Method and apparatus for monitoring performance

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing and configuring performance monitoring are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of performing performance monitoring by a wireless communication node of a wireless communication system includes receiving a first message from a core network of the wireless communication system, and performing performance monitoring based on the first message, wherein the first message includes performance control information for at least one corresponding service flow, and wherein the performance control information includes at least one of a packet delay budget and at least one indicator.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for monitoring performance during wireless communications. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continued growth of global smartphone users, mobile data usage and traffic will continue to grow. In New Radio (NR), a new type of Quality of Service (QoS) is introduced to meet the needs of delay-sensitive services, such as intelligent transportation systems, decentralized automatic manufacturing systems, etc. The new type of QoS introduced in NR has a higher requirement on latency, and data packets that are not transmitted within a predetermined delay can be determined as discarded packets. However, the core network cannot obtain the status of QoS flows received or transmitted on the base station side with respect to preconfigured requirements, such as latency requirements, bit rate requirements, etc. Therefore, the core network cannot implement solutions to improve the performance of QoS flows on the base station side, such as base stations, Uu interfaces, F1 interfaces, centralized units of base stations, and distributed units of base stations. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method and apparatus for monitoring performance on the base station side in order to control the performance of QoS flows in wireless communications, such as changing priorities and releasing QoS flows. SUMMARY

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to address problems related to one or more of the problems presented in the prior art, as well as provide additional features that will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings. In accordance with various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed herein. It should be understood, however, that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and that modifications can be made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the disclosed embodiments while still remaining within the scope of the present invention.

[0004] In New Radio (NR), a new type of Quality of Service (QoS) is introduced to meet the needs of delay-sensitive services, such as intelligent transportation systems, decentralized automatic manufacturing systems, etc. The new type of QoS introduced in NR has a higher requirement on latency, and data packets that are not transmitted within a predetermined delay can be determined as discarded packets. However, the core network cannot obtain the status of QoS flows received or transmitted on the base station side with respect to preconfigured requirements, such as latency requirements, bit rate requirements, etc. Therefore, the core network cannot implement solutions to improve the performance of QoS flows on the base station side, such as base stations, Uu interfaces, F1 interfaces, centralized units of base stations, and distributed units of base stations. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method and apparatus for monitoring performance on the base station side in order to control the performance of QoS flows in wireless communications, such as changing priorities and releasing QoS flows.

[0005] In one embodiment, a method for performance monitoring by a wireless communication node of a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a first message from a core network of the wireless communication system; and performing performance monitoring in accordance with the first message, wherein the first message comprises performance control information for at least one corresponding service flow, wherein the performance control information comprises at least one of: a packet delay budget and at least one indicator.

[0006] In yet another embodiment, a method for configuring performance monitoring by a core network of a wireless communication system, comprising: sending a first message to a wireless communication node of the wireless communication system, wherein the first message comprises performance control information for at least one corresponding service flow, wherein the performance control information comprises at least one of: a packet delay budget and at least one indicator, and wherein the performance control information is used by the wireless communication node for performing performance monitoring.

[0007] In another embodiment, a computing device comprises at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the method.

[0008] In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing the method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Aspects of the disclosure can best be understood with reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the various features are not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions and geometries of the various features can be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion.

[0010] Figure 1A An exemplary wireless communication network is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 1B A block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2 A method for performance monitoring in a wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 3 A method for performance monitoring in a wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 4 A method for performance monitoring in a wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5A method for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 6 A method for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 7 A method for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Various exemplary embodiments of the present application are described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable persons having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present application. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after reading the present disclosure, various changes or modifications to the examples described herein can be practiced, consistent with the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described or illustrated herein. In addition, the particular order or hierarchy of steps in methods disclosed herein are merely examples. Based upon design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps disclosed and described herein can be re-arranged, while remaining within the scope of the present application. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or acts in a sample order, and the present application is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless specifically stated.

[0019] Embodiments of the present application are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Although the same or similar components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, they can be designated by different reference numerals as needed. Detailed descriptions of constructions or processes known to the art can be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present application. Furthermore, the terms are defined in consideration of their functions in the embodiments of the present application, and can vary according to the intention of a user or an operator, usage, etc. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the overall context of the specification.

[0020] Figure 1AAn exemplary wireless communication network 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In the wireless communication system, the network-side wireless communication node or base station (BS) 102 may be a Node B, an E-UTRA Node B (also known as an evolved Node B, eNodeB, or eNB), a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), a gNode B (also known as a gNB) in New Radio (NR) technology, a pico base station, a femtobase, or the like. The terminal-side communication device or user equipment (UE) 104 may be a long-range communication system, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or a short-range communication system, such as, for example, a wearable device, a vehicle with a vehicle communication system, and the like. The network communication node and the terminal-side communication device are represented by BS 102 and UE 104, respectively, and are referred to herein as “communication node” and “communication device” in all embodiments of the present disclosure. Such communication nodes and communication devices may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication according to various embodiments of the present invention. The wireless communication system may also include a core network, which further includes multiple network function (NF) entities. In the following text, the core network is referred to as CN 108. Note that all embodiments are merely preferred examples and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the system may include any desired combination of BS 102 and UE 104 while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0021] refer to Figure 1A The wireless communication network 100 includes a first BS 102-1, a second BS 102-2, a UE 104, and a CN 108. In some embodiments, the UE 104 forms direct communication (i.e., uplink) channels 103-1 and 103-2 with the first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2, respectively. In some embodiments, the UE 104 also forms direct communication (i.e., downlink) channels 105-1 and 105-2 with the first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2, respectively.

[0022] In some embodiments, CN 108 is a 5G core network (5GC). In some embodiments, CN 108 further includes at least one of the following network function (NF) entities: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), User Plane Function (UPF), and System Management Function (SMF). In some embodiments, CN 108 further includes Policy Control Function (PCF) and Unified Data Management (UDM). In some embodiments, the AMF supports at least one of the following: termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling, NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, and security context management. In some embodiments, the UPF supports at least one of the following: packet routing and forwarding, packet detection, Quality of Service (QoS) processing, acting as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnected with the Data Network (DN), and serving as an anchor point for mobility within and between Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, the SMF supports at least one of the following: session management (session establishment, modification, and publication), UE IP address allocation and management, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) functionality, termination of NAS signaling related to session management, downlink (DL) data notification, and UPF traffic-oriented configuration to achieve correct traffic routing. In some embodiments, the PCF supports at least one of the following: a unified policy framework, providing policy rules to control plane (CP) functions, and access to subscription information in the User Data Repository (UDR) for policy decisions. In some embodiments, the UDM supports at least one of the following: generation of authentication and key protocol (AKA) credentials, user identity processing, access authorization, and subscription management. In some embodiments, the first CN 108-1 has a CP and user plane (UP) split. In some embodiments, the UPF supports UP data processing, and the AMF, SMF, PCF, and UDM act as CP functions.

[0023] The first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2 are directly connected to CN 108 on the control plane (CP), i.e., the NG-C interface, and also connected to CN 108 on the user plane (UP) through the external interface 107, i.e., the NG-U interface. When the first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2 are each one of the following: gNB and ng-eNB, direct communication between the first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2 is via the Xn-U interface on the UP and the Xn-C interface on the CP, respectively. The first serving cell 110-1 is covered by the first BS 102-1; and the second serving cell 110-2 is covered by the second BS 102-2. In some embodiments, the second cell 110-2 is the primary cell of the second BS 102-2, and the first cell 110-1 is the primary cell of the first BS 102-1. In some embodiments, the first cell 110-1 and the second cell 110-2 are neighboring cells.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first BS 102-1 and / or the second BS 102-2 are divided into distribution units (DUs) and centralized units (CUs) on the UP, and direct communication between them is via the F1-U interface on the UP and the F1-C interface on the CP. In some embodiments, the CUs of BS 102 (e.g., the first BS 102-1 or the second BS 102-2) may be further divided into control planes (CPs) and user planes (UPs), and direct communication between them (i.e., CU-CP and CU-UP) is via the E1 interface. The direct communication channel between the UE 104 and the DUs of BS 102 can be via an interface such as the Uu interface, also known as the E-UTRAN air interface. In some embodiments, the UE 104 includes multiple transceivers, enabling the UE 104 to support multiple connectivity to receive data from the first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2 simultaneously.

[0025] Figure 1B A block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 150 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. System 150 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that do not need to be described in detail herein. In some embodiments, system 150 may be used in applications such as... Figure 1A The wireless communication network 100 transmits and receives data symbols in a wireless communication environment, as described above.

[0026] System 150 generally includes a first BS 102-1, a second BS 102-2, and a UE 104, which will be collectively referred to as BS 102 and UE 104 below for ease of discussion. Each of the first BS 102-1 and the second BS 102-2 includes a BS transceiver module 152, a BS antenna array 154, a BS memory module 156, a BS processor module 158, and a network interface 160. In the illustrated embodiment, each module of BS 102 is coupled and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 180. UE 104 includes a UE transceiver module 162, a UE antenna 164, a UE memory module 166, a UE processor module 168, and an I / O interface 169. In the illustrated embodiment, each module of UE 104 is coupled and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 190. BS 102 communicates with UE 104 via communication channel 192, which can be any wireless channel or other medium known in the art suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0027] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, in addition to Figure 1B In addition to the modules shown herein, system 150 may also include any number of modules. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described generally according to their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art can implement such functionality in a suitable manner for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0028] The wireless transmission from the transmit antenna of UE 104 to the receive antenna of BS 102 is referred to as uplink (UL) transmission, and the wireless transmission from the transmit antenna of BS 102 to the receive antenna of UE 104 is referred to as downlink (DL) transmission. According to some embodiments, UE transceiver 162 may be referred to herein as "uplink" transceiver 162, which includes RF transmitter and receiver circuitry coupled to each UE antenna 164. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, BS transceiver 152 may be referred to herein as "downlink" transceiver 152, which includes RF transmitter and receiver circuitry coupled to each antenna array 154. A downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna array 154 in a time-division duplex manner. The operation of the two transceivers 152 and 162 is time-coordinated, such that the uplink receiver is coupled to the uplink UE antenna 164 to receive transmissions via the wireless communication channel 193 simultaneously with the downlink transmitter being coupled to the downlink antenna array 154. Preferably, there is a tight synchronization timing with only a minimum guard time between changes in the duplex direction. The UE transceiver 162 communicates with the BS 102 via the wireless communication channel 192 through the UE antenna 164. The BS transceiver 152 communicates with another BS (e.g., the second BS 102-2) via the wireless communication channel 196 through the BS antenna 154 of the BS (e.g., the first BS 102-1). The wireless communication channel 196 can be any wireless channel suitable for direct communication between BSs or other media known in the art.

[0029] UE transceiver 162 and BS transceiver 152 are configured to communicate via wireless data communication channel 192 and cooperate with RF antenna arrangements 154 / 164 appropriately configured to support specific wireless communication protocols and modulation schemes. In some exemplary embodiments, UE transceiver 162 and BS transceiver 152 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards (e.g., NR). However, it should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in application to specific standards and associated protocols. Rather, UE transceiver 162 and BS transceiver 152 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0030] Processor modules 158 and 168 are implemented or constructed using a general-purpose processor, content-addressable memory, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof (designed to perform the functions described herein). In this way, the processor module can be implemented as a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine, or the like. The processor module can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors integrated with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0031] Furthermore, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 158 and 168 respectively, or any actual combination thereof. Memory modules 156 and 166 can be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 156 and 166 can be coupled to processor modules 158 and 168 respectively, such that processor modules 158 and 168 can read information from and write information to memory modules 156 and 166 respectively. Memory modules 156 and 166 can also be integrated into their respective processor modules 158 and 168. In some embodiments, memory modules 156 and 166 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by processor modules 158 and 168 respectively. Memory modules 156 and 166 may each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions executed by processor modules 158 and 168, respectively.

[0032] Network interface 160 typically represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of base station 102 that enable bidirectional communication between BS transceiver 152 and communication nodes and other network components configured to communicate with BS 102. For example, network interface 160 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX traffic. In a typical deployment, without limitation, network interface 160 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface, allowing BS transceiver 152 to communicate with a conventional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, network interface 160 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). As used herein with respect to a particular operation or function, the terms "configured for" or "configured to" mean a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc., physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform a specified operation or function. Network interface 160 may allow BS 102 to communicate with other BSs or CNs via wired or wireless connections.

[0033] Refer again Figure 1A As mentioned above, BS 102 repeatedly broadcasts system information associated with BS 102 directly to one or more UEs 104 to allow UEs 104 to access the network within the cell where BS 102 resides (e.g., 101-1 for the first BS 102-1 and 110-2 for the second BS 102-2), and typically operates normally within the cell. Various information such as downlink and uplink cell bandwidth, downlink and uplink configuration, cell information, and configuration for random access can be included in the system information, which will be discussed in further detail below. Typically, BS 102 broadcasts a first signal carrying some key system information (e.g., the configuration of cell 110) via the PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel). For clarity, this first broadcast signal is referred to herein as the "first broadcast signal." Note that BS 102 may subsequently broadcast one or more signals carrying other system information via a corresponding channel (e.g., the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)).

[0034] Refer again Figure 1BIn some embodiments, the primary system information carried by the first broadcast signal can be transmitted by BS102 in symbolic format via communication channel 192 (e.g., PBCH). According to some embodiments, the primary system information can be presented in its raw form as one or more sequences of digital bits, and this sequence of digital bits can be processed through multiple steps (e.g., encoding, scrambling, modulation, mapping, etc.), all of which can be performed by BS processor module 158 to become the first broadcast signal. Similarly, according to some embodiments, when UE 104 receives the first broadcast signal (in symbolic format) using UE transceiver 162, UE processor module 168 can perform multiple steps (demapping, demodulation, decoding, etc.) to estimate the primary system information, such as, for example, the bit positions and number of bits of the primary system information. UE processor module 168 is also coupled to I / O interface 169, which provides UE 104 with the ability to connect to other devices such as a computer. I / O interface 169 is the communication path between these accessories and UE processor module 168.

[0035] Figure 2 A method 200 for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be understood that... Figure 2 Additional operations are provided before, during, and after method 200, and some operations may be omitted or reordered. The communication system in the illustrated embodiment includes BS 102, CN 108, and UE (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, BS 102 is one of the following: gNB and ng-eNB; and CN 108 is 5GC. Figure 2 This is for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that any number of BS 102 can be used, which is within the scope of this invention.

[0036] Method 200 begins at operation 202, wherein, according to some embodiments, a first message is received by BS 102 from CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is transmitted on the NG interface. In some embodiments, the first message is transmitted from CN 108 to BS 102 via the NG-C interface through the AMF of CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following: an Initial Context Establishment Request message, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Resource Establishment Request message, and a PDU Session Resource Modification Request message. In some embodiments, the first message includes performance control information for at least one Quality of Service (QoS) flow requiring performance control. In some embodiments, the performance control information includes at least one of the following: a minimum flow bit rate, an additional average window list, a first indicator, and a second indicator. In some embodiments, the minimum flow bit rate is used for non-guaranteed bit rate (GBR) service flows. In some embodiments, the additional average window list includes a series of time intervals for monitoring performance. For example, this series of time intervals includes 1, 3, 5, and 10 seconds. In some embodiments, the first indicator is used by BS 102 to report events to CN 108 when the actual flow bit rate is less than the minimum flow bit rate. In some embodiments, the second indicator is configured to indicate whether this series of time intervals can be used to monitor performance.

[0037] Method 200 continues to operation 204, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance is monitored by BS 102. In some embodiments, performance is monitored according to performance control information in the first message. In some embodiments, performance is monitored by measurement, the measurement including at least one parameter, such as the actual stream bit rate. In some embodiments, performance is monitored according to a pre-configured average window. In some other embodiments, performance is monitored according to a series of time intervals.

[0038] In some embodiments, when the second indicator has a value indicating a series of time intervals that can be used to monitor performance, BS 102 can perform performance monitoring at either a time interval in the list or a pre-configured average window, depending on the current state of BS 102. For example, when BS 102 is not busy, BS 102 can use a pre-configured average window of 5ms; when BS 102 is busy, BS 102 can use time intervals (e.g., 10ms or 20ms).

[0039] Method 200 continues to operation 206, wherein, according to some embodiments, a second message is sent from BS 102 to CN 108. In some embodiments, the second message includes at least one performance report corresponding to a QoS flow. In some embodiments, the performance report is determined based on a first indicator in the performance control information. In some embodiments, the performance report in the second message includes information on whether the actual flow bit rate is less than the minimum flow bit rate. In some embodiments, the second message is sent from BS 102 to the AMF of CN 108 via the NG-C interface. In some embodiments, the second message is a PDU Session Resource Notification (PDUSESSION RESOURCE NOTIFY) message. In some embodiments, the performance report of at least one QoS flow also includes an actual average window for performance monitoring. In some embodiments, the actual average window is determined based on a series of time intervals in the performance control information.

[0040] In some embodiments, CN can further adjust performance based on the performance report received from BS 102. For example, CN 108 can perform one of the following operations: reduce the QoS requirement of the corresponding QoS flow, increase the priority of the corresponding QoS flow, or release the corresponding QoS flow.

[0041] Figure 3 A method 300 for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be understood that... Figure 3 Additional operations are provided before, during, and after method 300, and some operations may be omitted or reordered. The communication system in the illustrated embodiment includes CN 108 and BS 102. In the illustrated embodiment, CN 108 includes a first NF entity 302-1 and a second NF entity 302-2. In some embodiments, the first node is the AMF of CN 108, and the second node is the UPF of CN 108. Figure 3 This is for illustrative purposes and not for limitation. It should be noted that any number of BS 102 can be used, which is within the scope of this invention.

[0042] Method 300 begins at operation 312, wherein, according to some embodiments, a first message is received by BS 102 from CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is transmitted on the NG interface. In some embodiments, the first message is transmitted from CN 108 to BS 102 via the NG-C interface through the AMF of CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following: an Initial Context Setup Request message, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Resource Setup Request message, and a PDU Session Resource Modification Request message. In some embodiments, the first message includes performance control information for at least one Quality of Service (QoS) flow required for performance monitoring. In some embodiments, the performance control information in the first message includes at least one of the following: a packet delay budget, a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator. In some embodiments, the packet delay budget is the delay time for transmitting data packets at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node. In some embodiments, the first indicator is an indicator used for reporting when the actual packet delay of transmitting the corresponding data packet at the corresponding interface is greater than the packet delay budget of the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node. In some embodiments, the second indicator is an indicator for discarding the corresponding data packet when the actual packet delay is greater than the packet delay budget. In some embodiments, the third indicator is configured to indicate the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node for performance monitoring. For example, the third indicator has an enumeration of values ​​such as "RAN part", "Uu interface", "gNB", and "UE" to indicate the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node.

[0043] Method 300 continues with operation 314A, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance is monitored by BS 102. In some embodiments, performance is monitored based on performance control information in the first message. For example, a report may be made when a first indicator has a value indicating that the actual packet delay for transmitting the corresponding data packet at the corresponding interface is greater than the packet delay budget of the corresponding interface, and when a third indicator has a value for “Uu interface”, the data packet delay of the Uu interface between BS 102 and the UE (not shown) may be monitored by BS 102.

[0044] In some embodiments, method 300 may further proceed to operation 314B, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance-related processing is performed by BS 102. In some embodiments, this performance-related processing is determined based on a second indicator and a third indicator in performance control information. For example, when the second indicator has a value indicating that the corresponding data packet should be discarded when the actual packet delay of the data packet is greater than the packet delay budget, and when the third indicator has a value of "Uu interface", then BS 102 may discard the corresponding data packet when the actual packet delay of the Uu interface is greater than the packet delay budget.

[0045] Method 300 continues to operation 318, wherein, according to some embodiments, a second message is sent from BS 102 to CN 108. In some embodiments, the second message includes at least one performance report for a corresponding QoS flow. In some embodiments, the performance report is determined based on a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator in performance control information. In some embodiments, the performance report includes at least one performance condition. For example, the performance condition includes whether the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is greater than the packet delay budget. In some embodiments, the second message is sent from BS 102 to a second node 302-2 of CN 108 via an NG-U interface. In some embodiments, the second message is carried in the frame header of a data packet. In some embodiments, the frame header is formatted to include at least one bit, and each of the at least one bit indicates a performance condition. For example, when the value of a bit in the frame header is 1, the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is greater than the packet delay budget; and when the value of a bit in the frame header is 0, the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is less than the configured packet delay budget.

[0046] In some embodiments, CN can further adjust performance based on the performance report received from BS 102. For example, CN 108 can perform one of the following: reduce the QoS requirement of the corresponding QoS flow, increase the priority of the corresponding QoS flow, or release the corresponding QoS flow.

[0047] Figure 4 A method 400 for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be understood that... Figure 4 Additional operations are provided before, during, and after method 400, and some operations may be omitted or reordered. The communication system in the illustrated embodiment includes CN 108 and BS 102. In the illustrated embodiment, BS 102 includes a first unit 402-1 and a second unit 402-2. In some embodiments, the first unit 402-1 is a CU and the second unit 402-2 is a DU of BS 102.Figure 4 This is for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that any number of BS 102 can be used, which is within the scope of this invention.

[0048] Method 400 begins at operation 412, wherein, according to some embodiments, a first message is received by BS 102 from CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is sent on the NG interface. In some embodiments, the first message is sent from the AMF of CN 108 to the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following: an Initial Context Setup Request message, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Resource Setup Request message, and a PDU Session Resource Modification Request message. In some embodiments, the first message includes performance control information for at least one Quality of Service (QoS) flow requiring performance control. In some embodiments, the performance control information includes at least one of the following: a minimum flow bit rate, an additional average window list, a first indicator, and a second indicator. In some embodiments, the minimum flow bit rate is used for non-guaranteed bit rate (GBR) service flows. In some embodiments, the additional average window list includes a series of time intervals for monitoring performance. For example, this series of time intervals includes 1, 3, 5, and 10 seconds. In some embodiments, the first indicator is used by BS 102 to report performance status to CN 108 when the actual stream bit rate is less than the minimum stream bit rate. In some embodiments, the second indicator is configured to indicate whether a series of time intervals can be used to monitor performance.

[0049] In some embodiments, when the second indicator has a value indicating a series of time intervals that can be used to monitor performance, BS 102 can perform performance monitoring at either a time interval in the list or a pre-configured average window, depending on the current state of BS 102. For example, when BS 102 is not busy, BS 102 can use a pre-configured average window of 5ms; when BS 102 is busy, BS 102 can use time intervals (e.g., 10ms or 20ms).

[0050] Method 400 continues to operation 414, wherein, according to some embodiments, a second message is received by the second unit 402-2 of BS 102 from the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following: a UE context setup request message and a UE context modification request message. In some embodiments, the second message is sent via the F1-C interface. In some embodiments, the second message includes performance control information received by the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from CN 108.

[0051] Method 400 continues with operation 416, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance is monitored by a second unit 402-2 of BS 102. In some embodiments, performance is monitored based on performance control information in a first message. In some embodiments, performance is monitored by the first unit 402-1 and the second unit 402-2 according to a pre-configured average window. In other embodiments, performance is monitored by the first unit 402-1 and the second unit 402-2 according to a series of time intervals in an additional average window list.

[0052] Method 400 continues to operation 418, wherein, according to some embodiments, a third message is sent from the second unit 402-2 of BS 102 to the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the third message is a notification message. In some embodiments, the third message is sent via an FILE-C interface. In some embodiments, the third message includes a first performance report of at least one QoS flow determined by the second unit 402-2 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the first performance report includes performance conditions when the actual flow bit rate is less than the minimum flow bit rate. In some embodiments, the first performance report corresponding to the QoS flow also includes an actual average window for performance monitoring. In some embodiments, the actual average window is determined based on a series of time intervals in performance control information.

[0053] Method 400 continues to operation 420, wherein, according to some embodiments, a fourth message is sent from the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 to CN 108. In some embodiments, the fourth message is a PDU Session Resource Notification (PDU SESSION RESOURCENOTIFY) message. In some embodiments, the fourth message is sent via the NG-C interface. In some embodiments, the fourth message includes a first performance report received in the third message. In some embodiments, the fourth message also includes a second performance report determined by the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the second performance report includes performance conditions when the actual stream bit rate is less than the minimum stream bit rate. In some embodiments, the second performance report corresponding to the QoS stream also includes an actual average window for performance monitoring. In some embodiments, the actual average window is determined based on a series of time intervals in the performance control information.

[0054] In some embodiments, CN can further adjust performance based on the performance report received from BS 102. For example, CN 108 can perform one of the following operations: reduce the QoS requirement of the corresponding QoS flow, increase the priority of the corresponding QoS flow, or release the corresponding QoS flow.

[0055] Figure 5 A method 500 for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be understood that... Figure 5 Additional operations are provided before, during, and after method 500, and some operations may be omitted or reordered. The communication system in the illustrated embodiment includes CN 108 and BS 102. In the illustrated embodiment, CN 108 includes a first NF entity 302-1 and a second NF entity 302-2. In some embodiments, the first NF entity 302-1 is the AMF of CN 108, and the second NF entity 302-2 is the UPF of CN 108. In the illustrated embodiment, BS 102 includes a first unit 402-1 and a second unit 402-2. In some embodiments, the first unit 402-1 is a CU and the second unit 402-2 is a DU. Figure 5 This is for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that any number of BS 102 and DU402-2 can be used, which is within the scope of this invention.

[0056] Method 500 begins at operation 502, wherein, according to some embodiments, a first message is received by a first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from a first NF entity 302-1 of CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is sent on an NG interface. In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following: an Initial Context Setup Request message, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Resource Setup Request message, and a PDU Session Resource Modification Request message. In some embodiments, the first message includes performance control information for at least one Quality of Service (QoS) flow requiring performance control. In some embodiments, the performance control information includes at least one of the following: a packet delay budget, a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator. In some embodiments, the packet delay budget is the delay time for sending data packets at the corresponding interface. In some embodiments, the first indicator is an indicator for reporting a performance condition when the actual packet delay of the corresponding data packet is greater than the packet delay budget. In some embodiments, the second indicator is used to discard the corresponding data packet if the actual packet delay exceeds the packet delay budget. In some embodiments, the third indicator is configured to indicate the corresponding interface used for performance monitoring. For example, the third indicator has an enumeration value for "Uu interface".

[0057] Method 500 continues to operation 504, wherein, according to some embodiments, a second message is received by the second unit 402-2 of BS 102 from the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following: a UE context setup request message and a UE context modification request message. In some embodiments, the second message is sent via the F1-C interface. In some embodiments, the second message includes performance control information received by the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from the first NF entity 302-1 of CN 108.

[0058] Method 500 continues with operation 506A, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance is monitored by BS 102. In some embodiments, performance is monitored by first unit 402-1 and second unit 402-2 of BS 102 based on performance control information in a first message. For example, the data packet delay of the Uu interface between BS 102 and the UE (not shown) can be monitored by BS 102 when a first indicator has a value indicating that the actual packet delay for sending the corresponding data packet at the corresponding interface is greater than the packet delay budget of the corresponding interface, and when a third indicator has a value of “Uu interface”.

[0059] In some embodiments, method 500 may further proceed to operation 506B, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance-related processing is performed by BS 102. For example, BS 102 may discard a corresponding data packet whose actual packet delay is greater than the packet delay budget when the second indicator has a value indicating that the corresponding data packet is to be discarded when its actual packet delay is greater than the packet delay budget, and when the third indicator has a value for the “RAN portion”. In this case, the actual packet delay includes the following: processing delay in BS 102, transmission delay at the Uu interface, and processing delay in UE 104; and the value of the “RAN portion” of the third indicator indicates all interfaces and nodes of BS 102.

[0060] Method 500 continues to operation 508, wherein, according to some embodiments, a third message is sent from the second unit 402-2 of BS 102 to the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the third message is carried in the frame header of UL packet data via the F1-U interface. In some embodiments, the third message includes a first performance report corresponding to the QoS flow. In some embodiments, the first performance report includes at least one performance condition determined by the second unit 402-2 of BS 102. For example, the performance condition includes whether the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is greater than the packet delay budget.

[0061] Method 500 continues to operation 510, wherein, according to some embodiments, a fourth message is sent from the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 to the second NF entity of CN 108. In some embodiments, the fourth message is carried in the frame header of a data packet. In some embodiments, the fourth message is sent via an NG-U interface. In some embodiments, the fourth message includes a second performance report, wherein the second performance report includes at least one performance condition determined by the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the fourth message also includes a first performance report received in a third message. In some embodiments, the first performance report and the second performance report are sent in the frame header of a data packet. In some embodiments, the frame header is formatted to include at least one bit, and each of the at least one bit indicates a type of performance condition. For example, when a bit in the frame header is 1, the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is greater than the packet delay budget; and when a bit in the frame header is 0, the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is less than the configured packet delay budget.

[0062] In some embodiments, CN can further adjust performance based on the performance report received from BS 102. For example, CN 108 can perform one of the following: reduce the QoS requirement of the corresponding QoS flow, increase the priority of the corresponding QoS flow, or release the corresponding QoS flow.

[0063] Figure 6 A method 600 for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. It should be understood that... Figure 6 Additional operations are provided before, during, and after method 600, and some operations may be omitted or reordered. The communication system in the illustrated embodiment includes CN 108 and BS 102. In the illustrated embodiment, BS 102 includes a first unit 402-1 and a second unit 402-2. In some embodiments, the first unit 402-1 is a CU and the second unit 402-2 is a DU. In the illustrated embodiment, the first unit 402-1 is further divided into a CU-control plane (CU-CP) 602-1 and a CU-user plane (CU-UP) 602-2. Figure 4 This is for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that any number of BS 102 or any number of CU 602-1 can be used, which is within the scope of this invention.

[0064] Method 600 begins at operation 612, wherein, according to some embodiments, a first message is received by BS 102 from CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is transmitted on the NG interface. In some embodiments, the first message is transmitted from the AMF of CN 108 to the CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following: an Initial Context Setup Request message, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Resource Setup Request message, and a PDU Session Resource Modification Request message. In some embodiments, the first message includes performance control information for at least one Quality of Service (QoS) flow requiring performance control. In some embodiments, the performance control information includes at least one of the following: a minimum flow bit rate, an additional average window list, a first indicator, and a second indicator. In some embodiments, the minimum flow bit rate is used for non-guaranteed bit rate (non-GBR) QoS flows. In some embodiments, the supplementary average window list includes a series of time intervals for monitoring performance. For example, this series of time intervals includes 1, 3, 5, and 10 seconds. In some embodiments, a first indicator is used by BS 102 to report performance status to CN 108 when the actual stream bit rate is less than the minimum stream bit rate. In some embodiments, a second indicator is configured to indicate whether this series of time intervals can be used for monitoring performance.

[0065] In some embodiments, when the second indicator has a value indicating a series of time intervals that can be used to monitor performance, BS 102 can perform performance monitoring at either a time interval in the list or a pre-configured average window, depending on the current state of BS 102. For example, when BS 102 is not busy, BS 102 can use a pre-configured average window of 5ms; when BS 102 is busy, BS 102 can use time intervals (e.g., 10ms or 20ms).

[0066] Method 600 continues to operation 614, wherein, according to some embodiments, a second message is received by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following: a Bearer CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message and a Bearer CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message. In some embodiments, the second message is sent via an E1 interface. In some embodiments, the second message includes performance control information received by CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from CN 108.

[0067] Method 600 continues with operation 616, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance is monitored by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, performance is monitored according to performance control information in a first message. In some embodiments, performance is monitored by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 according to a pre-configured average window. In other embodiments, performance is monitored by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 according to a series of time intervals.

[0068] Method 600 continues to operation 618, wherein, according to some embodiments, a third message is sent from CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 to CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the third message is a notification message. In some embodiments, the third message includes a performance report corresponding to the QoS flow. In some embodiments, the performance report includes at least one performance condition determined according to a first indicator. For example, the at least one performance condition includes a performance condition when the actual flow bit rate is less than the minimum flow bit rate. In some embodiments, the third message is sent via an E1 interface. In some embodiments, the performance report corresponding to the QoS flow also includes an actual average window for performance monitoring. In some embodiments, the actual average window is determined based on a series of time intervals in the performance control information.

[0069] Method 600 continues to operation 620, wherein, according to some embodiments, a fourth message is sent from CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 to CN 108. In some embodiments, the fourth message is a PDU session resource notification message. In some embodiments, the fourth message is sent via the NG-C interface. In some embodiments, the fourth message includes a performance report received in the third message.

[0070] In some embodiments, CN can further adjust performance based on the performance report received from BS 102. For example, CN 108 can perform one of the following operations: reduce the QoS requirement of the corresponding QoS flow, increase the priority of the corresponding QoS flow, or release the corresponding QoS flow.

[0071] Figure 7 A method 700 for performing performance monitoring in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be understood that... Figure 7 Additional operations are provided before, during, and after method 700, and some operations may be omitted or reordered. The communication system in the illustrated embodiment includes CN 108 and BS 102. In the illustrated embodiment, CN 108 includes a first NF entity 302-1 and a second NF entity 302-2. In some embodiments, the first NF entity 302-1 is the AMF of CN 108, and the second NF entity 302-2 is the UPF of CN 108. In the illustrated embodiment, BS 102 includes a first unit 402-1 and a second unit 402-2. In some embodiments, the first unit 402-1 is a CU and the second unit 402-2 is a DU. In the illustrated embodiment, the first unit 402-1 is further divided into a CU control plane (CU-CP) 602-1 and a CU user plane (CU-UP) 602-2. Figure 7 This is for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that any number of BS 102 and CU 402-1 can be used, which is within the scope of this invention.

[0072] Method 700 begins at operation 502, wherein, according to some embodiments, a first message is received by CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from the first NF entity 302-1 of CN 108. In some embodiments, the first message is sent on the NG interface. In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following: an Initial Context Setup Request message, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Resource Setup Request message, and a PDU Session Resource Modification Request message. In some embodiments, the first message includes performance control information for at least one Quality of Service (QoS) flow requiring performance control. In some embodiments, the performance control information includes at least one of the following: a packet delay budget, a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator. In some embodiments, the packet delay budget is the delay time for sending data packets at corresponding interfaces between two corresponding nodes. In some embodiments, the first indicator is used to report performance status when the actual packet delay of the corresponding packet is greater than the packet delay budget. In some embodiments, the second indicator is used to discard the corresponding packet if the actual packet delay is greater than the packet delay budget. In some embodiments, the third indicator is configured to indicate the interface between two corresponding nodes used to perform performance control. For example, the third indicator has an enumeration with a value of "Uu interface".

[0073] Method 700 continues to operation 704, wherein, according to some embodiments, the second message is received by the CU-UP 602-2 of the second unit 402-2 of BS 102 from the CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the second message is received via one of the following through the F1 interface: a UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message and a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message. In other embodiments, the second message is received via one of the following through the E1 interface: a BEARER CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message and a BEARER CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message. In some embodiments, the second message includes performance control information received by the CU-CP 602-1 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 from the first NF entity 302-1 of CN 108.

[0074] Method 700 continues with operation 706A, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance is monitored by BS 102. In some embodiments, operation 706A is performed by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 and the second unit 402-2 of BS 102. In some embodiments, performance is monitored based on performance control information in a second message. For example, the data packet delay between BS 102 and the UE (not shown) may be monitored by the second unit 402-2. As another example, the bit rate of the QoS stream may be monitored by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1.

[0075] In some embodiments, method 700 may further proceed to operation 706B, wherein, according to some embodiments, performance-related processing is performed by BS102. In some embodiments, this operation 706B is performed by CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 and the second unit 402-2 of BS102. In some embodiments, when a second indicator has a value indicating that a corresponding packet whose actual packet delay is greater than the packet delay budget may be dropped, and when a third indicator has a value for the “RAN portion”, CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS102 may drop the corresponding packet when the actual packet delay is greater than the packet delay budget. In this case, the actual packet delay includes: the processing delay in CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS102, the transmission delay at the F1 interface, and the processing delay in the second unit 402-2 of BS102, the transmission delay at the Uu interface, and the processing delay in the UE (not shown); and the value of the “RAN portion” of the third indicator indicates all corresponding interfaces and nodes in BS102.

[0076] Method 700 continues to operation 708, wherein, according to some embodiments, a third message is sent from the second unit 402-2 of BS 102 to the CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102. In some embodiments, the third message is carried in the frame header of a data packet via the FI-U interface. In some embodiments, the third message includes a first performance report corresponding to the QoS flow. In some embodiments, the first performance report includes at least one performance condition determined by the second unit 402-2, wherein the at least one performance condition includes information on the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node.

[0077] Method 700 continues to operation 710, wherein, according to some embodiments, a fourth message is sent from the CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1 of BS 102 to the second NF entity 302-2 of CN 108. In some embodiments, the fourth message is carried in the frame header of a data packet. In some embodiments, the fourth message is sent via an NG-U interface. In some embodiments, the fourth message includes a second performance report, wherein the second performance report includes at least one performance condition determined by the CU-UP 602-2 of the first unit 402-1. In some embodiments, the fourth message also includes a first performance report received in a third message. In some embodiments, the first performance report and the second performance report are carried in the frame header of a data packet. In some embodiments, the frame header is formatted to include at least one bit, and each of the at least one bit indicates a performance condition. For example, when the value of a bit in the frame header is 1, the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is greater than the packet delay budget; and when the value of a bit in the frame header is 0, the actual packet delay of the corresponding QoS flow at the corresponding interface and / or the corresponding node is less than the configured packet delay budget.

[0078] In some embodiments, CN can further adjust performance based on the performance report received from BS 102. For example, CN 108 can perform one of the following: reduce the QoS requirement of the corresponding QoS flow, increase the priority of the corresponding QoS flow, or release the corresponding QoS flow.

[0079] Although various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various figures may depict exemplary architectures or configurations, provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand the exemplary features and functionality of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention is not limited to the exemplary architectures or configurations shown, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited to any of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0080] It should also be understood that any reference to elements in this document using names such as "first," "second," etc., generally does not restrict the number or order of those elements. Rather, these names serve as a convenient means of distinguishing two or more elements or instances of elements. Therefore, a reference to the first element and the second element does not imply that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must somehow precede the second element.

[0081] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and processes. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols referenced in the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0082] Those skilled in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., a digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both, designed using source code encoding or some other technique), various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which, for convenience, may be referred to herein as "software" or "software module"), or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally according to their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0083] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented within or executed by integrated circuits (ICs), including general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, or any combination thereof. Logic blocks, modules, and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers for communication with various components within a network or device. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein.

[0084] If implemented as software, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that enables the transfer of computer programs or code from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that is accessible to a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer.

[0085] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of such elements for performing the related functions described herein. Furthermore, for the purposes of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions according to embodiments of the invention.

[0086] Additionally, in embodiments of the invention, memory or other storage and communication components may be employed. It should be understood that, for clarity, embodiments of the invention have been described above with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable functional distribution among different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without departing from the invention. For example, functions shown to be performed by a separate processing logic element or controller may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are merely references to suitable means for providing the described functions and not indications of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0087] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be endowed with the broadest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for performing performance monitoring by a wireless communication node in a wireless communication system, comprising: A first message is received from the core network of the wireless communication system, wherein the first message includes one of the following: an initial context establishment request message, a protocol data unit (PDU) session resource establishment request message, and a PDU session resource modification request message; and Perform performance monitoring based on the first message. The first message includes performance control information for at least one corresponding Quality of Service (QoS) flow. The performance control information includes a packet delay budget, a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator. The first indicator instructs the wireless communication node to report performance status when a condition is met; the second indicator instructs the wireless communication node to take action when the condition is met; and the third indicator instructs the interface and node used for performance monitoring. The condition includes an actual packet delay greater than the packet delay budget, and the action includes dropping data packets in the at least one corresponding QoS flow. The action is performed according to the second and third indicators in the performance control information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first message is received on the control plane CP of the central unit CU of the wireless communication node via the NG interface.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first message is received from the Access Mobility Function (AMF) of the core network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The performance monitoring is performed by at least one of the following wireless communication nodes: a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU).

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Send a second message to the core network of the wireless communication system. The second message includes a performance report for the at least one corresponding QoS flow, wherein the performance report is determined based on the at least one indicator.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The second message is sent from one of the following: The user plane (UP) of the centralized unit (CU) of the wireless communication node is transmitted to the user plane function (UPF) of the core network; or The data is transmitted from the control plane (CP) of the centralized unit (CU) of the wireless communication node to the AMF of the core network.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The performance report includes at least one of the following: a first report from the centralized unit CU or a second report from the distributed unit DU of the wireless communication node, and the method further includes: The performance-related processing is performed by at least one of the following based on the at least one indicator: a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU).

8. A method for configuring performance monitoring by the core network of a wireless communication system, comprising: Sending a first message to the wireless communication node of the wireless communication system, wherein the first message includes one of the following: an initial context establishment request message, a protocol data unit (PDU) session resource establishment request message, and a PDU session resource modification request message. The first message includes performance control information for at least one corresponding service flow, wherein the performance control information includes: a packet delay budget, a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator, wherein the performance control information is used by the wireless communication node to perform performance monitoring, and wherein the first indicator instructs the wireless communication node to report performance status when a condition is met, the second indicator instructs the wireless communication node to take action when the condition is met, and the third indicator instructs the interface and node used for performance monitoring, wherein the condition includes an actual packet delay greater than the packet delay budget, and the action includes dropping data packets in the at least one corresponding QoS flow, and wherein the second and third indicators are used by the wireless communication node to perform the action.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first message is sent to the control plane CP of the central unit CU of the wireless communication node via the NG interface.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first message is sent by the Access Mobility Function (AMF) of the core network.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The performance monitoring is performed by at least one of the following wireless communication nodes: a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU).

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: Receive a second message from the wireless communication node of the wireless communication system. The second message includes a performance report for at least one corresponding QoS flow, and the performance report is determined based on the at least one indicator.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The second message is received by the user plane function (UPF) of the core network from the user plane (UP) of the central unit (CU) of the wireless communication node; or The second message is received by the AMF of the core network from the control plane CP of the centralized unit (CU) of the wireless communication node.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The performance report includes at least one of the following: a first report from the centralized unit CU or a second report from the distributed unit DU of the wireless communication node, wherein the at least one indicator is configured to perform performance-related processing by at least one of the following in the wireless communication node: the centralized unit CU or the distributed unit DU.

15. A wireless communication node of a wireless communication system, comprising a memory for storing computer instructions and a processor communicating with the memory, wherein, When the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor is configured to cause the wireless communication node to: A first message is received from the core network of the wireless communication system, wherein the first message includes one of the following: an initial context establishment request message, a protocol data unit (PDU) session resource establishment request message, and a PDU session resource modification request message; and Perform performance monitoring based on the first message. The first message includes performance control information for at least one corresponding Quality of Service (QoS) flow. The performance control information includes a packet delay budget, a first indicator, a second indicator, and a third indicator. The first indicator instructs the wireless communication node to report performance status when a condition is met; the second indicator instructs the wireless communication node to take action when the condition is met; and the third indicator instructs the interface and node used for performance monitoring. The condition includes an actual packet delay greater than the packet delay budget, and the action includes dropping data packets in the at least one corresponding QoS flow. The action is performed according to the second and third indicators in the performance control information.

16. The wireless communication node according to claim 15, wherein, The first message is received on the control plane CP of the central unit CU of the wireless communication node.

17. The wireless communication node according to claim 15, wherein, The first message is received from the Access Mobility Function (AMF) of the core network.

18. The wireless communication node according to claim 15, wherein, When the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor is configured to also cause the wireless communication node to: Send a second message to the core network of the wireless communication system. The second message includes a performance report for the at least one corresponding QoS flow, wherein the performance report is determined based on the at least one indicator.

Images