A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a communication method and apparatus, relating to the field of communication technology, for improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making for the executor of computing tasks, thereby improving the communication performance of services and enhancing user experience. The method includes: an access network node acquiring first information, the first information being used to indicate reference information related to the communication energy consumption of a terminal; determining second information based on the first information and sending the second information to the terminal, the second information being used to trigger the transmission of data for a first service to the access network node through a first transmission channel, or to suspend the transmission of data for the first service on the first transmission channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of communication technology, many new types of services have emerged, such as those involving a large number of computational tasks. The implementation of these services requires significant computing resources to perform these tasks. For example, Extended Reality (XR) services include computational tasks such as image rendering, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) services include computational tasks such as model inference or model training.

[0003] The computational tasks can be executed by the terminal or by the cloud server. If the terminal handles the computational tasks, it can obtain the computation results in a timely manner with low latency, but the terminal consumes more computing power. If the cloud server handles the computational tasks, the terminal's computing power consumption can be reduced, but the terminal and the cloud server need to transmit the data required for the computational tasks and the computation results, resulting in significant data transmission power consumption and higher latency.

[0004] Currently, terminals can decide whether to execute computing tasks on the terminal or the cloud server based on business needs, the terminal's current computing resources, and communication status. However, inaccurate judgment of communication status by the terminal can lead to incorrect decisions regarding task execution, potentially resulting in excessive terminal computing or transmission energy consumption, excessive service latency, and negatively impacting user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making for the executor of computing tasks, thereby improving the communication performance of services and enhancing user experience.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or by a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the network device, for example, the network device can be an access network node. The method includes: acquiring first information, the first information being used to indicate reference information related to the communication power consumption of a terminal; determining second information based on the first information, the second information being used to trigger the terminal to send data of a first service to the access network node through a first transmission channel, or to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel; and sending the second information to the terminal.

[0008] In the above embodiments, the access network node obtains reference information related to the terminal's communication energy consumption. Since the access network node has a more comprehensive understanding of the communication status between the terminal and the access network than the terminal, it can more accurately determine whether to transmit the data of the first service through the transmission channel between the terminal and the access network node based on the above reference information and communication status. In other words, the access network node can more accurately decide whether the calculation of the first service should be performed by the terminal side or by the network side, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, improving the communication performance of the service, and enhancing the user experience.

[0009] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0010] In the above embodiments, the access network node can instruct the terminal to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel according to the decision result. Thus, the terminal can determine to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel according to the instruction, that is, the network side performs the calculation of the first service; or the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel, that is, the terminal performs the calculation of the first service itself. This makes the decision and instruction methods more flexible and improves communication performance.

[0011] In one implementation, the first service includes a computing task, which is executed by the terminal or by a network-side device; wherein, when the computing task is executed by the network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit computing data corresponding to the computing task.

[0012] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate that the computational task of the first service is performed by the terminal or by the network-side device.

[0013] In the above embodiments, the access network node can instruct the terminal, based on the decision result, that the calculation task of the first service be executed by the terminal or by the network-side equipment. Thus, the terminal can determine, based on the instruction, to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, i.e., the network side performs the calculation of the first service; or the terminal can suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel, i.e., the terminal performs the calculation of the first service itself. This makes the decision-making and instruction methods more flexible and improves communication performance.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further includes: obtaining third information, the third information being used to indicate support for determining the state of the first transmission channel by the access network node; and determining second information based on the first information, including: determining the second information based on the first information and the third information.

[0015] In the above embodiments, the access network node can obtain third information and determine the state of the first transmission channel corresponding to the first service based on the third information. This allows for flexible decision-making by the service executor for different services. For example, for computing-type services, the access network node can decide the service executor, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, enhancing communication performance, and improving user experience. For ordinary services, the terminal can execute the decision, facilitating flexible configuration and implementation.

[0016] In one implementation, the third information includes service quality information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service, and the service quality information includes at least one of the following: the data size of the data unit set, the transmission delay of the data unit set, or the transmission rate of the data unit set.

[0017] In the above embodiments, the access network node can obtain the quality of service information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service. Therefore, based on the quality of service requirements of the first service and the transmission requirements related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal, it can determine whether to transmit the data of the first service through the transmission channel between the terminal and the access network node. This can improve the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, improve the communication performance of the service, and enhance the user experience.

[0018] In one implementation, the initial state of the first transmission channel is either active or deactivated. That is, after the terminal establishes the first transmission channel with the access network node, the initial state can be configured to be active or deactivated. If the initial state is active, the terminal can send data for the first service through the first transmission channel until it receives a deactivation command from the access network node, at which point the terminal suspends data transmission for the first service on the first transmission channel. Conversely, if the initial state is deactivated, the terminal does not send data for the first service through the first transmission channel until it receives an activation command from the access network node, at which point the terminal sends data for the first service through the first transmission channel. This allows for flexible switching of the transmission channel state between the terminal and the access network node. In other words, the terminal's service implementation can flexibly switch between edge computing mode and cloud computing mode to meet service needs in real time, improving communication performance and user experience.

[0019] In one embodiment, the method further includes sending an indication of the initial state of the first transmission channel to the terminal, the initial state being either an active state or a deactivated state.

[0020] In the above embodiments, the access network node can send an indication of the initial state of the transmission channel to the terminal. For example, if the initial state of the first transmission channel is active, the terminal can suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel after receiving the deactivation indication. Alternatively, if the initial state of the first transmission channel is deactivated, the terminal can transmit the data of the first service through the first transmission channel after receiving the activation indication.

[0021] In one implementation, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: reference signal received power, reference signal-to-noise ratio, reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, reference path loss, transmit power, modulation and coding scheme, or a first duration; wherein the first duration is used to indicate the effective duration for determining the communication state required to activate the first transmission channel.

[0022] In the above embodiments, the access network node can obtain the aforementioned parameter information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal, and thus determine the state of the first transmission channel based on the communication energy consumption requirements indicated by the aforementioned parameter information and the communication status between the terminal and the access network node. This can improve the accuracy and efficiency of the access network node in making end-to-cloud mode decisions, improve the communication performance of services, and enhance the user experience.

[0023] In one implementation, determining the second information includes: if the communication status of the terminal during a first time period meets a first condition, and the duration of the first time period is greater than or equal to the first duration indicated by the first information, then the second information is used to trigger the transmission of data for the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel; wherein the first condition is obtained based on at least one reference information in the first information; if the communication status of the terminal during the first time period does not meet the first condition, then the second information is used to trigger the suspension of data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0024] In one implementation, determining the second information based on the first information includes: determining the second information based on the first information and the communication status between the terminal and the access network node.

[0025] In the above embodiments, the access network node can obtain reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal based on the first information. In addition, the access network node has a more comprehensive understanding of the communication status between the terminal and the access network than the terminal. This allows the access network node to more accurately determine whether to transmit the data of the first service through the transmission channel between the terminal and the access network node based on the above reference information and communication status. In other words, the access network node can more accurately decide whether the calculation of the first service should be performed by the terminal side or by the network side, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, improving the communication performance of the service, and enhancing the user experience.

[0026] In one implementation, the communication state of the terminal during a first time period satisfies a first condition, including at least one of the following: the reference signal received power of the terminal is greater than or equal to the reference signal received power indicated by the first information; the reference signal-to-noise ratio of the terminal is greater than or equal to the reference signal-to-noise ratio indicated by the first information; the reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the terminal is greater than or equal to the reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio indicated by the first information; the reference path loss of the terminal is less than or equal to the reference path loss indicated by the first information; the transmission power of the terminal is less than or equal to the transmission power indicated by the first information; and the efficiency of the modulation and coding scheme of the terminal is higher than that of the modulation and coding scheme indicated by the first information.

[0027] In one implementation, the first transmission channel includes a first data radio bearer, a first session, or a first quality of service (QoS) stream; the second information includes at least one of the following: indication information of the first data radio bearer, indication information of the first session, or indication information of the first QoS stream.

[0028] In one implementation, the second information includes a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel, and the state of the first transmission channel switches after the second duration expires or times out.

[0029] In the above embodiments, when the access network node instructs the terminal to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel, it can also instruct the effective duration of the activation or deactivation instruction. After the effective duration expires, the terminal can switch the state of the first transmission channel, such as switching the first transmission channel to the initial state or the default state. This allows for flexible switching, meaning that the terminal's service implementation can flexibly switch between edge computing mode and cloud computing mode to meet service needs in real time, improve communication performance and user experience.

[0030] In one implementation, obtaining the first information includes: receiving the first information from the terminal, or receiving the first information from a source access network node; wherein the source access network node is a node that provided services to the terminal before the terminal performed an access network node handover.

[0031] In one implementation, obtaining the third information includes: receiving the third information from a network element in the core network, or receiving the third information from a source access network node; wherein the source access network node is a node that provided services to the terminal before the terminal performed an access node handover.

[0032] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the terminal device. The method includes: receiving second information from an access network node; wherein the second information is determined based on reference information related to the communication power consumption of the terminal; and in response to the second information, sending data of a first service to the access network node through a first transmission channel, or suspending the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0033] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0034] In one implementation, the first service includes a computing task, which is executed by the terminal or by a network-side device; wherein, when the computing task is executed by the network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit computing data corresponding to the computing task.

[0035] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate that the computational task of the first service is performed by the terminal or by the network-side device.

[0036] In one implementation, the initial state of the first transmission channel is either an active state or a deactivated state.

[0037] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving an indication of an initial state of the first transmission channel, the initial state being an active state or a deactivated state.

[0038] In one implementation, the first transmission channel includes a first data radio bearer, a first session, or a first quality of service (QoS) stream; the second information includes at least one of the following: indication information of the first data radio bearer, indication information of the first session, or indication information of the first QoS stream.

[0039] In one implementation, the second information includes a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel.

[0040] In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the second duration expires or expires, switching the state of the first transmission channel, for example, the first transmission channel can be switched to an initial state, an online state, or a default state.

[0041] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending first information to the access network node, the first information being used to indicate reference information related to the communication power consumption of the terminal, so that the access network node determines the second information based on the first information.

[0042] In one implementation, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: reference signal received power, reference signal-to-noise ratio, reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, reference path loss, transmit power, modulation and coding scheme, or a first duration; wherein the first duration is used to indicate the effective duration of the reference value related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal.

[0043] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first access network node and a second access network node, or by a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the first or second access network node. For example, the first access network node can be a central unit (CU) in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) architecture, and the second access network node can be a distributed unit (DU). The method further includes: the first access network node acquiring first information, which is used to indicate reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal; the first access network node sending the first information to the second access network node. The second access network node determines second information based on the first information, which is used to trigger the transmission of data for a first service to the first access network node through a first transmission channel, or to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel. The second access network node sends the second information to the terminal.

[0044] In one embodiment, the method may further include a terminal, which, in response to the second information, sends data of the first service to the first access network node through the first transmission channel, or suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0045] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0046] In one embodiment, the method further includes: a first access network node acquiring third information, the third information indicating support for a second access network node to determine the status of a first transmission channel. The first access network node sends the third information to the second access network node. The second access network node determines second information based on the first information, including: the second access network node determining the second information based on the first information and the third information.

[0047] In one implementation, the second access network node determines the second information, including: if the communication status of the terminal during a first time period meets a first condition, and the duration of the first time period is greater than or equal to the first duration indicated by the first information, then the second information is used to trigger the transmission of data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel; wherein, the first condition is obtained based on at least one reference information in the first information; if the communication status of the terminal during the first time period does not meet the first condition, then the second information is used to trigger the suspension of data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0048] Fourthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-described method. This communication device may be a network device as described in the first aspect, or a terminal as described in the second aspect, or a node or device containing the network device or terminal, or a module in the network device or terminal, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions. For example, the network device may be an access network node, such as a base station.

[0049] The communication device includes modules, units, or means that implement the methods described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0050] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any of their possible implementations. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any of their possible implementations. The transceiver module may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0051] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations.

[0052] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being coupled to a memory, and after reading instructions from the memory, executing the method described in any of the preceding aspects according to the instructions. The communication device may be a network device as described in the first aspect, or a terminal as described in the second aspect, or a node or device containing the aforementioned network device or terminal, or a module in the aforementioned network device or terminal, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions. For example, the network device may be an access network node, such as a base station.

[0053] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0054] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instructions and transmit them to the processor; the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects. The communication device may be a network device as described in the first aspect, or a terminal as described in the second aspect, or a node or device containing the aforementioned network device or terminal, or a module in the aforementioned network device or terminal, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions. For example, the network device may be an access network node, such as a base station.

[0056] In conjunction with the sixth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0057] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0058] Eighthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0059] A ninth aspect provides a communication system comprising a first access network node and a second access network node. Exemplarily, the first access network node may be a CU in an ORAN architecture, and the second access network node may be a DU. The first access network node is used to acquire first information, which is used to indicate reference information related to the communication power consumption of a terminal; the first access network node sends the first information to the second access network node. The second access network node is used to determine second information based on the first information, which is used to trigger the transmission of data for a first service to the first access network node through a first transmission channel, or to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel. The second access network node is also used to send the second information to a terminal.

[0060] The technical effects of any of the possible implementations of aspects two through nine can be found in the technical effects of the different possible implementations of aspect one above, and will not be repeated here.

[0061] Understandably, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other, the solutions in the above aspects can be combined. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the execution of a computational task provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between communication energy consumption and communication status required for transmitting data to perform a computing task, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating a transmission channel state switching method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0073] First, the implementation scenarios of the embodiments of this application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] The methods provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, including but not limited to: non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communication systems, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5G mobile communication systems, and future mobile communication systems.

[0075] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one possible, non-limiting system. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., ...). Figure 1 110a and 110b (collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 RAN 100, denoted as RAN 120a-120j, is collectively referred to as RAN 120. RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). Terminal 120 is connected to RAN node 110 wirelessly. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 wirelessly or via wired connection. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0076] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0077] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network node, access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and assists terminals in achieving wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative, for example... Figure 1 Network element 120i can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example... Figure 1 Network elements 110a and 110b can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, while network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0078] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. Figure 1 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1The RAN node can be a relay node or donor node (as described in section 110b), or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0079] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0080] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0081] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0082] To support artificial intelligence (AI) technology in wireless networks, AI nodes may also be introduced into the network.

[0083] AI nodes can be deployed in one or more of the following locations within the communication system: access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminal devices, or core network devices. Alternatively, AI nodes can be deployed independently, for example, in a location other than any of the aforementioned devices, such as in the host or cloud server of an over-the-top (OTT) system. AI nodes can communicate with other devices in the communication system, which can be one or more of the following: network devices, terminal devices, or core network elements.

[0084] It is understood that this application does not limit the number of AI nodes. For example, when there are multiple AI nodes, these nodes can be divided based on function, such as different AI nodes being responsible for different functions.

[0085] It can also be understood that AI nodes can be independent devices, or they can be integrated into the same device to achieve different functions. Alternatively, they can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). This application does not limit the specific form of the aforementioned AI nodes.

[0086] AI nodes can be AI network elements or AI modules.

[0087] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a possible application framework in a communication system. For example... Figure 2 As shown, network elements in a communication system are connected via interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces. These network element nodes, such as core network equipment, access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminals, or one or more devices in operations administration and maintenance (OAM), are equipped with one or more AI modules (for clarity, ...). Figure 2 (Only one is shown in the image). An access network node can be a single RAN node or can include multiple RAN nodes, such as a CU and a DU. The CU and / or DU can also be equipped with one or more AI modules. The CU can also be split into CU-CP and CU-UP, and one or more AI modules can be set in the CU-CP and / or CU-UP.

[0088] AI modules are used to implement corresponding AI functions. AI modules deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. The models of AI modules can achieve different functions depending on the parameter configurations. The models of AI modules can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: structural parameters (e.g., at least one of the following: number of neural network layers, neural network width, inter-layer connections, neuron weights, neuron activation function, or biases in the activation function), input parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of the input parameters), or output parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of the output parameters). The biases in the activation function can also be referred to as the biases of the neural network.

[0089] In one example, the neural network mentioned above can be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), or a generative adversarial network (GAN).

[0090] Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are artificial neural network architectures with multiple layers of nonlinear transformation units stacked in a hierarchical structure to form deep computational models. Compared to shallow neural networks, deep neural networks have more hidden layers, allowing the network model to capture more complex data structures and higher-level abstract features.

[0091] A CNN is a deep neural network with a convolutional structure. A CNN contains a feature extractor consisting of convolutional layers and subsampling layers. This feature extractor can be viewed as a filter, and the convolution process can be seen as performing convolution between a trainable filter and an input image or a convolutional feature map.

[0092] RNN is a type of recursive neural network that takes sequence data as input, recursively moves along the direction of sequence evolution, and connects all nodes (recurrent units) in a chain-like manner.

[0093] GAN is a deep learning model. It consists of a generator and a discriminator, and is trained through adversarial learning. Its purpose is to estimate the potential distribution of data samples and generate new data samples.

[0094] An AI module can have one or more models. A model can infer an output, which includes one or more parameters. The learning, training, or inference processes of different models can be deployed on different nodes or devices, or they can be deployed on the same node or device.

[0095] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a possible application framework in a communication system. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the communication system includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). For example, the RIC can be the aforementioned AI module, used to implement AI-related functions. RICs include near-real-time RICs (near-RT RICs) and non-real-time RICs (non-RT RICs). Non-real-time RICs primarily process non-real-time information, such as data that is not sensitive to latency, with latency in the order of seconds. Real-time RICs primarily process near-real-time information, such as data that is relatively sensitive to latency, with latency in the order of tens of milliseconds.

[0096] Near real-time (NRT) RICs are used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. NRT RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data. NRT RICs can deliver inference results to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs. For example, a NRT RIC delivers an inference result to a DU, which then forwards it to an RU.

[0097] Non-real-time RICs are also used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. Non-real-time RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data, and the inference results can be delivered to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs; for example, a non-real-time RIC delivers inference results to a DU, which then forwards them to an RU.

[0098] Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be configured as separate network elements. Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be part of other devices. For example, near real-time RICs can be set in RAN nodes (e.g., CU, DU), while non-real-time RICs can be set in OAM, cloud servers, core network devices, or other network devices.

[0099] It should be noted that, Figures 1 to 3 The functions of other network elements included can be found in the relevant descriptions in conventional technologies, and will not be repeated here. Figures 1 to 3 The network architecture shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, other network elements or devices may be included, and the number of access network nodes, terminals, and / or core network equipment may be determined according to specific needs.

[0100] Optional, Figures 1 to 3 Each network element shown can be a device, a functional module within a device, or a logical functional unit. It is understood that the aforementioned functions can be network components in hardware devices, such as communication chips in mobile phones, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0101] Understandably, the above Figures 1 to 3 In a communication system, devices or network elements can communicate directly or through forwarding from other devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0102] Understandably, the above Figures 1 to 3 This is merely an illustrative diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solutions provided in this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that, in specific implementation processes, the communication system may include, for example, […]. Figures 1 to 3 The number of devices or network elements shown may be fewer, or the communication system may include other devices or other network elements, and the number of devices or network elements in the communication system may be determined according to specific needs.

[0103] It should be noted that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of this application are just examples. Other names may be used in the specific implementation. This application does not limit them in this respect.

[0104] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "access network device sending information" can be understood as the access network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device sending information to logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0105] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "access network device receiving information" can be understood as the access network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device receiving information from logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0106] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is a terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," or "receiving information sent by (e.g., a terminal)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is a terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0107] The communication method and apparatus provided in this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses access network nodes and terminals as examples of the execution subjects in the interactive illustration, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustration. For example, the method executed by the access network node in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the access network node, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network node; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be implemented by a communication / processing module in the terminal or by circuits or chips (such as modem chips (also known as baseband chips), or chips containing modem cores, or processors) in the terminal responsible for communication / processing functions.

[0108] This application provides a communication method that allows access network nodes to decide which party should execute the current computing task. For example, the access network node determines whether the computing task should be executed by the terminal side or the network side based on the communication status, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, enhancing the communication performance of services, and improving the user experience.

[0109] like Figure 4 As shown, this application provides a communication method applied to the interaction process between an access network node and a terminal. For example, the access network node may be a base station, a RAN node, etc. The communication method may include the following steps.

[0110] 401: The access network node obtains first information, which is used to indicate reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal.

[0111] The first information is used to assist the access network node in making decisions, and can also be called auxiliary information. That is, it is used by the access network node to determine the second information based on the first information in step 402.

[0112] In one implementation, the terminal includes a first service to be processed, which includes a computing task. The computing task can be executed by the terminal, or it can be executed by a network-side device, such as a computing node, service server, or cloud server in the core network.

[0113] For example, in the embodiments of this application, the computing task to be processed can be executed by the terminal or by the network-side device, which is called the end-to-cloud mode. That is, the computing service to be processed can be executed by the end side or by the cloud side.

[0114] like Figure 5 As shown, a terminal can utilize its own computing resources to complete computing tasks; this is known as terminal computing mode, or simply edge computing mode. In edge computing mode, it's necessary to consider whether the terminal can meet the computing power requirements of the current computing task, as well as service latency, i.e., the time required from initiating the computing task to obtaining the corresponding computing result.

[0115] Alternatively, the computing task can be performed by the network side. For example, if the terminal's own computing resources cannot meet the computing needs or for other reasons, the terminal can send the computing data required for the computing task to the network side, such as the computing nodes, application servers or cloud servers in the core network, to process the computing task. In this application, these are collectively referred to as cloud computing mode.

[0116] In cloud computing mode, the terminal does not need to perform computing tasks, but it does need to transmit the data required for those tasks. Data transmission performance is related to the communication status between the terminal and the access network node. When the communication status is good, data transmission efficiency is high, service latency is low, and user experience is guaranteed. When the communication status is poor, data transmission may be congested or fail, resulting in longer service latency and a poor user experience. Therefore, decisions regarding the execution of computing tasks need to consider the communication status between the terminal and the access network node.

[0117] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, for the cloud computing mode, the terminal will generate communication energy consumption when sending the data required for the computing task and receiving the computing results, and the communication energy consumption is related to the communication status of the terminal over a period of time.

[0118] For example, such as Figure 6 A graph showing the relationship between communication energy consumption required for a terminal to perform a computing task and the terminal's communication state is presented. As shown in the figure, communication energy consumption and communication state are negatively correlated. For example, when the computing energy consumption required to perform a computing task is fixed, the better the terminal's communication state, the lower the communication energy consumption required for the terminal to perform the computing task; conversely, the worse the terminal's communication state, the higher the communication energy consumption required for the terminal to perform the computing task.

[0119] Furthermore, communication latency and communication status are also negatively correlated. That is, with fixed computing power consumption, assuming the terminal's communication latency is fixed, the better the terminal's communication status, the lower the communication latency required for the terminal to execute computing tasks; conversely, the worse the terminal's communication status, the higher the communication latency required for the terminal to execute computing tasks.

[0120] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, there is a threshold value corresponding to the communication state. When the communication state of the terminal is better than the threshold value, the terminal's communication energy consumption is lower and the communication latency is lower, so the cloud computing mode can be selected. Conversely, when the communication state of the terminal is worse than the threshold value, considering that the terminal's communication energy consumption is higher and the communication latency is longer, the end computing mode can be selected.

[0121] In one implementation, the first information may be used to indicate, with reference to the computing power required for the terminal to perform the computing task, the conditions of a communication state that the terminal must at least satisfy for the transmission to perform the computing task, wherein, when the conditions of the communication state are met, the transmission power consumption of the terminal performing the computing task will be lower than the computing power consumption of the terminal performing the computing task. For example, the conditions may be indexed as reference information related to a threshold value of the communication state that the terminal must at least satisfy for the transmission to perform the computing task, or as index parameters corresponding to the required communication state.

[0122] For example, the first information may be used to indicate at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Reference Signal to Interference Plus Noise Ratio (SINR), Reference Path Loss, Transmit Power, and Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS).

[0123] Optionally, the reference information indicated by the first information mentioned above may correspond to different carriers. That is, the reference information corresponding to different carriers may be different, meaning that the reference information may be associated with a specific carrier. For example, when an access network node has multiple serving carriers, it is necessary to provide reference values ​​for any of the above reference information based on different serving carriers.

[0124] In one implementation, the edge-cloud mode can be switched as needed, such as switching from edge mode to cloud mode or vice versa. This application provides a decision-making and execution method for access network nodes to switch between edge and cloud modes, which can improve the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, improve the communication performance of services, and enhance user experience.

[0125] For example, when the computation task of the first service is executed by a network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit the computation data corresponding to the computation task. Conversely, if the computation task is executed by a terminal, the first transmission channel does not need to transmit the computation data corresponding to the computation task of the first service, and the terminal can suspend the transmission of data related to the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0126] In one implementation, the access network node obtains first information in step 401, which may optionally include the following steps.

[0127] 401-1: The terminal sends the first information to the access network node.

[0128] Correspondingly, the access network node obtains the first information, including: the access network node receives the first information from the terminal.

[0129] For example, the first information can be carried in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, that is, the terminal can send the first information to the access network node through an RRC message.

[0130] Alternatively, in scenarios where a terminal switches access network nodes, such as when the terminal switches from a source access network node to a target access network node, the source access network node can send first information to the target access network node (such as the access network node described in step 401), and correspondingly, the (target) access network node receives the first information from the source access network node. Here, the source access network node is the access network node that provided services to the terminal before the terminal performed the access network node switch.

[0131] 402: The access network node determines the second information based on the first information. The second information is used to trigger the terminal to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0132] As described above, the first information can be used to indicate the minimum communication state conditions required for the terminal to execute the computing task. Therefore, the access network node can determine whether the conditions indicated by the first information, combined with the communication state between the terminal and the access network node in the current or future period, can be met, thereby deciding whether the computing task corresponding to the first service is executed by the terminal side or by the network side.

[0133] It should be understood that the communication status between the terminal and the access network node can include communication status-related parameter information, such as the aforementioned RSRP, SNR, SINR, reference path loss, or transmit power. The access network device can obtain relevant parameter information about the terminal's communication status in the first time period based on the terminal's reference signal measurement results. For example, the terminal can measure the reference signal to obtain measurement results, such as RSRP, SNR, or SINR, and send the measurement results to the access network node. Optionally, the terminal's communication status in the first time period may also include network-side (such as access network nodes, core network elements, etc.) load information, network scheduling algorithms, and other related information as auxiliary information for determining the second information, thereby improving the accuracy of the access network node in determining the status of the first transmission channel.

[0134] In one implementation, the access network node can determine whether the communication status between the terminal and the access network node meets the first condition indicated by the first information based on the indication of the first information, thereby determining the second information. For example, if the access network node determines that the communication status between the terminal and the access network node meets the first condition indicated by the first information, the terminal can send the computational data required to perform the computational task to the access network node through the first transmission channel. That is, the second information can be used to trigger the terminal to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel; in other words, the access network node decides that the computational task corresponding to the first service shall be executed by the network side.

[0135] Conversely, if the access network node determines that the communication status between the terminal and the access network node does not meet the first condition indicated by the first information, the access network node can trigger the terminal to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel through the second information; that is, the access network node decides that the computing task corresponding to the first service shall be executed by the network side.

[0136] In one possible implementation, the access network node determines whether the communication status between the terminal and the access network node meets the first condition indicated by the first information, including: the access network node can determine whether the communication status between the terminal and the access network node within a first time period meets the first condition indicated by the first information, thereby determining whether the computing task corresponding to the first service is executed by the terminal side or by the network side, that is, determining the second information.

[0137] In one implementation, the first information may further indicate a first duration, which can be used to indicate the minimum duration of the communication state required for the terminal to perform the computation task. That is, if the communication state between the terminal and the access network node satisfies the first condition indicated by the first information and lasts for at least the first duration, the terminal can send the computational data required to perform the computational task to the access network node through the first transmission channel within that first duration. In other words, when the communication state between the terminal and the access network node satisfies the first condition and lasts for the first duration, the access network node can determine to activate the first transmission channel based on this; that is, the first duration can be used to indicate the effective duration of the communication state required for the access network device to activate the first transmission channel.

[0138] In one implementation, the access network node determines the second information based on the first information, which may include: if the communication status of the terminal during a first time period meets a first condition, and the duration of the first time period is greater than or equal to the first duration indicated by the first information, then the second information is used to trigger the transmission of data for the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel. The first condition is obtained based on at least one reference information in the first information.

[0139] Conversely, if the communication status of the terminal in the first time period does not meet the first condition, or the duration of the first time period is less than the first duration indicated by the first information, then the second information is used to trigger the suspension of the first service's data transmission on the first transmission channel.

[0140] In one implementation, the communication state of the terminal during a first time period satisfies a first condition, which may include at least one of the following: the reference signal received power (e.g., average reference signal received power or minimum reference signal received power) of the terminal during the first time period is greater than or equal to the reference signal received power indicated by the first information; the reference signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the terminal during the first time period (e.g., average reference SNR or minimum reference SNR) of the terminal during the first time period is greater than or equal to the reference SNR indicated by the first information; the reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINNR) of the terminal during the first time period (e.g., average reference SINNR or minimum reference SINNR) of the terminal during the first time period is greater than or equal to the reference SINNR indicated by the first information; the reference path loss (e.g., average reference path loss or maximum reference path loss) of the terminal during the first time period is less than or equal to the reference path loss indicated by the first information; the transmission power (e.g., average transmission power or maximum transmission power) of the terminal during the first time period is less than or equal to the transmission power indicated by the first information; the efficiency of the modulation and coding scheme of the terminal is higher than that of the modulation and coding scheme indicated by the first information, etc.

[0141] In one implementation, the second information can be used to indicate whether the computation task of the first service is executed by the terminal or by the network-side device. That is, the second information can be used to indicate the state of the end-to-cloud mode, such as indicating end-to-end mode or cloud mode. Optionally, S402 can also be understood as the access network node determining whether the computation task of the first service is executed by the terminal or the network-side device based on the first information, and generating the corresponding second information.

[0142] For example, the second information can be indicated by a single bit. A bit set to 1 indicates that the computational task of the first service is executed by the terminal, i.e., terminal mode; a bit set to 0 indicates that the computational task of the first service is executed by the network side, i.e., cloud mode; or vice versa. This application does not limit this.

[0143] Alternatively, the second information can be used to instruct the activation or deactivation of the first data transmission channel. Optionally, S402 can also be understood as the access network node determining whether to activate or deactivate the first data transmission channel based on the first information and generating corresponding second information.

[0144] Activating the first transmission channel instructs the terminal to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel. Deactivating the first transmission channel instructs the terminal to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel; that is, the terminal can stop sending the calculation data of the first service to the access network node on the first transmission channel.

[0145] For example, the second information can be indicated by a single bit, where a bit set to 1 indicates activation of the first data transmission channel; a bit set to 0 indicates activation of the first data transmission channel; or vice versa. This application does not limit this.

[0146] In other words, the second information used to trigger the terminal to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel, can be understood as follows: after the access network node sends the aforementioned second information to the terminal, the terminal learns that the terminal or the network-side device will perform the calculation task of the first service; or, the terminal learns that the first data transmission channel is activated or deactivated, and accordingly sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0147] It should be understood that the transmission channel in the embodiments of this application may include a Data Radio Bearer (DRB), a communication session such as a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session, or a Quality of Service (QoS) stream. Here, a QoS stream refers to a data transmission channel defined in a communication network to meet specific quality of service requirements.

[0148] In one implementation, the first transmission channel described in this application embodiment may include a first DRB, a first PDU session, or a first QoS stream.

[0149] In one implementation, the second information may include at least one of the following: indication information of a first DRB, indication information of a first session, such as indication information of a first PDU session, or indication information of a first QoS flow, for identifying a first data transmission channel that triggers activation or deactivation.

[0150] For example, the indication information of a DRB can be in the form of an identifier corresponding to the DRB, a DRB index number, or a DRB bitmap indication. Correspondingly, the indication information of the first PDU session or the first QoS flow can also be in the form of a corresponding identifier, index number, or bitmap indication. This application does not limit the specific indication method.

[0151] 403: The access network node sends a second message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second message.

[0152] 404: The terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel according to the second information, or suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0153] In one implementation, the process of a terminal requesting a first service includes an access network node configuring the terminal to establish a bearer, which is used by the terminal to transmit uplink and downlink data corresponding to the first service. In other words, the terminal establishes a first transmission channel with the access network node.

[0154] For example, establishing a first transmission channel may include establishing a DRB, such as establishing a first DRB. This first DRB can serve as a channel between the terminal and the access network node for transmitting service data. As mentioned above, the first service corresponds to the first PDU session and / or the first QoS flow. In other words, there is a mapping relationship between the first PDU session and the first DRB, and it can be seen that there is a mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the first DRB.

[0155] It should be understood that, since there is a mapping relationship between DRB and PDU session / QoS flow, the activation or deactivation of the first transmission channel in this embodiment can be understood as the activation or deactivation of DRB, or as the activation / deactivation of PDU session / QoS flow.

[0156] Based on the above, the second information sent by the access network node to the terminal can be understood as a status indication or switching indication of the first transmission channel, or a status indication or switching indication of the end-cloud mode of the computing task. Optionally, the status indication or switching indication can also be understood as an activation or deactivation indication of the PDU session / QoS flow / bearer.

[0157] In one implementation, the initial state of the first transmission channel is either an active state or a deactivated state.

[0158] Optionally, the initial state of the first transmission channel can be an active state, that is, after the first transmission channel is established, the terminal can execute cloud computing mode and send the computing data corresponding to the first service to the cloud server through the first transmission channel, and the cloud server will perform the calculation.

[0159] Optionally, the initial state of the first transmission channel can be a deactivated state, that is, after the first transmission channel is established, the terminal can execute the end-to-end computing mode, that is, the terminal uses its own computing resources to execute the computing tasks included in the first service.

[0160] In another implementation, the first transmission channel can be configured with a default state, such as an active state or a deactivated state. This default state can be understood as being agreed upon by the protocol and does not require additional instruction.

[0161] In one implementation, the second information may further include a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel. After the second duration expires or times out, the state of the first transmission channel can switch to a default state (or initial state). For example, if the default state of the first transmission channel is active, the terminal switches the state of the first transmission channel to deactivation based on the indication of the second information, suspending data transmission for the first service on the first transmission channel. Conversely, if the default state of the first transmission channel is deactivation, the terminal switches the state of the first transmission channel to active based on the indication of the second information, and the terminal sends the computational data required for the first service to the access network node on the first transmission channel.

[0162] In another implementation, the second duration can be agreed upon by the protocol or pre-configured, in which case the second information may not include the second duration. The terminal can internally start a timer with the duration set to the second duration, and after the timer expires, it switches to the default state (or initial state).

[0163] In one implementation, the terminal and the access network node can agree on or pre-configure the initial state of the first transmission channel through a protocol. For example, the protocol can stipulate that the initial state of the transmission channel established between the terminal and the access network node is active, meaning that after the first transmission channel is established, the terminal can transmit the computing data corresponding to the computing task to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and the cloud server will execute the computing task. Alternatively, the initial state of the first transmission channel established between the terminal and the access network node can be deactivated, meaning that after the first transmission channel is established, the terminal will not transmit the computing data corresponding to the computing task to the access network node through the first transmission channel temporarily.

[0164] In one implementation, the access network node or core network can send an indication of the initial state of the first transmission channel to the terminal, the initial state being either an active state or a deactivated state.

[0165] Upon receiving the deactivation command, the terminal can complete the data transmission of the current task, suspend the uplink data transmission of the first data transmission channel, and then send an indication message to the upper layer. After the second timeout period expires, the state of the first transmission channel can be switched to the default state, such as the active state.

[0166] Another possible implementation is that the first transmission channel is configured with an initial state or a default state, and the initial state or default state is active. That is, unless otherwise specified, the terminal can send uplink data for computing services through this first transmission channel by default. For this design, the second information sent by the access network node only includes a deactivation instruction.

[0167] For example, such as Figure 7As shown, in a scenario where the first transmission channel is configured in its initial state (or default state), if the initial state is active, the terminal can switch the first transmission channel to the deactivated state after receiving a deactivation instruction. If the second duration included in the deactivation instruction expires, the terminal can switch the first transmission channel back to its initial state (or default state), i.e., the active state.

[0168] In another example, such as Figure 7 As shown, in a scenario where the first transmission channel is not configured with an initial state (or default state), after the first transmission channel is established, the terminal can send data for the first service through the first transmission channel until it receives a deactivation instruction. At this point, the terminal can switch the first transmission channel to a deactivation state, suspending data transmission for the first service on the first transmission channel. Conversely, the terminal can switch the first transmission channel to an activation state after receiving an activation instruction.

[0169] For example, scenario one: the first transmission channel switches from an active state to a deactivated state.

[0170] If the initial state (or prior state) of the first transmission channel is active, the access network node sends a second message to the terminal instructing it to deactivate. After receiving the second message, the terminal can first complete the data transmission of the current computing task, and then suspend the data transmission on the first transmission channel. In this embodiment, suspending the data transmission on the transmission channel only includes suspending the transmission of uplink data.

[0171] It should be understood that the data transmission for the aforementioned computational task refers to the transmission of application data and does not include the transmission of L2 control PDUs. For example, data transmission on the suspended transmission channel does not include the transmission of control PDUs at the suspended Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer or the transmission of control PDUs at the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. The normal downlink data reception process of such control PDUs is necessary.

[0172] It should be understood that this application takes into account that such computing services are provided at the granularity of individual tasks. If only a portion of the computing data required for a computing task is sent, the network side cannot complete the computing task based on the partial computing data. Therefore, it is considered that after receiving the deactivation instruction, if the data of a single computing task has not been completely sent, the data transmission of the computing task will continue to be completed.

[0173] Optionally, the second information can be carried in a MAC CE, meaning the deactivation indication can be a MAC CE that includes indication information for the first transmission channel and deactivation indication information. If the first transmission channel includes a PDU session or a QoS stream, the MAC CE can include indication information for the PDU session / QoS stream and deactivation indication information.

[0174] Optionally, within the terminal, after receiving the deactivation instruction, the terminal's Access Stratum (AS) can also send instruction information to an upper layer, such as a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) or an application layer. For example, this instruction information can be used to indicate the edge computing mode, such as indicating that the current computing mode is edge computing.

[0175] For example, scenario two: the first transmission channel switches from a deactivated state to an activated state.

[0176] If the initial state (or previous state) of the first transmission channel is in a deactivated state, the second information sent by the access network node to the terminal indicates activation. After receiving the second information, the terminal can resume data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0177] Optionally, within the terminal, the terminal's AS layer can send indication information to the upper layer (such as the NAS layer or the application layer). For example, this indication information can be used to indicate the cloud computing mode, such as indicating that the current cloud computing mode is in use, and waiting for the data to be computed for the subsequent first service to arrive before uplink data transmission is carried out through the first transmission channel.

[0178] For example, the deactivation instruction of the second information indication may also correspond to a valid duration, such as a second duration, which may be agreed upon by the protocol or pre-configured, or may be carried in the deactivation instruction.

[0179] In the above embodiments, the access network node obtains reference information related to the terminal's communication energy consumption. Since the access network node has a more comprehensive understanding of the communication status between the terminal and the access network than the terminal, it can more accurately determine whether to transmit the data of the first service through the transmission channel between the terminal and the access network node based on the above reference information and communication status. In other words, the access network node can more accurately decide whether the computing service should be executed by the terminal or the network, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, improving the communication performance of the service, and enhancing the user experience.

[0180] In one implementation, the decision on which entity executes the computing task included in the first service on the terminal can be made by the terminal itself, by the access network device, or by other possible network elements or nodes. In practical applications, the decision-maker can be agreed upon through protocols or pre-configured, such as by agreeing through protocols that the access network device can make the decision for computing services. Alternatively, the core network can send indication information to the access network node, indicating that the access network node supports determining the executor of the computing task, such as determining the end-to-end cloud mode or determining the status of the first transmission channel.

[0181] Optionally, the method may also include the following steps.

[0182] 400: The first network element sends third information to the access network node. The third information is used to indicate that the access network node can determine the status of the first transmission channel.

[0183] Correspondingly, the access network node obtains third information. The first network element can be a core network element, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element or other network elements in the core network. This application does not limit this.

[0184] For example, the AMF network element can send third information to the access network node. The third information may include information about the PDU session corresponding to the first service. Optionally, the third information may indicate service type information or service attributes, such as indicating computing type services, thereby indirectly indicating support for the access network node to determine the end-to-cloud mode and / or determine the status of the first transmission channel.

[0185] In one implementation, the third information may include QoS information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service. For example, the third information is used to indicate the QoS information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service, such as the QoS information may include at least one of the following: the data size of the data unit set (e.g., burst size), the transmission delay of the data unit set (e.g., burst delay), or the transmission rate of the data unit set (e.g., burst bit rate), etc.

[0186] In this implementation, the process of the access network node determining the second information based on the first information in step 402 can include: the access network node determining the second information based on the first information and the third information.

[0187] In one implementation, in a scenario where a terminal switches access network nodes, such as when the terminal switches from a source access network node to a target access network node, the source access network node can send third information to the target access network node (such as the access network node described in step 401). Correspondingly, the (target) access network node receives the third information from the source access network node. The source access network node is the access network node that provided services to the terminal before the terminal performed the access network node switch.

[0188] Optionally, the timing relationship between steps 401 and 400 described above is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0189] In addition, the access network node in the above embodiments can be adopted as follows: Figure 2 or Figure 3 In the open RAN (such as ORAN) architecture shown above, the actions performed by the access network nodes in the above embodiments need to be completed by different nodes in the open RAN architecture. Figure 3 In the open RAN architecture shown, the access network nodes include CU and DU. The following section will discuss this further. Figure 8 As shown, an implementation method applied to the Open RAN architecture is introduced.

[0190] like Figure 8 As shown, a communication method is provided for interaction between a terminal, a CU, and a DU. Optionally, the CU can be replaced with a CU-CP. Optionally, the communication method may also include interaction with a first network element of the core network. Exemplarily, the first network element can be an AMF network element.

[0191] 801: The terminal establishes the first transmission channel with the CU node.

[0192] The CU generates the configuration for the first transmission channel for the terminal, completes the configuration interaction with the terminal, and establishes the first transmission channel.

[0193] Optionally, step 800 may also be included: the first network element sends third information to the CU, indicating support for the DU to determine the status of the first transmission channel.

[0194] For example, the third information may indicate service type information or service attributes, such as indicating computing type services, thereby indirectly indicating support for the cloud-end mode determined by the DU and / or the status of the first transmission channel.

[0195] Optionally, the third information sent by the first network element to the CU may further include information about the PDU session corresponding to the first service. In one embodiment, the third information may include QoS information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service.

[0196] Please refer to the relevant description of step 401-2 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0197] 802: The terminal sends reference information related to its communication power consumption to the CU. Correspondingly, the CU receives the reference information related to the terminal's communication power consumption.

[0198] The reference information related to the terminal's communication power consumption corresponds to the first information described in the aforementioned embodiments. For example, the terminal can send the first information to the CU via an RRC message. If the RRC message includes the first information, it indicates the reference information related to the terminal's communication power consumption. The content of the first information can be referred to the relevant description in step 401 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0199] In an open RAN architecture, the RRC protocol layer resides at the CU. Therefore, RRC messages sent by the terminal are transmitted between the terminal and the CU. However, the CU cannot directly communicate with the terminal; the signal transmission and reception of RRC messages still need to be completed through the DU. In other words, the terminal forwards the RRC message to the CU via the DU. During the DU forwarding process, the DU cannot parse the RRC message.

[0200] 803: The CU sends reference information about the terminal's communication power consumption to the DU. Correspondingly, the DU receives the reference information about the terminal's communication power consumption.

[0201] After the CU parses the first information included in the RRC message, it can send the first information to the DU through the interface message between the CU and the DU.

[0202] Optionally, step 803-1 may also be included: the CU sends the terminal's reference signal measurement results to the DU.

[0203] For example, the terminal performs a measurement of the reference signal, obtains measurement results such as RSRP and SINR, and sends the measurement results to the CU via an RRC message, so that the DU can determine the second information based on the measurement results.

[0204] 804:DU determines the second information based on the first information.

[0205] The specific implementation process of DU determining the second information can be referred to the relevant description of step 402 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0206] 805: DU sends a second message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second message.

[0207] 806: The terminal determines whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel based on the second information. That is, in response to the second information, the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0208] Steps 805 and 806 can be referred to the relevant descriptions of steps 403 and 403 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] In another implementation, the action of determining the second information in step 804 above may also be performed by the near-real-time RIC. In this case, the DU can send the first information, the measurement result of the terminal's reference signal, the third information, etc. to the near-real-time RIC, and the near-real-time RIC will make a decision to determine the second information and send the second information to the DU, and then the DU will send it to the terminal, so that the terminal determines the state of the first transmission channel based on the second information.

[0210] The embodiments described above enable access network nodes, such as DUs, to flexibly decide on the end-to-cloud mode based on reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal in an open RAN architecture scenario. This means determining the executor of the computing task, thereby ensuring that the communication latency of the terminal's computing task can be maintained at a stable level, improving communication performance and guaranteeing the user's service experience.

[0211] The above mainly describes the solution provided in this application from the perspective of interaction between various nodes. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be one of the communication devices or nodes in the above method embodiments, or a component such as a chip that can be used in the above communication devices or nodes.

[0212] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the unit and algorithm operations of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0213] It should be understood that the above description is merely an example illustrating the interactions between various network element nodes. In reality, the processing performed by the aforementioned communication devices or nodes is not limited to being performed by a single network element.

[0214] This application can divide the communication device into functional modules based on the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one module or unit. These modules or units can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It is understood that the module or unit division in this application is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0215] In addition, this application also provides a communication device. Figure 9 A possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in an embodiment of this application is shown. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described above.

[0216] In one possible design, the communication device 900 includes a communication unit 901 and a processing unit 902. Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a storage unit 903 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0217] The communication device 900 can be the access network node or terminal described in the above embodiments, or the communication module / processing module in the access network node or terminal, or the circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the access network node or terminal, etc.

[0218] For example, in one embodiment, the communication device 900 can be the access network node described in the above embodiments.

[0219] The communication unit 901 can be used to acquire first information, which is used to indicate reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal.

[0220] The processing unit 902 can be used to determine second information based on the first information, the second information being used to trigger the transmission of data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or to suspend the transmission of data of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0221] The communication unit 901 can also be used to send second information to the terminal.

[0222] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0223] In one implementation, the first service includes a computing task, which is executed by the terminal or by a network-side device; wherein, when the computing task is executed by the network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit computing data corresponding to the computing task.

[0224] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate that the computational task of the first service is performed by the terminal or by the network-side device.

[0225] In one embodiment, the communication unit 901 can also be used to acquire third information, which indicates support for the access network node to determine the status of the first transmission channel. The processing unit 902 can be used to determine the second information based on the first information and the third information.

[0226] In one implementation, the third information includes service quality information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service, and the service quality information includes at least one of the following: the data size of the data unit set, the transmission delay of the data unit set, or the transmission rate of the data unit set.

[0227] In one implementation, the initial state of the first transmission channel is either an active state or a deactivated state.

[0228] In one embodiment, the communication unit 901 can also be used to send an indication of the initial state of the first transmission channel to the terminal, wherein the initial state is an active state or a deactivated state.

[0229] In one implementation, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: reference signal received power, reference signal-to-noise ratio, reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, reference path loss, transmit power, modulation and coding scheme, or a first duration; wherein the first duration is used to indicate the effective duration for determining the communication state required to activate the first transmission channel.

[0230] In one embodiment, the processing unit 902 can be configured to: if it is determined that the communication status of the terminal in a first time period meets a first condition, and the duration of the first time period is greater than or equal to the first duration indicated by the first information, then the second information is used to trigger the transmission of data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel; wherein, the first condition is obtained based on at least one reference information in the first information; if the communication status of the terminal in the first time period does not meet the first condition, then the second information is used to trigger the suspension of the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0231] In one implementation, the first transmission channel includes a first data radio bearer, a first session, or a first quality of service (QoS) stream; the second information includes at least one of the following: indication information of the first data radio bearer, indication information of the first session, or indication information of the first QoS stream.

[0232] In one implementation, the second information includes a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel, and the state of the first transmission channel switches after the second duration expires or times out.

[0233] In one embodiment, the communication unit 901 can also be used to receive the first information from the terminal, or to receive the first information from a source access network node; wherein the source access network node is a node that provides services to the terminal before the terminal performs an access network node handover.

[0234] In one embodiment, the communication unit 901 can also be used to receive the third information from a network element of the core network, or to receive the third information from a source access network node; wherein the source access network node is a node that provides services to the terminal before the terminal performs an access node handover.

[0235] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the communication device 900 may be the terminal described in the above embodiments.

[0236] The communication unit 901 can be used to receive second information from the access network node; wherein the second information is determined based on reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal.

[0237] The processing unit 902 can be used to, in response to the second information, trigger the transmission of data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or suspend the transmission of data of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0238] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

[0239] In one implementation, the first service includes a computing task, which is executed by the terminal or by a network-side device; wherein, when the computing task is executed by the network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit computing data corresponding to the computing task.

[0240] In one implementation, the second information is used to indicate that the computational task of the first service is performed by the terminal or by the network-side device.

[0241] In one implementation, the initial state of the first transmission channel is either an active state or a deactivated state.

[0242] In one embodiment, the communication unit 901 can also be used to receive an indication of the initial state of the first transmission channel, wherein the initial state is an active state or a deactivated state.

[0243] In one implementation, the first transmission channel includes a first data radio bearer, a first session, or a first quality of service (QoS) stream; the second information includes at least one of the following: indication information of the first data radio bearer, indication information of the first session, or indication information of the first QoS stream.

[0244] In one implementation, the second information includes a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel.

[0245] In one implementation, when the second duration expires or expires, the processing unit 902 can be used to switch the state of the first transmission channel.

[0246] In one embodiment, the communication unit 901 can also be used to send first information to the access network node, the first information being used to indicate reference information related to the communication power consumption of the terminal, so that the access network node can determine the second information based on the first information.

[0247] In one implementation, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: reference signal received power, reference signal-to-noise ratio, reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, reference path loss, transmit power, modulation and coding scheme, or a first duration; wherein the first duration is used to indicate the effective duration of the reference value related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal.

[0248] In one possible design, when the communication device 900 is a communication module in a terminal or network device, the function of the processing unit 902 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The function of the communication unit 901 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0249] In one possible design, when the communication device 900 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal or network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 902 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 901 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0250] In one possible design, when the communication device 900 is a processing module in a terminal or network device, the functionality of the processing unit 902 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a GPU, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a GPU. Alternatively, the processor may include an AI processor, or a SoC or SIP chip containing an AI processor. Or, the processor may include an ASIC, or a SoC or SIP chip containing an ASIC. The functionality of the communication unit 901 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0251] In one possible design, when the communication device 900 is a circuit or chip responsible for processing functions in a terminal or network device, such as a GPU or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a GPU, an AI processor or a SoC or SIP chip containing an AI processor, or an ASIC or a SoC or SIP chip containing an ASIC, the function of the processing unit 902 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 901 can be implemented by interface circuits or data transceiver circuits on the aforementioned chip.

[0252] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0253] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0254] In one example, storage unit 903 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0255] It is understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented by software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a SoC (System-on-a-Chip) or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0256] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

[0257] See Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The terminal 1000 can correspond to the terminal in the aforementioned embodiments. Figure 10 As shown, the terminal 1000 includes: one or more antennas 1010, a radio frequency processing system 1020, and a processor system 1030.

[0258] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 1020 receives RF signals through the antenna 1010 and sends the RF-processed signals to the processor system 1030 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 1030 processes the information from the terminal 1000 side and sends it to the RF processing system 1020, which then processes the signal and transmits it through the antenna 1010.

[0259] In one example, the RF processing system 1020 serves as the communication interface for external communication of the terminal 1000, and may include an RF front end (RFFE) 1021 and an RF transceiver 1022. The RFFE 1021 is primarily used for one or more processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain adjustment, on the RF signals received by the antenna or those to be transmitted through the antenna. It may include one or more components such as RF switches, duplexers, filters, power amplifiers, antenna tuners, and low-noise amplifiers. The RFFE 1021 can be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete devices, or it can be integrated and packaged into one or more chips. The RF transceiver 1022 processes the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 1030, and processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 1030 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 1021. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 1022 and the processor system 1030 can be digital or analog signals. The radio frequency transceiver 1022 can be implemented by one or more chips, which are commonly referred to as radio frequency chips (RFICs).

[0260] In one example, processor system 1030 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, processor system 1030 may also include memory 1036. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 1031 (also known as a modem processor). Memory 1036 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, processor system 1030 may also include one or more application processors 1032 for implementing processing of the terminal 1000 operating system and application layer. Application processor 1032 may include, for example, a GPU, AI processor, or ASIC. Optionally, processor system 1030 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 1033, a multimedia subsystem 1034, or an interface circuit 1035. The voice subsystem 1033 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 1034 is used to handle multimedia-related operations, such as video encoding / decoding, image processing, etc., and the interface circuit 1035 is used to implement communication with other device components, such as a display 1040, an input device 1050, memory 1060, etc. The aforementioned components in the processor system 1030 can communicate with each other via a bus or communication interface circuit.

[0261] In one example, the processor system 1030 can be packaged as a single processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 1030 can be a system composed of multiple chips, for example, the baseband processor 1031 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged with part or all of the circuitry of the radio frequency processing system into a single chip.

[0262] In one example, memory 1036 can be on-chip memory, i.e., located on the processor system 1030 chip. In another example, memory 1060 can be off-chip memory, i.e. located outside the processor system 1030 chip.

[0263] In one example, the baseband processor 1031 may include one or more processor cores 10311 and interface circuitry 10314. The one or more processor cores 10311 are used to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 1031 may also include a memory 10312 for storing at least a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 10311 implement the relevant operations (such as…) in the above method embodiments by executing the computer program instructions stored in the memory 10312. In this disclosure, memory 10312 is used to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. This can mean that memory 10312 stores all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for execution by processor core 10311; or it can mean that memory 10312 stores a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, including the computer program instructions and / or data currently required to be executed by processor core 10311. Memory 10312 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for execution by processor core 10311 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. Interface circuit 10314 serves as a communication interface for communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with radio frequency processing system 1020, communicating with other subsystems and related components of processor system 1030 via bus, such as transmitting data control signals with application processor 1032, and transmitting data or computer program instructions with memory 1036 or memory 1060. Optionally, in order to reduce the load on the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 10313 can be set to perform at least some baseband signal processing, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding or decoding.

[0264] In one example, the communication device provided in this application may be a terminal 1000, a communication module including a processor system 1030 and a radio frequency system 1020, or a baseband processor 1031.

[0265] The processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit, or processor core mentioned above can be collectively referred to as a processor. The processor may include one or more of the following: central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), microprocessor unit (MPU), microcontroller unit (MCU), graphics processing unit (GPU), field programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), artificial intelligence processor (AI processor), or neural processing unit (NPU).

[0266] The aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the aforementioned memory 1060 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal 1000 is running, the corresponding computer program instructions may be partially or wholly loaded onto a memory with a faster transfer speed than the processor, such as at least a portion of the memory 1036 and / or memory 10312 (e.g., one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, RERAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for the processor to execute in order to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0267] In one example, the RF transceiver 1022 and the RF front-end 1021 can also be packaged in a single chip. In another example, the RF transceiver 1022, the RF front-end 1021, and the baseband processor 1031 can also be packaged in a single chip.

[0268] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC; "at least one of A, B, and C" can also be understood as including A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0269] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0270] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0271] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0272] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0273] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

[0274] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instructions in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system further includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0275] Optionally, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device in any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the hard disk or memory of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the communication device. Further, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the aforementioned computer program and other programs and data required by the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0276] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0277] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0278] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0279] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to access network nodes, the method includes: Obtain first information, which is used to indicate reference information related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal; The second information is determined based on the first information. The second information is used to trigger the terminal to send the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or to suspend the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel. Send the second information to the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first service includes a computing task, which is executed by the terminal, or the computing task is executed by a network-side device; When the computing task is executed by a network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit the computing data corresponding to the computing task.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate whether the computing task of the first service is performed by the terminal or by the network-side device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain third information, which is used to indicate support for determining the status of the first transmission channel by the access network node; The second information is determined based on the first information, including: The second information is determined based on the first information and the third information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The third information includes service quality information of the data unit set corresponding to the first service, and the service quality information includes at least one of the following: The data size of the data unit set, the transmission delay of the data unit set, or the transmission rate of the data unit set.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The initial state of the first transmission channel is either active or deactivated.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send an indication of the initial state of the first transmission channel to the terminal, wherein the initial state is an active state or a deactivated state.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The reference signal received power, reference signal-to-noise ratio, reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, reference path loss, transmit power, modulation and coding scheme, or first duration; wherein the first duration is used to indicate the effective duration for determining the communication state required to activate the first transmission channel.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The determination of the second information includes: If the communication status of the terminal meets the first condition during the first time period, and the duration of the first time period is greater than or equal to the first duration indicated by the first information, then the second information is used to trigger the transmission of data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel; wherein, the first condition is obtained based on at least one reference information in the first information; If the communication status of the terminal during the first time period does not meet the first condition, the second information is used to trigger the suspension of the first service's data transmission on the first transmission channel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first transmission channel includes a first data radio bearer, a first session, or a first Quality of Service (QoS) stream; The second information includes at least one of the following: The indication information of the first data radio bearer, the indication information of the first session, or the indication information of the first QoS stream.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The second information includes a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel. After the second duration expires or times out, the state of the first transmission channel switches.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The acquisition of the first information includes: The first information is received from the terminal, or from the source access network node; wherein the source access network node is the node that provided services to the terminal before the terminal performed the access network node handover.

14. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The acquisition of third information includes: The third information is received from a network element in the core network, or from a source access network node; wherein the source access network node is the node that provided services to the terminal before the terminal performed the access node handover.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, which applies to a chip or module in a terminal or a terminal, includes: Receive second information from the access network node; wherein the second information is determined based on reference information related to the communication power consumption of the terminal; In response to the second information, the data of the first service is sent to the access network node through the first transmission channel, or the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel is suspended.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first transmission channel; wherein activating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal sends the data of the first service to the access network node through the first transmission channel, and deactivating the first transmission channel indicates that the terminal suspends the data transmission of the first service on the first transmission channel.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The first service includes a computing task, which is executed by the terminal, or the computing task is executed by a network-side device; When the computing task is executed by a network-side device, the first transmission channel is used to transmit the computing data corresponding to the computing task.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate whether the computing task of the first service is performed by the terminal or by the network-side device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The initial state of the first transmission channel is either active or deactivated.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15-19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive an indication of the initial state of the first transmission channel, wherein the initial state is an active state or a deactivated state.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15-20, characterized in that, The first transmission channel includes a first data radio bearer, a first session, or a first Quality of Service (QoS) stream; The second information includes at least one of the following: The indication information of the first data radio bearer, the indication information of the first session, or the indication information of the first QoS stream.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15-21, characterized in that, The second information includes a second duration, which indicates the effective duration for activating or deactivating the first transmission channel.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the second duration expires or expires, the state of the first transmission channel is switched.

24. The method according to any one of claims 15-23, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send first information to the access network node, the first information being used to indicate reference information related to the communication power consumption of the terminal, so that the access network node can determine the second information based on the first information.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The reference signal received power, reference signal-to-noise ratio, reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, reference path loss, transmit power, modulation and coding scheme, or first duration; wherein, the first duration is used to indicate the effective duration of the reference value related to the communication energy consumption of the terminal.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, Used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-25.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-25 to be performed.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method as described in any one of claims 1-25 is performed.

29. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer program code, characterized in that, When the computer program code is run on a computer, the method as described in any one of claims 1-25 is performed.

Images