Communication path switching method and device

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by second user equipment, a fourth message sent by a second network device, wherein the fourth message carries third bearer configuration information, an identifier of first user equipment, and second bearer configuration information or second indication information, wherein the second bearer configuration information or the second indication information instructs the second user equipment to provide the first user equipment with indirect-path support;
• and
• configuring, by the second user equipment based on the identifier of the first user equipment, and based on the second bearer configuration information or the second indication information, a radio bearer of a communication link between the second user equipment and the first user equipment;
• configuring, by the second user equipment based on the identifier of the first user equipment and the third bearer configuration information, a radio bearer used for transmitting data and signaling of the first user equipment on a communication link between the second user equipment and the second network device;
• wherein the second bearer configuration information comprises a mapping relationship between a third radio bearer and a fourth radio bearer, a configuration of a radio link control entity corresponding to the third radio bearer, and a configuration of a logical channel corresponding to the third radio bearer;
• wherein the third bearer configuration information comprises a configuration of a radio link control entity corresponding to the fourth radio bearer, and a configuration of a logical channel corresponding to the fourth radio bearer;
• and
• wherein the third radio bearer is used for transmitting the data and the signaling of the first user equipment on the communication link between the second user equipment and the first user equipment, and the fourth radio bearer is used for transmitting the data and the signaling of the first user equipment on the communication link between the second user equipment and the second network device.

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a first network device, a first message sent by first user equipment, wherein the first message requests to switch a communication path between the first user equipment and the first network device from a direct path to an indirect path, wherein the indirect path is a communication path between the first user equipment and a second network device in which messages are relayed by second user equipment, the first network device and the second network device are a same network device or different network devices, and the first message comprises:
• a cell identity of a serving cell of the second user equipment;
• an identifier of the second user equipment;
• an identifier of the first user equipment;
• or
• an indication of a communication technology used by a communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment;
• and
• sending, by the first network device, a second message to the first user equipment, wherein the second message carries first indication information instructing the first user equipment to perform the communication path switching, and the second message further carries first bearer configuration information, and wherein:
• the first bearer configuration information comprises a mapping relationship between a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer, a configuration of a radio link control entity corresponding to the first radio bearer, and a configuration of logical channel corresponding to the first radio bearer,
• the first radio bearer is used for the communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment;
• and
• the second radio bearer is used for a communication link between the second user equipment and the second network device.