# US 11,452,154 B2 · Indication method and related device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,452,154 B2 - Document ID: US11452154B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/461,653 - Filed: 2017-02-04 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-17 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Haibo Xu; Nathan Edward Tenny; Yiru Kuang; Jian Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11452154B2 ## CPC - H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup - H04B 17/328: {Reference signal received power [RSRP]; Reference signal received quality [RSRQ]} - H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals} - H04W 48/08: Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery (signalling during connection H04W76/00) - H04W 48/16: Discovering, processing access restriction or access information - H04W 88/04: adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user - H04B 7/15557: {Selecting relay station operation mode, e.g. between amplify and forward mode, decode and forward mode or FDD - and TDD mode} - H04W 76/27: Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states - H04W 92/18: between terminal devices - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract An indication method includes: receiving, by first user equipment, a first message sent by second user equipment, where the first message includes information indicating that the second user equipment supports an evolved user equipment-to-network relay function; and receiving, by the first user equipment, a second message sent by a network device, where the second message includes information indicating that the network device supports an evolved user equipment-to-network relay, or the second message includes information indicating that a cell in which the network device sends the second message supports an evolved user equipment-to-network relay. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: receiving, by first user equipment, a first message sent by second user equipment, wherein the first message comprises first indication information indicating that the second user equipment supports an user equipment-to-network relay function based on a layer-2, and wherein the first message is a device-to-device discovery message; and receiving, by the first user equipment, a second message sent by a network device, wherein the second message comprises first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates that at least one of the network device or a cell in which the network device sends the second message supports the user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, wherein the second information comprises a third threshold used by the first user equipment to determine the second user equipment to be a layer-2 user equipment-to-network relay in response to a reference signal receive power (RSRP) of a wireless link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment being higher than the third threshold, and wherein the second message is a system information message. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a content type of the device-to-device discovery message is a first preset value, and the device-to-device discovery message is at least one of: an user equipment-to-network relay discovery announcement message; or an user equipment-to-network relay discovery response message. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein: the device-to-device discovery message further comprises at least one of second indication information or third indication information; wherein the second indication information indicates that the second user equipment supports a first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, and the first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2 is used to connect the second user equipment to the first user equipment through a sidelink; and wherein the third indication information indicates that the second user equipment supports a second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, and wherein the second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2 is used to connect the second user equipment to the first user equipment using a non-3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) interface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein receiving, by first user equipment, the first message sent by second user equipment comprises: when the first user equipment supports the first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, receiving, by the first user equipment through the sidelink, the first message sent by the second user equipment; and when the first user equipment supports the second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, receiving, by the first user equipment using the non-3GPP interface, the first message sent by the second user equipment. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein an adaptation layer is configured for the first user equipment, and receiving, by the first user equipment using the non-3GPP interface, the first message sent by the second user equipment comprises: receiving, by the adaptation layer of the first user equipment using the non-3GPP interface, an adaptation layer protocol data unit (PDU) sent by the second user equipment, wherein the adaptation layer PDU comprises fifth indication information and the first message, and the fifth indication information indicates that the adaptation layer PDU comprises the first message. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the second message comprises first configuration information of the first user equipment and second configuration information of the second user equipment. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the second configuration information comprises a first threshold, and the first threshold indicates that the second user equipment is allowed to send the first message to the first user equipment in response to a RSRP of a wireless link between the network device and the second user equipment being higher than the first threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the second user equipment supports the first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, and the first configuration information comprises: a second threshold, wherein the second threshold indicates that the first user equipment is allowed to send an user equipment-to-network relay discovery solicitation message when a (RSRP) of a wireless link between the network device and the first user equipment is lower than the second threshold; or a third threshold, wherein the third threshold indicates that the first user equipment is allowed to use the second user equipment as a candidate user equipment-to-network relay when an RSRP of the sidelink between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is higher than the third threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the second user equipment supports the second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, and the first configuration information comprises: a fourth threshold, wherein the fourth threshold indicates that the first user equipment is allowed to indirectly communicate with a network using the second user equipment when a (RSRP) of a wireless link between the network device and the first user equipment is lower than the fourth threshold; or a fifth threshold, wherein the fifth threshold indicates that the first user equipment uses the second user equipment as a candidate user equipment-to-network relay when channel quality of the non-3GPP interface between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is higher than the fifth threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving, by the first user equipment, the first message sent by the second user equipment comprises: receiving, by the first user equipment by listening to a receiving resource pool, the first message sent by the second user equipment, wherein the first message is the device-to-device discovery message, the second user equipment is an user equipment-to-network relay device based on the layer-2, and the receiving resource pool is used to receive the device-to-device discovery message sent by the user equipment-to-network relay device based on the layer-2. ### Claim 11 A method, comprising: sending, by a network device, a second message, wherein the second message comprises: information indicating that at least one of the network device or a cell in which the network device sends the second message supports an user equipment-to-network relay function based on a layer-2; and information comprising a third threshold used by a first user equipment to determine a second user equipment to be layer-2 user equipment-to-network relay in response to a reference signal receive power (RSRP) of wireless link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment being higher than the third threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the second message comprises first configuration information of a first user equipment and second configuration information of a second user equipment. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the second configuration information comprises a first threshold, and the first threshold indicates that the second user equipment is allowed to send a first message to the first user equipment in response to a RSRP of a wireless link between the network device and the second user equipment being higher than the first threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein: a first user equipment is connected to the second user equipment through a sidelink; and the first configuration information comprises: a second threshold, wherein the second threshold indicates that the first user equipment is allowed to send a user equipment-to-network relay discovery solicitation message when an RSRP of a wireless link between the network device and the first user equipment is lower than the second threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein: a first user equipment is connected to the second user equipment using a non-3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) interface; and the first configuration information comprises: a fourth threshold, wherein the fourth threshold indicates that the first user equipment is allowed to indirectly communicate with a network using the second user equipment when a (RSRP) of a wireless link between the network device and the first user equipment is lower than the fourth threshold; and a fifth threshold, wherein the fifth threshold indicates that the first user equipment uses the second user equipment as a candidate user equipment-to-network relay when channel quality of a non-3GPP link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment is higher than the fifth threshold. ### Claim 16 A user equipment, comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory memory connected to the processor and storing a program for execution by the processor, the program including instructions to: configured to receive a first message sent by a second user equipment, wherein the first message comprises first indication information indicating that the second user equipment supports a user equipment-to-network relay function based on a layer-2, and wherein the first message is a device-to-device discovery message; and receive a second message sent by a network device, wherein the second message comprises first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates that at least one of the network device or a cell in which the network device sends the second message supports the user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, wherein the second information comprises a third threshold used by the user equipment to determine the second user equipment to be a layer-2 user equipment-to-network relay in response to a reference signal receive power (RSRP) of a wireless link between the user equipment and the second user equipment being higher than the third threshold, and wherein the second message is a system information message. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The user equipment according to claim 16, wherein a content type of the device-to-device discovery message is a first preset value, and wherein the device-to-device discovery message is at least one of: a user equipment-to-network relay discovery announcement message; or a user equipment-to-network relay discovery response message. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The user equipment according to claim 16, wherein the device-to-device discovery message further comprises at least one of second indication information or third indication information; wherein the second indication information indicates that the second user equipment supports a first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, and wherein the first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2 is used to connect the second user equipment to the first user equipment through a sidelink; and wherein the third indication information indicates that the second user equipment supports a second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, and wherein the second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2 is used to connect the second user equipment to the first user equipment using a non-3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) interface. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The user equipment according to claim 18, wherein the instructions to receive the first message sent by the second user equipment comprises: receive, through the sidelink, in response to the user equipment supporting the first user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, the first message sent by the second user equipment; and receive, using the non-3GPP interface, in response to the user equipment supporting the second user equipment-to-network relay function based on the layer-2, the first message sent by the second user equipment.