WO2024065844A1

WO2024065844A1 - Interaction method for path switching capabilities and apparatus therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2024065844A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/123646
Authority: WO
Inventors: 刘建宁
Original assignee: 北京小米移动软件有限公司
Priority date: 2022-09-30
Filing date: 2022-09-30
Publication date: 2024-04-04

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are an interaction method for path switching capabilities and an apparatus therefor, which can be applied to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: sending a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, wherein the discovery request message is used for indicating a path switching capability of a first terminal device; and receiving a response message sent by the discovered second terminal device, wherein the response message is used for indicating a path switching capability of the second terminal device. In the present application, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can interact with respective path switching capabilities, thereby achieving the aim of implementing path switching capability interaction between terminal devices. Since a terminal device can learn of path switching capabilities of the terminal device itself and a peer device, the terminal device can make a determination when path switching is required, and the success rate of path switching can be improved.

Description

A path switching capability interaction method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a path switching capability interaction method and device thereof.

Background technique

In the related art, the path switching capability of a terminal device (also called user equipment, User Equipment, UE) can be pre-configured or obtained from a policy control function (Policy Control function, PFC), but the path switching capability cannot be exchanged between terminal devices.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the present application provides a path switching capability interaction method and device thereof, which can be used.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a path switching capability interaction method, the method comprising:

Sending a discovery request message of a proximity service ProSe to discover the second terminal device, where the discovery request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the first terminal device;

A response message sent by the discovered second terminal device is received, where the response message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In this technical solution, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can exchange their respective path switching capabilities, thereby achieving the purpose of realizing the interactive path switching capabilities between terminal devices. Since the terminal device can know the path switching capabilities of itself and the other terminal device, it can make a judgment when path switching is required, which can improve the success rate of path switching.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another method for interacting with path switching capabilities, the method comprising:

Receiving a ProSe sending request message sent by a first terminal device, where the request message is used to indicate a first path switching capability of the first terminal device;

A response message is sent to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate the second path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which has some or all of the functions of the first terminal device in the method described in the first aspect above, such as the functions of the communication device may have some or all of the functions in the embodiments of the present application, or may have the functions of implementing any one of the embodiments of the present application separately. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

In one implementation, the structure of the communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module, and the processing module is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions in the above method. The transceiver module is used to support communication between the communication device and other devices. The communication device may also include a storage module, which is coupled to the transceiver module and the processing module, and stores computer programs and data necessary for the communication device.

As an example, the processing module may be a processor, the transceiver module may be a transceiver or a communication interface, and the storage module may be a memory.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication device, which has some or all of the functions of the second terminal device in the method example described in the second aspect above, such as the functions of the communication device may have some or all of the functions in the embodiments of the present application, or may have the functions of implementing any one of the embodiments of the present application separately. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method described in the first aspect is executed.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method described in the second aspect is executed.

In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, in which a computer program is stored; the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect above.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, in which a computer program is stored; the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method described in the second aspect above.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to run the code instructions to enable the device to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to run the code instructions to enable the device to execute the method described in the second aspect above.

In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device described in the third aspect and the communication device described in the fourth aspect, or the system includes the communication device described in the fifth aspect and the communication device described in the sixth aspect, or the system includes the communication device described in the seventh aspect and the communication device described in the eighth aspect, or the system includes the communication device described in the ninth aspect and the communication device described in the tenth aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions for the above-mentioned terminal device, and when the instructions are executed, the terminal device executes the method described in the first aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a readable storage medium for storing instructions for the second terminal device. When the instructions are executed, the second terminal device executes the method described in the second aspect.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect above.

In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor and an interface, and is used to support a first terminal device to implement the functions involved in the first aspect, for example, determining or processing at least one of the data and information involved in the above method. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, and the memory is used to store computer programs and data necessary for the first terminal device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

In the seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor and an interface, and is used to support a second terminal device to implement the functions involved in the second aspect, for example, determining or processing at least one of the data and information involved in the above method. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, and the memory is used to store computer programs and data necessary for the second terminal device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

In an eighteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

In a nineteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology will be described below.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a flow chart of an interactive method for path switching capability provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a flow chart of another method for interacting with path switching capabilities provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a flow chart of another method for interacting with path switching capabilities provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a flow chart of another method for interacting with path switching capabilities provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a flow chart of another method for interacting with path switching capabilities provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a flow chart of another method for interacting with path switching capabilities provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a flow chart of another method for interacting with path switching capabilities provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

The terms used in the disclosed embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments. The singular forms of "a" and "the" used in the disclosed embodiments and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various information in the embodiments of the present disclosure, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining" for the purpose of brevity and ease of understanding, the terms used herein when characterizing the size relationship are "greater than" or "less than", "higher than" or "lower than". However, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the term "greater than" also covers the meaning of "greater than or equal to", and "less than" also covers the meaning of "less than or equal to"; the term "higher than" covers the meaning of "higher than or equal to", and "lower than" also covers the meaning of "lower than or equal to".

To facilitate understanding, the terms involved in this application are first introduced.

PC5 direct communication: In order to support direct communication between terminal devices, the Sidelink communication mode is introduced. The interface between the two terminal devices is the PC5 interface, and the communication between the two terminal devices through the PC5 interface is PC5 direct communication.

Proximity-based services (ProSe) support direct discovery and communication between terminal devices that are adjacent to each other.

Uu direct communication: A terminal device communicates with another terminal device through a network device. The interface between the two terminal devices is the Uu interface. The communication between the two terminal devices through the Uu interface is Uu direct communication.

Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is the information exchanged between peer layers by protocols in the protocol layer.

In order to support direct communication between terminal devices (also called user equipment, User Equipment, UE) and UE, the Sidelink communication mode is introduced. The interface between UE and UE is PC-5. A UE can communicate with a network device (such as a base station) through the relay of another UE instead of directly connecting to the network device.

In order to better understand the interaction method of a path switching capability disclosed in an embodiment of the present application, the communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable is first described below.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system may include, but is not limited to, a network device and two terminal devices. The number and form of devices shown in Figure 1 are only used for example and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiment of the present disclosure. In actual applications, two or more network devices may be included. The communication system shown in Figure 1 takes a network device 101 and two terminal devices UE (such as a first terminal device 102 and a second terminal device 103) as an example.

It is worth noting that in the wireless communication system shown in Figure 1, the first terminal device 102 and the second terminal device 103 communicate via a Sidelink direct link. In some implementations, the first terminal device 102 can be directly connected to the network device 101 and communicate with the second terminal device 103 via the network device 101.

It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems. For example: the third generation (3G) universal mobile communication system (UMTS) long term evolution (LTE) system, the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, the 5G new radio (NR) system, the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system or other future new mobile communication systems. It should also be noted that the side link in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a side link or a through link.

The network device 101 in the embodiment of the present application may include an entity on the network side for transmitting or receiving signals. For example, the network device 101 may be an evolved NodeB (eNB), a transmission point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in an NR system, a base station in other future mobile communication systems, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. The network device provided in the embodiment of the present application may be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU may also be referred to as a control unit (Control Unit). The CU-DU structure may be used to split the protocol layer of the network device, such as a base station, and the functions of some protocol layers are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU, and the DU is centrally controlled by the CU.

The terminal device 102 in the embodiment of the present application is an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a mobile phone. The terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal device (Terminal), a user equipment (User Equipment, UE), a mobile station (Mobile Station, MS), a mobile terminal device (Mobile Terminal, MT), etc. The terminal device may be a car with communication function, a smart car, a mobile phone (Mobile Phone), a wearable device, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (Virtual Reality, VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (Augmented Reality, AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control (Industrial Control), a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid (Smart Grid), a wireless terminal device in transportation safety (Transportation Safety), a wireless terminal device in smart city (Smart City), a wireless terminal device in smart home (Smart Home), etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

It should be noted that the method for controlling the transmission of information of a relay device provided in any embodiment of the present application can be executed alone, or can be executed in combination with possible implementation methods in other embodiments, or can be executed in combination with any technical solution in the related technology.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can send its own path switching capability to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device can send its own path switching capability to the first terminal device, so as to achieve the purpose of the path switching capability exchange between the terminal devices. In the following embodiments, in the stage where the first terminal device discovers the second terminal device, the two terminal devices exchange their respective path switching capabilities.

The path switching capability interaction method and device provided by the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Please refer to Figure 2, which is a flow chart of a path switching capability interaction method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the path switching capability interaction method is a first terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S201, sending a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, wherein the request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the first terminal device.

It should be noted that the ProSe discovery request message is sent by the first terminal device to discover the second terminal devices around the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the first terminal device may periodically send a ProSe discovery request message, where the request message is used to discover the second terminal device.

In some other implementations, the first terminal device may send a discovery request message of ProSe non-periodically. Optionally, the first terminal device may send a discovery request message of ProSe under certain set conditions. For example, the first terminal device and the second terminal device are in the same area, and the first terminal device may send a discovery request message of ProSe to the second terminal device based on some operations. For another example, if the first terminal device is in a local area network, when the second terminal device accesses the local area network, it may notify the first terminal device. In this case, the first terminal device may also send a discovery request message of ProSe.

It should be noted that the ProSe discovery request message is sent by the first terminal device, and the second terminal devices around the first terminal device are discovered through the ProSe discovery request message.

In an embodiment of the present application, the discovery request message of ProSe can not only be used to discover surrounding second terminal devices, but also be used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device to the surrounding second terminal devices.

S202: Receive a response message sent by a discovered second terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the second terminal device.

When there is a second terminal device around the first terminal device, the second terminal device can receive a ProSe discovery request message sent by the first terminal device.

When the second terminal device receives the ProSe discovery request message, the second terminal device may send a response message to the first terminal device, and accordingly, the first terminal device may receive the response message sent by the second terminal device. The response message may be used to notify the first terminal device that the second terminal device exists around it.

In the embodiment of the present application, the response message of the second terminal device can not only be used to notify the first terminal device of the existence of the second terminal device, but also be used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device to the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the path switching capability of the first terminal device can be indicated to the second terminal device by including an indication of the path switching capability of the first terminal device in a discovery request message.

In some implementations, if it is found that the request message does not include the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, the path switching capability of the first terminal device can be indicated to the second terminal device as follows: the first terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the path switching capability of the second terminal device may be indicated to the first terminal device by including the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device in the response message.

In some implementations, if the response message does not include the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, the path switching capability of the second terminal device may be indicated to the first terminal device as follows: the second terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

That is, the first terminal device can determine whether the response message includes the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device. If the response message includes the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, the first terminal device can determine the path switching capability of the second terminal device according to the path switching capability indication. If the response message does not include the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, the first terminal device can determine that the second terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

It should be noted that the path switching capability of the first terminal device is used to indicate whether the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication, and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication. The path switching capability of the second terminal device is used to indicate whether the second terminal device allows PC5 direct communication, and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication. It can be understood that if the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication, the path switching capability of the first terminal device can support switching to the PC5 direct communication path. If the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication, the path switching capability of the first terminal device can support switching to the Uu direct communication path. If the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and allows Uu direct communication, the path switching capability of the first terminal device can support switching between the PC5 direct communication path and the Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the discovery request message and the response message may directly indicate to the peer device whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path, and/or whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path, through a path switching indication.

It should be noted that before the first terminal device and the second terminal device execute steps S201 and S202, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device need to perform network registration to perform network authentication and authorization on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

In an embodiment of the present application, a ProSe discovery request message is sent to discover a second terminal device, wherein the request message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device, and a response message sent by the second terminal device is received, wherein the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device. In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can exchange their respective path switching capabilities, thereby achieving the purpose of realizing the interactive path switching capabilities between terminal devices. Since the terminal device can know the path switching capabilities of itself and the opposite device, it can make a judgment when path switching is required, which can improve the success rate of path switching.

Please refer to Figure 3, which is a flow chart of a path switching capability interaction method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the path switching capability interaction method is a first terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S301 , sending a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, wherein the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device.

In an embodiment of the present application, a ProSe discovery request message is sent by a first terminal device, and second terminal devices around the first terminal device are discovered through the ProSe discovery request message.

That is to say, the ProSe discovery request message can not only be used to discover surrounding second terminal devices, but also be used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device to the surrounding second terminal devices.

In some implementations, the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device can be carried in the ProSe discovery request message, and the path switching capability indication is used to indicate to the second terminal device whether the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication.

It can be understood that, in the example of the present application, a path switching capability indication is added to the original ProSe discovery request message, for example, the path switching capability indication can be added to the idle information field of the ProSe discovery request message. For another example, the specified information field of the ProSe discovery request message can be reused, and the path switching capability indication can be added to the specified information field.

Optionally, the ProSe discovery request message may further include at least one of the following information: the type of discovery message, the ProSe query code, and security information of the first terminal device.

S302: Receive a response message sent by a discovered second terminal device, wherein the response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device.

The path switching capability indication of the second terminal device is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device.

When there is a second terminal device around the first terminal device, the second terminal device can receive the ProSe discovery request message sent by the first terminal device. After the second terminal device receives the ProSe discovery request message, the second terminal device can send a response message to the first terminal device, and accordingly, the first terminal device can receive the response message sent by the second terminal device.

In some implementations, the response message may carry a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, through which the first terminal device is informed whether the second terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or allows Uu direct communication.

Optionally, the response message sent by the second terminal device may also include at least one of the following information: the type of discovery message, the response code of ProSe, and security information of the second terminal device.

Optionally, after receiving the response message, the first terminal device can determine that the second terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or allows Uu direct communication. That is, based on the response message, it can be determined that the second terminal device can allow PC5 direct communication but not Uu direct communication, or does not allow PC5 direct communication but allows Uu direct communication, or allows PC5 direct communication and allows Uu direct communication; or does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

As a possible implementation, the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device and the second terminal device may include first indication information and/or second indication information. The first indication information may be used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows PC5 direct communication; the second indication information may be used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows Uu direct communication.

Optionally, the path switching capability indication includes first indication information, and it is determined according to the first indication information whether the terminal device allows PC5 direct communication or does not allow PC5 direct communication. For example, when the value of the first indication information is "1", it can be determined that PC5 direct communication is allowed, and when the value of the first indication information is "0", it can be determined that PC5 direct communication is not allowed. In this implementation, since the path switching capability indication only includes the first indication information, it can be assumed that the corresponding terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication.

Optionally, the path switching capability indication includes second indication information, and it is determined according to the second indication information whether the terminal device allows Uu direct communication or does not allow Uu direct communication. For example, when the value of the second indication information is "1", it can be determined that Uu direct communication is allowed, and when the value of the second indication information is "0", it can be determined that Uu direct communication is not allowed. In this implementation, since the path switching capability indication only includes the second indication information, it can be assumed that the corresponding terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication.

Optionally, the path switching capability indication includes first indication information and second indication information, and whether the terminal device allows PC5 direct communication is determined according to the first indication information, and whether the terminal device allows Uu direct communication is determined according to the second indication information. For example, if the path switching capability indication is "11", it can be determined that the terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and allows Uu direct communication; if the path switching capability indication is "10", it can be determined that the terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication; if the path switching capability indication is "01", it can be determined that the terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and allows Uu direct communication; if the path switching capability indication is "00", it can be determined that the terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

As another possible implementation, the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be an index value, which may indicate whether the combination of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication is allowed. For example, index value 1 may indicate that the terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and allows Uu direct communication; index value 2 may indicate that the terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication; index value 3 may indicate that the terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and allows Uu direct communication; index value 4 may indicate that the terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication. The first terminal device may determine the path switching capability of the second terminal device based on the index value carried in the response message.

It can be understood that the above schematic description of the path switching capability indication is applicable to the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device and the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device.

It should be noted that before the first terminal device and the second terminal device execute steps S301 and S302, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device need to perform network registration to perform network authentication and authorization on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flow chart of a path switching capability interaction method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the path switching capability interaction method is a first terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S401, sending a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, wherein the discovery request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of a first terminal device.

S402: Receive a response message sent by a discovered second terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the second terminal device.

For a detailed description of steps S401 to S402, reference may be made to the relevant contents in the above embodiments, such as the description of steps S201 to S202 or steps S301 to S302, which will not be repeated here.

S403: Establish a PC5 direct communication path with the second terminal device, and perform ProSe direct communication with the second terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.

After the first terminal device receives the response message, it can be known that there is a second terminal device nearby, and can start to establish a PC5 direct communication path with the second terminal device.

After the first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a PC5 direct communication link, Prose direct communication can be performed with the second terminal device.

S404: Determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In some implementations, during ProSe direct communication between a first terminal device and a second terminal device via a PC5 direct communication path, the first terminal device may detect the signal quality of the PC5 direct communication path in real time. When it is detected that the signal quality of the PC5 direct communication path does not meet a signal quality condition, in order to ensure the communication quality between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the first terminal device may attempt to switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path.

In some implementations, the first terminal device may actively interrupt the PC5 direct communication path between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. In this case, the first terminal device also needs to switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path.

In the embodiment of the present application, before switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path, the first terminal device can determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path based on the path switching capabilities of the first terminal device and the second terminal device. It can be understood that when the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication, it can be determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed. And when the first terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication, and/or the second terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication, it can be determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed.

If it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, step S405 is executed; if it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed, path switching is not performed, and a reminder can be issued in the first terminal device.

S405: When it is determined that the switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, execute a PDU session to create a Uu direct communication path with the second terminal device.

S406, sending a switching notification message to the second terminal device, wherein the switching notification message is used to instruct the second terminal device to execute a PDU session to create a Uu direct communication path with the first terminal device.

It can be understood that the Uu direct communication path is for the first terminal device and the second terminal device to communicate through the network device. The first terminal device and the second terminal device need to establish a part of the Uu direct communication path with the network device respectively, and the network device connects the Uu direct communication path corresponding to the first terminal device with the Uu direct communication path corresponding to the second terminal device to form a Uu direct communication path between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can conduct a PDU session with the network device, and establish a Uu direct communication path between the first terminal device and the network device during the PDU session. This part of the Uu direct communication path is a communication path established between the first terminal device through the radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN) and the user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF) of the core network, which can be marked as UE1-RAN-UPF.

In the embodiment of the present application, when it is determined that the switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, the first terminal device also needs to send a switch notification message to the second terminal device, and the switch notification message instructs the second terminal device to establish a Uu direct communication path with the network device. Accordingly, the second terminal device can conduct a PDU session with the network device according to the switch notification message, and establish a Uu direct communication path between the second terminal device and the network device during the PDU session. This part of the Uu direct communication path is a communication path established between the second terminal device and the UPF (UPF2) of the core network through the RAN, which can be marked as UE2-RAN-UPF (UPF2).

S407: After the Uu direct communication path is created, communicate with the second terminal device through the Uu direct communication path.

After the first terminal device and the second terminal device complete the establishment of the Uu direct communication path, UE1-RAN-UPF and UE2-RAN-UPF can be connected to form a Uu direct communication path between the first terminal device and the second terminal device: UE1-RAN-UPF (URF2) -RAN-UE2.

After the Uu direct communication path is created, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path, and the first terminal device and the second terminal device continue to communicate through the Uu direct communication path.

It can be understood that after the first terminal device and the second terminal device switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path, the PC5 direct communication path can be released to save resources.

It should be noted that before the first terminal device and the second terminal device execute steps S401 and S402, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device need to perform network registration to perform network authentication and authorization on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flow chart of a path switching capability interaction method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the path switching capability interaction method is a second terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S501, receiving a ProSe discovery request message sent by a first terminal device, wherein the request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the first terminal device.

Regarding the timing when the first terminal device sends the ProSe discovery request message, please refer to the relevant content in the above embodiment such as the record in step S201, which will not be repeated here.

S502: Send a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device.

When the second terminal device is around the first terminal device, the second terminal device may receive a ProSe discovery request message sent by the first terminal device. After receiving the ProSe discovery request message, the second terminal device may send a response message to the first terminal device. The response message may be used to notify the first terminal device that there is a second terminal device around the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the path switching capability of the first terminal device may be indicated to the second terminal device by including an indication of the path switching capability of the first terminal device in a discovery request message.

In some implementations, the path switching capability of the second terminal device can be indicated to the first terminal device by including an indication of the path switching capability of the second terminal device in a response message.

For explanations of the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device, reference may be made to the relevant contents in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that before the first terminal device and the second terminal device execute steps S501 and S502, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device need to perform network registration to perform network authentication and authorization on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

It is understandable that the second terminal device can also discover other terminal devices around the second terminal device based on the discovery mechanism. The second terminal discovers other terminal devices based on the discovery mechanism, and the process can refer to the processing flow of the first terminal device in the above embodiment.

In an embodiment of the present application, a ProSe discovery request message sent by a first terminal device is received, the request message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device, and a response message is sent to the first terminal device, wherein the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device. In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can exchange their respective path switching capabilities, thereby achieving the purpose of realizing the interactive path switching capabilities between terminal devices. Since the terminal device can know the path switching capabilities of itself and the opposite device, it can make a judgment when path switching is required, which can improve the success rate of path switching.

Please refer to Figure 6, which is a flow chart of a path switching capability interaction method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the path switching capability interaction method is a first terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S601, receiving a ProSe discovery request message sent by a first terminal device, wherein the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device may be carried in the ProSe discovery request message, and the path switching capability indication may be used to indicate to the second terminal device whether the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or allows Uu direct communication.

Optionally, the ProSe discovery request message may also include at least one of the following information: the type of discovery message, the ProSe query code, and security information of the first terminal device.

Optionally, after receiving the discovery request message of ProSe, the second terminal device can determine based on the discovery request message whether the first and second terminal devices allow PC5 direct communication and/or allow Uu direct communication. That is, based on the response message, it can be determined that the first terminal device can allow PC5 direct communication but not Uu direct communication, or does not allow PC5 direct communication but allows Uu direct communication, or allows PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication; or does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

S602: Send a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device.

As a possible implementation, the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device and the second terminal device may include first indication information and/or second indication information. The first indication information may be used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows PC5 direct communication; the second indication information may be used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows Uu direct communication. For the specific process, please refer to the relevant contents of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

As another possible implementation, the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device and the second terminal device may be an index value, which may indicate whether the combination of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication is allowed. The specific process can be referred to the relevant contents of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that before the first terminal device and the second terminal device execute steps S601 and S602, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device need to perform network registration to perform network authentication and authorization on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

Please refer to Figure 7, which is a flow chart of a path switching capability interaction method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the path switching capability interaction method is a first terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S701, receiving a ProSe discovery request message sent by a first terminal device, wherein the discovery request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the first terminal device.

S702: Send a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device.

For a detailed description of steps S701 to S702, reference may be made to the relevant contents in the above embodiments, such as steps S501 to S502 or steps S601 to S602, which will not be repeated here.

S703: Establish a PC5 direct communication path with the first terminal device, and perform ProSe direct communication with the first terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.

S704: Determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In some implementations, during ProSe direct communication between a first terminal device and a second terminal device via a PC5 direct communication path, the second terminal device may detect the signal quality of the PC5 direct communication path in real time. When it is detected that the signal quality of the PC5 direct communication path does not meet a signal quality condition, in order to ensure the communication quality between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the second terminal device may attempt to switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path.

In some implementations, the second terminal device may actively interrupt the PC5 direct communication path between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. In this case, the second terminal device also needs to switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path.

In the embodiment of the present application, before switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path, the second terminal device can determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capabilities of the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The specific process can be found in the relevant contents of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

If it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, step S705 is executed; if it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed, path switching is not performed, and a reminder can be issued on the second terminal device.

S705: When it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, execute a PDU session to create a Uu direct communication path with the first terminal device.

S706, sending a switching notification message to the first terminal device, wherein the switching notification message is used to instruct the first terminal device to execute a PDU session to create a Uu direct communication path with the second terminal device.

In an embodiment of the present application, the second terminal device can conduct a PDU session with the network device, and establish a Uu direct communication path between the second terminal device and the network device during the PDU session. This part of the Uu direct communication path is a communication path established between the second terminal device through the radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN) and the user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF) of the core network, which can be marked as UE2-RAN-UPF (UPF2).

In the embodiment of the present application, when it is determined that the switch from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, the second terminal device also needs to send a switch notification message to the first terminal device, and the switch notification message instructs the first terminal device to establish a Uu direct communication path with the network device. Accordingly, the first terminal device can conduct a PDU session with the network device according to the switch notification message, and establish a Uu direct communication path between the first terminal device and the network device during the PDU session. This part of the Uu direct communication path is a communication path established between the first terminal device and the UPF (UPF2) of the core network through the RAN, which can be marked as UE1-RAN-UPF.

S707: After the Uu direct communication path is created, communicate with the first terminal device through the Uu direct communication path.

It should be noted that before the first terminal device and the second terminal device execute steps S701 and S702, both the first terminal device and the second terminal device need to perform network registration to perform network authentication and authorization on the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

Please refer to Figure 8, which is a flow chart of a method for interactively providing a path switching capability according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

S800: The first terminal device and the second terminal device perform Prose registration on the network device.

The first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively perform ProSe registration on the network device to obtain ProSe authentication and authorization of the first terminal device and the second terminal device by the network device.

S801, a first terminal device sends a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, wherein the discovery request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the first terminal device.

S802. The second terminal device sends a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the second terminal device.

S803: The first terminal device establishes a PC5 direct communication path with the second terminal device, and performs ProSe direct communication through the PC5 direct communication path.

S804: The first terminal device determines whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capabilities of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

S805: The second terminal device determines whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capabilities of the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

It should be noted that step S804 and step S805 may be executed simultaneously, or only step S804 may be executed, or only step S805 may be executed.

S806, execute the PDU session to create a Uu direct communication path between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

S807, the first terminal device communicates with the second terminal device via a Uu direct communication path.

In the above embodiments provided by the present application, the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are introduced from the perspectives of the first terminal device and the second terminal device, respectively. In order to implement the functions in the methods provided by the above embodiments of the present application, the second terminal device and the second terminal device may include a hardware structure and a software module, and implement the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. A certain function of the above functions may be executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module.

Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 may include a transceiver module 901 and a processing module 902. The transceiver module 901 may include a sending module and/or a receiving module, the sending module is used to implement a sending function, the receiving module is used to implement a receiving function, and the transceiver module 901 may implement a sending function and/or a receiving function.

The communication device 900 may be a terminal device, or a device in a terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal device.

The communication device 900 is a first terminal device:

The transceiver module 901 is used to send a discovery request message of the proximity service ProSe to discover the second terminal device, and the discovery request message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device; and receive a response message sent by the second terminal device, and the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In some implementations, the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, which is used to indicate whether the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication;

The response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate whether the second terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, when the discovery request message includes the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, it is used to indicate to the second terminal device that PC5 direct communication is allowed and/or that Uu direct communication is allowed;

When the discovery request message does not include the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, it is used to indicate to the second terminal device that PC5 direct communication is not allowed and Uu direct communication is not allowed.

In some implementations, the processing module 902 is used to determine that the second terminal device allows at least one of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication when the response message includes the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device; or, when the response message does not include the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, determine that the second terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the path switching capability indication includes: first indication information and/or second indication information;

The first indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows PC5 direct communication; the second indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the path switching capability indication is an index value of the path switching capability.

In some implementations, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to establish a PC5 direct communication path with the second terminal device; and perform the ProSe direct communication with the second terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processing module 902 is configured to determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device; if it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, execute a PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path with the second terminal device;

In some implementations, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to communicate with the second terminal device through the Uu direct communication path after the Uu direct communication path is created.

In some implementations, the transceiver module 901 is also used to send a switching notification message to the second terminal device when it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, and the switching notification message is used to instruct the second terminal device to execute the PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path when the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication;

When the first terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication and/or the second terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication, it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed.

The communication device 900 is a second network device:

The transceiver module 901 is used to receive a ProSe sending request message sent by a first terminal device, where the request message is used to indicate a first path switching capability of the first terminal device; and send a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate a second path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In some implementations, the processing module 902 is used to determine, when the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, that the first terminal device allows at least one of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication based on the path switching capability indication; or, when the discovery request message does not include the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, determine that the first terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate to the first terminal device that PC5 direct communication is allowed and/or that Uu direct communication is allowed; or, the response message does not include a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate to the first terminal device that PC5 direct communication is not allowed and Uu direct communication is not allowed.

In some implementations, the path switching capability indication includes: first indication information and/or second indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows PC5 direct communication; the second indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the transceiver module 901 is further used to establish a PC5 direct communication path with the first terminal device; and perform the ProSe direct communication with the first terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device; if it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, execute a PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path with the first terminal device;

In some implementations, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to communicate with the first terminal device through the Uu direct communication path after the Uu direct communication path is created.

In some implementations, the transceiver module 901 is also used to send a switching notification message to the first terminal device when it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, and the switching notification message is used to instruct the first terminal device to execute the PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processing module 902 is further used to determine that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed when the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication; and to determine that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed when the first terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication and/or the second terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication.

Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 can be a first terminal device, or a second terminal device, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the first device or the second terminal device to implement the above method. The device can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and the details can be referred to the description in the above method embodiment.

The communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a computer program, and process the data of the computer program.

Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more memories 1002, on which a computer program 1004 may be stored, and the processor 1001 executes the computer program 1004 so that the communication device 1000 performs the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 1002. The communication device 1000 and the memory 1002 may be provided separately or integrated together.

Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1005 and an antenna 1006. The transceiver 1005 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., for implementing a transceiver function. The transceiver 1005 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., for implementing a receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., for implementing a transmitting function.

Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more interface circuits 1007. The interface circuit 1007 is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 executes the code instructions to enable the communication device 1000 to execute the method described in the above method embodiment.

The communication device 1000 is a first terminal device and can perform the functions of a first terminal device.

The communication device 1000 is a second terminal device and can perform the functions of a second terminal device.

In one implementation, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and sending functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and sending functions may be separate or integrated. The above-mentioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code/data, or the above-mentioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

In one implementation, the processor 1001 may store a computer program 1003, which runs on the processor 1001 and enables the communication device 1000 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. The computer program 1003 may be fixed in the processor 1001, in which case the processor 1001 may be implemented by hardware.

In one implementation, the communication device 1000 may include a circuit that can implement the functions of sending or receiving or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in the present application can be implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC, a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal device (such as the first terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment), but the scope of the communication device described in the present application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited by FIG. 10. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

(1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

(2) having a set of one or more ICs, and optionally, the IC set may also include a storage component for storing data and computer programs;

(3) ASIC, such as modem;

(4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

(5) Receivers, terminal devices, intelligent terminal devices, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

(6)Others

For the case where the communication device can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 11. The chip 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes a processor 1101 and an interface 1102. The number of processors 1101 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1102 can be multiple.

For the case where the chip is used to implement the function of the first terminal device in the embodiment of the present application:

Interface 1102, used to send a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, the discovery request message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device; receive a response message sent by the second terminal device, the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device

In some implementations, processor 1101 is used to determine that the second terminal device allows at least one of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication when the response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device; or, when the response message does not include a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, determine that the second terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the interface 1102 is further used to establish a PC5 direct communication path with the second terminal device; and perform the ProSe direct communication with the second terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processor 1101 is configured to determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device; if it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, execute a PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path with the second terminal device;

In some implementations, the interface 1102 is further used to communicate with the second terminal device through the Uu direct communication path after the Uu direct communication path is created.

In some implementations, interface 1102 is further used to send a switching notification message to the second terminal device when it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, and the switching notification message is used to instruct the second terminal device to execute the PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processor 1101 is further configured to determine to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path when the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication;

For the case where the chip is used to implement the function of the second terminal device in the embodiment of the present application:

Interface 1102 is used to receive a ProSe sending request message sent by a first terminal device, where the request message is used to indicate a first path switching capability of the first terminal device; and send a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate a second path switching capability of the second terminal device.

In some implementations, processor 1101 is used to determine, when the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, that the first terminal device allows at least one of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication based on the path switching capability indication; or, when the discovery request message does not include the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, determine that the first terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.

In some implementations, the interface 1102 is further used to establish a PC5 direct communication path with the first terminal device; and perform the ProSe direct communication with the first terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processor 1101 is further configured to determine whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device; if it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, execute a PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path with the first terminal device;

In some implementations, the interface 1102 is further configured to communicate with the first terminal device through the Uu direct communication path after the Uu direct communication path is created.

In some implementations, interface 1102 is further used to send a switching notification message to the first terminal device when it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, and the switching notification message is used to instruct the first terminal device to execute the PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path.

In some implementations, the processor 1101 is further used to determine that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed when the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication; and to determine that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed when the first terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication and/or the second terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication.

Optionally, the chip 1100 further includes a memory 1103, and the memory 1103 is used to store necessary computer programs and data.

Those skilled in the art may also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. Whether such functions are implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design requirements of the entire system. Those skilled in the art may use various methods to implement the functions described for each specific application, but such implementation should not be understood as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the communication device as the first terminal device and the communication device as the second terminal device in the embodiment of Figure 8 above, or the system includes the communication device as the first terminal device and the communication device as the second terminal device in the embodiment of Figure 9 above.

The present application also provides a readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

A person skilled in the art may understand that the various numerical numbers such as first and second involved in the present application are only used for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, but also indicate the order of precedence.

At least one in the present application can also be described as one or more, and a plurality can be two, three, four or more, which is not limited in the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, for a technical feature, the technical features in the technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D", etc., and there is no order of precedence or size between the technical features described by the "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D".

The corresponding relationships shown in each table in the present application can be configured or predefined. The values of the information in each table are only examples and can be configured as other values, which are not limited by the present application. When configuring the corresponding relationship between the information and each parameter, it is not necessarily required to configure all the corresponding relationships illustrated in each table. For example, in the table in the present application, the corresponding relationships shown in some rows may not be configured. For another example, appropriate deformation adjustments can be made based on the above table, such as splitting, merging, etc. The names of the parameters shown in the titles in the above tables can also use other names that can be understood by the communication device, and the values or representations of the parameters can also be other values or representations that can be understood by the communication device. When implementing the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables or hash tables.

The predefined in the present application may be understood as defined, predefined, stored, pre-stored, pre-negotiated, pre-configured, solidified, or pre-burned.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A path switching capability interaction method, characterized in that it is executed by a first terminal device, and the method includes:

Sending a discovery request message of a proximity service ProSe to discover the second terminal device, where the discovery request message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the first terminal device;

A response message sent by the discovered second terminal device is received, where the response message is used to indicate a path switching capability of the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, which is used to indicate whether the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication;

The response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate whether the second terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication.
The method according to claim 2, characterized in that when the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, it is used to indicate to the second terminal device that PC5 direct communication is allowed and/or that Uu direct communication is allowed;

When the discovery request message does not include the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, it is used to indicate to the second terminal device that PC5 direct communication is not allowed and Uu direct communication is not allowed.
The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the method further comprises:

If the response message includes the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, determining that the second terminal device allows at least one of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication;

If the response message does not include the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, it is determined that the second terminal device does not allow PC5 direct connection communication and does not allow Uu direct connection communication.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the path switching capability indication comprises: first indication information and/or second indication information;

The first indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows PC5 direct communication; the second indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows Uu direct communication.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the path switching capability indication is an index value of the path switching capability.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that after receiving the response message sent by the second terminal device, it also includes:

Establishing a direct communication path between PC5 and the second terminal device;

The ProSe direct communication is performed with the second terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.
The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the method further comprises:

determining whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device;

In the case where it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, executing a PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path with the second terminal device;

After the Uu direct communication path is created, communication is performed with the second terminal device through the Uu direct communication path.
The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the method further comprises:

In the case where it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, a switching notification message is sent to the second terminal device, where the switching notification message is used to instruct the second terminal device to execute the PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path.
The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the determining whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device comprises:

When the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication, determining to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path;

When the first terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication and/or the second terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication, it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed.
A path switching capability interaction method, characterized in that it is executed by a second terminal device, and the method includes:

Receiving a ProSe sending request message sent by a first terminal device, where the request message is used to indicate a first path switching capability of the first terminal device;

A response message is sent to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate the second path switching capability of the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, which is used to indicate whether the first terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication;

The response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate whether the second terminal device allows PC5 direct communication and/or whether it allows Uu direct communication.
The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the method further comprises:

If the discovery request message includes a path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, determining, according to the path switching capability indication, that the first terminal device allows at least one of PC5 direct communication and Uu direct communication;

If the discovery request message does not include the path switching capability indication of the first terminal device, it is determined that the first terminal device does not allow PC5 direct communication and does not allow Uu direct communication.
The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the response message includes a path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate to the first terminal device that PC5 direct communication is allowed and/or that Uu direct communication is allowed;

The response message does not include the path switching capability indication of the second terminal device, which is used to indicate to the first terminal device that PC5 direct communication is not allowed and Uu direct communication is not allowed.
The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the path switching capability indication comprises: first indication information and/or second indication information;

The first indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows PC5 direct communication; the second indication information is used to indicate whether the corresponding terminal device allows Uu direct communication.
The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the path switching capability indication is an index value of the path switching capability.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that after sending a response message to the first terminal device, it also includes:

Establishing a PC5 direct communication path with the first terminal device;

The ProSe direct communication is performed with the first terminal device through the PC5 direct communication path.
The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the method further comprises:

determining whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device;

In the case where it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, executing a PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path with the first terminal device;

After the Uu direct communication path is created, communication is performed with the first terminal device through the Uu direct communication path.
The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the method further comprises:

In the case where it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is allowed, a switching notification message is sent to the first terminal device, where the switching notification message is used to instruct the first terminal device to execute the PDU session to create the Uu direct communication path.
The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the determining whether to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path according to the path switching capability of the first terminal device and the path switching capability of the second terminal device comprises:

When the first terminal device allows Uu direct communication and the second terminal device allows Uu direct communication, determining to allow switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path;

When the first terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication and/or the second terminal device does not allow Uu direct communication, it is determined that switching from the PC5 direct communication path to the Uu direct communication path is not allowed.
A communication device, comprising:

A transceiver module is used to send a ProSe discovery request message to discover a second terminal device, wherein the discovery request message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the first terminal device; and receive a response message sent by the discovered second terminal device, wherein the response message is used to indicate the path switching capability of the second terminal device.
A communication device, comprising:

The transceiver module is used to receive a ProSe sending request message sent by a first terminal device, where the request message is used to indicate a first path switching capability of the first terminal device; and send a response message to the first terminal device, where the response message is used to indicate a second path switching capability of the second terminal device.
A communication device, characterized in that the device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.
A communication device, characterized in that the device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the device performs the method according to claims 11 to 20.
A communication device, characterized in that it comprises: a processor and an interface circuit;

The interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor;

The processor is configured to run the code instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
A communication device, characterized in that it comprises: a processor and an interface circuit;

The interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor;

The processor is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method according to claims 11 to 20.
A computer-readable storage medium is used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented.
A computer-readable storage medium is used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed, the method according to claims 11 to 20 is implemented.