as can be seen from fig. 8, before the relay UE initiates the release procedure of the PC5 unicast link with the target ue#1, there is a double-headed arrow between the relay UE and the target ue#1; and after the relay UE initiates the release procedure of the PC5 unicast link with the target ue#1, there is no double-headed arrow between the relay UE and the target ue#1.

It can be seen that in scenario 1, for the shared U2U relay connection scenario, when the source UE needs to release a specific end-to-end U2U relay connection: the source UE instructs the relay UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay connection of the specific target UE, and the relay UE releases the PC5 link connection with the specific target UE according to the instruction and reserves the PC5 link connection between the relay UE and the source UE.

Scene II: in the case where the first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, as shown in fig. 9, the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include the following steps 91 to 95.

Step 91, if the first condition is satisfied, the first UE sends a first request message to the relay UE.

Step 92, the relay UE receives the first request message.

Step 93, the relay UE transmits a second request message to the second UE in response to the first request message.

Step 94, the second UE receives the second request message.

Step 95, the second UE deletes the PC5 context related to the first UE in the first unicast link in response to the second request message. In other words, the second UE may delete the PC5 context of the first UE corresponding to the second UE.

Optionally, after step 95, the method for releasing a relay link according to the embodiment of the present application may further include steps 96 and 97 described below.

Step 96, the second UE sends a second reply message to the first UE.

Step 97, the relay UE receives the second reply message.

Optionally, after step 97, the relay link release method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps 98 and 99.

Step 98, the relay UE sends the first reply message to the first UE according to the second reply message.

Step 99, the first UE receives the first reply message.

For a detailed description of steps 91 to 99, refer to the related descriptions in the above embodiments, and in order to avoid repetition, the description is omitted.

For further description of embodiments of the application, reference is made to the relevant description of the embodiments described above.

Scenario 2 is exemplarily described below in connection with specific examples.

Illustratively, the first condition is assumed to include: the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected to the first UE through the relay UE. In connection with fig. 2 described above, as shown in fig. 10, it is assumed that at least two third UEs include: source UE #1, #2, #3; the first information indicates the target ue#1. It can be seen that the PC5 unicast link between the target UE and the relay UE is shared by the source UEs #1, #2, # 3. Then, referring to fig. 10, when the source ue#1 no longer needs to perform U2U relay communication with the target UE, the relay link release method provided by this example may include:

step 101, the source UE sends a first request message to the relay UE.

It is understood that after the source ue#3 transmits the first request message to the relay UE, the relay UE may receive the first request message.

Step 102, the relay UE responds to the PC5 unicast link release request message and sends a second request message to the target UE.

It may be appreciated that after the relay UE transmits the second request message to the target UE, the target UE may receive the second request message.

Wherein the second request message may be at least one of: PC5 LINK RELEASE request message, PC5 link modification request message, dedicated release end-to-end U2U relay connection release message (defining a new PC5-S message).

Optionally, when the second request message is a PC5 LINK RELEASE request message or a dedicated release end-to-end U2U relay connection release message:

And if the second request message contains second information, the second request message is used for requesting the target UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay link between the target UE and the specific source UE. And if the second request message does not contain the second information, the second request message is used for requesting the target UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay links of the target UE and all the source UE.

Wherein the second information may include at least one of:

Source UE identity (i.e., identity of source ue#3);

the IP address or mac address of the source UE (e.g., the IP address or mac address of the source ue#3);

l2 identity of source UE (e.g., layer 2 identity of source ue#3 as described above).

Optionally, in the case that the second request message is the PC5 link modification request message, the PC5 link modification request message further includes a "removal" operation indication (i.e., second removal operation indication information) in addition to the second information, where the second removal operation indication information is used to instruct the target UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay link between the target UE and the specific source UE.

Step 103, the target UE initiates a PC5 unicast link release procedure with at least one source UE in response to the second request message.

Specifically, when the second request is a PC5 link release request or a dedicated release end-to-end U2U relay connection release message:

and if the second request message does not contain the second information, the target UE executes a PC5 unicast link release process with the relay UE, namely, releases the end-to-end relay communication links between the target UE and all the source UEs.

If the second request message includes the second information, the target UE performs: and reserving a PC5 unicast link of the relay UE, and deleting the PC5 context of the source UE corresponding to the target UE.

Optionally, when the second request message is a request of PC5 link modification, the target UE deletes the PC5 context of the source UE (i.e., source ue#1) corresponding to the target UE according to the second information and the second removal operation indication information.

Step 104, the target UE sends a second reply message to the relay UE.

It may be appreciated that after the target UE transmits the second reply message to the relay UE, the relay UE may receive the second reply message.

Step 105, the relay sends a first reply message to the source ue#3.

It will be appreciated that after the relay UE transmits the first reply message to the first UE, the source UE #2 may receive the first reply message.

For other descriptions in scenario 2, reference may be made to and reference is made to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, and in order to avoid repetition, a detailed description is omitted here.

It can be seen that in scenario 2, for the shared U2U relay connection scenario, when the source UE needs to release a specific end-to-end U2U relay connection: the source UE indicates the relay UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay connection of the specific target UE; the relay UE may instruct the target UE to release the end-to-end U2U relay connection of the specific source UE according to the first request message, and the target UE deletes the PC5 link context with the source UE according to the instruction, and reserves the PC5 link connection with the relay UE.

According to the relay link release method provided by the embodiment of the application, the execution main body can be a relay link release device. In the embodiment of the present application, a method for executing relay link release by using a relay link release device is taken as an example, and the relay link release device provided by the embodiment of the present application is described.

An embodiment of the present application provides a relay link release device, fig. 11 shows a schematic structural diagram of the relay link release device provided by the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 11, a relay link release device 110 provided by the embodiment of the present application may include: a transmitting module 111.

The sending module 111 is configured to send, if a first condition is met, a first request message to a relay UE, where the first request message is used to request to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is used to indicate the second UE;

Wherein the first condition includes at least one of:

The first UE is one of at least two third UEs connected with the second UE through the relay UE;

The second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE.

In a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

an internet protocol, IP, address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

In one possible implementation, the first request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, in a case that the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, the first request message further includes first removal operation indication information;

The first removal operation indication information is used for releasing the U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the relay link releasing device 110 further includes: a first receiving module;

The first receiving module is configured to receive a first reply message sent by the relay UE after the sending module 111 sends a first request message to the relay UE, where the first reply message is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the relay link releasing device 110 further includes: a processing module;

the processing module is configured to maintain a U2U relay link with the fifth UE after the sending module 111 sends the first request message to the relay UE;

In a possible implementation manner, the above-mentioned U2U relay link related to the second UE includes any one of the following:

a first PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE;

The first PC5 unicast link has a PC5 context associated with the first UE.

In the relay link releasing device according to the embodiment of the present application, in a scenario where a plurality of UEs (e.g., at least two source UEs or at least two target UEs) share the same relay UE, that is, in a U2U communication scenario where the relay link releasing device in the plurality of UEs needs to release the U2U relay link between the relay link releasing device and a specific UE, since the relay link releasing device can send a release request message including first information indicating the specific UE to the relay UE, it can be ensured that the relay UE can accurately release the U2U link related to the specific UE.

An embodiment of the present application provides a relay link release device, fig. 12 shows a schematic structural diagram of the relay link release device provided by the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 12, a relay link release device 120 provided by the embodiment of the present application may include: a receiving module 121 and a processing module 122.

The receiving module 121 is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first UE, where the first request message is used to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information used to indicate the second UE;

The processing module 122 is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the first request message received by the receiving module 121;

wherein the first request message is sent by the first UE if a first condition is satisfied, the first condition including at least one of:

In a possible implementation manner, the processing module 122 is specifically configured to:

Initiating a release process of the first PC5 unicast link under the condition that the first PC5 unicast link is an unshared unicast link;

sending a second request message to the second UE in case the first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link;

wherein the first PC5 unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE;

Wherein the second request message is configured to request to release the U2U relay link associated with the second UE, and the second request message includes second information for indicating the first UE.

In a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

An IP address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the processing module 122 is further configured to maintain the PC5 unicast link with the sixth UE after initiating the release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link; and/or deleting the PC5 context of the second UE;

Wherein the sixth UE includes: the at least two third UEs; and the UE except the second UE in the at least two fourth UEs.

In a possible implementation manner, the first request message is one of the following:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the first request message further includes first removal operation indication information;

the processing module 122 is specifically configured to perform, according to the first removal operation indication information and the first information, an operation related to release of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the second information includes at least one of the following:

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identification of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the second request message is one of the following:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the second request message further includes second removal operation indication information;

the second removal operation indication information is used for releasing the U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the relay link releasing device 120 further includes: a transmitting module;

The sending module is configured to send a first reply message to the first UE after the processing module 122 performs the operation related to the release of the U2U relay link related to the second UE, where the first reply message is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving module 121 is further configured to receive, before the sending module sends the first reply message to the first UE, a second reply message sent by the second UE, where the second reply is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE;

the sending module is specifically configured to send the first reply message to the first UE according to the second reply message.

In the relay link releasing device provided by the embodiment of the application, when the first request message for requesting the first UE to release the relay link related to the second UE is received, the first UE and/or the second UE can be ensured to be capable of continuing to communicate through other UEs of the relay UE because the relay link related to the specific UE can be released according to the request message, so that the stability performance of the communication system can be improved.

An embodiment of the present application provides a relay link release device, fig. 13 shows a schematic structural diagram of the relay link release device provided by the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 13, a relay link release device 130 provided by the embodiment of the present application may include: a receiving module 131 and a processing module 132.

The receiving module 131 is configured to receive a second request message sent by a relay UE, where the second request message is used to request to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message includes second information for indicating a first UE, and the first UE is connected to the second UE through the relay UE;

The processing module 132 is configured to release the relay link related to the second UE in response to the second request message received by the receiving module 131;

In a possible implementation manner, the processing module 132 is specifically configured to delete the PC5 context related to the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link.

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identification of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

In one possible implementation, the second request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the second request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message or a PC5 unicast link modification request message;

The processing module 132 is further configured to maintain the first PC5 unicast link after the receiving module 131 receives the second request message sent by the relay UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the second request message further includes second removal operation indication information, where the second removal operation indication information is used for releasing the U2U relay link;

The processing module 132 is specifically configured to release the relay link related to the second UE according to the second information and the second removal operation indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the relay link releasing device 130 further includes: and a transmitting module. The sending module is configured to send a second reply message to the relay UE after the processing module 132 releases the relay link related to the second UE, where the second reply message is used to indicate a release result of the relay link related to the second UE.

In the relay link releasing device provided by the embodiment of the present application, when the first UE needs to release the U2U relay link related to the relay link releasing device and the PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the relay link releasing device is a shared unicast link, since the release operation of the U2U relay link related to the relay link releasing device can be performed by the relay link releasing device, it can be ensured that the relay link releasing device can still be capable of communicating with UEs other than the first UE among at least two third UEs through the relay UE after releasing the U2U relay link related to the relay link releasing device.

The relay link releasing device in the embodiment of the application can be an electronic device, for example, an electronic device with an operating system, or can be a component in the electronic device, for example, an integrated circuit or a chip. The electronic device may be a terminal, or may be other devices than a terminal. By way of example, the terminals may include, but are not limited to, the types of terminals 11 listed above, other devices may be servers, network attached storage (Network Attached Storage, NAS), etc., and embodiments of the present application are not limited in detail.

The relay link releasing device provided by the embodiment of the present application can implement each process implemented by the embodiments of the methods of fig. 4 to 10, and achieve the same technical effects, and in order to avoid repetition, a detailed description is omitted here.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 14, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1400, including a processor 1401 and a memory 1402, where the memory 1402 stores a program or instructions that can be executed on the processor 1401, for example, when the communication device 1400 is a terminal, the program or instructions implement the steps of the above embodiment of the relay link release method when executed by the processor 1401, and achieve the same technical effects. When the communication device 1400 is a communication device corresponding to the method on the first UE side, the program or the instruction, when executed by the processor 1401, implements each step executed by the first UE in the embodiment of the method for releasing a relay link, and can achieve the same technical effect, so that repetition is avoided, and no detailed description is given here. When the communication device 1400 is a communication device corresponding to the relay UE side method, the program or the instruction, when executed by the processor 1401, implements each step executed by the relay UE in the above embodiment of the relay link release method, and can achieve the same technical effect, so that repetition is avoided, and no further description is given here. When the communication device 1400 is a communication device corresponding to the second UE side method, the program or the instruction, when executed by the processor 1401, implements each step executed by the second UE in the above embodiment of the relay link release method, and the same technical effects can be achieved, so that repetition is avoided, and no further description is given here.

The embodiment of the application also provides communication equipment which comprises a processor and a communication interface.

The processor is configured to determine whether a first condition is met, and the communication interface is configured to send a first request message to a relay UE when the first condition is met, where the first request message is configured to request release of a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is configured to indicate the second UE. The terminal embodiment corresponds to the first UE side method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation manner of the relay UE side method embodiment are applicable to the terminal embodiment, and the same technical effects can be achieved.

Or the communication interface is used for receiving a first request message sent by a first UE, wherein the first request message is used for releasing a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message comprises first information for indicating the second UE; the processor is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link associated with the second UE in response to a first request message received by the communication interface. Wherein the first request message is sent by the first UE if a first condition is satisfied, the first condition including at least one of: the first UE is a UE of at least two third UEs connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the second UE is a UE of at least two fourth UEs connected with the first UE through the relay UE. The terminal embodiment corresponds to the relay UE side method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation manner of the relay UE side method embodiment are applicable to the terminal embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect.

Or the communication interface is configured to receive a second request message sent by a relay UE, where the second request message is configured to request to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message includes second information for indicating a first UE, and the first UE is connected to the second UE through the relay UE; the processor is configured to release the relay link associated with the second UE in response to the second request message. The second request message is sent by the relay UE when a first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, where the first unicast link is a PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE. The terminal embodiment corresponds to the second UE side method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation manner of the second UE side method embodiment are applicable to the terminal embodiment, and the same technical effects can be achieved.

Specifically, fig. 15 is a schematic hardware structure of a terminal for implementing an embodiment of the present application.

The terminal 1500 includes, but is not limited to: at least some of the components of the radio frequency unit 1501, the network module 1502, the audio output unit 1503, the input unit 1504, the sensor 1505, the display unit 1506, the user input unit 1507, the interface unit 1508, the memory 1509, and the processor 1510, among others.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terminal 1500 may further include a power source (e.g., a battery) for powering the various components, and the power source may be logically connected to the processor 1510 via a power management system so as to perform functions such as managing charging, discharging, and power consumption via the power management system. The terminal structure shown in fig. 15 does not constitute a limitation of the terminal, and the terminal may include more or less components than shown, or may combine some components, or may be arranged in different components, which will not be described in detail herein.

The radio frequency unit 1501 is configured to send a first request message to a relay UE, where the first request message is used to request to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information used to indicate the second UE;

Wherein the first condition includes at least one of:

In a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

an internet protocol, IP, address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

In one possible implementation, the first request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the first radio frequency unit 1501 is configured to receive, after sending a first request message to a relay UE, a first reply message sent by the relay UE, where the first reply message is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the processor 1510 is configured to maintain a U2U relay link with a fifth UE after the radio frequency unit 1501 sends a first request message to the relay UE;

a first PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE;

The first PC5 unicast link has a PC5 context associated with the first UE.

In the terminal improved in the embodiment of the present application, in a scenario where multiple UEs (such as at least two source UEs or at least two target UEs) share the same relay UE, that is, in a U2U communication scenario where the relay UE is shared, when a terminal in the multiple UEs needs to release a U2U relay link between the terminal and a specific UE, the terminal may send a release request message including first information indicating the specific UE to the relay UE, so that the relay UE may be ensured to accurately release a U2U link related to the specific UE.

Or: the radio frequency unit 1501 is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first UE, where the first request message is used to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information for indicating the second UE;

the processor 1510 is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the first request message received by the radio frequency unit 1501;

In one possible implementation, the processor 1510 is specifically configured to:

In the case that the first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, sending, by the radio frequency unit 1501, a second request message to the second UE;

In a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

An IP address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

In a possible implementation, the processor 1510 is further configured to maintain a PC5 unicast link with a sixth UE after initiating the release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link; and/or deleting the PC5 context of the second UE;

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

The processor 1510 is specifically configured to perform an operation related to release of the U2U relay link related to the second UE according to the first removal operation indication information and the first information.

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identification of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

In a possible implementation manner, the radio frequency unit 1501 is configured to send a first reply message to the first UE after the processor 1510 performs the operation related to the release of the U2U relay link related to the second UE, where the first reply message is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

In a possible implementation manner, the radio frequency unit 1501 is further configured to receive, before sending a first reply message to the first UE, a second reply message sent by the second UE, where the second reply is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE;

The radio frequency unit 1501 is specifically configured to send the first reply message to the first UE according to the second reply message.

In the terminal provided by the embodiment of the application, when the first request message for requesting the first UE to release the relay link related to the second UE is received, the first UE and/or the second UE can be ensured to continuously communicate through other UEs of the relay UE because the relay link related to the specific UE can be released according to the request message, so that the stability performance of the communication system can be improved.

Or: the radio frequency unit 1501 is configured to receive a second request message sent by a relay UE, where the second request message is used to request to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message includes second information for indicating a first UE, and the first UE and the second UE are connected through the relay UE;

The processor 1510 is configured to release the relay link associated with the second UE in response to the second request message received by the radio frequency unit 1501;

In a possible implementation, the processor 1510 is specifically configured to delete a PC5 context associated with the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link.

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identification of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

In one possible implementation, the second request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

the processor 1510 is further configured to maintain the first PC5 unicast link after the radio frequency unit 1501 receives the second request message sent by the relay UE.

the processor 1510 is specifically configured to release the relay link related to the second UE according to the second information and the second removal operation indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the terminal further includes: a radio frequency unit 1501. The radio frequency unit 1501 is configured to send a second reply message to the relay UE after the processor 1510 releases the relay link related to the second UE, where the second reply message is used to indicate a release result of the relay link related to the second UE.

In the terminal provided by the embodiment of the application, when the first UE needs to release the U2U relay link related to the terminal and the PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the terminal is a shared unicast link, the terminal can perform the release operation of the U2U relay link related to the terminal, so that the terminal can be ensured to be able to communicate with UEs other than the first UE in the at least two third UEs through the relay UE after releasing the U2U relay link related to the terminal.

It should be appreciated that in embodiments of the present application, the input unit 1504 may include a graphics processing unit (GraphicsProcessingUnit, GPU) 15041 and a microphone 15042, with the graphics processor 15041 processing image data of still pictures or video obtained by an image capture device (e.g., a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode. The display unit 1506 may include a display panel 15061, and the display panel 15061 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, or the like. The user input unit 1507 includes at least one of a touch panel 15071 and other input devices 15072. The touch panel 15071 is also referred to as a touch screen. The touch panel 15071 may include two parts, a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 15072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, function keys (e.g., volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, a joystick, and so forth, which are not described in detail herein.

In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving downlink data from the network side device, the radio frequency unit 1501 may transmit the downlink data to the processor 1510 for processing; in addition, the radio frequency unit 1501 may send uplink data to the network side device. Typically, the radio frequency unit 1501 includes, but is not limited to, antennas, amplifiers, transceivers, couplers, low noise amplifiers, diplexers, and the like.

The memory 1509 may be used to store software programs or instructions and various data. The memory 1509 may mainly include a first memory area storing programs or instructions and a second memory area storing data, wherein the first memory area may store an operating system, application programs or instructions (such as a sound playing function, an image playing function, etc.) required for at least one function, and the like. Further, the memory 1509 may include volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or the memory 1509 may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory may be a Read-only memory (ROM), a programmable Read-only memory (ProgrammableROM, PROM), an erasable programmable Read-only memory (ErasablePROM, EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable Read-only memory (ElectricallyEPROM, EEPROM), or a flash memory, among others. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RandomAccessMemory, RAM), static random access memory (STATICRAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DYNAMICRAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SynchronousDRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DoubleDataRateSDRAM, DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ENHANCEDSDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SYNCHLINKDRAM, SLDRAM), and direct memory bus random access memory (DirectRambusRAM, DRRAM). Memory 1509 in embodiments of the application include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

The processor 1510 may include one or more processing units; optionally, the processor 1510 integrates an application processor that primarily processes operations involving an operating system, user interface, application programs, and the like, and a modem processor that primarily processes wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It will be appreciated that the modem processor described above may not be integrated into the processor 1510.

The embodiment of the application also provides a readable storage medium, on which a program or an instruction is stored, which when executed by a processor, implements each process of the above embodiment of the relay link release method, and can achieve the same technical effects, so that repetition is avoided, and no further description is given here.

Wherein the processor is a processor in the terminal described in the above embodiment. The readable storage medium may be non-volatile or non-transitory. The readable memory may include a computer readable storage medium such as a computer readable memory ROM, a random access memory RAM, a magnetic or optical disk, etc.

The embodiment of the application further provides a chip, which comprises a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled with the processor, and the processor is used for running a program or instructions to realize each process of the embodiment of the relay link release method, and the same technical effects can be achieved, so that repetition is avoided, and the repeated description is omitted.

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

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program/program product, where the computer program/program product is stored in a storage medium, and the computer program/program product is executed by at least one processor to implement each process of the above embodiment of the relay link release method, and the same technical effects can be achieved, so that repetition is avoided, and details are not repeated here.

The embodiment of the application also provides a communication system, which comprises: communication equipment corresponding to the first UE side method embodiment and communication equipment corresponding to the relay UE side method embodiment. The communication device corresponding to the first UE side method embodiment is configured to perform the steps in the first UE side method embodiment, and the communication device corresponding to the relay UE side method embodiment is configured to perform the steps in the relay UE side method embodiment.

Or the communication system comprises: the communication device corresponding to the first UE-side method embodiment, the communication device corresponding to the relay UE-side method embodiment, and the communication device corresponding to the second UE-side method embodiment. The communication device corresponding to the first UE side method embodiment is configured to perform the steps in the first UE side method embodiment, the communication device corresponding to the relay UE side method embodiment is configured to perform the steps in the relay UE side method embodiment, and the communication device corresponding to the second UE side method embodiment is configured to perform the steps in the second UE side method embodiment.

It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatus in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing the functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing the functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in an opposite order depending on the functions involved, e.g., the described methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

From the above description of the embodiments, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiment method may be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, but of course may also be implemented by means of hardware, but in many cases the former is a preferred embodiment. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied essentially or in a part contributing to the prior art in the form of a computer software product stored in a storage medium (e.g. ROM/RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) comprising instructions for causing a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, an air conditioner, or a network device, etc.) to perform the method according to the embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of the present application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and many forms may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit of the present application and the scope of the claims, which are to be protected by the present application.

Claims

1. A method of relay link release, the method comprising:

In the case that the first condition is met, the first User Equipment (UE) sends a first request message to the relay UE, wherein the first request message is used for requesting to release a U2U relay link related to the second UE, and the first request message comprises first information for indicating the second UE;

Wherein the first condition includes at least one of:

The first UE is a UE of at least two third UEs connected to the second UE through the relay UE;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

an internet protocol, IP, address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request message is one of:

The direct communication interface PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein in the case where the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, first removal operation indication information is further included in the first request message;

5. The method of claim 2, wherein after the first UE sends the first request message to the relay UE, the method further comprises:

The first UE receives a first reply message sent by the relay UE, wherein the first reply message is used for indicating a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein after the first UE sends the first request message to the relay UE, the method further comprises:

the first UE maintains a U2U relay link with a fifth UE;

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the U2U relay link associated with the second UE comprises any one of:

a first PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE;

The first PC5 unicast link has a PC5 context associated with the first UE.

8. A method of relay link release, the method comprising:

The relay UE receives a first request message sent by a first UE, wherein the first request message is used for releasing a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message comprises first information for indicating the second UE;

The relay UE responds to the first request message and executes a release related operation of the U2U relay link related to the second UE;

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the performing the release-related operation of the U2U relay link associated with the second UE comprises one of:

in the case that the first PC5 unicast link is a non-shared unicast link, the relay UE initiates a release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link;

In the case that the first PC5 unicast link is a shared unicast link, the relay UE sends a second request message to the second UE;

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

An IP address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein after the relay UE initiates the release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link, the method further comprises at least one of:

The relay UE maintains a PC5 unicast link with a sixth UE;

the relay UE deletes the PC5 context of the second UE;

Wherein the sixth UE includes:

The at least two third UEs;

and the UE except the second UE in the at least two fourth UEs.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the first request message further includes first removal operation indication information;

the performing the operation related to the release of the U2U relay link related to the second UE includes:

And the relay UE executes the operation related to the release of the U2U relay link related to the second UE according to the first removal operation indication information and the first information.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the second information comprises at least one of:

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identification of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the second request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and wherein the second request message further includes second removal operation indication information;

17. The method of claim 8, wherein after performing the release related operation on the U2U relay link associated with the second UE, the method further comprises:

The relay UE sends a first reply message to the first UE, where the first reply message is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein before the relay UE sends the first reply message to the first UE, the method further comprises:

The relay UE receives a second reply message sent by the second UE, wherein the second reply is used for indicating a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE;

the relay UE sending a first reply message to the first UE, comprising:

and the relay UE sends the first reply message to the first UE according to the second reply message.

19. A method of relay link release, the method comprising:

A second UE receives a second request message sent by a relay UE, wherein the second request message is used for requesting to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message comprises second information for indicating a first UE, and the first UE and the second UE are connected through the relay UE;

The second UE responds to the second request message and releases the relay link related to the second UE;

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the releasing the relay link associated with the second UE comprises:

the second UE deletes the PC5 context associated with the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the second information comprises at least one of:

An identity of the first UE;

An IP address of the first UE;

layer 2 identification of the first UE;

The MAC address of the first UE.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the second request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second request message is a PC5 unicast link release request message or a PC5 unicast link modification request message;

after the second UE receives the second request message sent by the relay UE, the method further includes:

The second UE maintains a first PC5 unicast link with the relay UE.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the second request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, and the second request message further includes second removal operation indication information for release of the U2U relay link;

The releasing the relay link associated with the second UE includes:

and the second UE releases the relay link related to the second UE according to the second information and the second removal operation indication information.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein after the releasing the relay link associated with the second UE, the method further comprises:

And the second UE sends a second reply message to the relay UE, wherein the second reply message is used for indicating a release result of the relay link related to the second UE.

26. A relay link release apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a transmitting module;

the sending module is configured to send a first request message to a relay UE, where the first request message is used to request to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is used to indicate the second UE;

Wherein the first condition includes at least one of:

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

An identity of the second UE;

an internet protocol, IP, address of the second UE;

Layer 2 identification of the second UE;

and the MAC address of the multiple access channel of the second UE.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first request message is one of:

The PC5 unicasts a link release request message;

the PC5 unicasts a link modification request message;

Dedicated request messages for releasing a specific U2U relay link.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein in the case where the first request message is a PC5 unicast link modification request message, first removal operation indication information is further included in the first request message;

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a first receiving module;

The first receiving module is configured to receive a first reply message sent by the relay UE after the sending module sends a first request message to the relay UE, where the first reply message is used to indicate a release result of the U2U relay link related to the second UE.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a processing module;

The processing module is used for maintaining a U2U relay link with the fifth UE after the sending module sends the first request message to the relay UE;

32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the U2U relay link associated with the second UE comprises any one of:

a first PC5 unicast link between the relay UE and the second UE;

The first PC5 unicast link has a PC5 context associated with the first UE.

33. A relay link release apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a receiving module and a processing module;

The receiving module is configured to receive a first request message sent by a first UE, where the first request message is used to release a U2U relay link related to a second UE, and the first request message includes first information that is used to indicate the second UE;

the processing module is configured to perform a release-related operation on the U2U relay link related to the second UE in response to the first request message received by the receiving module;

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the processing module is further configured to maintain a PC5 unicast link with a sixth UE after initiating a release procedure of the first PC5 unicast link; and/or deleting the PC5 context of the second UE;

36. A relay link release apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a receiving module and a processing module;

The receiving module is configured to receive a second request message sent by a relay UE, where the second request message is used to request to release a relay link related to the second UE, the second request message includes second information used to indicate a first UE, and the first UE is connected with the second UE through the relay UE;

The processing module is configured to release the relay link related to the second UE in response to the second request message received by the receiving module;

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the processing module is configured to delete a PC5 context associated with the first UE in the first PC5 unicast link.

38. A communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, which when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the relay link release method of any of claims 1 to 7.

39. A communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, which when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the relay link release method of any of claims 8 to 18.

40. A communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, which when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the relay link release method of any of claims 19 to 25.

41. A readable storage medium, characterized in that the readable storage medium has stored thereon a program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the relay link release method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the relay link release method according to any one of claims 8 to 18, or the steps of the relay link release method according to any one of claims 9 to 25.