QoS guarantee method and device

Abstract

The application provides a QoS guarantee method and device, which can solve the problem of failure of establishment of part of QoS flows of MBS and no longer establishment, so as to improve the transmission quality of MBS, and can be applied to NR and LTE systems. The method comprises the following steps: a first access network device determines that a first QoS flow is not successfully established, and saves information of the first QoS flow. The first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS), and the information of the first QoS flow is used for establishing the first QoS flow.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular to a QoS guarantee method and device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of mobile Internet, in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) network, in order to meet the point-to-multipoint data transmission requirements, the multicast / broadcast (MB) communication mode is introduced, such as the network side device can send data to multiple terminals in the MB group through the multicast / broadcast service (MBS).

[0003] Among them, a multicast / broadcast service (MBS) can include multiple quality of service (QoS) flows, however, the network side device may, due to network congestion and other reasons, cause the MBS to fail to establish part of the QoS flow, and no longer establish, thereby affecting the transmission quality of the MBS. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a QoS guarantee method and device, which can solve the problem that part of the QoS flow of the MBS fails to be established and no longer to be established, so as to improve the transmission quality of the MBS.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a quality of service (QoS) guarantee method is provided. The method comprises: a first access network device determining that a first QoS flow is not successfully established, and saving information of the first QoS flow. The first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS), and the information of the first QoS flow is used to establish the first QoS flow.

[0007] Based on the method of the first aspect, for the QoS flow in the MBS that is not successfully established, such as the first QoS flow, the information of the first QoS flow is saved, which can provide a basis for the reconstruction of the first QoS flow, so that the first QoS flow can be reconstructed subsequently, and the transmission quality of the MBS is improved.

[0008] In a possible design, the method in the first aspect can further include: determining, by the first access network device, that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is satisfied according to the information of the first QoS flow, and sending, to the first session management network element, first information, where the first information is used to trigger establishment of the first QoS flow. For example, 8 QoS flows of the MBS are successfully established, and 2 QoS flows of the MBS are not successfully established. When the first session management network element determines that the establishment condition of the 2 QoS flows is satisfied, the first session management network element can reestablish the 2 QoS flows according to the information of the 2 QoS flows, so that the 10 QoS flows of the MBS can be finally all established. In addition, since the first access network device initiates reestablishment of the first QoS flow only when it is determined that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is satisfied, the first access network device can ensure a reestablishment success rate, avoid resource waste caused by failure to successfully reestablish the first QoS flow, and improve resource utilization.

[0009] Optionally, the first information can include second information, where the second information is used to indicate or notify that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is satisfied.

[0010] Optionally, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow being satisfied can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is satisfied; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is satisfied, and the first access network device is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is satisfied, and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state. That is, whether to reestablish the first QoS flow can be comprehensively judged according to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow and the state of the first access network device, so as to improve the reestablishment success rate of the first QoS flow.

[0011] Further, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow being satisfied can include that the first access network device has resources that satisfy the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow, so as to ensure that the first access network device has sufficient resources to reestablish the first QoS flow, and further improve the reestablishment success rate of the first QoS flow.

[0012] Optionally, the method in the first aspect can further include: receiving, by the first access network device, a subscription request from the first session management network element. The subscription request is used to request subscription of a first event, where the first event is that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is satisfied. In this way, when the first access network device sends the first information to the first session management network element, the first access network device can send the first information to the first session management network element according to the subscription request, so that the first session management network element can timely learn that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is satisfied, and reestablish the first QoS flow in a timely manner, thereby improving reestablishment efficiency.

[0013] In a possible design, after a terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS switches from the first access network device to the second access network device and the first access network device saves the information of the first QoS flow, the method in the first aspect can further include: the first access network device sending, to the second access network device, a handover request, where the handover request includes the information of the first QoS flow. For example, among 10 QoS flows of the MBS, 8 QoS flows are successfully established, and 2 QoS flows are not successfully established. After a terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS switches from the first access network device to the second access network device, the first session management network element can send, to the second access network device, information of the 10 QoS flows, so that the second access network device establishes the 10 QoS flows. In this way, for the 2 QoS flows that are not successfully established by the first access network device, the second access network device can continue to establish, thereby implementing QoS reestablishment and improving transmission quality of the MBS.

[0014] In a possible design, the information of the first QoS flow can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow, or a QoS requirement of the first QoS flow. That is, the information of the first QoS flow can include only part of a context of the first QoS flow, for example, the identifier of the first QoS flow, or can include a complete context of the first QoS flow, for example, the identifier of the first QoS flow and the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow. In this case, the information of the first QoS flow can be considered as the complete context of the first QoS flow. In other words, the first access network device can selectively save part of the context or the complete context of the first QoS flow, to more flexibly utilize available storage space of the first access network device. For example, if the available storage space of the first access network device is sufficient, the complete context of the first QoS flow can be saved, so that the first access network device can quickly determine whether an establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, thereby improving reestablishment efficiency. For another example, if the available storage space of the first access network device is limited, only part of the context of the first QoS flow, for example, the identifier of the first QoS flow, can be saved, to save storage resources of the first access network device, thereby improving utilization of the storage space.

[0015] In a possible design, the first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established can include: the first access network device determining that an establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not met.

[0016] Optionally, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow not being met can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met and the first access network device being in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met and the first access network device being in a maintenance state. In other words, determining whether the first QoS flow is not successfully established can be a comprehensive judgment according to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow and the state of the first access network device, so as to avoid misjudgment, such as determining that the first QoS flow can be successfully established in the case that the first QoS flow cannot actually be established, thereby causing the first QoS flow to be possibly unable to be re-established subsequently, and further affecting the transmission quality of the MBS.

[0017] Optionally, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met can include: the first access network device not having resources that meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow. It can be understood that if there is no corresponding resource, the first QoS flow cannot be successfully established. On this basis, the first access network device can more accurately determine that the first QoS flow cannot be successfully established by judging whether there are resources that meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow, thereby avoiding misjudgment.

[0018] Optionally, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow can include multiple items of the first QoS flow: allocation and pre-emption priority (ARP) and 5G QoS identifier.

[0019] In a possible design, the method of the first aspect can further include: the first access network device receiving third information from the first session management network element, the third information being used to indicate that all QoS flows in a first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set. In this way, the first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established can include: the first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the third information.

[0020] Further, the first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the third information can include: if there is at least one QoS flow in the first QoS set whose establishment condition is not met, the first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established. That is, if all QoS flows need to be established to guarantee the service requirement of the MBS, the first session management network element can indicate that all QoS flows in the first QoS flow set need to be established through the third information, so as to avoid the first access network device establishing only part of the QoS flows and causing resource waste, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0021] Optionally, the third information comprises one or more of: an identity of the first set of QoS flows, or an identity of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows, to indicate precisely that all of the corresponding QoS flows need to be established by the identity of the first set of QoS flows or the identity of each QoS flow.

[0022] In another possible design, the method of the first aspect can further include: receiving, by the first access network device, fourth information from the first session management network element, the fourth information being used to indicate that not all of the second set of QoS flows of the MBS need to be established, the first QoS flow being one of the QoS flows in the second set of QoS flows. In this way, the determining, by the first access network device, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established can include: determining, by the first access network device, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the fourth information.

[0023] Optionally, the determining, by the first access network device, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the fourth information can include: determining, by the first access network device, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established if a condition for establishing the first QoS flow is not met. That is, if establishing part of the QoS flows can also guarantee the service requirement of the MBS, the first session management network element can indicate, by the fourth information, that not all of the QoS flows in the second set of QoS flows need to be established. In this way, the first access network device can establish part of the QoS flows first to provide the MBS as soon as possible before the condition for establishing all of the QoS flows is met.

[0024] Further, the fourth information can comprise one or more of: an identity of the second set of QoS flows, or an identity of each QoS flow in the second set of QoS flows, to indicate precisely that not all of the corresponding QoS flows need to be established by the identity of the second set of QoS flows or the identity of each QoS flow.

[0025] In a possible design, after the determining, by the first access network device, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, the method of the first aspect can further include: sending, by the first access network device, fifth information to the first session management network element, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first QoS flow is not successfully established. In this way, the first session management network element can save the context of the first QoS flow according to the fifth information. In other words, the context of the first QoS flow can be backed up at the first session management network element. In this way, even if the first access network device loses the context of the first QoS flow, the first access network device can still obtain the context of the first QoS flow from the first session management network element, so as to continue to complete the re-establishment of the first QoS flow, and ensure the reliability of the re-establishment.

[0026] In a possible design, after the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, the method of the first aspect further can include: the first access network device sending sixth information to a first terminal, the first terminal being one of the terminals in the group corresponding to the MBS, the sixth information being used to indicate that the partial QoS flows of the MBS are successfully established. In this way, the first terminal can flexibly adjust the configuration of the MBS according to the fifth information, for example, reduce the configuration requirement of the MBS according to the fifth information, to ensure that the MBS can meet the basic transmission requirement and guarantee the basic use requirement of the user.

[0027] In a second aspect, a quality of service (QoS) guarantee method is provided. The method includes: a first session management network element receiving second information from a first access network device, and establishing a first QoS flow according to the second information. The second information is used to indicate or notify that an establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS).

[0028] In a possible design, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state.

[0029] In a possible design, the method of the second aspect further can include: the first session management network element sending a subscription request to the first access network device, the subscription request being used to request to subscribe to a first event, the first event being the establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met.

[0030] In a possible design, before the first session management network element receives the second information from the first access network device, the method of the second aspect further can include: the first session management network element sending third information to the first access network device, the third information being used to indicate that all QoS flows in a first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0031] Optionally, the third information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0032] Optionally, the method of the second aspect can further include that the first session management network element receives seventh information from the application network element, the seventh information being used to indicate that all SDFs in a first SDF set of the MBS need to be established. In this way, the first session management network element can send third information to the first access network device, which can include that the first session management network element sends the third information to the first access network device according to the seventh information. That is, the first session management network element can determine the third information according to the requirement of the application network element, so that the subsequent establishment of the QoS flow of the MBS can meet the requirement of the application network element.

[0033] In another possible design, before the first session management network element receives the second information from the first access network device, the method of the second aspect can further include that the first session management network element sends fourth information to the first access network device, the fourth information being used to indicate that all QoS flows in a second QoS flow set of the MBS do not need to be established, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

[0034] Optionally, the fourth information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the second QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

[0035] Optionally, the method of the second aspect can further include that the first session management network element receives eighth information from the application network element, the eighth information being used to indicate that all SDFs in a second SDF set of the MBS do not need to be established. In this way, the first session management network element can send fourth information to the first access network device, which can include that the first session management network element sends the fourth information to the first access network device according to the eighth information. That is, the first session management network element can determine the fourth information according to the requirement from the application network element, so that the subsequent establishment of at least part of the QoS flow of the MBS can also meet the requirement of the application network element.

[0036] In a possible design, before the first session management network element receives the second information from the first access network device, the method of the second aspect can further include that the first session management network element receives fifth information from the first access network device, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0037] Optionally, the method of the second aspect can further include: saving, by the first session management network element, the context of the first QoS flow according to the fifth information; and / or sending, by the first session management network element, ninth information to the first terminal according to the fifth information, the ninth information being used to indicate that the transmission resource of the MBS is not successfully established, the first terminal being one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS. In this way, the first terminal can flexibly adjust the configuration of the MBS according to the ninth information. For example, the configuration requirement of the MBS is reduced according to the eighth information to ensure that the MBS can meet the basic transmission requirements, thereby guaranteeing the basic use requirements of the user.

[0038] In a third aspect, a QoS guarantee method is provided. The method includes: determining, by a second session management network element, that a second QoS flow is not successfully established. In this way, if a preset condition is met, the second session management network element sends the context of the second QoS flow to a third access network device. The second QoS flow is a QoS flow of the MBS.

[0039] Based on the method of the third aspect, for the QoS flow that is not successfully established in the MBS, such as the second QoS flow, the second session management network element can achieve the reconstruction of the first QoS flow by the third access network device by sending the context of the second QoS flow to the third access network device, thereby improving the transmission quality of the MBS.

[0040] In a possible design, the preset condition being met can include any one of the following: the second terminal switches to the third access network device, and the second terminal can be one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS; or the second session management network element receives information from the third access network device, and the information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met. In other words, the second session management network element can reconstruct the second QoS flow at the time of cell switching to improve the reconstruction efficiency of the second QoS flow. Alternatively, the second session management network element can also reconstruct the second QoS flow when the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met to ensure the reconstruction success rate of the second QoS flow.

[0041] Optionally, the establishment condition of the second QoS flow being met can include any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is met; or the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is met, and the third access network device is not in a congestion state; or the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is met, and the third access network device is not in a maintenance state.

[0042] Further, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being met can include that the third access network device has resources that meet the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow.

[0043] Further, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow can include the following multiple items of the second QoS flow: ARP and 5G QoS identifier.

[0044] In a possible design, the method of the third aspect further can include: the second session management network element sending a query message to the third access network device. The query message can be used to query whether the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is satisfied.

[0045] In a possible design, the method of the third aspect further can include: the second session management network element receiving tenth information from the third access network device. The tenth information can be used to indicate the successfully established QoS flows of the third access network device, and the successfully established QoS flows do not include the second QoS flow. Thus, the second session management network element determining that the second QoS flow is not successfully established can include: the second session management network element determining that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the tenth information. It can be understood that, since the second session management network element can save the contexts of all QoS flows of the MBS, in this case, the second session management network element determining that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the tenth information can be comparing the QoS flows indicated by the tenth information with all QoS flows of the MBS to determine all unsuccessfully established QoS flows (including the second QoS flow), so as to more thoroughly perform the reestablishment.

[0046] In a possible design, the method of the third aspect further can include: the second session management network element receiving eleventh information from the third access network device. The eleventh information can be used to indicate that the second QoS flow is not successfully established, so that the second session management network element can more quickly determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established, thereby improving the efficiency of subsequent reestablishment.

[0047] In a possible design, the method of the third aspect further can include: the second session management network element receiving twelfth information from a fourth access network device. The fourth access network device is a device on which the second terminal resides before switching to the third access network device, and the twelfth information can be used to indicate the successfully established QoS flows of the fourth access network device, and the successfully established QoS flows do not include the second QoS flow. Thus, the second session management network element determining that the second QoS flow is not successfully established can include: the second session management network element determining that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the twelfth information. In other words, when the second terminal resides on the fourth access network device, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established. Thus, when the second terminal switches to the third access network device, the second session management network element can continue to initiate the reestablishment of the second QoS flow, so as to improve the success rate of reestablishment.

[0048] In addition, the remaining technical effects of the method of the third aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of the first aspect, which are not described herein again.

[0049] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a module for performing the method of the first aspect. For example, the apparatus includes a processing module. The processing module is configured to determine that a first QoS flow is not successfully established, and save information of the first QoS flow. The first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS). The information of the first QoS flow is used to establish the first QoS flow.

[0050] In a possible design, the apparatus of the fourth aspect can further include a transceiver module. The processing module can be further configured to determine, according to the information of the first QoS flow, that a condition for establishing the first QoS flow is satisfied, and control the transceiver module to send first information to a first session management network element. The first information is used to trigger establishment of the first QoS flow.

[0051] Optionally, the first information can include second information. The second information is used to indicate or notify that the condition for establishing the first QoS flow is satisfied.

[0052] Optionally, the condition for establishing the first QoS flow being satisfied can include any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is satisfied; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is satisfied, and the apparatus of the fourth aspect is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is satisfied, and the apparatus of the fourth aspect is not in a maintenance state.

[0053] Further, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow being satisfied can include that the apparatus of the fourth aspect has resources that satisfy the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0054] Optionally, the receiving module is further configured to receive a subscription request from the first session management network element. The subscription request is used to request subscription of a first event. The first event is that the condition for establishing the first QoS flow is satisfied. The processing module is further configured to control the transceiver module to send the first information to the first session management network element according to the subscription request.

[0055] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to send a handover request to a second access network device after the apparatus of the fourth aspect determines that one terminal in a group corresponding to the MBS is handed over from the apparatus of the fourth aspect to the second access network device, and the apparatus of the fourth aspect saves the information of the first QoS flow. The handover request includes the information of the first QoS flow.

[0056] In a possible design, the information of the first QoS flow can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow, or a QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0057] In a possible design, the apparatus of the fourth aspect determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established can include that the apparatus of the fourth aspect determines that the condition for establishing the first QoS flow is not satisfied.

[0058] Optionally, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow not being satisfied can comprise any one of: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being satisfied; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being satisfied and the apparatus of the fourth aspect being in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being satisfied and the apparatus of the fourth aspect being in a maintenance state.

[0059] Optionally, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being satisfied can comprise: the apparatus of the fourth aspect not having resources that satisfy the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0060] Optionally, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow can comprise a plurality of the following of the first QoS flow: allocation and retention priority (ARP) and 5G QoS identifier.

[0061] In one possible design, the transceiver is further configured to receive third information from the first session management network element, the third information being used to indicate that all of the QoS flows in a first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, the first QoS flow being one of the QoS flows in the first QoS flow set. In this way, the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the third information.

[0062] Further, the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established if the establishment condition of at least one of the QoS flows in the first QoS set is not satisfied.

[0063] Optionally, the third information can comprise one or more of: an identifier of the first QoS flow set, or an identifier of each of the QoS flows in the first QoS flow set.

[0064] In another possible design, the transceiver is further configured to receive fourth information from the first session management network element, the fourth information being used to indicate that all of the QoS flows in a second QoS flow set of the MBS do not need to be established, the first QoS flow being one of the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set. In this way, the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the fourth information.

[0065] Optionally, the processor is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established if the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not satisfied.

[0066] Further, the fourth information can comprise one or more of: an identifier of the second QoS flow set, or an identifier of each of the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set.

[0067] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver to send, after determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, fifth information to the first session management network element, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0068] In a possible design, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver to send, after determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, sixth information to the first terminal, where the first terminal is one of the terminals in the group corresponding to the MBS, and the sixth information is used to indicate that the part of the QoS flows of the MBS is successfully established.

[0069] Optionally, the transceiver can include a receiving module and a sending module. The receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the apparatus in the fourth aspect, and the sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the apparatus in the fourth aspect.

[0070] Optionally, the apparatus in the fourth aspect can further include a storage module that stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the apparatus can execute the method in the first aspect.

[0071] It should be noted that the apparatus in the fourth aspect can be a network device, can be a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or can be an apparatus including the network device, and the present application does not limit this.

[0072] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus in the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method in the first aspect, which will not be described here again.

[0073] In the fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a module for executing the method in the second aspect. For example, the apparatus includes a transceiver and a processing module. The transceiver is configured to receive second information from the first access network device. The processing module is configured to establish the first QoS flow according to the second information, where the second information is used to indicate or notify that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS).

[0074] In a possible design, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state.

[0075] In a possible design, the transceiver is further configured to send a subscription request to the first access network device, where the subscription request is used to request to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met.

[0076] In a possible design, the transceiver is further configured to send, to the first access network device, third information before receiving the second information from the first access network device, where the third information can be used to indicate that all of the QoS flows in the first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0077] Optionally, the third information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0078] Optionally, the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the application network element, seventh information used to indicate that all of the SDFs in the first SDF set of the MBS need to be established. In this way, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver to send, to the first access network device, the third information according to the seventh information.

[0079] In another possible design, the transceiver is further configured to send, to the first access network device, fourth information before receiving the second information from the first access network device, where the fourth information can be used to indicate that all of the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set of the MBS do not need to be established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

[0080] Optionally, the fourth information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the second QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

[0081] Optionally, the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the application network element, eighth information used to indicate that all of the SDFs in the second SDF set of the MBS do not need to be established. In this way, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver to send, to the first access network device, the fourth information according to the eighth information.

[0082] In a possible design, the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the first access network device, fifth information before receiving the second information from the first access network device, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0083] Optionally, the processing module is further configured to save a context of the first QoS flow according to the fifth information; and / or, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver to send, to the first terminal, ninth information used to indicate that the transmission resource of the MBS is not successfully established, where the first terminal is one terminal in a group corresponding to the MBS, according to the fifth information.

[0084] Optionally, the transceiver module can include a receiving module and a transmitting module. The receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the apparatus of the fifth aspect, and the transmitting module is configured to implement the transmitting function of the apparatus of the fifth aspect.

[0085] Optionally, the apparatus of the fifth aspect can further include a storage module storing a program or instructions. When the processing module executes the program or instructions, the apparatus can execute the method of the second aspect.

[0086] It should be noted that the apparatus of the fifth aspect can be a network device, a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus containing the network device, and the present application does not limit the same.

[0087] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus of the fifth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0088] In the sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a module for executing the method of the third aspect. For example, the apparatus includes a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module is configured to determine that a second QoS flow is not successfully established. Thus, the processing module is further configured to control the transceiver module to send a context of the second QoS flow to a third access network device if a preset condition is met. The second QoS flow is a QoS flow of MBS.

[0089] In a possible design, the preset condition being met can include any one of the following: the second terminal switches to the third access network device, and the second terminal can be one terminal in a group corresponding to the MBS; or the transceiver module receives information from the third access network device, and the information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met.

[0090] Optionally, the establishment condition of the second QoS flow being met can include any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is met; or the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is met, and the third access network device is not in a congestion state; or the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is met, and the third access network device is not in a maintenance state.

[0091] Further, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being met can include that the third access network device has resources that meet the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow.

[0092] Further, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow can include multiple items of the second QoS flow, such as ARP and 5G QoS identifier.

[0093] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to send a query message to the third access network device. The query message can be used to query whether the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met.

[0094] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive tenth information from the third access network device. The tenth information can be used to indicate the successfully established QoS flows of the third access network device, and the successfully established QoS flows do not include the second QoS flow. In this way, the processing module is further configured to determine, according to the tenth information, that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0095] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive eleventh information from the third access network device. The eleventh information can be used to indicate that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0096] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive twelfth information from a fourth access network device. The fourth access network device is a device that the second terminal camps on before switching to the third access network device. The twelfth information can be used to indicate the successfully established QoS flows of the fourth access network device, and the successfully established QoS flows do not include the second QoS flow. In this way, the processing module is further configured to determine, according to the twelfth information, that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0097] Optionally, the transceiver module can include a receiving module and a sending module. The receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the apparatus in the sixth aspect, and the sending module is configured to implement the sending function of the apparatus in the sixth aspect.

[0098] Optionally, the apparatus in the sixth aspect can further include a storage module that stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the apparatus can execute the method in the third aspect.

[0099] It should be noted that the apparatus in the sixth aspect can be a network device, can be a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, and can also be an apparatus including the network device, and the present application does not limit this.

[0100] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus in the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method in the third aspect, which will not be described here.

[0101] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, and the processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0102] In a possible design, the apparatus in the seventh aspect further includes a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiving circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for the apparatus in the seventh aspect to communicate with other apparatuses.

[0103] In this application, the apparatus in the seventh aspect can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device, and the application does not limit this.

[0104] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus in the seventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, which are not described herein again.

[0105] In the eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program. When the processor executes the computer program, the apparatus performs the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0106] In a possible design, the apparatus in the eighth aspect further includes a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiving circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for the apparatus in the eighth aspect to communicate with other apparatuses.

[0107] In this application, the apparatus in the eighth aspect can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device.

[0108] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus in the eighth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, which are not described herein again.

[0109] In the ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive code instructions and transmit the code instructions to the processor. The processor is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0110] Optionally, the apparatus in the ninth aspect further includes a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to implement the receiving function of the apparatus, and the transmitter is configured to implement the transmitting function of the apparatus. Optionally, the transmitter and the receiver can be integrated into one device, such as a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to implement the transmitting function and the receiving function of the apparatus.

[0111] Optionally, the apparatus in the ninth aspect further includes a memory. The memory stores a program or instructions. When the processor in the ninth aspect executes the program or the instructions, the apparatus can perform the method in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0112] In the present disclosure, the apparatus of the ninth aspect can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus containing the network device, and the present disclosure does not limit the same.

[0113] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus of the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0114] The tenth aspect provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver, where the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit, and the transceiver is configured to exchange information between the apparatus and other apparatuses. The processor executes program instructions to perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0115] Optionally, the apparatus of the tenth aspect can further include a memory that stores program or instructions. When the processor of the eleventh aspect executes the program or instructions, the apparatus can perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0116] In the present disclosure, the apparatus of the tenth aspect can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus containing the network device, and the present disclosure does not limit the same.

[0117] In addition, the technical effects of the apparatus of the tenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] The eleventh aspect provides a communication system. The system includes the first access network device of the first aspect and the first session management network element of the second aspect. Optionally, the system can further include the second session management network element of the third aspect.

[0119] The twelfth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium, including a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0120] The thirteenth aspect provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0121] Figure 1 An architecture diagram of a 5G network;

[0122] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the multicast joining / establishment process based on unicast.

[0123] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the process of establishing / modifying a unicast-based broadcast;

[0124] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0125] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0126] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0127] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 ;

[0128] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 4 ;

[0129] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 5 ;

[0130] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 6 ;

[0131] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0132] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0133] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 3 ;

[0134] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 4 . Detailed Implementation

[0135] The technical terms used in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0136] 1. Fifth generation (5G) network architecture:

[0137] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is an architecture diagram of a 5G network defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) TS 23.501 standard. The 5G network can include two parts: an access network (AN) and a core network (CN).

[0138] The AN is mainly used to implement wireless access related functions and can include a (radio) access network ((R)AN) network element. The CN can mainly include the following network elements: a user plane function (UPF) network element, a multicast / broadcast UPF (MB-UPF) network element, a data network (DN) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a multicast / broadcast SMF (MB-SMF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, a unified data management (UDM) network element, an application function (AF) network element, and a network exposure function (NEF) network element, etc. " / " means "or", and the related description below can also be understood in this way, which will not be repeated below.

[0139] The (R)AN network element is used to provide network access functions for authorized terminals in a specific area, and can use different quality transmission tunnels according to the level of the terminal, the demand of the service, etc. The (R)AN network element can manage radio resources, provide access services for terminals, and further complete the forwarding of control signals and terminal data between terminals and the core network. The (R)AN network element can also be understood as a base station in the traditional network.

[0140] The UPF network element is mainly used for QoS flow processing of unicast user plane data, and can be understood as a unicast UPF network element.

[0141] The MB-UPF network element can be an anchor point of a multicast broadcast session, and is configured to perform packet routing and forwarding of data corresponding to the multicast broadcast session (MBS session), processing of QoS flows of user plane data of the multicast broadcast, and the like. That is, the MB-UPF network element integrates functions corresponding to multicast broadcast services, and thus, in a multicast scenario, the MB-UPF network element can be described as an M-UPF network element, and in a broadcast scenario, the MB-UPF network element can be described as a B-UPF network element, but is not limited thereto. For example, the M-UPF network element and the B-UPF network element can be two independent network elements.

[0142] The DN network element is mainly configured to provide a network for transmitting data.

[0143] The AMF network element is mainly configured to perform mobility management and access management, and the like.

[0144] The SMF network element is mainly configured to perform session management for unicast, allocation and management of an internet protocol (IP) address of a terminal, selection of a manageable user plane function, termination of a policy control and charging function interface, and notification of downlink data, and the like, and can be understood as an SMF network element for unicast.

[0145] The MB-SMF network element can be configured to manage a session for multicast broadcast, including managing a user plane function for multicast broadcast. That is, the MB-SMF network element integrates functions corresponding to multicast broadcast services, and thus, in a multicast scenario, the MB-SMF network element can be described as an M-SMF network element, and in a broadcast scenario, the MB-SMF network element can be described as a B-SMF network element, but is not limited thereto. For example, the M-SMF network element and the B-SMF network element can be two independent network elements.

[0146] The PCF network element is mainly configured to guide a unified policy framework for network behavior, and provide policy rule information for a control plane function network element (for example, an AMF, an SMF network element, and the like).

[0147] The UDM network element is mainly configured to process a terminal identifier, access authentication, registration, and mobility management, and the like.

[0148] The AF network element is mainly configured to perform data routing for application influence, access the NEF network element, and interact with a policy framework to perform policy control, and the like.

[0149] The NEF network element is mainly configured to connect a network element in a core network and an AF network element, and can provide authentication, forwarding, and the like, for a service request initiated by the AF network element to the core network.

[0150] It can be understood that the above is an example of a 5G core network to introduce the above network element or function. In future communication systems, the network element or function can be replaced by the corresponding network element or function in the future communication system, and the present application is not limited. In addition, the network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on a dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The network element or function can be divided into one or more services, and further, services independent of network functions can also exist. The network elements can also communicate with each other using service interfaces. In this application, the instances of the above functions, or the instances of the services included in the above functions, or the service instances independent of the network functions can be referred to as service instances.

[0151] 2. Protocol data unit (PDU) session:

[0152] Among them, the PDU session is a transmission channel between the terminal and the data network in the 5G network, such as the transmission channel between the terminal, the UPF network element, the (R)AN network element, and the DN network element. In other words, after establishing the PDU session, the user plane traffic from the DN network element can be sent to the terminal through the PDU session, or the user plane traffic from the terminal can also be sent to the DN network element through the PDU session, to realize data communication between the terminal and the data network.

[0153] 3. QoS flow:

[0154] Among them, the QoS flow is used to classify the user plane traffic transmitted by the PDU session, and is the finest granularity of user plane traffic classification in the PDU session, so that different types of user plane traffic in the PDU session can be transmitted through different types of QoS flows. For example, if the PDU session is compared to a highway, and the user plane traffic is compared to a vehicle, then the QoS flow can be compared to various lanes on the highway, such as a fast lane, a slow lane, a non-motor vehicle lane, etc., so that different types of vehicles can travel on different types of lanes on the highway, that is, different types of user plane traffic in the PDU session are transmitted through different types of QoS flows.

[0155] Further, different QoS flows can be partitioned by different identifiers, such as the identifier of the QoS flow, i.e., QFI, or in other words, the QFI of different QoS flows is different. For example, user plane traffic with the same QFI in the same PDU session can receive the same traffic forwarding processing. The QFI can be dynamically configured by a core network element, such as an SMF network element, or it can be pre-defined by a protocol, which is not limited.

[0156] 4. MBS:

[0157] MBS is a point-to-multipoint transmission service implemented through unicast PDU sessions in 5G networks. Also known as unicast-based MB technology, it's a general term for multicast service (MS) or broadcast service (BS). For example, an MB group can initiate a request to a core network element, such as an SMF element, to establish a unicast-based MBS, i.e., to establish a QoS flow for the MBS. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant introduction below. Thus, after the application server (AS) sends multiple identical data streams of the MB group to the UPF element through the DN element, the UPF element only sends one data stream to the MB group (UPF element → (R)AN element → MB group), thereby improving the utilization efficiency of air interface and core network resources. This will be explained in detail below.

[0158] For example, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the QoS flow establishment process for a multicast session in MBS, as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the process may include:

[0159] S201, the AF network element sends an application request to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the application request from the AF network element.

[0160] In multicast scenarios, application requests may include the MS's business requirements information and the MS's identifier.

[0161] The aforementioned service requirements information for the MS may include: the bandwidth required by the MS, and the data transmission priority of the MS, or it may include: the QoS information of the MS. The QoS information of the MS may include one or more of the following: allocation and retention priority (ARP), or packet error rate (PER).

[0162] Furthermore, on the one hand, if the service requirements information of the MS includes: the bandwidth required by the MS and the data transmission priority of the MS, then the core network elements, such as the PCF network element ( Figure 2 (Not shown in the image) The bandwidth required by the MS and the data transmission priority of the MS can be converted into policy information of the MS, and this policy information is sent to the MB-SMF network element. In other words, in this case, the service requirement information received by the MB-SMF network element may include the policy information of the MS, so that the MB-SMF network element can generate QoS information of the MS based on the policy information of the MS.

[0163] In addition, PCF network elements ( Figure 2(not shown in the figure) can also receive the service requirement information of the MS from the AF network element, and thus send the policy information of the MS to the MB-SMF. Alternatively, after receiving the service requirement information of the MS, the MB-SMF network element can also send the service requirement information of the MS to the PCF network element, so that the PCF network element can generate the QoS information of the MS according to the policy information of the MS, and then send the QoS information of the MS to the MB-SMF network element.

[0164] Alternatively, on the other hand, if the service requirement information of the MS includes: the QoS information of the MS, the MB-SMF network element can directly save the QoS information of the MS.

[0165] It should be noted that the above service requirement information of the MS can be directly sent from the AF network element to the MB-SMF network element, or can also be sent to the MB-SMF network element via one or more of the following network elements: the NEF network element ( Figure 2 (not shown in the figure), the PCF network element, the UDM network element ( Figure 2 (not shown in the figure), the SMF network element ( Figure 2 (not shown in the figure), etc.

[0166] The above identifier of the MS may include one or more of the following: the group identifier (group ID) of the MS, and / or, the session identifier (session ID) of the MS. The above group identifier of the MS may be the temporary multicast group identifier (TMGI) of the MS, the above session identifier of the MS may be the TMGI of the MS, or may also be the IP address of the MS, or may also be the IP address of the AF network element, or a combination of the above group identifiers. The identifier of the MS may be an identifier obtained by the AF network element from a core network element, such as the NEF network element or the MB-SMF network element.

[0167] In addition, the MB-SMF network element can store the correspondence between the QoS information of the MS and the identifier of the MS locally, or can also store this correspondence in other network elements, such as the UDR network element ( Figure 2 (not shown in the figure). Among them, the correspondence may be a binary tuple containing <identifier of the MS, QoS information of the MS>, or the QoS information of the MS is included in the context where the identifier of the MS is stored.

[0168] S202, the UE sends a multicast establishment request to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the multicast establishment request from the UE.

[0169] The UE can be a UE in a multicast group or a UE that needs to join the multicast group. The UE can send a multicast establishment request to the SMF network element through a unicast PDU session. The multicast establishment request can include a non-access stratum (NAS) message, such as a PDU session modification request message, a PDU session establishment request message, etc., or can include a user plane join request message, such as an internet group management protocol join (IGMP join) message. The multicast establishment request includes the identifier of the MS. The UE can be preconfigured with the identifier of the MS or obtain the identifier of the MS from the AF network element.

[0170] In S203, the SMF network element obtains the QoS information of the MS from the MB-SMF network element.

[0171] The SMF network element can send the identifier of the MS to the MB-SMF network element, so that the MB-SMF network element sends the QoS information of the MS to the SMF network element according to the correspondence between the identifier of the MS and the QoS information of the MS.

[0172] In S204, the SMF network element determines the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS according to the QoS information of the MS.

[0173] The SMF network element can establish the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS according to the QoS information of the MS. The context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS can include the identifier of the QoS flow of the MS, such as QFI, and the QoS requirement of the QoS flow of the MS. The context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS can also be the same as the QoS information of the MS.

[0174] In S205, the SMF network element sends the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS from the SMF network element.

[0175] The context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS can be carried in the first N2 information. The (R)AN network element can configure the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS, such as configuring corresponding resources for the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS according to the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS, so as to establish the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS.

[0176] Thereafter, the (R)AN network element can obtain the context of the QoS flow of the MS according to the identity of the MS and / or the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS sent by the SMF network element, such as obtaining the context of the QoS flow of the MS from the MB-SMF network element. The context of the QoS flow of the MS can include the identity of the QoS flow of the MS and the QoS requirement of the MS, which can include one or more of the following of the MS: ARP information, latency information such as packet delay budget (PDB) information, error rate information such as PER information, or rate information such as guaranteed bit rate (GBR). In this way, the (R)AN network element can configure the corresponding resources for the QoS flow of the MS according to the context of the QoS flow of the MS, thereby establishing the QoS flow of the MS.

[0177] In S206, the SMF network element sends first configuration information to the MB-UPF network element, and the MB-UPF network element receives the first configuration information from the SMF network element.

[0178] The first configuration information can include the processing policy of the QoS flow of the MS. The processing policy of the QoS flow of the MS can be used by the MB-UPF network element to identify and / or forward data corresponding to the QoS flow of the MS, which can be determined by the SMF network element according to the context of the QoS flow of the MS. In this way, the MB-UPF network element can establish a transmission tunnel between the (R)AN network element and the MB-UPF network element according to the processing policy of the QoS flow of the MS, so that after the MB-UPF network element receives multiple identical data streams corresponding to the QoS flow of the MS, it can send one of the data streams to the (R)AN network element through the transmission tunnel.

[0179] In addition, in some embodiments, the MB-SMF network element can also send the first configuration information to the MB-UPF network element. Thereafter, the subsequent operations of the MB-UPF network element are the same as those of the SMF network element sending the first configuration information to the MB-UPF network element, which will not be described here.

[0180] It should be noted that some concepts of the MS can be understood as concepts of the MBS, for example, the service requirement information of the MS can be described as the service requirement information of the MBS, the identity of the MS can be described as the identity of the MBS, the QoS flow of the MS can be described as the QoS flow of the MBS, and so on. The relevant description in the following can also be understood in this way, which will not be described here.

[0181] For example, Figure 3 For example, a flowchart for establishing a QoS flow in a broadcast session in an MBS is shown in FIG. 2, which can include: Figure 3 S201, the MB-SMF network element receives the service requirement information of the MBS from the (R)AN network element.

[0182] S301, the AF network element sends an application request to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the application request from the AF network element.

[0183] In the broadcast scenario, the application request can include service requirement information of the BS and an identifier of the BS.

[0184] The service requirement information of the BS can include a bandwidth required by the BS and a data transmission priority of the BS, or include QoS information of the BS. The QoS information of the BS can include one or more of the following of the BS: ARP or PER.

[0185] Further, in one aspect, if the service requirement information of the BS includes the bandwidth required by the BS and the data transmission priority of the BS, the core network element, such as the PCF network element (not shown in the figure) can convert the bandwidth required by the BS and the data transmission priority of the BS into policy information of the BS, and send the policy information of the BS to the MB-SMF network element. In other words, in this case, the service requirement information received by the MB-SMF network element can include the policy information of the BS, so that the MB-SMF network element generates the QoS information of the BS according to the policy information of the BS. Figure 3 In addition, the PCF network element (not shown in the figure) can also receive the service requirement information of the BS from the AF network element, and then send the policy information of the BS to the B-SMF. Alternatively, the MB-SMF network element can also send the service requirement information of the BS to the PCF network element after receiving the service requirement information of the BS, so that the PCF network element generates the QoS information of the BS according to the policy information of the BS, and then sends the QoS information of the BS to the MB-SMF network element.

[0186] Figure 3

[0187] Alternatively, in another aspect, if the service requirement information of the BS includes the QoS information of the BS, the MB-SMF network element can directly save the QoS information of the BS.

[0188] It should be noted that the service requirement information of the BS can be sent directly by the AF network element to the MB-SMF network element, or can be sent to the MB-SMF network element via one or more of the following network elements: the NEF network element (not shown in the figure), the PCF network element, the UDM network element (not shown in the figure), the SMF network element (not shown in the figure), or the MB-SMF network element (not shown in the figure), etc. Figure 3 Figure 3 Figure 3 Figure 3

[0189] ​​​​​​The identifier of the BS can comprise a group identifier of the BS, such as a TMGI, which can be acquired by the AF network element from a core network network element, such as a NEF network element (not shown in the figure), or a MB-SMF network element. Figure 3

[0190] At S302, the MB-SMF network element determines a context of a QoS flow of the BS according to the QoS information of the BS.

[0191] At S303, the MB-SMF network element sends the context of the QoS flow of the BS to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the context of the QoS flow of the BS from the MB-SMF network element.

[0192] The context of the QoS flow of the BS can be carried in the first N2 information. The (R)AN network element can configure the context of the QoS flow of the BS, such as configuring corresponding resources for the QoS flow of the BS according to the context of the QoS flow of the BS, so as to establish the QoS flow of the BS.

[0193] At S304, the MB-SMF network element sends second configuration information to the B-UPF network element, and the B-UPF network element receives the second configuration information from the MB-SMF network element.

[0194] The second configuration information can comprise a processing policy of the QoS flow of the BS. The processing policy of the QoS flow of the BS can be used by the B-UPF network element to identify and / or forward data corresponding to the QoS flow of the BS, and can be determined by the MB-SMF network element according to the context of the QoS flow of the BS. In this way, the B-UPF network element can establish a transmission tunnel between the (R)AN network element and the B-UPF network element according to the processing policy of the QoS flow of the BS, so that after the B-UPF network element receives multiple identical data streams corresponding to the QoS flow of the BS, the B-UPF network element can send one of the data streams to the (R)AN network element through the transmission tunnel.

[0195] It should be noted that a certain concept of the BS can be understood as a concept corresponding to the MBS, for example, the service requirement information of the BS can be described as the service requirement information of the MBS, the identifier of the BS can be described as the identifier of the MBS, the QoS flow of the BS can be described as the QoS flow of the MBS, and the like. The related description in the following can also be understood in this way, which will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0196] In addition, the first access network device referred to below can be the (R)AN network element in the flow shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The first session management network element referred to below can be the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element in the flow shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The second session management network element can be the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element in the flow shown in Figure 2 and​Figure 3 The SMF network element / MB-SMF network element in the illustrated process. Therefore, the relevant functions implemented by the first access network device, the first session management network element / the second session management element in the following text can be referred to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The relevant details in the process shown will not be repeated below.

[0197] Furthermore, according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the process, the (R)AN network element can establish multiple QoS flows for MBS. However, due to equipment congestion, high load, or other reasons, the (R)AN network element can only establish a portion of the QoS flows for MBS. For the other portion of the QoS flows that failed to be established, on the one hand, because the UE lacks a corresponding reporting mechanism, the AF network element is unaware that this other portion of the QoS flows failed to be established, thus failing to trigger QoS flow reconstruction. On the other hand, even if the UE has a corresponding reporting mechanism, because the AF network element does not know when reconstruction will be successful, it cannot trigger QoS flow reconstruction, thereby affecting the transmission quality of MBS.

[0198] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0199] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems, such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems, etc.

[0200] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0201] In addition, the terms "exemplary", "for example", and the like are used as adjectives to indicate certain examples, instances, or illustrations. Any embodiment or design scheme described in this application as "exemplary" should not be construed as preferable or advantageous over other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the term "exemplary" is used to present concepts in a particular manner.

[0202] In the embodiments of the present application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", and "signaling" can be used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that the meanings expressed are consistent when the distinction is not emphasized. "Of", "corresponding", and "corresponding" can be used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that the meanings expressed are consistent when the distinction is not emphasized.

[0203] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0204] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, the communication system shown in Figure 4 The communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is described in detail with the communication system shown in Figure 4 The architecture of a communication system applicable to the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0205] As shown in Figure 4 , the communication system includes a network device.

[0206] The network device is located at the network side of the communication system and has a wireless transceiver function or can be provided in a chip or chip system of the device. The network device can include an access network device, such as a first access network device, a second access network device, a third access network device, a fourth access network device, and the like.

[0207] The access network device can be the network device described above Figure 1The illustrated (R)AN network element can specifically include, but is not limited to, an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, such as a home gateway, a router, a server, a switch, a bridge, and the like, an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission and reception point (TRP or transmission point, TP), and the like, and can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G, such as a new radio (NR) system, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), a distributed unit (DU), a road side unit (RSU) with base station function, or a wired access gateway, and the like.

[0208] In addition, the network device can further include a core network element, such as a session management network element, for example, a first session management network element or a second session management network element. The session management network element can be the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element described above, or in future communication systems, the session management network element can still be the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element, or can also have other names, which are not limited in the present application. Figure 1 The illustrated SMF network element / MB-SMF network element, or in future communication systems, the session management network element can still be the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element, or can also have other names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0209] Optionally, the communication system further includes a terminal, such as a first terminal and a second terminal.

[0210] The terminal is a terminal with a wireless transceiver function or a chip or chip system that can be provided in the terminal for accessing the communication system. The terminal can also be referred to as a user device, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with a wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an RSU with terminal function, etc. The terminal in the present application can also be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units.

[0211] Further, in the communication system of the embodiments of the present application, the access network device or the session management network element can save information of the QoS flow that is not successfully established in the QoS flow of the MBS, so that the access network device and the session management network element can cooperate to complete the QoS flow reconstruction.

[0212] It should be noted that the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to Figure 4 between any of the nodes shown, such as between the first access network device and the session management network element, and such as between the third access network device and the session management network element, to implement cooperation to complete the QoS flow reconstruction. For specific implementation, reference can be made to the following method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0213] It should be noted that the scheme in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can also be replaced by the corresponding function names in other communication systems. It should be understood that Figure 4 This is a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding. Other network devices and / or other terminals can also be included in the communication system, Figure 4 which are not shown in the figure.

[0214] The following will be described in detail Figures 5-10The QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. For ease of understanding, the following will illustrate the information of unsuccessfully established QoS flows in the QoS flow of the MBS stored by the first access network device. Figures 5-8 ), and the second session management network element stores information about unsuccessfully established QoS flows in the MBS's QoS flows ( Figures 9-10 Let's take ) as an example for a detailed introduction.

[0215] For example, Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the QoS guarantee method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 This QoS guarantee method can be applied to Figure 4 The communication system shown illustrates the communication between the first access network device and the first session management network element.

[0216] like Figure 5 As shown, the QoS guarantee method includes the following steps:

[0217] S501, the first access network device determined that the first QoS flow was not successfully established.

[0218] The first QoS flow is the QoS flow of MBS, which may be one or more, and there is no limitation on this.

[0219] S502, the first access network device stores the information of the first QoS flow. This information is used to establish, or reconstruct, the first QoS flow and may include the identifier of the first QoS flow, or the identifier of the first QoS flow and the QoS requirements of the first QoS flow.

[0220] It can be seen that the information of the first QoS flow can include only a portion of its context, such as the identifier of the first QoS flow; or it can include the complete context of the first QoS flow, such as the identifier of the first QoS flow and the QoS requirements of the first QoS flow. In this case, the information of the first QoS flow can be considered as the complete context of the first QoS flow. In other words, the first access network device can selectively save a portion or the complete context of the first QoS flow to make more flexible use of the available storage space of the first access network device. For example, if the available storage space of the first access network device is sufficient, the complete context of the first QoS flow can be saved so that the first access network device can quickly determine whether the establishment conditions of the first QoS flow are met, thereby improving the reconstruction efficiency. Alternatively, if the available storage space of the first access network device is limited, only a portion of the context of the first QoS flow, such as the identifier of the first QoS flow, can be saved to save the storage resources of the first access network device, thereby improving the storage space utilization rate. Furthermore, the complete context of the first QoS flow can be configured by the first session management network element, such as the SMF network element or the MB-SMF network element. For specific implementation details, please refer to the above.Figures 2-3 Corresponding related introduction, not here again.

[0221] In step S501, the first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established can be that the first access network device determining that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not met.

[0222] For example, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow not being met can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met, and the first access network device is in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met, and the first access network device is in a maintenance state.

[0223] The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow can include the following multiple items of the first QoS flow: allocation and retention priority (ARP), 5G QoS identifier (5QI), guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), maximum packet loss rate, resource type, priority level, packet delay budget, packet error rate, averaging window, or maximum data burst volume.

[0224] The resource type of the first QoS flow can be used to indicate a service type corresponding to the first QoS flow, such as guaranteed bit rate (GRB) service or non-guaranteed bit rate (non-GRB) service. That is, the service of the MBS bearer can be GRB service or non-GRB service. The priority of the first QoS flow can be used by the first access network device to determine a scheduling order of the first QoS flow, such as scheduling the first QoS flow first or scheduling the first QoS flow later. The packet delay budget of the first QoS flow can be used to indicate a maximum delay of a data packet corresponding to the first QoS flow, which is a maximum delay allowed for the data packet before reaching the first terminal. The packet error rate of the first QoS flow can be used to indicate a maximum ratio of data packets successfully processed by the first access network device to data packets that are not successfully received by the first terminal in the data packet corresponding to the first QoS flow. The average window size of the first QoS flow is used to indicate a sampling interval size of the guaranteed flow bit rate and the maximum flow bit rate. The maximum data burst volume of the first QoS flow can be used to indicate a maximum data volume that can be received by the first terminal in a case where the packet delay budget of the first QoS flow is allowed.

[0225] It should be noted that the 5QI of the first QoS flow can be used to indicate the priority, the packet delay budget, the packet error rate, the average window size, and the maximum data burst volume (hereinafter referred to as related parameters of the first QoS flow) of the first QoS flow.

[0226] In some implementations, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow can include the 5QI of the first QoS flow and the related parameters of the first QoS flow, so that the first access network device can directly determine the related parameters of the first QoS flow from the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow according to the 5QI of the first QoS flow.

[0227] In other implementations, the first access network device can locally pre-configure the related parameters of the first QoS flow. In this case, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow can only include the 5QI of the first QoS flow, without including the related parameters of the first QoS flow. In this way, the first access network device can determine the related parameters of the first QoS flow locally from the first access network device according to the 5QI of the first QoS flow.

[0228] In addition, if the service type corresponding to the first QoS flow is GRB service, the GFBR and the MFBR of the first QoS flow can be included in the multiple items of the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow; if the service type corresponding to the first QoS flow is non-GRB service, the GFBR and the MFBR of the first QoS flow can not be included in the multiple items of the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0229] The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met can comprise that the first access network device does not have resources to meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0230] The resources can comprise one or more of radio resources, or processing resources.

[0231] The radio resources can comprise one or more of time domain resources, such as subcarrier spacing, frequency domain resources, or space domain resources. For example, if the first access network device determines that its radio resources cannot support the GFBR and the MFBR of the first QoS flow, it determines that the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met.

[0232] The processing resources can comprise one or more of processor computing power size, memory buffer area size, and the like. For example, if the first access network device determines that the processing resources cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow, it determines that the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met. Specifically, the memory buffer area size can be smaller than the maximum data burst value (MDBV) corresponding to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow, or the buffered data of the memory buffer area can be greater than a threshold, causing the first access network device to be unable to schedule and transmit data within the corresponding latency requirement (such as the latency requirement corresponding to the PDB).

[0233] It should be understood that the first access network device not having resources to meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is an example of the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met, and is not limited thereto. For example, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being met can also comprise that the 5QI of the first QoS flow is not correctly identified by the first access network device, or that the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow exceeds the upper limit value of the subscription of the first access network device, such as the sum of all GFBRs corresponding to the first QoS flow exceeding the maximum bit rate of the subscription, or that the first access network device does not have network slices to meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0234] In addition, the first access network device is in a congestion state, which can also be referred to as the first access network device being in a control processing overload, or the load on the target cell being too high. The first access network device is in a maintenance state, which can also be considered as the first access network device being intervened by operation and maintenance (OAM).

[0235] It can be seen that determining whether the first QoS flow is not successfully established can be comprehensively judged according to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow and the state of the first access network device, so as to avoid misjudgment, such as determining that the first QoS flow can be successfully established in the case that the first QoS flow cannot actually be established, thereby causing the first QoS flow to be possibly unable to be reconstructed subsequently, and further affecting the transmission quality of the MBS.

[0236] It should be understood that the present application is introduced by taking the first QoS flow of the MBS as an example, but is not limited thereto. For example, the first access network device can also determine that other QoS flows of the MBS, such as a third QoS flow, are not successfully established, and the specific implementation principle can be referred to the related introduction of the first QoS flow, which is not described herein again.

[0237] In summary, according to the method shown in Figure 5 It can be seen that for the QoS flow, such as the first QoS flow, which is not successfully established in the MBS, saving the information of the first QoS flow can provide a basis for the reconstruction of the first QoS flow, so that the first QoS flow can be reconstructed subsequently, and the transmission quality of the MBS is improved.

[0238] Optionally, in the first application scenario of the above-mentioned embodiment, after the S502, the method further includes: the first access network device sends the first information to the first session management network element. Correspondingly, the first session management network element receives the first information from the first access network device.

[0239] The first information can be used to trigger the establishment of the first QoS flow. The first information can be carried in the second N2 information. The first information can include the second information, such as the identifier of the first QoS flow, which is used to indicate or notify that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met.

[0240] The establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met can include any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state. The specific implementation can be referred to the related introduction in the above-mentioned S501, which is not described herein again. That is, whether to reconstruct the first QoS flow can be comprehensively judged according to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow and the state of the first access network device, so as to improve the success rate of the reconstruction of the first QoS flow.

[0241] The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow being met can include that the first access network device has resources that meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow. The implementation can refer to the related description in S501 above, and thus will not be described here again. In this way, the first access network device can ensure that there are sufficient resources to reestablish the first QoS flow, thereby further improving the success rate of reestablishing the first QoS flow.

[0242] Optionally, in the second application scenario of the above embodiment, the method further includes that the first access network device determines that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met according to the information of the first QoS flow.

[0243] In an implementation, if the information of the first QoS flow includes the complete context of the first QoS flow, i.e., the identifier of the first QoS flow and the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow, the first access network device can determine that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met according to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow, i.e., determine that the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, or determine that the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met and the first access network device is not in a congestion state, or determine that the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state.

[0244] In another implementation, if the information of the first QoS flow includes the partial context of the first QoS flow, such as the identifier of the first QoS flow, the first access network device can obtain the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow according to the identifier of the first QoS flow, such as obtaining the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow from the first session management network element, and then determine that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met according to the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow. The implementation can refer to the description above, and thus will not be described here again.

[0245] Therefore, in combination with the above first and second application scenarios, after determining that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, the first access network device can allocate corresponding resources for the first QoS flow on the one hand, so as to realize the reconstruction of the first QoS flow at the first access network device side; on the other hand, the first access network device can send the first information (including the second information) to the first session management network element, so that the first session management network element receives the second information from the first access network device, and according to the second information, triggers the establishment of the first QoS flow, that is, realizes the reconstruction of the first QoS flow at the core network side. The specific implementation of the reconstruction of the first QoS flow at the core network side can refer to the related description in S206 and S304 above, and will not be described here. For example, among the 10 QoS flows of the MBS, 8 QoS flows are successfully established, and 2 QoS flows are not successfully established. When the first session management network element determines that the establishment condition of the 2 QoS flows is met, it can reconstruct the 2 QoS flows according to the information of the 2 QoS flows, so as to realize that the 10 QoS flows of the MBS can be finally all established.

[0246] It should be understood that since the first access network device initiates the reconstruction of the first QoS flow only when it is determined that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, it can ensure the success rate of reconstruction, avoid resource waste caused by the failure to successfully reconstruct the first QoS flow, and improve resource utilization.

[0247] Optionally, in the third application scenario of the above embodiment, before S501, the method further includes: the first session management network element sends third information / fourth information to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the third information / fourth information from the first session management network element.

[0248] The third information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, in other words, if any QoS flow cannot be established, other QoS flows also cannot be established. The fourth information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the second QoS flow set of the MBS do not need to be established, or in other words, the QoS flows can only be established in part, in other words, if any QoS flow cannot be established, it does not affect the establishment of other QoS flows. The third information and the fourth information can be carried in the first N2 information.

[0249] The first set of QoS flows can comprise at least part of the QoS flows of the MBS. The second set of QoS flows can also comprise at least part of the QoS flows of the MBS. The first set of QoS flows and the second set of QoS flows can be the same or different, without limitation. For example, if the MBS comprises QoS flow 1-QoS flow 5, the first set of QoS flows comprises QoS flow 1-QoS flow 4, the second set of QoS flows comprises QoS flow 2-QoS flow 5, or the first set of QoS flows comprises QoS flow 1-QoS flow 3, and the second set of QoS flows comprises QoS flow 1-QoS flow 5. That is, if all the QoS flows need to be established to guarantee the service requirement of the MBS, the first session management network element can indicate, through the third information, that all the QoS flows in the first set of QoS flows need to be established, so as to avoid that the first access network device establishes only part of the QoS flows and causes resource waste, thereby improving the resource utilization. Conversely, if part of the QoS flows can guarantee the service requirement of the MBS, the first session management network element can indicate, through the fourth information, that all the QoS flows in the second set of QoS flows do not need to be established. In this way, the first access network device can establish part of the QoS flows first to provide the MBS as soon as possible before all the establishment conditions of the QoS flows are met.

[0250] Specifically, the third information can comprise an identifier of the first set of QoS flows, such as a TMGI, and / or an identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows, such as a QFI, so as to accurately indicate, through the TMGI or the QFI of the first set of QoS flows, that all the QoS flows in the first set of QoS flows need to be established.

[0251] In one indication manner, the third information can explicitly indicate, through an identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows or through an identifier of the first set of QoS flows and a correspondence between the identifier of the first set of QoS flows and the identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows, that all the QoS flows in the first set of QoS flows need to be established. The following will be introduced in combination with specific scenarios.

[0252] In a scenario 1, if the third information includes the identifier of the first set of QoS flows, the first access network device can determine that all the QoS flows in the first set of QoS flows need to be established according to the identifier of the first set of QoS flows and the correspondence between the identifier of the first set of QoS flows and the identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows in the first N2 information. For example, if the third information includes the identifier of the first set of QoS flows, such as TMGI1, and the first N2 information includes TMGI1 (MBS QoS flow A, MBS QoS flow B), the first access network device can determine that MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B need to be established according to TMGI1 and TMGI1 (MBS QoS flow A, MBS QoS flow B).

[0253] In a scenario 2, if the third information includes the identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows, the first access network device can determine that all the QoS flows in the first set of QoS flows need to be established according to the identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows. For example, if the third information includes the identifier of each QoS flow in the first set of QoS flows, such as MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B, the first access network device can determine that MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B need to be established according to MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B.

[0254] In another indication manner, the third information can implicitly indicate, through the level of the identifier of the first set of QoS flows in the first N2 information, the identifier of all the QoS flows located at or below the level in the first N2 information, i.e., the QoS flows in the first set of QoS flows need to be established. For ease of understanding, an example is introduced as follows.

[0255] Exemplarily, the level relationship of each information element in the first N2 information can be as shown in Table 1.

[0256] Table 1

[0257]

[0258]

[0259] According to Table 1, the levels of each information element in the first N2 information are A1→A2→A3→A4 from high to low. In other words, in the first N2 information, an A1 level information element, such as a PDU session resource modification request transmission, can include one or more A2 level information elements, such as one or more QoS flow lists, an A2 level information element, such as a QoS flow list, can include one or more A3 level information elements, such as one or more QoS flow items, and an A3 level information element, such as a QoS flow item, can include one or more A4 level information elements, such as one or more QoS flow identities and one or more group identities corresponding to the QoS. In this way, if the identity of the first QoS flow set is located at the level of the PDU session identity, i.e., the A1 level, it can be indicated that all the QoS flows in the PDU session need to be established. If the identity of the first QoS flow set is located at the level of the one or more QoS flow lists, i.e., the A2 level, it can be indicated that all the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flow lists need to be established. If the identity of the first QoS flow set is located at the level of the one or more QoS flow items, i.e., the A3 level, it can be indicated that all the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flow items need to be established. If the identity of the first QoS flow set is located at the level of the one or more QoS flow identities, i.e., the A4 level, it can be indicated that all the QoS flows need to be established.

[0260] Therefore, for the above S501, if the third information indicates that the QoS flows in the first QoS flow set need to be established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set, the first access network device can determine whether the establishment conditions of all the QoS flows in the first QoS flow set are met. At this time, if the establishment conditions of at least one QoS flow in the first QoS set are not met, the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established. Among the above at least one QoS flow, the specific implementation that the establishment condition of any one QoS flow is not met can be referred to the related introduction of the first QoS flow, which will not be described here. For example, the third information indicates that MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B need to be established, and if the first access network device determines that the establishment conditions of MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B are met, it is determined that MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B are successfully established. Conversely, if the first access network device determines that the establishment conditions of MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B are not met, it is determined that MBS QoS flow A and MBS QoS flow B are not successfully established.

[0261] Optionally, the third information can be pre-configured information of the first session management network element, or can be determined by the first session management network element according to the seventh information. The seventh information can come from an application network element, such as an AF network element. In other words, the first session management network element can determine the third information according to the requirements of the application network element, so that the subsequently established QoS flow can meet the requirements of the application network element.

[0262] Specifically, the seventh information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in a first SDF set of the MBS need to be established. The first SDF set can be used to determine the first QoS flow set. For example, the first SDF set can include information identifying the first service data flow of the MBS, such as one or more of the following information of the first service data flow: packet filter information, source IP address, destination IP address, so that the first session management network element can determine the first QoS flow set corresponding to the first service data flow according to the information.

[0263] It should be noted that the application network element can send the seventh information alone, or can package the seventh information and the above-mentioned service requirement information, which is not limited.

[0264] The fourth information can include the identification of the second QoS flow set, such as TMGI, and / or the identification of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set, such as QFI, so as to accurately indicate that all QoS flows in the second QoS flow set do not need to be established through the TMGI or QFI of the second QoS flow set.

[0265] In one indication manner, the fourth information can explicitly indicate that the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set do not need to be established through the identification of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set, or through the identification of the second QoS flow set and the correspondence between the identification of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set. The following will be introduced in combination with specific scenarios.

[0266] In a scenario 3, if the fourth information comprises the identification of the second QoS flow set, the first access network device can determine that the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set do not all need to be established according to the identification of the second QoS flow set and the correspondence between the identification of the second QoS flow set and the identification of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set in the first N2 information. For example, if the fourth information comprises the identification of the first QoS flow set, such as TMGI2, and the first N2 information comprises TMGI2 (MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D, MBS QoS flow E), the first access network device can determine that MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D and MBS QoS flow E do not all need to be established according to TMGI2 and TMGI2 (MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D, MBS QoS flow E).

[0267] In a scenario 4, if the fourth information comprises the identification of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set, the first access network device can determine that the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set do not all need to be established according to the identification of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set. For example, if the fourth information comprises the identification of each QoS flow in the fourth QoS flow set, such as MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D and MBS QoS flow E, the first access network device can determine that MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D and MBS QoS flow E do not all need to be established according to MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D and MBS QoS flow E.

[0268] In another indication manner, the fourth information can implicitly indicate that the QoS flows whose identities are located at or below a level in the first N2 information correspond to the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set, i.e., the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set do not need to be all established, by the identity of the second QoS flow set at the level. Illustratively, as shown in Table 1 above, if the identity of the second QoS flow set is located at the level of the PDU session identity, i.e., the A1 level, it can be indicated that the QoS flows in the PDU session do not need to be all established. If the identity of the second QoS flow set is located at the level of the one or more QoS flow lists, i.e., the A2 level, it can be indicated that the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flow lists do not need to be all established. If the identity of the second QoS flow set is located at the level of the one or more QoS flow entries, i.e., the A3 level, it can be indicated that the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flow entries do not need to be all established. If the identity of the first QoS flow set is located at the level of the identities of the one or more QoS flows, i.e., the A4 level, it can be indicated that the one or more QoS flows do not need to be established.

[0269] Therefore, for S501 above, if the fourth information indicates that the QoS flows in the second QoS flow set do not need to be all established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the second QoS flow set, the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established if the first access network device determines that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not met. For example, the fourth information indicates that MBS QoS flow C, MBS QoS flow D and MBS QoS flow E do not need to be all established, if the first access network device determines that the establishment condition of MBS QoS flow C is not met, it is determined that MBS QoS flow C is not successfully established regardless of whether the establishment conditions of MBS QoS flow D and MBS QoS flow E are met.

[0270] Optionally, the fourth information above can be information pre-configured for the first session management network element, or can be determined by the first session management network element according to eighth information. The eighth information can come from an application network element, such as an AF network element, in other words, the first session management network element can determine the eighth information according to the requirements of the application network element, so that the subsequently established QoS flows can meet the requirements of the application network element.

[0271] The eighth information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the second SDF set of the MBS do not need to be established. The second SDF set can be used to determine the second QoS flow set. For example, the second SDF set includes information for identifying the second service data flow of the MBS, such as one or more of the following information of the second service data flow: packet filtering information, source IP address, destination IP address, so that the first session management network element determines the second QoS flow set corresponding to the second service data flow according to the information.

[0272] It should be noted that the application network element can send the eighth information alone, or can package the eighth information and the service requirement information, and this is not limited.

[0273] Optionally, in the fourth application scenario of the above-mentioned embodiments, after S501, the method can further include: the first access network device sends fifth information to the first session management network element. Correspondingly, the first session management network element receives the fifth information from the first access network device.

[0274] The fifth information can be used to indicate the QoS flow that is not successfully established in all QoS flows of the MBS, such as the first QoS flow that is not successfully established, and can include the identifier of the QoS flow that is not successfully established, such as the identifier of the first QoS flow, which can be carried in the same information as the first information, such as the second N2 information, or different information, such as the third N2 information. In addition, the fifth information can also be used to indicate the QoS flow that is successfully established in all QoS flows of the MBS, such as the identifier of the QoS flow that is successfully established. In addition, the fifth information can also be used to indicate the reason why the QoS flow that is not successfully established is not successfully established, such as the reason why the first QoS flow is not successfully established. In this way, the first session management network element can save the context of the QoS flow that is not successfully established, such as the context of the first QoS flow, according to the fifth information. Alternatively, the first session management network element can also save the context of the QoS flow that is successfully established according to the fifth information. In other words, the context of the first QoS flow can be backed up in the first session management network element. In this way, even if the first access network device loses the context of the first QoS flow, the first access network device can still obtain the context of the first QoS flow from the first session management network element, so as to continue to complete the reestablishment of the first QoS flow, thereby ensuring the reliability of the reestablishment.

[0275] Optionally, in the fifth application scenario of the fourth application scenario of the above-mentioned embodiments, the method can further include: the first session management network element sends a subscription request to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the subscription request from the first session management network element.

[0276] The subscription request can be used to request subscription of the first event, including an identification of the first QoS flow. The first event can be that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met. In other words, if the first session management network element determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, the subscription of the first QoS flow can be initiated through the subscription request. Accordingly, the first access network device can send the first information to the first session management network element in time according to the subscription request when it is determined that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, so that the first session management network element can timely reestablish the first QoS flow, thereby improving the reestablishment efficiency.

[0277] The subscription request can include one or more of the following identifications of the BMS: TMGI, multicast broadcast session identification (MBS Session ID) information, multicast address, and the binary tuple of source IP address (Ip multicast address + source IP address), without limitation.

[0278] Optionally, in combination with the fourth application scenario of the above-mentioned embodiments, in the sixth application scenario, the method can further include: the first session management network element sends ninth information to the first terminal according to the fifth information. Accordingly, the first terminal receives the ninth information from the first session management network element.

[0279] The first terminal can be a terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS, i.e., the first terminal belongs to the MB group corresponding to the MBS.

[0280] The ninth information can be used to indicate that the transmission resource of the MBS is not successfully established, and can be carried in one or more of the following messages: a down link NAS signaling message, a PDU session modification command message, or a NAS message such as an MBS resource establishment failure (Resource Establishment Failed) message, without limitation. The transmission resource of the MBS includes the QoS flow that is not successfully established, such as the first QoS flow. In this way, the first terminal can flexibly adjust the configuration of the MBS, such as reducing the configuration requirement of the MBS, to ensure that the MBS can meet the basic transmission requirements, thereby guaranteeing the basic use requirements of the user.

[0281] The ninth information can further include one or more of the following: a cause value, a back-off timer, or an identification of the first QoS flow.

[0282] The cause value can be used to indicate MBS establishment failure or MBS joining / modification failure. For example, if the first terminal wants to establish an MS or an application element such as an AF element wants to establish a BS, the cause value can be a first value, for example, 0, indicating MBS establishment failure. In addition, the specific implementation of the first terminal wanting to establish an MS can refer to the related description of the above Figure 2 , and the specific implementation of the AF element wanting to establish a BS can refer to the related description of the above Figure 3 , which will not be repeated here.

[0283] The fallback time can be a time preset by the first session management element, and is used to indicate that the first terminal sends a multicast establishment request to the first access network device again after a period of time. In this way, if the first access network device exists an establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met after a period of time, the first QoS flow is re-established to realize automatic re-establishment of the first QoS flow.

[0284] Optionally, in the seventh application scenario of the above embodiment, after S502, the method can further include that the first access network device sends a handover request to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the handover request from the first access network device.

[0285] The handover request can be used to request the terminal such as the first terminal to be handed over from the first access network device to the second access network device. The handover request can include the context of each QoS flow of the MBS, that is, also include the context of the first QoS flow. The first terminal can be one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS, such as an MB group. For example, among the 10 QoS flows of the MBS, 8 QoS flows are successfully established, and 2 QoS flows are not successfully established. After one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS is handed over from the first access network device to the second access network device, the first session management element can send information of the 10 QoS flows to the second access network device, so that the second access network device establishes the 10 QoS flows. In this way, for the 2 QoS flows that are not successfully established by the first access network device, the second access network device can continue to establish, thereby realizing QoS re-establishment and improving the transmission quality of the MBS. In addition, the specific implementation of re-establishing the first QoS flow can refer to the related description in the first and second application scenarios, which will not be repeated here.

[0286] Optionally, in the eighth application scenario of the above embodiment, after S501, the method can further include that the first access network device sends sixth information to the first terminal. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the sixth information from the first access network device.

[0287] The sixth information can be used to indicate that part of the QoS flows of the MBS are successfully established. The sixth information can include the identification of the QoS flows that are successfully partially established, and the sixth information can be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message or other messages, which are not limited. As an implementation manner, the first access network device can determine the sixth information according to that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, and send the sixth information to the first terminal, so that the first terminal can flexibly adjust the configuration of the MBS according to the sixth information, such as reducing the configuration of the MBS to match the number of successfully established QoS, to ensure that the MBS can meet the basic transmission requirements, thereby guaranteeing the basic use requirements of the user.

[0288] The above describes the overall process of the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application in combination with Figure 5 The overall process of the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced, and the process of the QoS guarantee method in a specific application scenario is described in detail in combination with Figures 6-8 , as shown in the accompanying drawings. Figure 5

[0289] Exemplarily, Figure 6 The process of the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in the accompanying drawings. Figure 2 The QoS guarantee method can be applied to the communication between the UE (the first terminal), the (R)AN network element (the first access network device), the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element (the first session management network element), the MB-UPF network element (the user plane network element), and the AF network element (the application network element) in the MS scenario. As shown in Figure 6 , the QoS guarantee method can include the following steps:

[0290] S601, the AF network element sends an application request to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the application request from the AF network element.

[0291] The application request can include the service requirement information of the MS and the identification of the MS. Optionally, the application request can also include the seventh information / eighth information, the seventh information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the first SDF set of the MS need to be established, and the eighth information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the second SDF set of the MS do not need to be established.

[0292] In addition, the specific implementation of the service requirement information of the MS can refer to the related description in S201, the specific implementation of the identification of the MS can refer to the related description in S202, and the specific implementation of the seventh information / eighth information can refer to the related description in the third application scenario, which is not repeated here.

[0293] ​S602, the UE sends a groupcast establishment request to a SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the groupcast establishment request from the UE.

[0294] S603, the SMF network element obtains QoS information of the MS from a MB-SMF network element.

[0295] Optionally, if the application request includes the seventh information / eighth information, the SMF network element can further obtain the seventh information / eighth information from the MB-SMF network element.

[0296] S604, the SMF network element determines a unicast QoS flow context corresponding to the MS according to the QoS information of the MS.

[0297] S605, the SMF network element sends the unicast QoS flow context corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS to a (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the unicast QoS flow context corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS from the SMF network element.

[0298] The specific implementation of S602-S605 can refer to the related description in S201-S203, and details are not described herein.

[0299] S606, the SMF network element sends third information / fourth information to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the third information / fourth information from the SMF network element.

[0300] The third information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the MS need to be established. The fourth information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the MS do not need to be established. The specific implementation can refer to the related description in the third application scenario, and details are not described herein.

[0301] In addition, S606 is an optional step. For example, if the SMF network element obtains the seventh information, the SMF network element can determine the third information according to the seventh information, and send the third information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise, the SMF network element can not send the third information. Or, if the SMF network element obtains the eighth information, the SMF network element can determine the fourth information according to the eighth information, and send the fourth information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise, the SMF network element can not send the fourth information.

[0302] S607, the (R)AN network element determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0303] S608, the (R)AN network element saves the information of the first QoS flow.

[0304] The specific implementation of S608 can refer to S501 and the related description in the third application scenario, and the specific implementation of S609 can refer to the related description in S502, which will not be repeated here.

[0305] S609, the (R)AN network element sends sixth information to the UE, and the UE receives the sixth information from the (R)AN network element.

[0306] The sixth information can be used to indicate that a part of the QoS flow of the MS is successfully established, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the eighth application scenario, which will not be repeated here. It should be understood that S609 is an optional step. For example, if the UE needs to adjust the configuration of the MS, S609 can be performed, otherwise, S609 does not need to be performed.

[0307] S610, the (R)AN network element sends fifth information to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the fifth information from the (R)AN network element.

[0308] The fifth information can be used to indicate that a part of the QoS flow of the MS, such as the first QoS flow, is not successfully established, and the specific implementation can refer to the fourth application scenario, which will not be repeated here. In addition, the execution order of S609 and S610 is not limited.

[0309] S611, the SMF network element saves the context of the first QoS flow.

[0310] The SMF network element can save the complete context of the first QoS flow. In other words, the complete context of the first QoS flow can be backed up in the SMF network element. In this way, even if the (R)AN network element loses the context of the first QoS flow, the (R)AN network element can still obtain the complete context of the first QoS flow from the SMF network element, thereby continuing to complete the reconstruction of the first QoS flow, to ensure the reliability of the reconstruction.

[0311] S612, the SMF network element sends a subscription request to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the subscription request from the SMF network element.

[0312] The specific implementation of S612 can refer to the related description in the fifth application scenario, which will not be repeated here. In addition, S612 is an optional step. For example, if the SMF network element wants to know whether the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met in time, S612 can be performed, otherwise, S612 does not need to be performed.

[0313] S613, the SMF network element sends ninth information to the UE, and the UE receives the ninth information from the SMF network element.

[0314] In S613, the ninth information can be used to indicate that the partial transmission resource of the MS fails to be established, and details can be referred to the related description in the sixth application scenario, which will not be repeated here. In addition, S613 is an optional step. For example, if it is necessary for the UE to adjust the configuration of the MS, S613 can be performed, otherwise, S613 need not be performed. In addition, the execution sequence of S611-S613 is not limited.

[0315] In S614, the (R)AN network element determines that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met.

[0316] Details of S614 can be referred to the related description in the first and second application scenarios, which will not be repeated here.

[0317] In S615, the (R)AN network element sends first information to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the first information from the (R)AN network element.

[0318] The first information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, and details can be referred to the related description in the first and second application scenarios, which will not be repeated here.

[0319] In S616, the SMF network element triggers the establishment of the first QoS flow according to the first information.

[0320] Details of S616 can be referred to the related description in S206 and the first application scenario, which will not be repeated here.

[0321] Exemplarily, Figure 7 A flowchart of a QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 3 The QoS guarantee method can be applied to the communication between the UE (the first terminal), the S-(R)AN network element (the first access network device), the T-(R)AN network element (the second access network device), the SMF network element / MB-SMF network element (the first session management network element), the MB-UPF network element (the user plane network element), and the AF network element (the application network element) in the MS scenario. As shown in Figure 7 The QoS guarantee method can include the following steps:

[0322] In S701, the AF network element sends an application request to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the application request from the AF network element.

[0323] Details of S701 can be referred to S601, which will not be repeated here.

[0324] S702, the UE sends a groupcast setup request to a SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the groupcast setup request from the UE.

[0325] S703, the SMF network element obtains QoS information of the MS from a MB-SMF network element.

[0326] Optionally, if the application request includes the seventh information / eighth information, the SMF network element can further obtain the seventh information / eighth information from the MB-SMF network element. The seventh information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the first SDF set of the MS need to be established, and the eighth information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the second SDF set of the MS do not need to be established.

[0327] S704, the SMF network element determines a context of a unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS according to the QoS information of the MS.

[0328] S705, the SMF network element sends the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS to a S-(R)AN network element, and the S-(R)AN network element receives the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS from the SMF network element.

[0329] The specific implementation of S702-S705 can refer to the related description in S201-S203, and will not be described here.

[0330] S706, the SMF network element sends third information / fourth information to a (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the third information / fourth information from the SMF network element.

[0331] The third information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the MS need to be established. The fourth information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the MS do not need to be established. The specific implementation can refer to the related description in the third application scenario, and will not be described here.

[0332] In addition, S706 is an optional step. For example, if the SMF network element obtains the seventh information, the SMF network element can determine the third information according to the seventh information, and send the third information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise, the SMF network element can not send the third information. Or, if the SMF network element obtains the eighth information, the SMF network element can determine the fourth information according to the eighth information, and send the fourth information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise, the SMF network element can not send the fourth information.

[0333] S707, the S-(R)AN network element determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0334] S708, the S-(R)AN network element saves the information of the first QoS flow.

[0335] The specific implementation of S708 can refer to S501 and the related description in the third application scenario.

[0336] S709. The S-(R)AN network element sends sixth information to the UE, and the UE receives the sixth information from the S-(R)AN network element.

[0337] The sixth information can be used to indicate that a part of the QoS flows of the MS is successfully established, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the eighth application scenario. It should be understood that S709 is an optional step. For example, if the UE needs to adjust the configuration of the MS, S709 can be performed, otherwise, S709 does not need to be performed.

[0338] S710. The S-(R)AN network element sends fifth information to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the fifth information from the S-(R)AN network element.

[0339] The fifth information can be used to indicate that a part of the QoS flows of the MS, such as the first QoS flow, is not successfully established, and the specific implementation can refer to the fourth application scenario.

[0340] S711. The SMF network element saves the context of the first QoS flow.

[0341] The specific implementation of S711 can refer to S611.

[0342] S712. The SMF network element sends a subscription request to the S-(R)AN network element, and the S-(R)AN network element receives the subscription request from the SMF network element.

[0343] The specific implementation of S712 can refer to the related description in the fifth application scenario. In addition, S712 is an optional step. For example, if the SMF network element wants to know whether the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met in time, S712 can be performed, otherwise, S712 does not need to be performed.

[0344] S713. The SMF network element sends ninth information to the UE, and the UE receives the ninth information from the SMF network element.

[0345] The ninth piece of information can be used to indicate that some transmission resources of the aforementioned MS have been successfully established. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant description in the sixth application scenario above; it will not be repeated here. Furthermore, S713 is an optional step. For example, if the UE needs to adjust the MS configuration, S713 can be executed; otherwise, it is not necessary. Moreover, the execution order of S711-S713 is not limited.

[0346] S714, the UE sends a signal measurement report to the S-(R)AN network element, and the S-(R)AN network element receives the signal measurement report from the UE.

[0347] The signal measurement report includes the signal quality of each cell near the UE, instructing the S-(R)AN network element to switch the UE to a cell with better signal quality, such as the cell of the T-(R)AN network element.

[0348] S715, the S-(R)AN network element sends a handover request to the T-(R)AN network element, and the T-(R)AN network element receives the handover request from the S-(R)AN network element.

[0349] The aforementioned switching request may include the QoS flow context of the aforementioned MS. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the seventh application scenario above, which will not be repeated here.

[0350] S716, T-(R)AN establishes the QoS flow of the MS based on the context of the MS's QoS flow.

[0351] S715 can be the T-(R)AN network element successfully establishing all QoS flows of the MS at one time, or the T-(R)AN network element reconstructing another part of the QoS flows of the MS after successfully establishing a part of the MS. The specific process can be referred to the aforementioned S608-S617, and will not be repeated here.

[0352] It should be understood that Figure 6 The process shown is the same as Figure 7 The difference in the process shown is that, Figure 6 The process shown is that the QoS flow reconstruction is triggered by the fulfillment of the QoS flow establishment conditions, and Figure 7 The illustrated process involves QoS flow reconstruction triggered by cell handover. In practice, this allows for flexible selection of the appropriate triggering method based on actual needs, ensuring that QoS flow reconstruction meets specific requirements. For example, if the UE needs to frequently handover, QoS flow reconstruction can be triggered by cell handover. Conversely, if the UE can stay in the same cell for an extended period, QoS flow reconstruction can be triggered by the fulfillment of QoS flow establishment conditions.

[0353] For example, Figure 8Flowchart of the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 4 The QoS guarantee method can be applied to the communication between the UE (the first terminal), the (R)AN network element (the first access network device), the MB-SMF network element (the first session management network element), the MB-UPF network element (the user plane network element), and the AF network element (the application network element) in the BS scenario. As shown in the figure, the QoS guarantee method can include the following steps: Figure 8

[0354] S801, the AF network element sends an application request to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the application request from the AF network element.

[0355] The application request can include the service requirement information of the BS and the identifier of the BS. Optionally, the application request can further include the seventh information and the eighth information. The seventh information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the first SDF set of the BS need to be established, and the eighth information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the second SDF set of the BS do not need to be established.

[0356] In addition, the specific implementation of the service requirement information of the BS can refer to the related description in S201, the specific implementation of the identifier of the BS can refer to the related description in S202, and the specific implementation of the seventh information and the eighth information can refer to the related description in the third application scenario, which will not be repeated here.

[0357] S802, the MB-SMF network element determines the context of the QoS flow of the BS according to the QoS information of the BS.

[0358] S803, the MB-SMF network element sends the context of the QoS flow of the BS to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the context of the QoS flow of the BS from the MB-SMF network element.

[0359] In addition, the specific implementation of S802-S803 can refer to the related description in S301-S304, which will not be repeated here.

[0360] S804, the MB-SMF network element sends the third information and the fourth information to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the third information and the fourth information from the MB-SMF network element.

[0361] The third information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the BS need to be established. The fourth information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in the BS do not need to be established, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the third application scenario, which will not be repeated here.

[0362] ​Further, S804 is an optional step, for example, if the MB-SMF network element obtains the seventh information, the MB-SMF network element can determine the third information according to the seventh information, and send the third information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise, the MB-SMF network element can not send the third information. If the MB-SMF network element obtains the eighth information, the MB-SMF network element can determine the fourth information according to the eighth information, and send the fourth information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise, the MB-SMF network element can not send the fourth information.

[0363] S805, the (R)AN network element determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0364] S806, the (R)AN network element saves the context of the first QoS flow.

[0365] The specific implementation of S806 can refer to S501 and the related description in the third application scenario described above, and the specific implementation of S806 can refer to the related description in S502 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0366] S807, the (R)AN network element sends sixth information to the UE, and the UE receives the sixth information from the (R)AN network element.

[0367] The sixth information can be used to indicate that part of the QoS flow of the BS is successfully established, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the eighth application scenario described above, which will not be repeated here. It should be understood that S807 is an optional step, for example, if the UE needs to adjust the configuration of the MS, S807 can be executed, otherwise, S807 need not be executed.

[0368] S808, the (R)AN network element sends fifth information to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the fifth information from the (R)AN network element.

[0369] The fifth information can be used to indicate that part of the QoS flow of the BS, such as the first QoS flow, is not successfully established, and the specific implementation can refer to the fourth application scenario, which will not be repeated here. In addition, the execution order of S807 and S808 is not limited.

[0370] S809, the MB-SMF network element saves the information of the first QoS flow.

[0371] The MB-SMF network element can save the complete context of the first QoS flow. In other words, the complete context of the first QoS flow can be backed up in the MB-SMF network element. In this way, even if the (R)AN network element loses the context of the first QoS flow, the (R)AN network element can still obtain the complete context of the first QoS flow from the MB-SMF network element, thereby continuing to complete the reconstruction of the first QoS flow to ensure the reliability of the reconstruction.

[0372] S810, the MB-SMF network element sends a subscription request to the (R)AN network element, and the (R)AN network element receives the subscription request from the MB-SMF network element.

[0373] The specific implementation of S810 can refer to the related description in the fifth application scenario described above, and will not be described here again. In addition, S810 is an optional step. For example, if the MB-SMF network element wants to know in a timely manner whether the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, S810 can be performed, otherwise, S810 does not need to be performed.

[0374] S811, the MB-SMF network element sends ninth information to the UE, and the UE receives the ninth information from the MB-SMF network element.

[0375] The ninth information can be used to indicate that the establishment of part of the transmission resources of the BS fails, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the sixth application scenario described above, and will not be described here again. In addition, S811 is an optional step. For example, if the UE needs to adjust the configuration of the BS, S811 can be performed, otherwise, S811 does not need to be performed. Furthermore, the execution order of S809-S811 is not limited.

[0376] S812, the (R)AN network element determines that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met.

[0377] The specific implementation of S812 can refer to the related description in S503 described above, and will not be described here again.

[0378] S813, the (R)AN network element sends first information to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the first information from the (R)AN network element.

[0379] The first information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the first application scenario and the second application scenario described above, and will not be described here again.

[0380] S814, the MB-SMF network element triggers the establishment of the first QoS flow according to the first information.

[0381] The specific implementation of S814 can refer to the related description in S304, the first application scenario, and the second application scenario described above, and will not be described here.

[0382] Exemplarily, 9 is a flowchart of a QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiment of the application Figure 5 The QoS guarantee method can be applied to Figure 9 The communication between the third access network device and the second session management network element is shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the QoS guarantee method includes the following steps: Figure 9

[0383] S901, the second session management network element determines that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0384] The second QoS flow is a QoS flow of the MBS, which can be the same as or different from the first QoS flow.

[0385] In the first implementation, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the information sent by the third access network device, which will be described below.

[0386] In one scenario, the second session management network element can receive tenth information from the third access network device. The tenth information can be used to indicate the QoS flows successfully established by the third access network device among all the QoS flows of the MBS. The tenth information can include the identifier of the successfully established QoS flow. The successfully established QoS flow does not include the second QoS flow.

[0387] Specifically, in a cell switching scenario, the second session management network element can receive the tenth information from the third access network device. For example, if the second terminal needs to be switched from the fourth access network device to the third access network device, the third access network device can receive a switching request from the fourth access network device. The second terminal can be a terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS, and the switching request can include the context of the QoS flows of the MBS that have been established by the fourth access network device. In this way, the third access network device can rebuild the QoS flows according to the context of the QoS flows that have been established by the fourth access network device. For the QoS flows successfully rebuilt by the third access network device, the third access network device can send the tenth information to the second session management network element. Since the second session management network element can save the context of all the QoS flows of the MBS, in this case, the second session management network element determines that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the tenth information, which can be to compare the QoS flows indicated by the tenth information with all the QoS flows of the MBS to determine all the QoS flows that are not successfully established (including the second QoS flow), so as to more thoroughly rebuild.

[0388] ​For example, if all QoS flows of the MBS include: QoS flow 6-QoS flow 10, the QoS flows established by the fourth access network device include: QoS flow 6-QoS flow 9, and the QoS flows successfully established by the third access network device include: QoS flow 6-QoS flow 8, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow, such as QoS flow 9-QoS flow 10, is not successfully established. Here, QoS flow 9 is a QoS flow that is not successfully established by the third access network device, or a QoS flow that fails to be switched, and QoS flow 10 is a QoS flow that is not successfully established by the fourth access network device.

[0389] In another scenario, the second session management network element can receive eleventh information from the third access network device. The eleventh information can be used to indicate that the second QoS flow is not successfully established, so that the second session management network element can more quickly determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established, thereby improving the efficiency of subsequent reconstruction.

[0390] Specifically, in a cell switching scenario, the second session management network element can receive the eleventh information from the third access network device. For example, if the second terminal needs to be switched from the fourth access network device to the third access network device, the third access network device can receive the above-mentioned switching request from the fourth access network device. In this way, the third access network device can reconstruct the QoS flows according to the context of the QoS flows established by the fourth access network device. For the QoS flow, such as the second QoS flow, that is not successfully reconstructed by the third access network device, the third access network device can send the eleventh information to the second session management network element, so that the second session management network element can directly determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the eleventh information.

[0391] In a second implementation, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the information sent by the fourth access network device.

[0392] Specifically, the second session management network element can receive twelfth information from the fourth access network device. The fourth access network device can be the device on which the second terminal was camped before being switched to the third access network device. The twelfth information can be used to indicate that, among all QoS flows of the MBS, the QoS flow successfully established by the fourth access network device includes the identity of the successfully established QoS flow. Moreover, the successfully established QoS flow does not include the second QoS flow. In this way, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the above-mentioned twelfth information (optionally, the context of all QoS flows of the MBS can also be used). In other words, when the second terminal is camped on the fourth access network device, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established. In this way, when the second terminal is switched to the third access network device, the second session management network element can continue to initiate the reconstruction of the second QoS flow, thereby improving the efficiency of reconstruction.

[0393] For example, if all QoS flows of the MBS include: QoS flow 6-QoS flow 10, and the successfully established QoS flows of the fourth access network device include: QoS flow 6-QoS flow 9, the second session management network element can determine that the second QoS flow, such as QoS flow 10, is not successfully established.

[0394] It should be understood that the first and second embodiments described above can be implemented independently or in combination, and are not limited in this regard.

[0395] S902, if the preset condition is met, the second session management network element sends the context of the second QoS flow to the third access network device, and the third access network device receives the context of the second QoS flow from the second session management network element.

[0396] The preset condition being met can include any one of the following: the second terminal switches to the third access network device, and the second terminal can be one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS; or the second session management network element receives information from the third access network device, and the information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met. In other words, the second session management network element can rebuild the second QoS flow at the time of cell switching to improve the rebuilding efficiency of the second QoS flow. Alternatively, the second session management network element can also rebuild the second QoS flow when the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met to ensure the success rate of rebuilding the second QoS flow. The second terminal switches to the third access network device, and the second terminal can be one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS; or the second session management network element receives information from the third access network device, and the information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met. In other words, the second session management network element can rebuild the second QoS flow at the time of cell switching to improve the rebuilding efficiency of the second QoS flow. Alternatively, the second session management network element can also rebuild the second QoS flow when the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met to ensure the success rate of rebuilding the second QoS flow. Details are described below.

[0397] In an embodiment, if the second session management network element determines that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the information sent by the third access network device, the second session management network element can send the context of the second QoS flow to the third access network device to rebuild the second QoS flow when the third access network device indicates that the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met.

[0398] The second QoS flow establishment condition being satisfied can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is satisfied; or, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is satisfied, and the third access network device is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow is satisfied, and the third access network device is not in a maintenance state. The QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being satisfied can include that the third access network device has resources that satisfy the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow. The QoS requirement of the second QoS flow includes multiple items of the second QoS flow, including ARP and 5QI. It should be understood that the specific implementation principles of the various cases of the second QoS flow establishment condition being satisfied described above can refer to the related description of the first QoS flow establishment condition being satisfied described above, and will not be described here in detail.

[0399] Optionally, the second session management network element sends a query message to the third access network device. The query message can be used to query whether the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is satisfied. Alternatively, if the second session management network element determines that the second QoS flow is not successfully established according to the information sent by the fourth access network device, the second session management network element can send the context of the second QoS flow to the third access network device to reestablish the second QoS flow when the second terminal switches to the third access network device.

[0400] The above describes the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application in combination with Figure 10 The overall flow of the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced, and the flow of the QoS guarantee method in a specific application scenario is described in detail below in combination with Figure 9 , as shown in the QoS guarantee method. Figure 10

[0401] Exemplarily, Figure 6 The flow of the QoS guarantee method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 10 .The QoS guarantee method can be applied to communication between a UE (the second terminal described above), an S-(R)AN network element (the fourth access network device described above), a T-(R)AN network element (the third access network device described above), an SMF network element / MB-SMF network element (the second session management network element described above), an MB-UPF network element (the user plane network element described above), and an AF network element (the application network element described above) in an MS scenario. As shown in Figures 9-10 , the QoS guarantee method can include the following steps:

[0402] S1001, the AF network element sends an application request to the MB-SMF network element, and the MB-SMF network element receives the application request from the AF network element.

[0403] The specific implementation of S1001 can refer to S601 described above, and will not be described here in detail.

[0404] ​S1002, the UE sends a groupcast establishment request to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the groupcast establishment request from the UE.

[0405] S1003, the SMF network element obtains QoS information of the MS from the MB-SMF network element.

[0406] Optionally, if the application request includes the seventh information / eighth information, the SMF network element can also obtain the seventh information / eighth information from the MB-SMF network element. The seventh information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the first SDF set of the MS need to be established, and the eighth information can be used to indicate that all SDFs in the second SDF set of the MS do not need to be established.

[0407] S1004, the SMF network element determines the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS according to the QoS information of the MS.

[0408] S1005, the SMF network element sends the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS to the S-(R)AN network element, and the S-(R)AN network element receives the context of the unicast QoS flow corresponding to the MS and / or the identifier of the MS from the SMF network element.

[0409] The specific implementation of S1002-S1006 can refer to the related description in S201-S203, and will not be described here.

[0410] S1006, the SMF network element sends the third information / fourth information to the S-(R)AN network element, and the S-(R)AN network element receives the second information / third information from the SMF network element.

[0411] The third information can be used to indicate that the QoS flow in the MS needs to be established, or that all QoS flows in the MS do not need to be established, and the specific implementation can refer to the related description in the third application scenario.

[0412] In addition, S1006 is an optional step. For example, if the SMF network element obtains the seventh information, the SMF network element can determine the third information according to the seventh information and send the third information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise the SMF network element can not send the third information. Or, if the SMF network element obtains the eighth information, the SMF network element can determine the fourth information according to the eighth information and send the fourth information to the (R)AN network element, otherwise the SMF network element can not send the fourth information.

[0413] S1007, the S-(R)AN network element establishes the QoS flow of the MS according to the context of the QoS flow of the MS.

[0414] The QoS flow established by the S-(R)AN network element can be part of the QoS flow of the MS. In other words, the S-(R)AN network element can fail to successfully establish another part of the QoS flow of the MS due to being in a congestion state or having a high load.

[0415] S1008, the S-(R)AN network element sends sixth information to the UE, and the UE receives the sixth information from the S-(R)AN network element.

[0416] The sixth information can be used to indicate that part of the QoS flow of the MS is successfully established, and specific implementation can refer to the related description in the eighth application scenario described above, which will not be repeated here. It should be understood that S1009 is an optional step. For example, if the UE needs to adjust the configuration of the MS, S1009 can be performed, otherwise, S1009 does not need to be performed.

[0417] S1009, the S-(R)AN network element sends twelfth information to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the twelfth information from the S-(R)AN network element.

[0418] The twelfth information can be used to indicate that part of the QoS flow of the MS is successfully established, and specific implementation can refer to the related description in S901 described above, which will not be repeated here. In addition, the execution order of S1008 and S1009 is not limited.

[0419] S1010, the SMF network element sends ninth information to the UE, and the UE receives the ninth information from the SMF network element.

[0420] The ninth information can be used to indicate that part of the transmission resource of the MS is not successfully established, and specific implementation can refer to the related description in the sixth application scenario described above, which will not be repeated here. In addition, S1010 is an optional step. For example, if the UE needs to adjust the configuration of the MS, S1010 can be performed, otherwise, S1010 does not need to be performed.

[0421] S1011, the UE sends a signal measurement report to the S-(R)AN network element, and the S-(R)AN network element receives the signal measurement report from the UE.

[0422] The specific implementation of S1011 can refer to S713 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0423] S1012, the S-(R)AN network element sends a handover request to the T-(R)AN network element, and the T-(R)AN network element receives the handover request from the S-(R)AN network element.

[0424] The handover request can include the context of the QoS flow that the S-(R)AN network element has established, and specific implementation can refer to the related description in S901 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0425] S1013, the T-(R)AN network element reestablishes the QoS flow according to the context of the established QoS flow.

[0426] S1014, the T-(R)AN network element sends the tenth information or the eleventh information to the SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the tenth information or the eleventh information from the T-(R)AN network element.

[0427] S1015, the SMF network element determines that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0428] S1016, the SMF network element sends the context of the second QoS flow to the T-(R)AN network element, and the T-(R)AN network element receives the context of the second QoS flow from the SMF network element.

[0429] S1017, the T-(R)AN network element reestablishes the second QoS flow according to the context of the second QoS flow.

[0430] The specific implementation of S1013 and S1014 can refer to the related description in S901 described above, and the specific implementation of S1015-S1017 can refer to the related description in S902 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0431] In summary, in combination with the method shown in Figures 5-10 , it can be known that for the QoS flow that is not successfully established in the MBS, such as the second QoS flow, the second session management network element can reestablish the second QoS flow by sending the context of the second QoS flow to the third access network device, so as to guarantee the QoS requirement of the MBS as a whole, thereby improving the transmission quality of the MBS.

[0432] The above describes in detail the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The following describes in detail the communication apparatus for executing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figures 11-14 Figure 4 The above describes in detail the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The following describes in detail the communication apparatus for executing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0433] In some embodiments, the communication apparatus can be adapted to be used in the communication system shown in Figure 5 , to perform the method shown in Figure 6 , to perform the function of the first access network device in the method shown in Figure 8 , and to perform the function of the (R)AN network element in the method shown in Figure 7 , or to perform the function of the S-(R)AN network element in the method shown in Figures 5-8 . In other words, the communication apparatus comprises a module for performing the function of the first access network device, the (R)AN network element, or the S-(R)AN network element in the method described above. Figure 11

[0434] Specifically,​​Figure 1 Structure schematic of communication apparatus provided for embodiments of the present application Figure 11 As shown in Figure 11 The communication apparatus 1100 includes a processing module 1101. For ease of illustration, Figure 11 Only the main components of the communication apparatus 1100 are shown.

[0435] The processing module 1101 is configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, and save information of the first QoS flow. The first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS). The information of the first QoS flow is used to establish the first QoS flow.

[0436] In a possible design, the apparatus can further include a transceiver module 1102. In this way, the processing module 1101 can be further configured to determine, according to the information of the first QoS flow, that a first QoS flow establishment condition is met, and thereby control the transceiver module 1102 to send first information to a first session management network element, where the first information is used to trigger establishment of the first QoS flow.

[0437] Optionally, the first information can include second information, where the second information is used to indicate or notify that the first QoS flow establishment condition is met.

[0438] Optionally, the first QoS flow establishment condition being met can include any of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the communication apparatus 1100 is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the communication apparatus 1100 is not in a maintenance state.

[0439] Further, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow being met can include that the communication apparatus 1100 has resources that meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0440] Optionally, the receiving module 1102 is further configured to receive a subscription request from the first session management network element, where the subscription request is used to request subscription of a first event, and the first event is that the first QoS flow establishment condition is met; and the processing module 1101 is further configured to control the transceiver module 1102 to send the first information to the first session management network element according to the subscription request.

[0441] In a possible design, the transceiver module 1102 is further configured to, after the communication apparatus 1100 saves the information of the first QoS flow, send a handover request to a second access network device, where the handover request includes the information of the first QoS flow, and the handover request is used to trigger handover of a terminal in a group corresponding to the MBS from the communication apparatus 1100 to the second access network device.

[0442] In a possible design, the information of the first QoS flow can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow, or a QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0443] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 1100 determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established can include: the communication apparatus 1100 determining that an establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not satisfied.

[0444] Optionally, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow not being satisfied can include any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not satisfied; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, and the communication apparatus 1100 is in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not satisfied, and the communication apparatus 1100 is in a maintenance state.

[0445] Optionally, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow not being satisfied can include: the communication apparatus 1100 not having a resource that satisfies the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

[0446] Optionally, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow can include multiple items of the first QoS flow, including: an allocation and pre-emption priority (ARP) and a 5G QoS identifier.

[0447] In a possible design, the transceiver 1102 is further configured to receive third information from the first session management network element, where the third information is used to indicate that all QoS flows in a first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set. In this way, the processing module 1101 is further configured to determine, according to the third information, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0448] Further, the processing module 1101 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, if an establishment condition of at least one QoS flow in the first QoS set is not satisfied.

[0449] Optionally, the third information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0450] In another possible design, the transceiver 1102 is further configured to receive fourth information from the first session management network element, where the fourth information is used to indicate that all QoS flows in a second QoS flow set of the MBS do not need to be established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the second QoS flow set. In this way, the processing module 1101 is further configured to determine, according to the fourth information, that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0451] Optionally, the processing module 1101 is further configured to determine that the first QoS flow is not successfully established if the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not met.

[0452] Further, the fourth information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the second set of QoS flows, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the second set of QoS flows.

[0453] In a possible design, the processing module 1101 is further configured to, after determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, control the transceiver module 1102 to send, to the first session management network element, fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0454] In a possible design, the processing module 1101 is further configured to, after determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, control the transceiver module 1102 to send, to the first terminal, sixth information, where the first terminal is one of the terminals in the group corresponding to the MBS, and the sixth information is used to indicate that the part of the QoS flows of the MBS is successfully established.

[0455] Optionally, the transceiver module 1102 can include a receiving module and a sending module (not shown in the figure). Figure 11 The receiving module can be configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus 1100, and the sending module can be configured to implement the sending function of the communication apparatus 1100.

[0456] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1100 can further include a storage module (not shown in the figure), which stores a program or instructions. Figures 5-8 When the processing module 1101 executes the program or instructions, the communication apparatus 1100 can execute the functions of the first access network device, the (R)AN network element, or the S-(R)AN network element in any one of the methods shown in Figures 5-8

[0457] It should be understood that the processing module 1101 involved in the communication apparatus 1100 can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, and can be a processor or a processing unit; and the transceiver module 1102 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component, and can be a transceiver or a transceiving unit.

[0458] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 1100 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in a network device, or an apparatus including a network device, and the present application does not limit the same.

[0459] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus 1100 can refer to the technical effects of the method shown in any one of Figure 4

[0460] ​​In some embodiments, the communication device can be adapted to Figure 5 In the communication system shown in Figure 6 In the method shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the method shown in Figures 5-8 In the method shown in Figure 12 In the method shown in

[0461] In particular, Figure 2 The structure of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 12 As shown in Figure 12 The communication device 1200 includes a processing module 1201 and a transceiver module 1202. For ease of illustration, Figure 12 Only the main components of the communication device 1200 are shown.

[0462] The transceiver module 1202 is configured to receive second information from the first access network device. The processing module 1201 is configured to establish a first QoS flow according to the second information. The second information is used to indicate or notify that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS).

[0463] In one possible design, the establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met can include any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state.

[0464] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to send a subscription request to the first access network device, where the subscription request is used to request subscription of a first event, and the first event is the establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met.

[0465] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to send third information to the first access network device before receiving the second information from the first access network device, and the third information can be used to indicate that all QoS flows in a first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0466] Optionally, the third information can include one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

[0467] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is also configured to receive seventh information from the application network element, the seventh information being used to indicate that all SDFs in the first service data flow SDF set of the MBS need to be established. Thus, the processing module 1201 can also control the transceiver module 1202 to send third information to the first access network device based on the seventh information.

[0468] In another possible design, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to send fourth information to the first access network device before receiving the second information from the first access network device. The fourth information can be used to indicate that not all QoS flows in the second QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, and the first QoS flow is the QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

[0469] Optionally, the fourth information may include one or more of the following: the identifier of the second QoS flow set, or the identifier of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

[0470] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to receive eighth information from the application network element, the eighth information indicating that not all SDFs in the second SDF set of the MBS need to be established. Thus, the processing module 1201 is further configured to control the transceiver module 1202 to send fourth information to the first access network device based on the eighth information.

[0471] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to receive fifth information from the first access network device before receiving the second information from the first access network device, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first QoS flow has not been successfully established.

[0472] Optionally, the processing module 1202 is further configured to save the context of the first QoS flow according to the fifth information; and / or, the processing module 1202 is further configured to control the transceiver module 1201 to send the ninth information to the first terminal according to the fifth information, wherein the ninth information is used to indicate that the transmission resources of MBS have not been successfully established, and the first terminal is a terminal in the group corresponding to MBS.

[0473] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module. Figure 5-8 (Not shown in the image). The receiving module can be used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 1200, and the transmitting module can be used to implement the transmitting function of the communication device 1200.

[0474] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may also include a storage module. Figures 5-8 (Not shown in the image), this storage module stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 1201 executes the program or instructions, it enables the communication device 1200 to perform operations. Figure 4The functions of the first session management network element, the SMF network element, or the MB-SMF network element in any of the methods shown.

[0475] It should be understood that the processing module 1201 involved in the communication device 1200 can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, and can be a processor or a processing unit; and the transceiver module 1202 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component, and can be a transceiver or a transceiving unit.

[0476] It should be noted that the communication device 1200 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or a device containing the network device, and the present application does not limit this.

[0477] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1200 can refer to the technical effects of the method shown in any of Figure 9 , and details are not repeated here.

[0478] In some other embodiments, the communication device can be applicable to the communication system shown in Figure 10 , and perform the functions of the second session management network element in the method shown in Figures 9-10 , or perform the functions of the SMF network element in the method shown in Figure 13 . In other words, the communication device includes a module for performing the functions of the second session management network element or the SMF network element in the method described above. Figure 3

[0479] Specifically, Figure 13 The structure of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in Figure 13 . As shown in Figure 13 , the communication device 1300 includes a processing module 1301 and a transceiver module 1302. For ease of illustration, Figures 9-10 only the main components of the communication device 1300 are shown.

[0480] The processing module 1301 is configured to determine that the second QoS flow is not successfully established. In this way, the processing module 1301 is further configured to control the transceiver module 1302 to send the context of the second QoS flow to the third access network device if a preset condition is met. The second QoS flow is the QoS flow of the MBS.

[0481] In one possible design, the preset condition being met can include any of the following: the second terminal switches to the third access network device, and the second terminal can be one terminal in the group corresponding to the MBS; or the transceiver module 1302 receives information from the third access network device, and the information can be used to indicate that the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is met.

[0482] ​Optionally, the establishment condition of the second QoS flow being satisfied can comprise any one of the following: the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being satisfied; or, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being satisfied, and the third access network device not being in a congestion state; or, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being satisfied, and the third access network device not being in a maintenance state.

[0483] Further, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow being satisfied can comprise: the third access network device having resources satisfying the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow.

[0484] Further, the QoS requirement of the second QoS flow can comprise multiple items of the second QoS flow: ARP and 5G QoS identifier.

[0485] In a possible design, the transceiver 1302 can further be configured to send a query message to the third access network device. The query message can be used to query whether the establishment condition of the second QoS flow is satisfied.

[0486] In a possible design, the transceiver 1302 can further be configured to receive tenth information from the third access network device. The tenth information can be used to indicate the successfully established QoS flows of the third access network device, and the successfully established QoS flows do not include the second QoS flow. In this way, the processing module 1301 can further be configured to determine, according to the tenth information, that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0487] In a possible design, the transceiver 1302 can further be configured to receive eleventh information from the third access network device. The eleventh information can be used to indicate that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0488] In a possible design, the transceiver 1302 can further be configured to receive twelfth information from a fourth access network device. The fourth access network device is a device on which the second terminal camps before switching to the third access network device. The twelfth information can be used to indicate the successfully established QoS flows of the fourth access network device, and the successfully established QoS flows do not include the second QoS flow. In this way, the processing module can further be configured to determine, according to the twelfth information, that the second QoS flow is not successfully established.

[0489] Optionally, the transceiver 1302 can include a receiving module and a sending module (neither of which is shown in FIG. 13). Figures 9-10 Optionally, the receiving module can be configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus 1300, and the sending module can be configured to implement the sending function of the communication apparatus 1300.

[0490] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1300 can further include a storage module (neither of which is shown in FIG. 13). Figure 14(Not shown in the image), this storage module stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 1301 executes the program or instructions, it enables the communication device 1300 to perform operations. Figure 4 The function of the second session management network element or SMF network element in any of the methods shown.

[0491] It should be understood that the processing module 1301 involved in the communication device 1300 can be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and can be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 1302 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and can be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0492] It should be noted that the communication device 1300 may be a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be set in a network device, or a device that includes a final network device. This application does not limit this.

[0493] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1300 can be referenced. Figure 14 The technical effects of any of the methods shown in the examples are not elaborated here.

[0494] For example, Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 14 The communication device can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or part that can be set in the network device. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the communication device 1400 may include a processor 1401. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1402 and / or a transceiver 1403. The processor 1401 is coupled to the memory 1402 and the transceiver 1403, for example, they may be connected via a communication bus.

[0495] The following is combined with Figure 14 A detailed description of each component of the communication device 1400 is provided below:

[0496] The processor 1401 is the control center of the communication device 1400. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1401 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0497] Optionally, the processor 1401 can execute various functions of the communication device 1400 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1402 and calling data stored in the memory 1402.

[0498] In a specific implementation, as an example, the processor 1401 can include one or more CPUs, such as the CPU0 and the CPU1 shown in FIG. 14B. Figure 14

[0499] In a specific implementation, as an example, the communication device 1400 can also include multiple processors, such as the processor 1401 and the processor 1404 shown in FIG. 14C. Each of the processors can be a single-CPU or a multi-CPU. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (for example, computer program instructions). Figure 14

[0500] The memory 1402 is configured to store software programs for implementing the solutions of the present application and to be controlled by the processor 1401 for execution. The specific implementation manner can refer to the above method embodiments, and details are not described herein.

[0501] Optionally, the memory 1402 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, a magneto-optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory 1402 can be integrated with the processor 1401 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1401 through an interface (not shown in FIG. 14A) of the communication device 1400. The embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard. Figure 14

[0502] ​​​The transceiver 1403 is configured to communicate with another communication device. For example, the communication device 1400 is a terminal, and the transceiver 1403 can be configured to communicate with a network device or another terminal. For another example, the communication device 1400 is a network device, and the transceiver 1403 can be configured to communicate with a terminal or another network device.

[0503] Optionally, the transceiver 1403 can include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown in the figure separately). The receiver is configured to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is configured to implement the transmitting function. ​

[0504] Optionally, the transceiver 1403 can be integrated with the processor 1401, or exist independently and be coupled with the processor 1401 through an interface circuit (not shown in the figure) of the communication device 1400. The embodiments of the present application do not make a limitation in this regard. ​

[0505] It should be noted that the structure of the communication device 1400 shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. An actual communication device can include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different arrangement of components. ​

[0506] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1400 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0507] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication system. The communication system includes one or more terminals and one or more network devices.

[0508] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0509] ​​​It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0510] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole through software, hardware (e.g., circuitry), firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions or computer programs can produce the processes or functions described above in accordance with the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, such as from a website site, a computer, a server, or a data center to another website site, a computer, a server, or a data center through a wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium or a collection of medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, etc. containing one or more available medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid state disk.

[0511] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document is merely used to describe an associated relationship between associated objects, and can represent three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects, but can also represent an "and / or" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood according to the context before and after.

[0512] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0513] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of the above-described processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0514] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0515] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0516] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0517] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0518] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0519] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that contribute to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0520] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A quality of service (QoS) guarantee method, characterized by, The method comprises: In response to the first session management network element indicating that a QoS flow in a QoS flow set of a multicast / broadcast service (MBS) needs to be established or does not need to be established, the first access network device determines that a first QoS flow is not successfully established, the first QoS flow is a QoS flow of the MBS, and the first QoS flow is a QoS flow in the QoS flow set. The first access network device saves information of the first QoS flow, and the information of the first QoS flow is used to establish the first QoS flow.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The first access network device determines, according to the information of the first QoS flow, that an establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met. The first access network device sends first information to the first session management network element, and the first information is used to trigger establishment of the first QoS flow.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information comprises second information, and the second information is used to indicate or notify that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The establishment condition of the first QoS flow being met comprises any one of the following: The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met; or The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a congestion state; or The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is met, and the first access network device is not in a maintenance state.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: The first access network device receives a subscription request from the first session management network element, and the subscription request is used to request subscription of a first event, and the first event is that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is met. The first access network device sends first information to the first session management network element, comprising: The first access network device sends the first information to the first session management network element according to the subscription request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, After one terminal in a group corresponding to the MBS is switched from the first access network device to a second access network device, and the first access network device saves the information of the first QoS flow, the method further comprises: The first access network device sends a switching request to the second access network device, and the switching request comprises the information of the first QoS flow.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The information of the first QoS flow comprises one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow or a QoS requirement of the first QoS flow.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first access network device determining that the first QoS flow is not successfully established comprises: The first access network device determines that the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not met.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The establishment condition of the first QoS flow not being met comprises any one of the following: The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met; or The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met, and the first access network device is in a congestion state; or The QoS requirement of the first QoS flow is not met, and the first access network device is in a maintenance state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The first access network device receives third information from the first session management network element, the third information being used to indicate that all of QoS flows in a first QoS flow set of the MBS need to be established, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the first QoS flow set; The first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, including: The first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the third information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the third information, including: If establishment conditions of at least one QoS flow in the first QoS set are not met, the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein, The third information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the first QoS flow set.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: The first access network device receives fourth information from the first session management network element, the fourth information being used to indicate that all of QoS flows in a second QoS flow set of the MBS do not need to be established, the first QoS flow being a QoS flow in the second QoS flow set; The first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, including: The first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the fourth information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established according to the fourth information, including: If the establishment condition of the first QoS flow is not met, the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, The fourth information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the second QoS flow set, or an identifier of each QoS flow in the second QoS flow set.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, the method further includes: The first access network device sends fifth information to the first session management network element, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first QoS flow is not successfully established.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the first access network device determines that the first QoS flow is not successfully established, the method further includes: The first access network device sends sixth information to a first terminal, the first terminal being one terminal in a group corresponding to the MBS, the sixth information being used to indicate that part of QoS flows of the MBS are successfully established.

18. A communications device, characterized by including: a processor and a memory; The memory is used to store computer instructions, when the processor executes the instructions, to make the communication device execute the method in any one of claims 1-17.

19. A communication system, characterized by including: The first access network device in any one of claims 1-17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions run on a computer, make the computer execute the method in any one of claims 1-17.

21. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-17.

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