A method and device for managing service quality

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a method and device for quality of service management, which relates to the field of communication technology and can adjust QoS parameters in real time according to the status of wireless network resources, so as to maximize the effective utilization of wireless resources. The specific scheme is: the first network element receives a QoS parameter request sent by the second network element, and the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters; the first network element determines the first QoS parameter according to the user's business demand information, the user's attribute information and at least one of the wireless network resources of the second network element; the first network element sends the first QoS parameter to the second network element, so that the second network element allocates wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter. The embodiment of the present application is used for the management process of QoS parameters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and more particularly to a method and device for managing quality of service (QoS). Background Art

[0002] With the development of wireless network technology, more and more services are carried on wireless networks, and each service has its own unique characteristics and service guarantee requirements for wireless networks. Therefore, wireless networks need to provide wireless resources that meet the requirements to ensure the user's service experience. Usually, the service requirements for wireless networks are reflected through QoS. Wireless networks can implement service access control, resource guarantee and scheduling based on the service QoS requirements.

[0003] In 5G networks, 5G networks can provide users with a variety of service types, such as cloud virtual reality (cloud VR), drones, and 8K video live broadcasting, etc. Different users have very different QoS requirements for services. Even for users using the same service, there are differences in QoS requirements between users. For example, VIP users and ordinary users have different QoS requirements for services.

[0004] At present, in the QoS management scheme, since the core network element cannot perceive the wireless resource status of the access network side, the core network element can only determine the QoS parameters of the service based on the service type requested by the terminal device. In addition, in order to meet the service needs of all users using the same service, the same QoS parameters are currently configured for all users using the same service, and resources are allocated based on this. However, this may cause excessive allocation of wireless resources. For example, the wireless resources allocated to ordinary users are allocated according to the wireless resources of VIP users, thereby wasting wireless resources, which in turn affects the subsequent service request access of other users, and is not conducive to the effective use of wireless resources. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a QoS management method and device, which can adjust QoS parameters in real time according to the status of wireless network resources, thereby maximizing the effective utilization of wireless resources.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for managing quality of service (QoS) is provided, comprising: a first network element receives a QoS parameter request sent by a second network element, the QoS parameter request is used to request a QoS parameter; the first network element determines a first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resources of the second network element; the first network element sends the first QoS parameter to the second network element, so that the second network element allocates the wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter. The first network element may be a first wireless access controller, and the second network element may be an AN side network element.

[0008] That is to say, when the second network element obtains the QoS parameter configuration of the core network, it does not immediately allocate wireless network resources according to the QoS parameters sent by the core network, but sends a QoS request to the first network element. The first network element then determines the first QoS parameter based on the user's service demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. In this way, the determination of the first QoS parameter is not only related to the service type (service demand), but also related to the wireless network resources currently available to the AN network element. Therefore, the present application can dynamically manage the QoS of the AN network element through the first network element, that is, the first wireless access controller, and implement the configuration of QoS parameters and resource allocation through the B interface, thereby achieving effective utilization of wireless network resources and maximizing benefits.

[0009] In one possible design, the service requirement information includes at least one of the media type and bandwidth requirement of the service.

[0010] When the first network element determines the first QoS parameter, it may also be related to the attribute information of the user, that is, the first network element determines the first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user, the attribute information of the user, and the wireless network resources of the second network element. The attribute information of the user includes at least one of the following information: the priority of the user, the contract user file identifier SPID, and the indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high priority access.

[0011] Compared with the prior art that determines QoS parameters based on service type, the present application can determine QoS parameters based on service demand information, user attribute information and information on available wireless network resources, so that the determined QoS parameters can adapt to the current network status and achieve effective utilization of wireless network resources.

[0012] In a possible design, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. Optionally, the QoS parameter request may also include the user's attribute information.

[0013] That is, when the second network element, AN network element, receives the QoS parameter request, it may send the QoS parameter request to the first network element to determine the QoS parameters, instead of directly allocating wireless network resources.

[0014] In one possible design, the QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network according to the service type requested by the user; before the first network element determines the first QoS parameter based on the user's service demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element, the method also includes: the first network element determines that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0015] That is to say, the second QoS parameter is configured by the core network, but when the second QoS parameter is sent to the second network element, that is, the AN side network element, the AN side network element does not directly allocate wireless network resources according to the second QoS parameter, but sends the second QoS parameter to the first network element, that is, the first wireless access controller. The first wireless access controller redetermines the first QoS parameter according to the current user's service demand information and the available wireless network resources of the second network element, so that the redetermined first QoS parameter conforms to the current network status of the AN network element.

[0016] In one possible design, the first network element determines that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element, including: if the first network element determines that when allocating resources according to the second QoS parameter, the wireless network resources of the second network element cannot be maximized, then it is determined that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element; or if the first network element determines that when allocating resources according to the second QoS parameter, it will cause the wireless network resources of the second network element to be allocated too much, then it is determined that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element. This way of determining mismatch is only an illustrative example and is not limited to this.

[0017] In one possible design, before the first network element receives the QoS parameter request sent by the second network element, the method also includes: the first network element receives QoS management policy information sent by the management network element OAM, the QoS management policy information includes a policy type and an application object of the policy; the policy type includes a correspondence between wireless network resources and QoS parameters; the application object of the policy includes a service type to which the QoS management policy information is applied; the first network element determines a data type and a data reporting method to be requested based on the QoS management policy information, and sends a data request message to the second network element, the data request message includes a data type and a data reporting method to be requested, and the data type includes wireless network resources; the first network element receives status data of wireless network resources obtained by the second network element based on the data reporting method.

[0018] Therefore, the present application can implement the deployment and installation of QoS management policies through the enhanced functions of the first network element provided, and enable the first network element to dynamically obtain status data of wireless network resources.

[0019] In one possible design, before the first network element receives the QoS parameter request sent by the second network element, the method also includes: the first network element receives service requirement information sent by the management network element OAM, where the service requirement information is obtained by OAM requesting the application function AF network element.

[0020] This design is also a process in the QoS policy configuration and data request process. In this design, the request for business demand information can be obtained once through the management plane, that is, after OAM receives the policy deployment request, it can initiate a request to AF to obtain business demand information through the management interface. When receiving the return data from AF, OAM can send the returned data to the second wireless access controller, and the second wireless access controller will send the data to the first network element. This can reduce the signaling interaction of the air plane and save the resources of the network interface.

[0021] In a second aspect, a method for managing quality of service (QoS) is provided, including: a second network element sends a QoS parameter request to a first network element, the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters; the second network element receives a first QoS parameter sent by the first network element, the first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element based on the user's business demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element; the second network element allocates wireless network resources based on the first QoS parameter.

[0022] The second network element is an AN network element, and the first network element is a first wireless access controller. When the AN network element obtains the configured QoS parameters from the core network, it does not directly allocate resources according to the configured QoS parameters, but requests the first wireless access controller to reconfigure the first QoS parameters so that the reconfigured first QoS parameters conform to the current network status and improve the effective utilization of network resources.

[0023] In a possible design, the service demand information includes at least one of the media type and bandwidth requirement of the service; optionally, the first QoS parameter may also be determined by the first network element according to the service demand information of the user, the attribute information of the user, and the wireless network resources of the second network element. The attribute information of the user includes at least one of the following information: the priority of the user, the contracted user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high-priority access.

[0024] Compared with the prior art that determines QoS parameters based on service type, the present application can determine QoS parameters based on service demand information, user attribute information and information on available wireless network resources, so that the determined QoS parameters can adapt to the current network status and achieve effective utilization of wireless network resources.

[0025] In one possible design, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. Alternatively, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service demand information, the user's attribute information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. That is, when the second network element, the AN network element, receives the QoS parameter request, it can send the QoS parameter request to the first network element to determine the QoS parameters, and does not directly allocate wireless network resources.

[0026] In one possible design, the QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network. Before the second network element sends the QoS parameter request to the first network element, the method also includes: the second network element receives a first data request message sent by the first network element, the first data request message includes a requested data type and a data reporting method, and the data type includes wireless network resources; the second network element sends wireless network resource status data to the first network element according to the data reporting method.

[0027] That is to say, the second QoS parameter is configured by the core network element, but when the second QoS parameter is sent to the second network element, that is, the AN side network element, the AN side network element does not directly allocate wireless network resources according to the second QoS parameter, but redetermines the first QoS parameter according to the current user's service demand information, the user's attribute information and the available wireless network resources of the second network element, so that the redetermined first QoS parameter conforms to the current network status of the AN network element.

[0028] In one possible design, the first data request message also includes an identifier of the service; before the second network element sends a QoS parameter request to the first network element, the method also includes: the second network element sends a second data request message to the core network element, the second data request message includes the identifier of the service, and the second data request message is used to request the service demand information corresponding to the identifier of the service from the core network element; the second network element receives the service demand information sent by the core network element.

[0029] Therefore, when the first network element obtains service demand information from the core network element through the second network element, the impact on the establishment of the PDU session of the current network is relatively small, the interaction of control plane signaling can be reduced, and the resources of the network interface can be saved.

[0030] According to a third aspect, a first network element is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for receiving a QoS parameter request sent by a second network element, the QoS parameter request being used to request QoS parameters; a processing unit for determining a first QoS parameter based on the user's service demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element; and the transceiver unit is further used to send the first QoS parameter to the second network element so that the second network element allocates wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

[0031] In one possible design, the service demand information includes at least one of the media type and bandwidth requirement of the service; determining the first QoS parameter may also be related to the user's attribute information, wherein the user's attribute information includes at least one of the following information: the user's priority, the contracted user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the user's terminal device is a high-priority access.

[0032] In one possible design, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service requirement information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. Alternatively, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service requirement information, the user's attribute information and the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0033] In one possible design, the QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network according to the service type requested by the user; the processing unit is also used to: determine that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0034] In a possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to: receive QoS management policy information sent by the management network element OAM, the QoS management policy information including the policy type and the application object of the policy; the policy type includes the correspondence between wireless network resources and QoS parameters; the application object of the policy includes the service type to which the QoS management policy information is applied; determine the type of data to be requested and the data reporting method according to the QoS management policy information, and send a data request message to the second network element, the data request message includes the type of data to be requested and the data reporting method, the data type includes wireless network resources; receive the status data of the wireless network resources obtained by the second network element according to the data reporting method.

[0035] In a possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive business demand information sent by the management network element OAM, where the business demand information is obtained by OAM requesting the application function AF network element.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, a second network element is provided, including: a transceiver unit, used to send a QoS parameter request to the first network element, the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a first QoS parameter sent by the first network element, the first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element based on the user's business demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element; a processing unit, used to allocate wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

[0037] In one possible design, the service requirement information includes at least one of a media type and a bandwidth requirement of the service;

[0038] The first QoS parameter may also be determined by the first network element according to the user's service demand information, the user's attribute information, and the wireless network resources of the second network element. The user's attribute information includes at least one of the following information: the user's priority, the subscription user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the user's terminal device is a high priority access.

[0039] In one possible design, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service requirement information and the wireless network resources of the second network element; or, the QoS parameter request includes the user's service requirement information, the user's attribute information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. The QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network.

[0040] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to: receive a first data request message sent by a first network element, the first data request message including a requested data type and a data reporting method, the data type including wireless network resources; and send status data of the wireless network resources to the first network element according to the data reporting method.

[0041] In one possible design, the first data request message also includes an identifier of the service; the transceiver unit is also used to: send a second data request message to a core network element, the second data request message includes an identifier of the service, and the second data request message is used to request service requirement information corresponding to the identifier of the service from the core network element; and receive the service requirement information sent by the core network element.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, the electronic device executes the method described in the first aspect and any possible design of the first aspect.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on an electronic device, causes the electronic device to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible design of the second aspect.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product runs on a computer, the electronic device executes the method described in the first aspect and any possible design of the first aspect.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product runs on a computer, the electronic device executes the method described in the second aspect and any possible design of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] Figure 1An application scenario of a QoS flow provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a data transmission process of a user service provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a network architecture for QoS parameter configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a system architecture provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 5 A signaling interaction diagram of a QoS management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of signaling interaction for the execution process of a QoS management strategy provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 7 A signaling interaction diagram of a QoS management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 8 A signaling interaction diagram of a QoS management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Fig. 9 A signaling interaction diagram of a QoS management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a QoS policy configuration and data request process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first network element provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0060] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0061] The embodiment of the present application is used to adjust the QoS parameters of user services in wireless network technology, so that the AN side network element can obtain appropriate QoS parameters according to the current network environment, so as to allocate and schedule resources according to the adjusted QoS parameters.

[0062] Based on this, this application first illustrates the application scenarios of QoS parameters. At present, a QoS model management mechanism is proposed in 5G, that is, to achieve service quality assurance for user services based on QoS flow. QoS flow is a logical concept that describes the service flow. Different QoS flows are configured according to different QoS parameters to support service data transmission with different requirements, such as Figure 1 When a user initiates a service request, the network side can create one or more protocol data unit sessions (PDU sessions) for the service request of the UE. Figure 1PDU session is abbreviated as PDU session in Chinese. PDU session is used to transmit different service data. The PDU session may include two parts, one is the radio bearer (RB) between the user equipment (UE) and the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) network element (UE and Node B (NB)), and the other is the next generation user plane tunnel (NG-U tunnel) between the NG-RAN network element and the user plane function (UPF) network element of the 5G core network (5GC). Due to the different requirements of different service flows of user services, resources need to be allocated and scheduled according to multiple QoS parameters in the PDU session. Therefore, the PDU session will be configured according to multiple QoS flows (corresponding to multiple QoS parameters) (including RB and NG-U tunnel).

[0063] Among them, each QoS flow corresponds to a QoS flow identifier (QoS flow identifier, QFI), QFI is a unique flow identifier in the PDUsession, and the QoS profile describes the attributes of the QoS parameters corresponding to the QoS flow. In addition, a UE can support the establishment of multiple PDU sessions, and each PDU session can contain multiple QoS flows. A radio data bearer (data radio bearer, DRB) supports the configuration of multiple QoS flows. Therefore, a new user plane protocol layer (service data adaptation protocol, SDAP) is introduced in the RAN to perform the adaptation mapping of QoS flow and DRB.

[0064] When the PDU session is created, the link for the UE to transmit the user's service data is established, and the UE can send or receive data through the link. Figure 2The data transmission process of user services is shown. For downlink data, UPF can map the data packet to the QoS flow according to the service data flow filter template, and add a QFI tag in the data packet header, and send it to the access network (AN) (i.e., NG-RAN network element). AN can map the corresponding data packet to the corresponding DRB according to the QFI tag in the received data packet header and send it to the UE. For uplink data, the UE can map the data packet to the corresponding QoS flow according to the QoS policy, and complete the mapping of QoS flow to DRB through the UE's application layer. AN can determine the QFI tag of the uplink data based on the DRB of the received UE's uplink data, and add the QFI tag in the data packet header and send it to UPF.

[0065] Among them, for the configuration of QoS parameters corresponding to QoS flow, you can apply the following Figure 3 The network architecture shown in Figure 1 is based on Figure 1 In the QoS model shown, during the PDU session establishment process, the core network element (session management function, session management function, SMF) determines QoS parameters, QFI allocation, etc. based on the service type requested by the UE and the static policy and charging control (PCC) configured locally by the SMF, or determines QoS parameters, QFI allocation, etc. based on the dynamic PCC policy obtained by interacting with the service type and the policy control function (PCF). At the same time, the SMF configures the resources and scheduling policy of the UPF through the N4 interface, and configures the QoS parameters (QoS profile) of the AN through the access and mobility management function (AMF) and the N2 interface. Then, the AN allocates wireless resources to the UE based on the QoS profile and QFI allocation information sent by the SMF, and configures the wireless network related parameters and scheduling policy.

[0066] At present, in 5G, 5G can provide users with more abundant service types, and different users have quite different QoS requirements for services. For example, there are two types of users using 8K video live broadcast services: VIP users (a small number) and ordinary users (mostly). VIP users need 100M bandwidth to ensure service needs, and ordinary users only need 20M bandwidth to ensure service needs. According to the QoS parameter allocation scheme of the prior art, since the service types are the same, when SMF allocates QoS parameters, VIP users and ordinary users are configured according to the same QoS parameters. In order to ensure the service needs of all users of this service, QoS parameters must be configured according to the needs of users with the highest bandwidth requirements. Therefore, even ordinary users are allocated 100M bandwidth resources, but in fact, these ordinary users may only need 20M bandwidth, so the extra 80M is wasted, which is not conducive to the effective use of wireless network resources.

[0067] It can be understood that the main reason why wireless network resources cannot be effectively utilized is that the AN side does not have QoS control capabilities and cannot support the AN to adaptively adjust the QoS parameters issued by the core network based on the status of wireless resources. Therefore, the present application proposes a QoS management method, which can dynamically adjust the QoS parameters configured by the core network through the network elements on the AN side, so that the adjusted QoS parameters can effectively utilize the wireless network resources.

[0068] Based on this, the method proposed in this application can be applied to Figure 4 In the system architecture shown. The architecture includes AN side network elements, core network side network elements, a first wireless access controller and a management network element (operations-administration-maintenance, OAM). A second wireless access controller may also be included. Among them, OAM and the second wireless access controller are logically two different functional modules, and can also be used as independent network elements respectively. Usually, the second wireless access controller can be integrated into OAM, and the second wireless access controller can be used as an internal functional component module of OAM. The second wireless access controller and OAM can be understood as network elements or modules of the management plane.

[0069] OAM is a general term for managing network elements, and its specific implementation can be implemented by management network elements such as open networking automation platform (ONAP) or network management system (NMS). The embodiment of the present application describes the scheme by taking the second wireless access controller as a module component of OAM, but the scheme of the present application is also applicable to the deployment scenario where the second wireless access controller and OAM are independent of each other.

[0070] Figure 4 In the embodiment, the first wireless access controller can be an independently deployed network element, or it can be jointly set up with the centralized unit control plane (centralized unit-control plane, CU-CP) of the AN. The subsequent embodiments of the present application describe the first wireless access controller as an independent network element. However, the scenario in which the first wireless access controller and the CU-CP are jointly set up is also applicable to the scheme of the present application and falls within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0071] The second wireless access controller may have the following functions: Figure 4 The control and optimization of AN network elements and resources, the execution of artificial intelligence workflows (including model training and updating), and the management of applications / features based on policies. The interface through which the second wireless access controller communicates with the first wireless access controller may be an A interface.

[0072] The first wireless access controller may be capable of realizing near real-time control and optimization of AN functional network elements (such as CU-CP, etc.) and resources based on data collection and operation instructions of the B interface. The interface between the first wireless access controller and the OAM may be a C interface.

[0073] CU-CP, the centralized unit control plane of AN, can implement the control plane functions of the radio resource control (RRC) protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol.

[0074] The centralized unit-user plane (CU-UP), the centralized unit user plane of the AN, implements the PDCP protocol user plane and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) protocol functions.

[0075] Distributed unit (DU): A distributed unit of an AN used to implement functions such as radio link control (RLC) / medium access control (MAC) and some physical layer protocols.

[0076] OAM can provide operation and maintenance management for radio access network (RAN) functional modules.

[0077] The core network elements may include AMF, SMF, PCF and application function (AF) elements. Among them, AMF is mainly responsible for UE access control and mobility functions, including UE authentication, location area tracking, etc. SMF can be responsible for PDU session management, including creation, modification and deletion. PCF can be responsible for QoS, billing and other policy management functions. AF can be responsible for application service demand policy management and other functions. The interface for AN side to communicate with the core network can be the N2 interface.

[0078] application Figure 4 The network architecture of the present application can provide QoS management capabilities by enhancing the functions of the first wireless access controller, that is, the first wireless access controller can dynamically configure QoS based on the status of wireless network resources and business demand information while taking into account user attributes, and realize flexible management of wireless resources by collaborating with the functional network elements of the AN, thereby providing a more refined wireless resource allocation solution.

[0079] Based on the above invention ideas, the solution of this application mainly includes: QoS management policy configuration, QoS network data acquisition (including data request and data reporting) and QoS management policy execution. In short:

[0080] The second wireless access controller may generate a QoS management policy based on the deployment request of the QoS management policy, and send the QoS management policy to the first wireless access controller through the A interface;

[0081] The first wireless access controller may request required network / user data (including real-time status of wireless network resources and user attribute characteristics (such as user priority) etc.) from the AN network element based on the B interface, and the AN may collect and report corresponding network / user data according to the data request of the first wireless access controller;

[0082] The first wireless access controller determines the QoS parameter configuration according to the QoS management policy issued by the A interface, the real-time status of the wireless network resources, and the user attribute characteristics (such as user priority);

[0083] The first radio access controller instructs the CU / DU to perform QoS parameter configuration and allocate radio resources to the corresponding UE through the B interface, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the services of priority users, meeting user needs, and ensuring user experience.

[0084] In order to support the implementation of the solution of the present application, the present application enhances the function of the first wireless access controller to support the QoS management function, which is used to implement policy-based QoS management, including QoS management policy execution condition judgment and artificial intelligence-based QoS parameter decision. The enhanced QoS management functional component can be used as an internal functional component module of the first wireless access controller, or it can be deployed as a separate network element independently of the first wireless access controller. In the solution of the present application, it is not limited to the above two methods. The embodiment of the present application describes the interface message of the QoS management functional component communicating with other functional component modules of the first wireless access controller.

[0085] First, the embodiment of the present application describes that the second wireless access controller creates a QoS management policy on the first wireless access controller through the A interface, and the first wireless access controller requests the AN network element (such as DU) for relevant required network data based on the policy information, and explains the deployment process of the newly added QoS management functional component.

[0086] It should be noted that, in the following description of the embodiments of the present application, the first network element refers to the first radio access controller, and the second network element refers to the AN network element.

[0087] Embodiment 1

[0088] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the deployment process of QoS management functional components, the creation of QoS management policies, and the data request process in a QoS management method. The method includes:

[0089] 501. OAM sends a deployment request to the first network element through the management interface C. The deployment request includes a deployment file and related configuration information of a QoS management function component.

[0090] When the first wireless access controller receives the deployment request, the internal function module of the first wireless access controller can execute the function loading and parameter configuration of the QoS management function component, etc. Among them, the first wireless access controller can be composed of multiple function component modules. In this application, all the common function component modules in the first wireless access controller are collectively referred to as wireless access controller platform functions for scheme description.

[0091] 502. The first network element executes deployment of the QoS management function component and executes a registration process of the QoS management function component.

[0092] After the first network element deploys the QoS management function component and starts it, the QoS management function component registers its characteristic information with the wireless access controller platform function, including the type of data that needs to be consumed for the execution of its function, which data type may be wireless network resource data (such as wireless available resource data), user attribute information, business demand information, etc., policy information based on the type of data that needs to be consumed (such as QoS management policy) and the data type of the QoS management policy it generates (such as QoS parameters / QoS profile, etc.).

[0093] 503. OAM receives a management request, where the management request includes a QoS management policy.

[0094] Here, OAM receives a management request, which may be performed by the operator's management personnel on OAM. The management request may be understood as a deployment request for a QoS management policy, which may include information such as a policy type and a policy application object (scope).

[0095] In the embodiment of the present application, the value of type may be QoS_Mgt, which may mean the matching relationship between wireless network resources and QoS parameters, etc. The value of scope may be 5QI group, which is used to identify the service type used by the QoS management policy. The service type may be, for example, a mobile broadband service (MBB) service (text service on a web page, video service, etc.), a super-delay service, and an Internet of Things service.

[0096] 504. OAM creates a policy instance request, where the policy instance request includes a policy type and an application object of the policy.

[0097] The OAM may notify the second wireless access controller to create a policy instance request (policy instance) through an interface (e.g., interface C) between the OAM and the second wireless access controller, i.e., request the second wireless access controller to create a specific policy type and policy application object in the QoS management policy. The second wireless access controller may model the QoS management policy according to the Policy policy model of the A interface, and send QoS management policy information to the first wireless access controller through the A interface, and the QoS management policy information may include the policy type and policy application object.

[0098] 505. The first network element receives the QoS management policy information sent by the OAM. The QoS management policy information includes a policy type and an application object of the policy.

[0099] The wireless access controller platform function in the first wireless access controller may receive the QoS management policy information sent by the second wireless access controller in the OAM, and the QoS management policy information is used to request the wireless access controller platform function to create a QoS management policy instance.

[0100] 506. The first network element sends a data request message to the second network element according to the QoS management policy information. The data request message includes the requested data type and data reporting method. The data type includes wireless network resources.

[0101] After the wireless access controller platform function receives the QoS management policy information of the second wireless access controller, the wireless access controller platform function may notify the QoS management function component of the QoS management policy information received by the A interface through the internal interface. The QoS management function component may determine the consumption data information it needs based on the QoS management policy information and its own functional logic, and send a data request message for the determined consumption data to the wireless access controller platform function, wherein the data request message includes the requested data type (i.e., wireless network resource status data (cell resource data) and data reporting mode (report type), etc.). The data reporting mode indicated by reportType may be, for example, reporting when resources change (ResChangeReport), reporting immediately after data collection is completed (reporting), and periodic reporting (periodic reporting), etc.

[0102] The wireless access controller platform function determines all managed AN network elements, where the AN network elements may specifically be DUs in the AN. After determination, the wireless access controller platform function may send a data request message to the AN network element via the B interface, and the AN may start to collect status data of wireless network resources, and report the status data of wireless network resources to the first wireless access controller in accordance with the indicated data reporting method.

[0103] 507. The first network element receives the status data of the wireless network resources obtained by the second network element according to the data reporting method.

[0104] The AN network element can send the collected wireless network resource status data to the wireless access controller platform function in a data reporting manner, and the wireless access controller platform function then sends the wireless network resource status data to the QoS management function component, which receives and saves the wireless network resource status data.

[0105] In this way, the first network element collects the status data of the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0106] It should be noted that the above steps 501-507 can be used after the AN network element has been deployed and put online. When a new AN network element is deployed and put online, to implement the data request for the newly put online AN network element, the present application can use the first wireless access controller to use the B interface management process to send the data request message of the QoS management function component to the AN network element, and the implementation process can be (steps 508-510 in Figure 5 Not shown):

[0107] 508. After the second network element is deployed and goes online, it initiates interface connection establishment to the first network element.

[0108] The deployment and online of the second network element may be the deployment and online of the DU. The interface connection establishment may be that the DU sends a B setup message to the wireless access controller platform function.

[0109] 509. The first network element sends a data request message to the second network element that is newly online.

[0110] When the wireless access controller platform function responds to the B establishment request of the DU, the wireless access controller platform function may send the data request message previously sent by the QoS management function component to the newly online DU network element, including the requested data type (i.e., the status data of the wireless network resources) and the data reporting method, etc. At the same time, the wireless access controller platform function may notify the QoS management function component of the information of the newly online DU, and the DU information includes at least one of the DU identifier and the DU address.

[0111] 510. See the above step 507.

[0112] Therefore, the present application can implement the deployment and installation of QoS management policies through the enhanced functions of the first wireless access controller provided, and enable the first wireless access controller to dynamically obtain status data of wireless network resources.

[0113] Embodiment 2

[0114] After the QoS management policy is created and installed, the execution process of the QoS management policy is described below. In short, in the service process of the UE, the first wireless access controller can make QoS parameter decisions based on the deployment and installation of the above-mentioned existing QoS management policy and the status data of the wireless resources played by the mobile phone, and instruct the CU / DU to perform QoS parameter configuration and allocate wireless resources. Figure 6 , Figure 6 The following is a schematic diagram of the execution process of the QoS management policy. The process may include:

[0115] 600. AF and PCF execute the interaction of application business requirement information.

[0116] Before the 5G PDU session is established, the AF can send its application service requirement information to the PCF. The service requirement information may include at least one of the media type and bandwidth requirements of the service, the application ID, and the service filtering template. When the PCF receives the service requirement information of the application, it can reply to the AF with the corresponding QoS information that meets the application service.

[0117] The media type may be online video, text, etc.

[0118] 601. The UE initiates a session establishment process and sends a first session establishment request to a second network element. The first session establishment request includes information such as a UE identifier and a requested service type.

[0119] The session establishment process may be a PDU session establishment process, and the first session establishment request may be a PDU session establishment NAS (Non-access stratum) request.

[0120] 602. The second network element sends a second session establishment request to the SMF. The second session establishment request is added with a service requirement (service requirement) information element. The service requirement information element is used to request the SMF for the service requirement information requested by the UE.

[0121] That is, after receiving the first session establishment request sent by the UE, the AN network element can add a service requirement information element to the first session establishment request, and send the second session establishment request added with the information element to the SMF through the N2 interface.

[0122] 603. The SMF sends a request message to the PCF, where the request message includes a service requirement information element, to request the PCF for the service requirement information requested by the UE.

[0123] 604. PCF sends a response message to SMF, where the response message includes the service requirement information requested by UE.

[0124] 605. SMF sends a third session establishment request to the second network element through AMF, where the third session establishment request includes the second QoS parameter, user attribute information, and service requirement information.

[0125] The third session establishment request may be an N2 PDU session request message, where the N2 PDU session request message includes the second QoS parameter, user attribute information, and service requirement information, etc., sent by the SMF to the AN network element.

[0126] The user's attribute information may include the user's priority, which may be obtained by the AMF from the UE's subscription data. The service requirement information includes the media type and bandwidth requirement, etc.

[0127] 606. The second network element sends a QoS parameter request to the first network element, where the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters.

[0128] That is, after the AN network element receives the N2 PDU session request message sent by the SMF, it does not directly allocate wireless network element resources according to the second QoS parameter sent by the SMF, but triggers the first network element, that is, triggers the QoS management function of the first wireless access controller. The AN network element here can be specifically CU-CP. That is, the CU-CP sends a QoS parameter request to the first wireless access controller, and the QoS parameter request includes not only the second QoS parameter, but also the user's service demand information and the wireless network resources of the second network element, or may also include the user's service demand information, the user's attribute information and the wireless network resources of the second network element. At this time, the user's attribute information may include at least one of the following information: UE identification, QFI, user priority, subscriber profile identity (SPID), and an indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high priority access (high priority access). Among them, high priority access can be sent to the AN network element when the UE initially accesses the network, and SPID can be sent to the AN network element by the AMF of the core network when the UE registers to the network, which is used to indicate the UE's priority RAT or frequency information.

[0129] 607. The first network element determines a first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0130] Alternatively, the first network element may determine the first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user, the attribute information of the user, and the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0131] The first wireless access controller may first evaluate whether the second QoS parameter configuration sent by the SMF conforms to the actual situation of the wireless network resources, for example, whether the maximum utilization of the available wireless network resources of the AN can be guaranteed when wireless network resources are allocated according to the second QoS parameters, or whether the allocation of wireless network resources according to the second QoS parameters will cause excessive allocation of the available wireless network resources of the AN, etc. If the above situation occurs, the first wireless access controller may refer to information such as Userpriority, SPID, HighpriorityAccess, Media Type, bandwidth requirements, and available wireless network resources, and use artificial intelligence methods to determine a new first QoS parameter, i.e., an updated QoS parameter (updated QoS profile).

[0132] 608. The first network element sends the first QoS parameter to the second network element.

[0133] The first radio access controller sends a QoS parameter response message to the AN network element. The QoS parameter response message includes the first QoS parameter and may also include an identifier and QFI of the UE.

[0134] 609. The second network element sends a QoS parameter update request to the SMF, where the QoS parameter update request includes the first QoS parameter.

[0135] The AN network element may send the first QoS parameter determined by the first wireless access controller to the SMF through the N2 interface, and instruct the SMF to update the second QoS parameter to the first QoS parameter.

[0136] 610. The SMF updates the local second QoS parameter to the first QoS parameter, and updates the QoS rule according to the latest first QoS parameter.

[0137] 611. SMF sends a session establishment request to the second network element through AMF, where the session establishment request includes the first QoS parameter.

[0138] The session establishment request may be an N2 PDU session request message, which may include a first QoS parameter or QoS rule sent by the SMF to the UE, so that the UE may allocate wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

[0139] 612. The second network element allocates wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

[0140] After receiving the session establishment request from the SMF, the AN network element can initiate the establishment of a PDU session on the CU-CP, and perform resource allocation and scheduling policy configuration on the CU-CP according to the first QoS parameter. In addition, the AN network element can initiate the establishment of a session on the DU, and perform resource allocation and scheduling policy configuration on the DU according to the first QoS parameter.

[0141] 613. The second network element sends a session response message to the AMF, indicating that the wireless network resource configuration is complete.

[0142] In addition, the AN network element can also transparently transmit the PDU session accept NAS message sent by the SMF to the UE. The message may include the updated first QoS parameter or QoS rule so that the UE can perform uplink communication according to the new QoS parameter. The UE can also return a session establishment completion message to the AN network element. After receiving the session establishment completion message, the AN network element can reply the routing information of the downlink data of the AN network element to the SMF through the N2 interface, and then the SMF sends the routing information of the downlink data of the AN network element to the UPF, etc. The specific implementation of this step can refer to the relevant steps of the PDU session establishment process of the 5G network, and this application will not repeat it.

[0143] It can be understood that in the above steps 600-613, the present application has a certain degree of functional enhancement on the A interface, B interface, N2 interface, AN network element and SMF.

[0144] Therefore, the present application can dynamically manage the QoS of the AN network element through the first network element, namely the first wireless access controller, and implement the configuration of QoS parameters and resource allocation through the B interface, thereby achieving effective utilization of wireless network resources and maximizing benefits.

[0145] Embodiment 3

[0146] From the above process, it can be seen that in the resource allocation method for 5G in this application, when the resources of the AN network element cannot guarantee the QoS requirements of the service, the AN network element can notify the SMF to adjust the QoS parameters. Based on the solution idea of ​​this application, for this scenario, when the resources of the AN network element cannot guarantee the QoS requirements of the service, the AN network element can also notify the first wireless access controller through the B interface to perform QoS control management, including QoS parameter updates, resource reallocation, etc., and then instruct the CU / DU to perform related operations. The process can be as follows Figure 7 As shown, the method may also include:

[0147] 701. When the second network element determines that the radio resources allocated to the UE cannot guarantee the QoS requirement, the second network element requests a QoS update from the first network element.

[0148] On the one hand, as the network status changes, the available resources of the second network element will change, which may cause the available wireless network resources to not match the original first QoS; on the other hand, the UE's service requirements may also change, which may cause the QoS requirements to change, and the corresponding first QoS parameters must also be adjusted.

[0149] Exemplarily, when the DU detects that the wireless network resources allocated to a certain UE cannot guarantee the QoS requirements of the UE, the DU may send a QoS modification message to the CU-CP through the F1 interface, and the message may include information such as the PDU session ID. After the CU-CP receives the message, the CU-CP may trigger the QoS management function of the first wireless access controller, that is, it may request the first wireless access controller to update the QoS parameters through the B interface. For example, the CU-CP may send a QoS parameter update request to the first wireless access controller, and the QoS parameter update request may include information such as the UE identifier, QFI, and the currently used QoS profile. The QoS profile may include the above-mentioned first QoS parameters, that is, the first QoS parameters are updated.

[0150] 702. The first network element determines a third QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0151] Alternatively, the first network element may determine the third QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user, the attribute information of the user, and the wireless network resources of the second network element.

[0152] Exemplarily, the first wireless access controller may determine a new third QoS parameter or update the QoS profile using an AI / ML method based on information such as user priority, SPID, high priority access, media type, bandwidth requirements, and available wireless network resource data.

[0153] 703. The first network element sends the third QoS parameter to the second network element.

[0154] The first radio access controller may return the third QoS parameter to the AN network element (CU-CP), and may also return information such as the UE identifier and QFI to the AN network element.

[0155] 704. See above steps 609-613.

[0156] The difference is that the first QoS parameter is updated to the third QoS parameter.

[0157] Similar to the above steps 609-613, the updated third QoS parameter also needs to be notified to the SMF, and the AN network element also needs to allocate resources according to the third QoS parameter.

[0158] Therefore, when the AN network element initiates a QoS parameter update request, the AN network element does not need to interact with the core network. The first wireless access controller can adjust the QoS parameters in time according to the network status. In this way, on the one hand, it can respond to changes in the network status in time, and on the other hand, it can also reduce the signaling interaction between the AN side and the core network.

[0159] Embodiment 4

[0160] Since the possibility of changing the user's business demand information is not great, the QoS management function component can obtain this information through a one-time process. There is no need to pass the business demand information in the PDU session establishment process of all users of the same service, which will cause a large consumption of interface resources. Therefore, the present application proposes a solution. After the QoS management policy is deployed and installed, the QoS management function component can directly request the required business demand information from the core network through the AN network element. This step does not depend on the PDU session establishment process of a specific UE.

[0161] The difference between this solution and the first embodiment is that the data acquisition method of the business demand information is different. Due to the change in the data acquisition method, the solution for establishing the PDU session is slightly different from that of the second embodiment. Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the process is shown.

[0162] 801. Refer to steps 501-505 in the first embodiment.

[0163] 802. The first network element determines a data request message according to the QoS management policy information. The data request message includes a requested data type and a data reporting method. The data type includes wireless network resources. The data request message also includes a service identifier.

[0164] Different from the data request message in step 506, the data request message in step 802 also includes a service identifier, or a service scope, whose value can be the service identifier of 5QI. The data type and data reporting method can refer to the description in step 506.

[0165] The first network element requests service requirement information from the core network element. There are two options:

[0166] Solution 1: When the wireless access controller platform function indirectly requests SMF (or AMF) to obtain service demand information through the AN network element (CU-CP), step 802 may further include:

[0167] 803a. The first network element sends a data request message to the second network element.

[0168] The AN network element can collect the status information of the wireless network resources according to the data type and data reporting method in the data request message. However, the AN network element also needs to request the core network element for the service demand information, so it also includes:

[0169] 804a. The second network element sends a data request message to AMF / SMF requesting service demand information.

[0170] The data request message here includes the identifier of the service, so as to obtain the service requirement information corresponding to the identifier of the service.

[0171] 805a. AMF / SMF sends a data request message to PCF requesting business requirement information.

[0172] 806a. PCF sends a data request response message to AMF / SMF requesting business requirement information.

[0173] The data request response message includes the requested business requirement information.

[0174] 807a. AMF / SMF sends service demand information to the second network element.

[0175] SMF can send business demand information to CU-CP.

[0176] 808a. The second network element sends service demand information to the first network element.

[0177] 809a. See the above step 507.

[0178] Solution 2: If there is an interface connection between the wireless access controller platform function and the core network element AMF, the wireless access controller platform function can directly request the core network element AMF / SMF to obtain service demand information, and step 802 may also include:

[0179] 803b. The first network element sends a data request message to SMF through the interface between AMF / SMF.

[0180] The data request message is used to request service demand information and status information of the wireless network resources of the AN network element.

[0181] 804b. SMF / AMF requests the PCF for the service requirement information requested in the data request message.

[0182] 805b. PCF sends a data request response message to SMF / AMF, where the data request response message includes business requirement information.

[0183] 806b. SMF / AMF sends service demand information to the first network element.

[0184] SMF / AMF can report service demand information to the wireless access controller platform function through the interface between SMF and AMF.

[0185] 807b. See the above step 507.

[0186] In this way, the first wireless access controller can not only collect the status information of the wireless network resources of the AN network element, but also collect the service demand information, without relying on the PDU session establishment process of the UE, thereby reducing the consumption of interface resources.

[0187] Due to the change in the data request method, the PDU session establishment scheme is slightly different from the scheme of Example 2. This is mainly reflected in that the AN network element does not need to request the corresponding service data when forwarding the UE's PDU session establishment NAS request, and the interface between the AN network element and the core network AMF / SMF does not need to transmit service data information. The implementation method can be found in Fig. 9 The process described in the figure may include:

[0188] 901. The UE sends a first session establishment request to the SMF / AMF through the second network element. The first session establishment request includes information such as the UE identifier and the requested service type.

[0189] The first session establishment request may be a PDU session establishment NAS request.

[0190] 902. The SMF sends a policy request message to the PCF to request the QoS management policy requested by the UE.

[0191] 903. The PCF sends a policy response message to the SMF, where the policy response message includes the QoS management policy requested by the UE.

[0192] 904. SMF sends a third session establishment request to the second network element through AMF, where the third session establishment request includes the second QoS parameter, user attribute information, and service requirement information.

[0193] The third session establishment request may be an N2 PDU session request message, which includes the second QoS parameter sent by the SMF to the AN network element and the user's attribute information, etc. Different from the above step 605, the N2 PDU session request message here does not carry the service requirement information, and the above steps 602-604 are also omitted.

[0194] 905. The second network element sends a QoS parameter request to the first network element, where the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters.

[0195] Different from step 606, the QoS parameter request does not include service requirement information.

[0196] 906. See above steps 607-613.

[0197] In this way, through embodiment 4, the first wireless access controller indirectly obtains service demand information from the core network through the AN network element and the N2 interface, which has little impact on the PDU session establishment solution of the current 5G network.

[0198] Embodiment 5

[0199] The scheme of embodiment 5 also describes the QoS policy configuration and data request process. In this embodiment, the request for business demand information can be obtained once through the management plane, that is, after OAM receives the policy deployment request, it can initiate a request to AF to obtain business demand information through the management interface. When receiving the return data from AF, OAM can send the returned data to the second wireless access controller, and the second wireless access controller sends the data to the first wireless access controller through the A interface. This can reduce the signaling interaction of the control plane and save the resources of the network interface. Fig.10 The following is a schematic diagram of a QoS policy configuration and data request process, which includes:

[0200] 101. See steps 501-505.

[0201] 102. OAM sends a data collection request to AF, where the data collection request includes requested data type and service identifier.

[0202] The data type here indicates the business requirement information corresponding to the business identifier (5QI group).

[0203] 103. The AF sends a data collection response to the OAM, where the data collection response includes service requirement information corresponding to the service identifier.

[0204] That is, the data collection response may include information such as 5QI group, media type, and bandwidth requirements.

[0205] 104. The OAM sends the information in the data collection response to the second radio access controller.

[0206] 105. The second wireless access controller sends the information in the data collection response to the first network element.

[0207] The second wireless access controller may send the information in the data collection response to the first wireless access controller through the A interface, and the first wireless access controller may then send the information in the data collection response to the QoS management function component.

[0208] 106. See steps 506-507.

[0209] Through the scheme of Example 5, due to the change in the data acquisition method, the scheme for establishing the PDU session is slightly different from the scheme of Example 2. The scheme of the PDU Session establishment process description in Example 5 is the same as the scheme of the PDU session establishment process in Example 4. This Example 5 will not be described repeatedly, and the relevant step description of Example 4 may be referred to.

[0210] It should be noted that if in the operator network, the OAM of the AN network and the OAM of the core network are independent in different places, then in the scheme of Example 5, if the OAM cannot directly interact with the AF of the core network, the OAM (AN's OAM) can first make a data request with the OAM (core network's OAM) corresponding to the core network, and then the core network's OAM requests the corresponding data from the AF, and finally indirectly returns the service information to the AN's OAM through the core network's OAM.

[0211] Therefore, the fifth embodiment mainly involves the AOM obtaining service demand information from the AF through the management interface, thereby reducing the interaction of control plane signaling and saving network interface resources.

[0212] Combination of the above Figure 1-Figure 10 The communication method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figures 11 to 13 The communication device of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail, such as a first network element, a first radio access controller, and a second network element AN network element, or a device for a network element (such as a processor, a circuit or a chip).

[0213] It is understandable that in order to implement the above functions, the network element includes hardware and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. In combination with the algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this document, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or 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 each specific application in combination with the embodiments, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0214] In this embodiment, the network element can be divided into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware. It should be noted that the division of modules in this embodiment is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0215] In the case of dividing each functional module into corresponding functional modules, Fig.11 A possible composition diagram of the first network element 1100 involved in the above embodiment is shown. The first network element 1100 may be a first wireless access controller, such as Fig.11 As shown, the first network element 1100 may include: a transceiver unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102 .

[0216] Among them, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to support the first network element 1100 to execute the above-mentioned steps 505, step 506, step 507, step 509, step 606, 608, 703, 803a, 803b and 806b, etc., and / or other processes for the technology described in this article.

[0217] The processing unit 1102 may be configured to support the first network element 1100 in executing the above steps 502 , 607 , 702 , 802 , etc., and / or other processes for the technology described herein.

[0218] The first network element 1100 may further include a storage unit 1103 for storing codes corresponding to the method steps for executing the first network element 1100 .

[0219] It should be noted that all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0220] The first network element 1100 provided in this embodiment is used to execute the QoS management method, and thus can achieve the same effect as the above implementation method.

[0221] In the case of an integrated unit, the first network element 1100 may include a processing module, a storage module and a communication module. The processing module may be used to control and manage the actions of the first network element 1100, for example, it may be used to support the first network element 1100 to execute the steps executed by the above-mentioned processing unit 1102. The storage module may be used to support the first network element 1100 to store program codes and data, etc. The communication module may be used to support the communication between the first network element 1100 and other devices, for example, the communication with the second network element AN.

[0222] Among them, the processing module can be a processor or a controller. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic boxes, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of digital signal processing (DSP) and a microprocessor, etc. The storage module can be a memory. The communication module can specifically be a device that interacts with other electronic devices, such as a radio frequency circuit, a Bluetooth chip, a Wi-Fi chip, etc.

[0223] Fig.12 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as the second network element, AN network element, which may be a base station. Fig.12 As shown, the base station can be applied to Figure 3 or Figure 4 In the system shown in one or more of the above, the function of the second network element in the above method embodiment is performed. The base station 120 may include one or more DUs 1201 and one or more CUs 1202. CU1202 can communicate with NG core (next generation core network, NC). The DU 1201 may include at least one radio frequency unit 12012, at least one processor 12013 and at least one memory 12014. The DU1201 may also include at least one antenna 12011. The DU 1201 part is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals, converting radio frequency signals into baseband signals, and part of the baseband processing. CU1202 may include at least one processor 12022 and at least one memory 12021. CU1202 and DU1201 can communicate through an interface, wherein the control plane (control plan) interface may be F1-C, and the user plane (user plan) interface may be F1-U.

[0224] The CU1202 part is mainly used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, etc. The DU 1201 and CU1202 can be physically set together or physically separated, that is, a distributed base station. The CU 1202 is the control center of the base station, which can also be called a processing unit, and is mainly used to complete the baseband processing function. For example, the CU1202 can be used to control the base station to execute the operation process of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0225] Specifically, the baseband processing on the CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layer of the wireless network, for example, the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and above are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP, such as the radio link control (RLC) layer and the media access control (MAC) layer, are set in the DU. For another example, the CU implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the DU implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layers.

[0226] In addition, optionally (not shown), the base station 120 may include one or more antennas, one or more radio frequency units, one or more DUs and one or more CUs. Among them, the DU may include at least one processor and at least one memory, at least one antenna and at least one radio frequency unit may be integrated in an antenna device, and the CU may include at least one processor and at least one memory.

[0227] In one example, the CU1202 may be composed of one or more boards, and the multiple boards may jointly support a wireless access network (such as a 5G network) with a single access indication, or may respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 12021 and the processor 12022 may serve one or more boards. In other words, a memory and a processor may be separately set on each board. It may also be that multiple boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may be provided on each board. The DU1201 may be composed of one or more boards, and the multiple boards may jointly support a wireless access network (such as a 5G network) with a single access indication, or may respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 12014 and the processor 12013 may serve one or more boards. In other words, a memory and a processor may be separately set on each board. It may also be that multiple boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may also be provided on each board.

[0228] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 130 is provided. The communication device 130 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and the description in the above method embodiment can be referred to. The communication device 130 can be a chip, a network device (such as a base station), or a first wireless access controller.

[0229] The communication device 130 includes one or more processors 1301. The processor 1301 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (such as a base station or a chip, etc.), execute the software program, and process the data of the software program. The device may include a transceiver unit to realize the input (reception) and output (transmission) of the signal. For example, the device may be a chip, and the transceiver unit may be the input and / or output circuit of the chip, or a communication interface. The chip may be used in a network device (such as a base station). For another example, the device may be or a network device (such as a base station), and the transceiver unit may be a transceiver, a radio frequency chip, etc.

[0230] The communication device 130 includes one or more processors 1301. The one or more processors 1301 can implement Figure 5-Figure 10 The method of the second network element or the first wireless access controller in the illustrated embodiment.

[0231] Optionally, in one design, the processor 1301 may also include instructions 1303, which may be executed on the processor so that the communication device 130 performs the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0232] In yet another possible design, the communication device 130 may also include a circuit, which may implement the function of the network device or the first wireless access controller in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0233] In another possible design, the communication device 130 may include one or more memories 1302, on which instructions 1304 are stored, and the instructions can be executed on the processor, so that the communication device 130 performs the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, data can also be stored in the memory. Instructions and / or data can also be stored in the optional processor. For example, the one or more memories 1302 can store the mobile effective area described in the above embodiment, or the relevant parameters or tables involved in the above embodiment. The processor and memory can be set separately or integrated together.

[0234] In another possible design, the communication device 130 may also include a transceiver unit 1305 and an antenna 1306, or a communication interface. The transceiver unit 1305 may be called a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and is used to implement the transceiver function of the device through the antenna 1306. The communication interface (not shown in the figure) can be used for communication between a core network device and a network device, or between network devices. Optionally, the communication interface can be an interface for wired communication, such as an interface for optical fiber communication.

[0235] The processor 1301 may be referred to as a processing unit, and controls a device (such as a first radio access controller or a base station).

[0236] In addition, since the sending or receiving performed by the transceiver unit 1305 described in the embodiment of the present application is under the control of the processing unit (processor 1301), the sending or receiving action can also be described as being performed by the processing unit (processor 1301) in the embodiment of the present application, which does not affect the understanding of the solution by those skilled in the art.

[0237] The terminal devices and network devices in the above-mentioned various device embodiments may completely correspond to the terminal devices or network devices in the method embodiments, and the corresponding steps are performed by the corresponding modules or units. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the receiving unit may be an interface circuit of the chip used to receive signals from other chips or devices. The above-mentioned unit for sending is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to send signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the sending unit is an interface circuit of the chip used to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0238] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0239] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0240] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple different places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0241] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0242] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions to enable a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

[0243] The above contents are only specific implementation methods of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for managing quality of service (QoS), characterized in that: include: The first network element receives a QoS parameter request sent by the second network element, where the first network element and the second network element are access network AN side network elements, and the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters; The first network element determines a first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; The first network element sends the first QoS parameter to the second network element, so that the second network element allocates wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The service requirement information includes at least one of a media type and a bandwidth requirement of the service.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The QoS parameter request includes the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; The QoS parameter request also includes attribute information of the user, and the attribute information of the user includes at least one of the following information: the priority of the user, the subscribed user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high priority access; The first network element determines the first QoS parameter according to the user's service demand information and the wireless network resource information of the second network element, including: the first network element determines the first QoS parameter according to the user's service demand information, the user's attribute information and the wireless network resource information of the second network element.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Before the first network element receives the QoS parameter request sent by the second network element, the method further includes: The first network element receives the service requirement information sent by the management network element OAM, where the service requirement information is obtained by the OAM requesting the application function AF network element.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network according to the service type requested by the user; Before the first network element determines the first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element, the method further includes: The first network element determines that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before the first network element receives the QoS parameter request sent by the second network element, the method further includes: The first network element receives QoS management policy information sent by the management network element OAM, wherein the QoS management policy information includes a policy type and an application object of the policy; the policy type includes a correspondence between wireless network resource information and QoS parameters; the application object of the policy includes a service type to which the QoS management policy information is applied; The first network element determines the data type to be requested and the data reporting method according to the QoS management policy information, and sends a data request message to the second network element, wherein the data request message includes the data type to be requested and the data reporting method, and the data type includes wireless network resource information; The first network element receives the status data of the wireless network resources acquired by the second network element according to the data reporting method.

7. A method for managing quality of service (QoS), characterized in that: include: The second network element sends a QoS parameter request to the first network element, where the first network element and the second network element are network elements on the access network AN side, and the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters; The second network element receives a first QoS parameter sent by the first network element, where the first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element according to service demand information of the user and wireless network resource information of the second network element; The second network element allocates wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The service requirement information includes at least one of a media type and a bandwidth requirement of the service.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The QoS parameter request includes the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; The QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network and attribute information of the user, wherein the attribute information of the user includes at least one of the following information: a priority of the user, a subscribed user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high priority access; The first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element, including: the first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element according to the service demand information of the user, the service attributes of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that Before the second network element sends the QoS parameter request to the first network element, the method further includes: The second network element receives a first data request message sent by the first network element, where the first data request message includes a requested data type and a data reporting method, and the data type includes wireless network resource information; The second network element sends the status data of the wireless network resources to the first network element according to the data reporting method.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first data request message also includes an identifier of the service; Before the second network element sends the QoS parameter request to the first network element, the method further includes: The second network element sends a second data request message to the core network element, where the second data request message includes an identifier of the service, and the second data request message is used to request the service requirement information corresponding to the identifier of the service from the core network element; The second network element receives the service demand information sent by the core network element.

12. A first network element, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, configured to receive a QoS parameter request sent by a second network element, wherein the first network element and the second network element are network elements on the access network AN side, and the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters; A processing unit, configured to determine a first QoS parameter according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; The transceiver unit is further used to send the first QoS parameter to the second network element, so that the second network element allocates wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

13. The first network element according to claim 12, characterized in that: The service requirement information includes at least one of a media type and a bandwidth requirement of the service; The processing unit is used to determine a first QoS parameter based on the user's business demand information, the user's attribute information, and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; the user's attribute information includes at least one of the following information: the user's priority, the contracted user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high-priority access.

14. The first network element according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that: The QoS parameter request includes the service requirement information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; the QoS parameter request also includes the attribute information of the user; The QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network according to the service type requested by the user; The processing unit is also used for: It is determined that the second QoS parameter does not match the wireless network resources of the second network element.

15. The first network element according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that: The transceiver unit is further used to receive the service requirement information sent by the management network element OAM, where the service requirement information is obtained by the OAM requesting the application function AF network element.

16. The first network element according to claim 12, characterized in that: The transceiver unit is also used to: receive QoS management policy information sent by the management network element OAM, the QoS management policy information includes a policy type and an application object of the policy; the policy type includes a correspondence between wireless network resource information and QoS parameters; The application object of the policy includes the service type to which the QoS management policy information is applied; Determine the type of data to be requested and the data reporting method according to the QoS management policy information, and send a data request message to the second network element, the data request message including the type of data to be requested and the data reporting method, the data type including wireless network resource information; Receive the status data of the wireless network resources acquired by the second network element according to the data reporting method.

17. A second network element, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, configured to send a QoS parameter request to a first network element, wherein the QoS parameter request is used to request QoS parameters, and the first network element and the second network element are network elements on the access network AN side; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first QoS parameter sent by the first network element, where the first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; A processing unit is used to allocate wireless network resources according to the first QoS parameter.

18. The second network element according to claim 17, characterized in that: The service requirement information includes at least one of a media type and a bandwidth requirement of the service; The first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element according to the service demand information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element, including: the first QoS parameter is determined by the first network element according to the service demand information of the user, the attribute information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; The attribute information of the user includes at least one of the following information: a priority of the user, a subscribed user file identifier SPID, and an indication that the terminal device where the user is located is a high priority access; The QoS parameter request includes the service requirement information of the user and the wireless network resource information of the second network element; the QoS parameter request also includes the attribute information of the user; The QoS parameter request also includes a second QoS parameter configured by the core network.

19. The second network element according to claim 17, characterized in that: The transceiver unit is further configured to: receive a first data request message sent by the first network element, the first data request message including a requested data type and a data reporting method, the data type including wireless network resource information; and send wireless network resource status data to the first network element according to the data reporting method; The first data request message also includes an identifier of the service; the transceiver unit is further used to: send a second data request message to a core network element, the second data request message includes an identifier of the service, and the second data request message is used to request the service requirement information corresponding to the identifier of the service from the core network element; and receive the service requirement information sent by the core network element.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The method comprises computer instructions, which, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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