Patent Description:
In a wireless communications system, in order to further improve data transmission reliability and/or reduce data transmission latency, data duplication function (duplication), for example, packet data convergence protocol (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, PDCP) data duplication function (duplication), is introduced to the terminal device (User Equipment, UE) side. PDCP data duplication function refers to a technology of duplicating data of a PDCP entity and transmitting the duplicated data through a plurality of (two or more) different paths, for example, transmitting the duplicated data through a plurality of radio link control (Radio Link Control, RLC) entities, where different RLC entities correspond to different logical channels.

Sidelink (Sidelink, SL) is used for direct communication between UEs without a network device.

In the related art, for sidelink in a long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) system, quality of service (Quality of Service, QoS) modeling (modeling) adopts a mechanism of guaranteeing QoS per packet (per packet). When data packets from an application layer are received by UE, each data packet is associated with a PPPP value and a PPPR value, and sent to an access (Access Stratum, AS) layer for transmission, where the PPPP value represents a priority and latency requirement for the data packet, and the PPPR value represents a reliability requirement for the data packet. Accordingly, in LTE sidelink, activation (ON) or deactivation (OFF) of sidelink packet duplication (Sidelink packet duplication) is controlled by using a PPPR threshold. Specifically, if the PPPR value of the data packet sent to the AS layer is less than the PPPR threshold, packet duplication is activated to perform a packet duplication operation. Otherwise, packet duplication is not activated and no data packet duplication operation is performed.

In the related art, for sidelink in a new radio (New Radio, NR) system, QoS modeling adopts a mechanism of guaranteeing QoS per flow (per flow). When data packets from an application layer are received by UE, each data flow is associated with a PFI (PC5 QoS Flow Identifier) value, and sent to an access (Access Stratum, AS) layer for transmission, where the PFI value represents a QoS parameter requirement for the data flow.

However, since the activation or deactivation solution for LTE sidelink data duplication function considers only a reliability factor (the PPPR value) in QoS, transmission stability after data duplication function is activated is not ideal. In addition, because the QoS modeling mechanism of NR sidelink has changed relative to LTE sidelink, the activation or deactivation solution for LTE sidelink data duplication function is not applicable to NR sidelink.

Packet Duplication for eV2X Sidelink CA discloses that packet duplication should be eNB-controlled and activated/deactivated by RRC signaling or L2/L1 signaling. RAN2 needs to discuss and decide whether packet duplication is activated and deactivated per UE, per SLRB or per PPPP/service type.

<CIT> discloses that UE receives data packets from the upper layer, and determines whether data duplication should be enabled according to a data duplication rule.

TS <NUM> Clarification on PC5 QoS rule discloses layer-<NUM> link establishment over PC5 reference point.

Embodiments of this application provide a method for sidelink data duplication function control, a method for information configuration, and a device, so as to provide a better solution for sidelink data duplication function control.

A first aspect of this disclosure provides a method for sidelink data duplication function control which is defined in claim <NUM>.

A second aspect of this disclosure provides a terminal device which is defined in claim <NUM>. A third aspect provides a computer readable medium as in claim <NUM>.

The present invention is limited by a rule based on a preset QoS condition. The present invention is limited by a control granularity being link level. The other alternative cases for the rule and granularity described below thus do not fall under the scope of the appended claims and are retained merely as examples useful for understanding the invention.

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or in the prior art more clearly, the following briefly describes the accompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments or the prior art. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description show merely some embodiments recorded in this disclosure, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.

To make a person skilled in the art understand the technical solutions in this disclosure better, the following clearly describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this disclosure.

It should be understood that the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to various communications systems, for example, a global system for mobile communications (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM), a code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (General Packet Radio Service, GPRS), a long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (Frequency Division Duplex, FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (Time Division Duplex, TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunications system (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, WiMAX) communications system, or a <NUM> system also known as a new radio (New Radio, NR) system.

A terminal device (User Equipment, UE) is also referred to as a mobile terminal (Mobile Terminal), a mobile terminal device, and the like, and may communicate with at least one core network through a radio access network (for example, Radio Access Network, RAN). The terminal device may be a mobile terminal, for example, a mobile phone (or referred to as a "cellular" phone) or a computer with a mobile terminal. For example, the terminal device may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer built-in, or in-vehicle mobile apparatus, which exchanges voice and/or data with the radio access network.

A network device is an apparatus deployed in a radio access network and used for information configuration. The network device may be a base station, and the base station may be a base transceiver station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in GSM or CDMA, may be a NodeB (NodeB) in WCDMA, or may be an evolved NodeB (evolved Node B, eNB or e-NodeB) or a <NUM> NodeB (gNB) in LTE, or a network-side device in a later evolved communications system. However, the terms used do not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of this disclosure.

It should be noted that in the description of specific embodiments, sequence numbers of processes do not mean the order of execution and should not be construed as any limitation on the implementation processes in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the order of execution of the processes should depend on their functions and internal logic.

The following first describes a method for sidelink data duplication function control according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the method for sidelink data duplication function control according to this embodiment of this disclosure may be performed by a first terminal device. The method may include step <NUM> and step <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, one or more data flows to be sent to a second terminal device are received from a higher layer.

The higher layer refers to one of layers (higher layers) above an access (Access Stratum, AS) layer, including a V2X layer and/or an application layer. The second terminal device is one or more terminal devices other than the first terminal device.

In step <NUM>, data duplication function (duplication) of a sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is controlled based on a preset rule, where the preset rule includes whether at least one of the data flows satisfies a preset quality of service QoS condition, and/or whether at least one communication link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device satisfies a preset link condition.

SLRB stands for sidelink radio bearer (Sidelink Radio Bearer, SLRB).

The at least one communication link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device includes at least one of a unicast link, a multicast link, and a broadcast link. For ease of description, in the embodiments of this specification, only a unicast link (link) is used as an example to introduce the process of controlling data duplication function of the sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second device based on the preset rule.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, a first unicast link <NUM> and a second unicast link <NUM> are established between a first terminal device <NUM> and a second terminal device <NUM>. The first terminal device <NUM> receives, in step <NUM>, a data flow (QoS flow) <NUM>, a data flow <NUM>, a data flow <NUM>, a data flow <NUM>, a data flow <NUM>, and a data flow <NUM>. Services mapped to the first unicast link <NUM> are the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM>. Specifically, the data flow <NUM> is mapped to SLRB <NUM> on the first unicast link <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> and the data flow <NUM> are mapped to SLRB <NUM> on the first unicast link <NUM>. Services mapped to the second unicast link <NUM> are the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM>. The data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> are all mapped to SLRB <NUM> on the second unicast link <NUM>. In the following when a specific solution is introduced, the example shown in <FIG> is also used for description, and content introduced here will not be described repeatedly but directly referenced instead.

In this embodiment of this application, the preset quality of service (Quality of Service, QoS) condition may include but is not limited to at least one of the following conditions:.

In this embodiment of this application, the preset link condition includes but is not limited to at least one of the following conditions:.

The following describes in detail, by using several examples, the process of controlling data duplication function of the sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device in step <NUM>.

The preset rule includes whether at least one of the data flows satisfies the preset QoS condition, and the controlling, based on a preset rule, data duplication function of an SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device in step <NUM> includes:.

Optionally, in the first example, before step <NUM>, the method shown in <FIG> may further include:.

In other words, in this embodiment of this disclosure, the preset QoS condition may be preconfigured by a network device or may be preconfigured by the first terminal device itself.

On this basis, the foregoing step of controlling data duplication function between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function at least may include the following four example embodiments. The following describes these embodiments with reference to <FIG>.

In an embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is flow level (per flow granularity), and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:
in a case that at least one of data flows mapped to a target SLRB satisfies the preset QoS condition, activating data duplication function of the target SLRB, where the target SLRB includes one or more SLRBs between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the data flow <NUM> mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (data duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated; in a case that at least one of the data flow <NUM> and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated; and in a case that at least one of the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is SLRB level (per SLRB granularity), and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:
in a case that all of data flows mapped to a target SLRB satisfy the preset QoS condition, activating data duplication function of the target SLRB, where the target SLRB includes one or more SLRBs between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the data flow <NUM> mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated; in a case that the data flow <NUM> and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> both satisfy the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated; and in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is link level (per link granularity), and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:
in a case that all of data flows mapped to a target communication link satisfy the preset QoS condition, activating data duplication function of all SLRBs on the target communication link, where the target communication link includes one or more communication links between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to the first unicast link <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> and SLRB <NUM> is activated; and in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to the second unicast link <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is terminal device level (per UE granularity), and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:
in a case that all received data flows satisfy the preset QoS condition, activating data duplication function of all SLRBs between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM>, SLRB <NUM>, and SLRB3 is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In any one of the foregoing embodiments, the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of data duplication function may further include:
in a case that a condition for activating the SLRB under a corresponding control granularity is no longer satisfied, deactivating data duplication function of the SLRB.

The condition for activating the SLRB under a corresponding control granularity is caused to be no longer satisfied because of at least one of the following reasons: reception of a preset QoS condition reconfigured by the network device, reception of a new data flow from higher layers, and the like.

In other words, if the network device has reconfigured the preset QoS condition, and/or a new data flow (QoS flow) from higher layers (that is, the application layer and the V2X layer) has arrived, the condition for activating the SLRBs that are activated in the foregoing four embodiments is no longer satisfied, and data duplication function of these SLRBs is deactivated.

It can be understood that the foregoing first example proposes a per-flow data duplication function solution. In addition, while data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is controlled, at least one of these factors can also be taken into account in addition to the reliability requirement of a data flow: latency requirement of the data flow, maximum data burst volume of the data flow, priority of the data flow, PC5 QoS flow identifier PFI value of the data flow, and PC5 QoS identifier PQI value of the data flow, rather than simply reusing the LTE solution. This can ensure more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

The preset rule includes whether at least one communication link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device satisfies a preset link condition.

Optionally, in the second example, before step <NUM>, the method shown in <FIG> may further include:.

In other words, in this embodiment of this disclosure, the preset link condition may be preconfigured by a network device or may be preconfigured by the first terminal device itself.

On this basis, the controlling, based on a preset rule, data duplication function of an SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device includes:
in a case that a target communication link satisfies the preset link condition, activating data duplication function of all SLRBs on the target communication link, where the target communication link includes one or more communication links between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the first unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> and SLRB <NUM> on the first unicast link <NUM> is activated; and in a case that the second unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> on the second unicast link <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

Further, the controlling, based on a preset rule, data duplication function of an SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device may further include:
in a case that the target communication link does not satisfy the preset link condition, deactivating data duplication function of all the SLRBs on the target communication link.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the first unicast link <NUM> does not satisfy the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> and SLRB <NUM> on the first unicast link <NUM> is deactivated; and in a case that the second unicast link <NUM> does not satisfy the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> on the second unicast link <NUM> is deactivated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

It can be understood that the foregoing second example also proposes a per-flow data duplication function solution. In addition, while data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is controlled, impact of a link state between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is taken into account. This can ensure more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

The preset rule includes whether at least one of the data flows satisfies the preset quality of service QoS condition, and whether at least one sidelink between the first terminal device and the second terminal device satisfies a preset link condition. Accordingly, the controlling, based on a preset rule, data duplication function of an SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device in step <NUM> includes:.

Optionally, in the third example, before step <NUM>, the method shown in <FIG> may further include:.

In other words, in this embodiment of this disclosure, the preset QoS condition and the preset link condition may be preconfigured by a network device or may be preconfigured by the first terminal device itself.

On this basis, the foregoing step of controlling data duplication function between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function at least may include the following four embodiments. The following describes these embodiments with reference to <FIG>.

In an embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is flow level (per flow level), and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, a target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the first unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM> mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition and the first unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. A target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the first unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that at least one of the data flow <NUM> and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition and the first unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. A target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the second unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that at least one of the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition and the second unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is SLRB level, and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, a target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the first unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM> mapped to SLRB <NUM> satisfies the preset QoS condition and the first unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. A target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the first unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM> and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> both satisfy the preset QoS condition and the first unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. A target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the second unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to SLRB <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition and the second unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is link level, and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, a target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the first unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to the first unicast link <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition and the first unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> and SLRB <NUM> is activated. A target communication link on which SLRB <NUM> resides is the second unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> that are mapped to the second unicast link <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition and the second unicast link <NUM> satisfies the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is terminal device level, and the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function includes:.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, all communication links between the first terminal device <NUM> and the second terminal device <NUM> include the first unicast link <NUM> and the second unicast link <NUM>. Then in a case that the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, the data flow <NUM>, and the data flow <NUM> all satisfy the preset QoS condition, and the first unicast link <NUM> and the second unicast link <NUM> both satisfy the preset link condition, data duplication function (duplication) of SLRB <NUM>, SLRB <NUM>, and SLRB <NUM> is activated. Other cases can be derived by analogy.

Optionally, in any one of the foregoing embodiments, the controlling data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the preset rule and a control granularity of data duplication function further includes:
in a case that a condition for activating the SLRB under a corresponding control granularity is no longer satisfied, deactivating data duplication function of the SLRB.

The condition for activating the SLRB under a corresponding control granularity is caused to be no longer satisfied because of at least one of the following reasons: reception of at least one of a preset QoS condition and a preset link condition that are reconfigured by the network device, reception of a new data flow from higher layers, and the like.

In other words, if the network device has reconfigured the preset QoS condition and/or the preset link condition, and/or a new data flow (QoS flow) from higher layers (that is, the application layer and the V2X layer) has arrived, the condition for activating the SLRBs that are activated in the foregoing four embodiments is no longer satisfied, and data duplication function of these SLRBs is deactivated.

It can be understood that the foregoing third example also proposes a per-flow data duplication function solution. In addition, in one aspect, while data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is controlled, in addition to consideration of whether a data flow satisfies the preset QoS condition, whether at least one communication link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device satisfies the preset link condition is also considered. That is, both a QoS factor on the service layer and a link state of the sidelink (Sidelink) are considered. This can ensure more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability. In another aspect, while whether a data flow satisfies the preset QoS condition is considered, at least one of these factors can also be taken into account in addition to the reliability requirement of the data flow: latency requirement of the data flow, maximum data burst volume of the data flow, priority of the data flow, PC5 QoS flow identifier PFI value of the data flow, and PC5 QoS identifier PQI value of the data flow, rather than simply reusing the LTE solution. This can ensure more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

In summary, the method for sidelink data duplication function function control according to this embodiment of this disclosure can provide a per-flow data duplication function solution, which ensures more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

The foregoing describes a method for sidelink data duplication function function control according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The following introduces a method for information configuration according to an embodiment of this disclosure with reference to <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the method for information configuration according to this embodiment of this disclosure may be performed by a network device. The method may include step <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, target information is transmitted to a first terminal device, where
the target information is used for configuring a target condition for the first terminal device, the target condition includes at least one of a preset quality of service QoS condition and a preset link condition, and the target condition is used for the first terminal device to control data duplication function of a sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and a second terminal device.

Specifically, the preset QoS condition includes at least one of the following conditions:.

Specifically, the preset link condition includes at least one of the following conditions:.

As for how the first terminal device specifically controls data duplication function of a sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on at least one of the preset quality of service QoS condition and the preset link condition, refer to the above description of the embodiment shown in <FIG>.

In the method for information configuration according to this embodiment of this disclosure, the preset quality of service QoS condition and/or the preset link condition for controlling data duplication function of the sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device can be configured for the first terminal device. This helps the first terminal device control SLRB data duplication function on a per-flow basis and ensures more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

Now that the foregoing has described the method for information configuration performed by a network device, the following describes the terminal device and the network device in the embodiments of this disclosure in detail with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of a first terminal device <NUM> according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the first terminal device <NUM> may include a first receiving module <NUM> and a control module <NUM>.

The first receiving module <NUM> is configured to receive, from a higher layer, one or more data flows to be sent to a second terminal device.

The second terminal device is one or more terminal devices other than the first terminal device <NUM>.

The control module <NUM> is configured to control, based on a preset rule, data duplication function of a sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, where the preset rule includes whether at least one of the data flows satisfies a preset quality of service QoS condition, and/or whether at least one communication link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device satisfies a preset link condition.

The at least one communication link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device includes at least one of a unicast link, a multicast link, and a broadcast link.

The following describes in detail, by using several examples, the process of controlling data duplication function of the sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device by the control module <NUM>.

The preset rule includes whether at least one of the data flows satisfies the preset QoS condition, and the control module <NUM> may be configured to:.

Optionally, in the first example, the first terminal device <NUM> shown in <FIG> may further include a first receiving module or a first preconfiguration module.

The first receiving module is configured to receive the preset QoS condition configured by the network device.

The first preconfiguration module is configured to preconfigure the preset QoS condition.

On this basis, the process of controlling data duplication function between the first terminal device and the second terminal device by the control module <NUM> based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function at least may include the following four embodiments.

In an embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is flow level (per flow granularity), and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:
in a case that at least one of data flows mapped to a target SLRB satisfies the preset QoS condition, activate data duplication function of the target SLRB, where the target SLRB includes one or more SLRBs between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is SLRB level (per SLRB granularity), and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:
in a case that all of data flows mapped to a target SLRB satisfy the preset QoS condition, activate data duplication function of the target SLRB, where the target SLRB includes one or more SLRBs between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is link level (per link granularity), and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:
in a case that all of data flows mapped to a target communication link satisfy the preset QoS condition, activate data duplication function of all SLRBs on the target communication link, where the target communication link includes one or more communication links between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is terminal device level, and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:
in a case that all received data flows satisfy the preset QoS condition, activate data duplication function of all SLRBs between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

Optionally, in any one of the foregoing embodiments, the control module <NUM> may be further configured to:
in a case that a condition for activating the SLRB under a corresponding control granularity is no longer satisfied, deactivate data duplication function of the SLRB.

Optionally, in the second example, the first terminal device <NUM> shown in <FIG> may further include a second receiving module or a second preconfiguration module.

The second receiving module is configured to receive the preset link condition configured by the network device.

The second preconfiguration module is configured to preconfigure the preset link condition.

On this basis, the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to: in a case that a target communication link satisfies the preset link condition, activate data duplication function of all SLRBs on the target communication link, where the target communication link includes one or more communication links between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

Further, the control module <NUM> may be further configured to: in a case that the target communication link does not satisfy the preset link condition, deactivate data duplication function of all the SLRBs on the target communication link.

The preset rule includes whether at least one of the data flows satisfies the preset quality of service QoS condition, and whether at least one sidelink between the first terminal device and the second terminal device satisfies a preset link condition. Accordingly, the control module <NUM> may be configured to:.

Optionally, in the third example, the first terminal device <NUM> shown in <FIG> may further include a third receiving module or a third preconfiguration module.

The third receiving module is configured to receive the preset QoS condition and the preset link condition that are configured by the network device.

The third preconfiguration module is configured to preconfigure the preset QoS condition and the preset link condition.

In an embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is flow level (per flow granularity), and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is SLRB level, and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is link level, and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:.

In another embodiment, the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function is terminal device level, and the control module <NUM> may be specifically configured to:.

In summary, the first terminal device <NUM> according to this embodiment of this disclosure can provide a per-flow data duplication function solution, which ensures more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

The first terminal device <NUM> shown in <FIG> may be configured to implement various embodiments of the method for sidelink data duplication function control shown in <FIG>. For related details, refer to the foregoing method embodiments.

<FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of a network device <NUM> according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the network device <NUM> may include a transmitting module <NUM>.

The transmitting module <NUM> is configured to transmit target information to a first terminal device, where
the target information is used for configuring a target condition for the first terminal device, the target condition includes at least one of a preset quality of service QoS condition and a preset link condition, and the target condition is used for the first terminal device to control data duplication function of a sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and a second terminal device.

The network device <NUM> according to this embodiment of this disclosure can configure, for the first terminal device, the preset quality of service QoS and/or the preset link condition for controlling data duplication function of the sidelink radio bearer SLRB between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. This helps the first terminal device control SLRB data duplication function on a per-flow basis and ensures more stable data transmission after data duplication function of an SLRB is activated, thereby achieving a purpose of improving service reliability.

The network device <NUM> shown in <FIG> may be configured to implement various embodiments of the method for information configuration shown in <FIG>. For related details, refer to the foregoing method embodiments.

<FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of this disclosure. The terminal device <NUM> shown in <FIG> includes at least one processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, at least one network interface <NUM>, and a user interface <NUM>. The components in the terminal device <NUM> are coupled together through a bus system <NUM>. It can be understood that the bus system <NUM> is configured to implement connection and communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system <NUM> further includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity of description, various buses are marked as the bus system <NUM> in <FIG>.

The user interface <NUM> may include a display, a keyboard, a pointing device (for example, a mouse or a trackball (trackball)), a touch panel, or a touchscreen.

It can be understood that the memory <NUM> in this embodiment of this disclosure may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), a programmable read-only memory (Programmable ROM, PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not restrictive description, many forms of RAMs may be used, for example, a static random access memory (Static RAM, SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (Dynamic RAM, DRAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (Synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (Double Data Rate SDRAM, DDRSDRAM), an enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (Enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), a synchronous link dynamic random access memory (Synch link DRAM, SLDRAM), and a direct rambus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DRRAM). The memory <NUM> of the system and the method described in the embodiments of this disclosure is intended to include without being limited to these and any other applicable types of memories.

In some embodiments, the memory <NUM> stores the following elements: executable modules or data structures, or a subset thereof, or an extended set thereof: an operating system <NUM> and an application program <NUM>.

The operating system <NUM> includes various system programs, such as a framework layer, a core library layer, and a driver layer, for implementing various basic services and processing hardware-based tasks. The application program <NUM> includes various application programs, such as a media player (Media Player) and a browser (Browser), which are used to implement various application services. A program for implementing the method in the embodiments of this disclosure may be included in the application program <NUM>.

In this embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device <NUM> further includes: a computer program stored in the memory <NUM> and executable on the processor <NUM>. When the computer program is executed by the processor <NUM>, the processes of the method for sidelink data duplication function control described above are implemented, with the same technical effects achieved. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein again.

The method disclosed in the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to the processor <NUM> or implemented by the processor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be an integrated circuit chip that has a signal processing capability. During implementation, the steps of the foregoing method may be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor <NUM> or instructions in the form of software. The processor <NUM> may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor <NUM> may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logical block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to the embodiments of this disclosure may be directly implemented by a hardware decoding processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in a decoding processor. The software module may be located in a computer readable storage medium that is mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, or a register. The computer-readable storage medium is located in the memory <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> fetches information in the memory <NUM>, and completes the steps of the foregoing method in combination with its hardware. Specifically, the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where when the computer program is executed by the processor <NUM>, the steps in the embodiment of the method for sidelink data duplication function control described above are implemented.

Referring to <FIG> is a structural diagram of a network device applied to an embodiment of this disclosure. The network device is capable of implementing details of the method for information configuration, with the same effects achieved. As shown in <FIG>, the network device <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>, a transceiver <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a user interface <NUM>, and a bus interface.

In this embodiment of this disclosure, the network device <NUM> further includes: a computer program that is stored in the memory <NUM> and executable on the processor <NUM>, where when the computer program is executed by the processor <NUM>, various processes of the method for information configuration described above are implemented, with the same technical effect achieved. Details are not described here again to avoid repetition.

In <FIG>, a bus architecture may include any quantity of interconnect buses and bridges, specifically for interconnecting various circuits of at least one processor represented by the processor <NUM> and a memory represented by the memory <NUM>. The bus architecture may further interconnect various other circuits such as a peripheral device, a voltage regulator, and a power management circuit. These are all common sense in the art, and therefore are not further described in this specification. The bus interface provides interfaces. The transceiver <NUM> may be a plurality of components, that is, the transceiver <NUM> includes a transmitter and a receiver, and provides units for communicating with various other apparatuses on a transmission medium. For a different terminal device, the user interface <NUM> may also be an interface for externally or internally connecting a required device, and the connected device includes but is not limited to a mini keyboard, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a joystick, or the like.

The processor <NUM> is responsible for bus architecture management and general processing. The memory <NUM> may store data used when the processor <NUM> performs an operation.

It may be understood that the embodiments described in the embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. In case of implementation by hardware, a processor <NUM> may be implemented in at least one application-specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), digital signal processing device (DSP Device, DSPD), programmable logic device (Programmable Logic Device, PLD), field programmable gate array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA), general-purpose processor, controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or other electronic units used to implement the functions described in this disclosure, or a combination thereof.

For software implementation, the technologies described in the embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented by modules (for example, processes or functions) that execute the functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure. Software code may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. The memory may be implemented in or outside the processor.

An embodiment of this disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processes of the embodiments of the foregoing method for sidelink data duplication function control or the foregoing method for information configuration are implemented, with the same technical effects achieved. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein again. The computer-readable storage medium includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, for example, a read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM for short), a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM for short), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.

An embodiment of this disclosure further provides a computer program product including instructions. When the computer runs the instructions of the computer program product, the computer executes the foregoing method for sidelink data duplication function control or the foregoing method for information configuration. Specifically, the computer program product can be run on the foregoing network device.

A person of ordinary skill in the art may be aware that the units and algorithm steps in the examples described with reference to the embodiments disclosed in this specification can be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. A person skilled in the art may use a different method to implement the described functions for each particular application, but it should not be considered that the implementation goes beyond the scope of this disclosure.

Flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this aspect, each block in the flowcharts or the block diagrams may represent a module, a segment, or part of code, and the module, the segment, or the part of code includes one or more executable instructions used to realize (one or more) specified logical functions. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may alternatively occur in a different order than indicated in the drawings. For example, depending on the functions involved, two blocks shown in succession may actually be executed at substantially the same time, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order. It should be further noted that each block in the block diagrams and/or the flowcharts and a combination of the blocks in the block diagrams and/or the flowcharts may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for executing a specified function or operation or may be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

It may be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art that, for the purpose of convenient and brief description, for a detailed working process of the foregoing system, apparatus, and unit, reference may be made to a corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not described again herein.

In the several embodiments provided in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus, and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples. For example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or may not be performed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be indirect couplings or communications connections through some interfaces, apparatuses or units, and may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, meaning that they may be located in one position or distributed on a plurality of network elements.

Claim 1:
A method for sidelink data duplication function control, performed by a first terminal device (<NUM>) and comprising:
receiving (S201), from a higher layer, one or more data flows to be sent to a second terminal device (<NUM>); and
activating or deactivating, based on a preset rule, data duplication function of a sidelink radio bearer, SLRB, between the first terminal device (<NUM>) and the second terminal device (<NUM>), characterized in that the preset rule comprises whether at least one of data flows satisfies a preset quality of service, QoS, condition, wherein
the activating or deactivating, based on the preset rule, data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device (<NUM>) and the second terminal device (<NUM>) comprises:
activating or deactivating data duplication function between the first terminal device (<NUM>) and the second terminal device (<NUM>) based on the preset rule and a control granularity of SLRB data duplication function, wherein
the control granularity is link level;
wherein the activating or deactivating data duplication function of the SLRB between the first terminal device (<NUM>) and the second terminal device (<NUM>) based on the preset rule and the control granularity of SLRB data duplication function comprises:
if all of data flows mapped to a target communication link satisfy the preset QoS condition, activating data duplication function of all SLRBs on the target communication link, wherein the target communication link includes one or more communication links between the first terminal device (<NUM>) and the second terminal device (<NUM>).