Configuring method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a configuration method and device. The method can include: receiving a first period from a core network element and a second period from a terminal, the first period being an initial service period or a first rectified service period, and the second period being a service period expected by the terminal; configuring a discontinuous reception (DRX) period for the terminal according to the first period and the second period; and obtaining first information and sending sleep indication information to the terminal according to the first information. The application obtains the period information of the service and the first information through an access network device, thereby configuring a DRX period that can match the service and sleep indication information that can make the terminal enter a sleep state in time, so that the terminal can save power consumption on the basis of ensuring user experience.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, and more particularly, to a configuration method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous development of the fifth generation communication system, the data transmission delay is continuously reduced, and the transmission capacity is gradually increased. The fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) communication system gradually penetrates into some multimedia services with strong real-time performance and large data capacity requirements, such as video transmission, cloud gaming (CG) and extended reality (XR) services.

[0003] With the rapid improvement of communication transmission rate, video transmission service has gradually become one of the core services in the current network. Compared with the traditional video service, XR provides a new visual experience for users with the continuous progress and improvement of extended reality technology.

[0004] People are increasingly hoping to improve the XR experience through head mounted display (HMD) or smart glasses and other user equipment (UE). However, compared with smart phones, the sensitivity of these user equipment to power consumption is significantly higher than that of smart phones. Therefore, for the above-mentioned services, on the basis of ensuring user experience, the power consumption of the user equipment has become the focus of the current research. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a configuration method and apparatus, so that the terminal saves power consumption on the basis of ensuring user experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, a configuration method is provided. The method can be executed by an access network device, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit configured in the access network device, and the present application does not limit this. The method comprises: receiving a first period from a core network element and a second period from a terminal, the first period being an initial service period or a first rectified service period, and the second period being a service period expected by the terminal; and configuring a discontinuous reception (DRX) period for the terminal according to the first period and the second period.

[0007] Optionally, the initial service period is a period in which a network element generates a data unit during transmission of service data. For example, when the service is a video service or an XR service, the data unit can be a video frame, a video frame slice, or a video frame tile. The first rectified service period is a period obtained after the data unit is rectified by a core network element, such as a user plane network element, when the data unit flows through the core network element. The terminal-expected service period is a period expected by the terminal for the data unit to arrive at the terminal according to power or other information of the terminal.

[0008] Based on the foregoing scheme, the access network device configures a DRX period that matches the service by obtaining the period information of the service, so that the terminal saves power consumption on the basis of ensuring user experience.

[0009] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the received data unit is rectified according to the first period and the second period. Through rectification of the data unit, time delay jitter of the data unit in network transmission is alleviated.

[0010] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, a second rectified service period is obtained after rectification, and the second rectified service period corresponds to the DRX period. That is, the period of the rectified data unit is related to the DRX period. The period of the data unit can be equal to the DRX period, or a multiple of the DRX period, or the DRX period is a multiple of the period of the data unit, and the like. The present application does not limit the specific correspondence between the period of the data unit and the DRX period. It can be understood that the DRX period herein can belong to a long DRX period set or a short DRX period set, and the present application does not limit this.

[0011] Based on the foregoing scheme, the DRX period configured by the access network device for the terminal matches the period of the data unit, and time delay jitter of the data unit in network transmission is alleviated.

[0012] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: obtaining first information indicating integrity transmission requirements of a data unit, the data unit including N data packets, each data packet of the N data packets including a same first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, where N is a positive integer; and sending, to the terminal, sleep indication information according to the first information and the first identifier.

[0013] Based on the foregoing scheme, on the basis of the DRX period configured by the access network device for the terminal matching the transmission service, the access network device can further send sleep indication information indicating that the terminal sleeps according to integrity requirements of the transmission service when data unit transmission is completed, so as to further save power consumption of the terminal.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, each of the N data packets further comprises a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the data packet; and the sleep indication information is sent to the terminal according to the first information, the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can further accurately determine whether the data unit is completed transmission, so as to send the sleep indication information to indicate the terminal to enter the sleep state when the data unit is completed transmission.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, a quality of service (QoS) configuration template is received, the QoS configuration template comprising an initial service period.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, a QoS configuration template is received, the QoS configuration template comprising the first information.

[0018] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by an access network device, or can also be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the access network device, and the present application does not limit this. The method comprises: obtaining first information, the first information indicating integrity transmission requirement of a data unit, the data unit comprising N data packets, each of the N data packets comprising a same first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, wherein N is a positive integer; and sending sleep indication information to a terminal according to the first information and the first identifier.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can send the sleep indication information to indicate the terminal to enter the sleep state when the data unit is completed transmission according to the integrity requirement of the transmission service, thereby saving the power consumption of the terminal.

[0020] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, each of the N data packets further comprises a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the data packet; and the sleep indication information is sent to the terminal according to the first information, the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0021] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a first period from a core network element and a second period from the terminal are received, the first period being an initial service period or a first rectified service period, and the second period being a service period expected by the terminal; and a DRX period is configured for the terminal according to the first period and the second period.

[0022] It can be understood that when the first period is the initial service period, the core network element can be a user plane network element or a session management network element. When the first period is the first rectified service period, the core network element can be a user plane network element.

[0023] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the received data unit is rectified according to the first period and the second period.

[0024] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a second rectified service period is obtained after rectification, and the second rectified service period corresponds to the DRX period.

[0025] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a QoS configuration template is received, and the QoS configuration template includes the first information.

[0026] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a QoS configuration template is received, and the QoS configuration template includes the initial service period.

[0027] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned second aspect or the implementations of the second aspect can refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect or the implementations of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0028] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a session management network element, or can also be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the session management network element, and the present application does not limit this. The method includes: obtaining an initial service period and / or first information, the initial service period being a period in which a data unit is generated by an application network element in a transmission process of service data, the initial service period being used to configure a DRX period for a terminal, and the first information indicating integrity transmission requirements of the data unit; and sending a QoS configuration file to an access network device, the QoS configuration file including the initial service period and / or the first information.

[0029] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first information includes type information of a transmission service or 1-bit indication information.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, if the first information is type information of a transmission service, the session management network element can indicate whether the data unit has integrity transmission requirements according to the type of the transmission service, thereby saving resources.

[0031] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, a packet detection rule PDR is sent to a user plane network element, the PDR including the initial service period and / or the first information, the PDR being used to detect a first identifier of N data packets belonging to the data unit, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, and N being a positive integer.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a user plane network element, or can be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the user plane network element, and the present application does not limit the method. The method comprises: receiving an initial service period from a core network element and / or a terminal expected service period; rectifying a received data unit according to the initial service period and / or the terminal expected service period, to obtain a first rectified service period, which is used to configure a DRX period for the terminal. It can be understood that the core network element in the above scheme can be a session management network element.

[0033] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, a PDR is received, and the PDR comprises the initial service period.

[0034] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the PDR further comprises first information, and the first information indicates integrity transmission requirements of the data unit; a first identifier of N data packets belonging to the data unit is detected according to the PDR; and the initial service period and / or the first identifier are encapsulated into general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP) header information, and the first identifier is used to identify the data unit, wherein N is a positive integer.

[0035] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by an application network element, or can be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the application network element, and the present application does not limit the method. The method comprises: sending an initial service period and / or first information, wherein the initial service period is used to configure a DRX period for a terminal, and the first information indicates integrity transmission requirements of a data unit.

[0036] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first information comprises type information of the transmission service or 1-bit indication information.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, a data transmission method is provided. The method can be performed by a server, or can be performed by a chip or circuit configured in the server, and the present application does not limit the method. The method comprises: sending a data packet, and the data packet comprises a first identifier, and the first identifier is used to identify a data unit, and the data unit comprises N data packets, wherein N is a positive integer.

[0038] It can be understood that the data packet sent in the above scheme can be one or more of the N data packets, and the present application does not limit the data packet.

[0039] In combination with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the data packet further comprises second information, and the second information is used to identify the data packet.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, a configuration method is provided. The method can be performed by a terminal or a chip or circuit configured in the terminal, and the present application does not limit the method. The method includes: sending a desired service period to an access network device; and receiving DRX period configuration information from the access network device.

[0041] Optionally, the DRX period corresponds to the desired service period.

[0042] Based on the above scheme, the DRX period configured by the access network device is more suitable for the current state of the terminal.

[0043] In combination with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the method further includes: receiving sleep indication information from the access network device; and entering a sleep state according to the sleep indication information.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which is configured to perform the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect. Specifically, the communication apparatus can include modules for performing the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0045] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which is configured to perform the method in any of the third aspect to the seventh aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect to the seventh aspect. Specifically, the communication apparatus can include modules for performing the method in any of the third aspect to the seventh aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0046] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. The communication interface is configured to input and / or output information. The information includes at least one of instructions and data.

[0047] In an implementation, the communication apparatus is an access network device. When the communication apparatus is an access network device, the communication interface can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0048] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system. When the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip or chip system, etc. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0049] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system configured in the access network device.

[0050] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0051] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled with a memory and is configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in any one of the third aspect to the seventh aspect and any one of the possible implementation manners in the third aspect to the seventh aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface. The communication interface is configured to input and / or output information. The information includes at least one of instructions and data.

[0052] In an implementation, the communication apparatus is a core network network element or a terminal. When the communication apparatus is a core network network element or a terminal, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0053] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system. When the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip or chip system, etc. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0054] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip or chip system configured in the core network network element or the terminal.

[0055] Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0056] In a twelfth aspect, a processor is provided, including an input circuit, an output circuit and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in the first aspect to the seventh aspect and any one of the possible implementation manners in the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0057] In the implementation process, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0058] In a thirteenth aspect, a processing apparatus is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, and can receive signals through a receiver and transmit signals through a transmitter to perform the method in the first aspect to the seventh aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0059] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0060] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor are separately arranged.

[0061] In the implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, for example, a read only memory (ROM), which can be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or arranged on different chips respectively. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the arrangement of the memory and the processor.

[0062] It can be understood that the related data interaction process, for example, sending the indication information can be the process of outputting the indication information from the processor, and receiving the capability information can be the process of receiving the input capability information by the processor. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Among them, the transmitter and the receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0063] The processing apparatus in the thirteenth aspect above can be one or more chips. The processor in the processing apparatus can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading software codes stored in the memory. The memory can be integrated in the processor or exist independently.

[0064] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of the first aspect to the seventh aspect and the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0065] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of the first aspect to the seventh aspect and the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the seventh aspect.

[0066] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the access network device, the core network element and the terminal as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0067] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network scene architecture suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another network scene architecture suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of service data periodicity suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a transmission process of service data in a network suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a DRX cycle suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a DRX cycle suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0074] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an active period suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] Figure 9 FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a flow of configuring a DRX cycle provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0076] Figure 10 FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of rectification suitable for an embodiment of the present application.

[0077] Figure 11 FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a rectification process provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0078] Figure 12 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] Figure 13 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of yet another communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram of yet another communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0085] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the network architecture can include a user equipment 110, a (wireless) access network device 120, a user plane network element 130, a data network 140, an access management network element 150, a session management network element 160, a network exposure network element 170, a policy control network element 180, and an application network element 190, etc. The various network elements involved in the network architecture will be described below respectively. Figure 1

[0086] ​1. User equipment (UE) 110: The user equipment can also be referred to as a terminal, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user 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 pad, a computer with 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 cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolution network, etc.

[0087] Among them, the wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a device that realizes powerful functions through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a device with full functions and large size, which can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and a device that focuses on a certain application function and needs to be used in cooperation with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0088] 2、(Radio) Access Network (R)AN 120: The access network device can also be referred to as an access device. The (R)AN can manage radio resources, provide access services for user equipment, and complete forwarding of user equipment data between the user equipment and the core network. The (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in the network.

[0089] Exemplarily, the access network device in the embodiments of the present application can be any kind of communication device with wireless transceiving function for communication with user equipment. The access network device includes but is not limited to: an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home evolved NodeB (HeNB) or a home Node B (HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G, such as a 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) or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0090] In some deployments, a gNB can include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB can also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements part of the functions of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the functions of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implements the radio resource control (RRC), and the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing the physical layer protocol and real-time services, and implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. The AAU implements part of the physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. The information of the RRC layer is generated by the CU and eventually encapsulated into the PHY layer information through the PHY layer of the DU, or transformed from the information of the PHY layer. Therefore, in this architecture, high-layer signaling such as RRC layer signaling can also be considered as being sent by the DU or by the DU+AAU. It can be understood that the access network device can be a device including one or more of the CU node, the DU node, and the AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into an access network device in the radio access network (RAN) or an access network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in the present application.

[0091] 3. User plane network element 130: As an interface with a data network, it completes functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / stream level-based charging statistics, bandwidth limitation, etc. That is, packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data, etc.

[0092] In a long term evolution (LTE) communication system, the user plane network element can be a serving gateway user plane (SGW-U) or a packet data network gateway user plane (PGW-U) or a network element in which the SGW-U and the PGW-U are combined. In a 5G communication system, the user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0093] 4. Data network 140: provides operator services, Internet access or third party services, contains servers, and implements video source encoding, rendering, etc. on the server side.

[0094] In the 5G communication system, the data network can be a data network (DN).

[0095] 5. Access management network element 150: mainly used for mobility management and access management, etc., and can be used to implement functions other than session management in the mobility management entity (MME) function, such as lawful interception and access authorization / authentication functions.

[0096] In the LTE communication system, the access management network element can be an MME network element. In the 5G communication system, the access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF), which mainly performs mobility management, access authentication / authorization, etc. In addition, it is also responsible for transferring user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF) network element.

[0097] 6. Session management network element 160: mainly used for session management, IP address allocation and management of user equipment, selection of manageable user plane functions, termination of policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification, etc.

[0098] In the LTE communication system, the session management network element can be a session management network element, which can be a serving gateway control plane (SGW-C) or a packet data network gateway control plane (PGW-C) or a network element combined with SGW-C and PGW-C. In the 5G communication system, the session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element, which completes terminal IP address allocation, UPF selection, and charging and QoS policy control, etc.

[0099] 7、Network exposure network element 170: In the LTE communication system, the network exposure network element can be a service capability exposure function (SCEF) network element. In the 5G communication system, the network exposure network element can be a network element function (NEF) network element, which is mainly used to expose the services and capabilities of the 3GPP network function to the AF, and also allows the AF to provide information to the 3GPP network function.

[0100] 8、Policy control network element 180: including user subscription data management function, policy control function, charging policy control function, quality of service (QoS) control, etc., a unified policy framework for guiding network behavior, providing policy rule information for control plane function network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements, etc.).

[0101] In the LTE communication system, the policy control network element can be a policy control and charging function (PCRF). In the 5G communication system, the policy control network element can be a PCF.

[0102] In the 5G communication system, the application network element can be a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element.

[0103] 9、Application network element 190: In the 5G communication system, the application network element can be an application function (AF) network element, which represents the third-party or operator's application function, is an interface for the 5G network to obtain external application data, and is mainly used to transmit the demand of the application side to the network side.

[0104] In future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, the above-mentioned network elements or devices can still use their names in 4G or 5G communication systems, or can have other names, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The functions of the above-mentioned network elements or devices can be completed by one independent network element, or can be completed by several network elements together. In actual deployment, the network elements in the core network can be deployed on the same or different physical devices. For example, as a possible deployment, the AMF and the SMF can be deployed on the same physical device. For another example, the network elements of the 5G core network can be deployed on the same physical device as the network elements of the 4G core network. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0105] It can be understood that, Figure 1This is only an example and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be related to Figure 1 network elements not shown in the figure, and of course the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also only include Figure 1 part of the network elements shown in the figure.

[0106] In Figure 1 the network architecture shown in the figure, the terminal is connected with the AMF through the N1 interface, the (R)AN is connected with the AMF through the N2 interface, and the (R)AN is connected with the UPF through the N3 interface. The UPFs are connected through the N9 interface, and the UPF is interconnected with the DN through the N6 interface. The SMF controls the UPF through the N4 interface.

[0107] It can be understood that the network architecture applied to the embodiments of the present application described above is only an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is not limited to this. Any network architecture capable of realizing the functions of the above-mentioned various network elements is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0108] For example: terminal-network-terminal architecture scenario, as shown in Figure 2 the figure, this scenario can be a tactile internet, one terminal is a master domain tactile user and an artificial system interface, the other end is a remote control robot or a remote operator in a controlled domain, and the network transmission core network and access network include LTE, 5G or next generation air interface 6G. The master domain receives audio / video feedback signals from the controlled domain, and the master domain and the controlled domain are connected through the bidirectional communication link on the network domain with the help of various commands and feedback signals, thereby forming a global control loop.

[0109] For another example: WiFi scenario, as shown in Figure 3 the figure, in this scenario, the cloud server transmits XR media data or ordinary video to the terminal (XR device) through the fixed network, WiFi router / AP / set top box.

[0110] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), an LTE system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) system or a future evolved communication system, vehicle-to-X (V2X), wherein V2X can include vehicle to network (V2N), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), vehicle to pedestrian (V2P), etc., LTE-V (long term evolution-vehicle), Internet of Vehicles, machine type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), etc.

[0111] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of service data periodicity suitable for the embodiments of the present application.

[0112] Taking XR transmission service and video transmission service as examples, where XR includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). Generally, the service data is periodically transmitted according to a frame rate. However, due to server encoding processing, fixed network / core network transmission, and other factors, the service data arriving at the base station on the RAN side is not necessarily strictly periodic. For example Figure 4 As shown in the figure, a video data with a frame rate of 60 frames per second, under ideal conditions, a video frame arrives every 16.67 milliseconds. However, in reality, the interframe interval of each video frame arriving at the base station is no longer strictly 16.67 milliseconds.

[0113] In addition, such services also have the characteristic that the size of the service data changes over time.

[0114] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a transmission process of service data in a network applicable to embodiments of the present application.

[0115] Taking XR transmission service and video transmission service as examples, a video frame can be divided into a plurality of internet protocol (IP) packets, for example, 50 IP packets, in the transmission layer during transmission, and then transmitted to the core network, and then transmitted to the terminal through the access network equipment. If one of the IP packets is transmitted incorrectly during network transmission, the entire video frame cannot be recovered.

[0116] For real-time multimedia transmission such as XR and video, user experience is very important, so it is necessary to ensure that the video frame is correctly transmitted within a tolerable delay. In addition, on the basis of ensuring the quality of experience (QoE) of users, the power consumption of the device is also an important factor to be considered.

[0117] The generation and arrival of data packets of XR and video transmission services are usually not continuous. From the perspective of delay, it is beneficial to receive uplink authorization or downlink data by listening to the downlink control signaling of the base station in each time slot on the terminal side, but at the same time, the power consumption of the terminal is increased. Therefore, in order to reduce the power consumption of the terminal, when there is no data transmission, the power consumption can be reduced by stopping receiving the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), at which time the PDCCH blind detection is stopped, thereby improving the battery usage time.

[0118] The use of discontinuous reception (DRX) technology can also achieve power saving. The basic mechanism of DRX is to configure a DRX cycle for the terminal, such as... Figure 6 As shown, during the onDuration period, the terminal normally listens to the PDCCH. During other periods, the terminal has the opportunity to enter a sleep state and not receive the PDCCH to reduce power consumption. It is important to note that while in a sleep state, the terminal does not receive the PDCCH, but it can still receive other signals (such as reference signals) and / or data from other physical channels, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and acknowledgment signals (ACK). For example, in semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), a terminal in a sleep state can periodically receive the PDSCH on configured downlink subframes.

[0119] The choice of DRX cycle needs to consider a balance between power saving and data latency. On one hand, a longer DRX cycle is beneficial for extending the terminal's battery life. On the other hand, a shorter DRX cycle is beneficial for faster response when new data is transmitted. To meet these requirements, the terminal can be configured with two DRX cycles: a short DRX cycle and a long DRX cycle, such as... Figure 7 As shown. However, at any given moment, the terminal can only use one of the DRX cycle configurations.

[0120] The DRX period is configured by the base station. The terminal can report the desired DRX period parameters to the base station for reference. Specifically, the DRX period parameters can be reported in the UE AssistanceInformation in the form of auxiliary information.

[0121] In most cases, after a terminal is scheduled to receive or transmit data in one time slot, it is likely to be scheduled again for several more time slots. Waiting until the next DRX cycle to receive or transmit this data would introduce additional latency. To reduce this latency, after being scheduled, the terminal can enter an active period and start a DRX inactivity timer, such as... Figure 8 As shown. During the active period, the terminal continues to listen to the PDCCH until the DRX inactive period timer expires. If the terminal is scheduled again during this period, the timer will be reset once.

[0122] In order to prevent the time set by the duration timer and the DRX inactive timer from being too long, and the terminal from being unable to enter the sleep state in time, the base station can send a DRX command (DRX Command) to the terminal through a media access control (MAC) control element (CE), and when the terminal receives the DRX Command, the terminal can directly enter the sleep state.

[0123] The embodiments of the present application take XR and video services as examples, further reduce terminal power consumption under the premise of guaranteeing user experience. Of course, the solutions of the embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to XR and video services, but also applicable to other services with similar requirements, without any limitation.

[0124] Figure 9 A flowchart for configuring a DRX cycle is provided in the embodiments of the present application. The method 900 includes the following steps.

[0125] In step S910, the access network device receives a first cycle from a core network element, the first cycle being an initial service cycle or a first rectified service cycle.

[0126] It can be understood that the initial service cycle is a cycle in which a data unit generated by an application network element is transmitted to the access network device through a session management network element or a user plane network element during the transmission of a service. For example, when the transmission service is a video service or an XR service, the data unit can be a video frame, a video frame slice, or a video frame tile. The first rectified service cycle is a cycle of a data unit obtained by rectifying the data unit by a user plane network element when the data unit flows through the user plane network element.

[0127] It can be understood that a picture or a video frame can be divided into one or more slices, and a slice is a data structure that can be independently coded without relying on other slices in the same picture or video frame. A slice is in the form of a strip and can also be referred to as a tile or a slice. A picture or a video frame can also be divided into one or more rectangular regions horizontally or vertically, and these rectangular regions are referred to as tiles. Tiles are used to enhance the parallel processing capability of high efficiency video coding (HEVC), and tiles can be independently coded. Tiles can also be referred to as strips or tiles.

[0128] In step S920, the access network device receives a second cycle from a terminal, the second cycle being a service cycle expected by the terminal.

[0129] It can be understood that the expected service period of the terminal is a period in which the terminal expects the data unit to arrive at the terminal according to the power or other information of the terminal.

[0130] Optionally, the terminal can report the expected service period through the assistance information, for example, in the UEAssistanceInformation.

[0131] It can also be understood that the step S910 and the step S920 do not have a fixed sequence, and can be performed simultaneously, and the present application does not make any limitation on this.

[0132] In step S930, the access network device configures a DRX period for the terminal according to the first period and the second period.

[0133] Optionally, as an alternative to the step S930, the access network device can also configure a DRX period for the terminal according to the first period or the second period.

[0134] Specifically, the access network device selects a period from a preset set to configure a DRX period for the terminal according to the first period and / or the second period, and the preset set includes a short DRX period, a long DRX period, or a short DRX period and a long DRX period. For example, the set of long DRX periods is {10, 20, 32, 40, 60, …} milliseconds (ms), and the set of short DRX periods is {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 20, 30, 32, 35, …} ms. The frame rate of the existing video is usually 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 frames per second (FPS), and the corresponding initial service period is 33.33 / 16.67 / 11.11 / 8.33 ms.

[0135] In a possible implementation, a period closest to the first period and / or the second period is selected from the preset set to configure a DRX period for the terminal. For example, the initial service period is closer to the value in the set of short DRX periods, and therefore a period in the set of short DRX periods needs to be selected for DRX period configuration. Assuming that the initial service period is 16.67 ms, the closest DRX period can be the smallest configurable DRX period (20 ms) greater than the initial service period, or the largest configurable DRX period (16 ms) smaller than the initial service period.

[0136] In another possible implementation, some values are added to the set of values of the short DRX period and the long DRX period, for example, one or more values of 33.33 ms, 16.67 ms, 11.11 ms, and 8.33 ms, to match the frame rate of the XR and video service. Of course, other values can also be used, and the present application does not make any limitation on this.

[0137] Optionally, the access network device can rectify the received data units according to the first period and / or the second period.

[0138] Optionally, a second rectified service period is obtained, and a DRX period is configured for the terminal according to the second rectified service period.

[0139] The specific rectification process can refer to the related description of Figure 10 and will not be described here. It can be understood that there will be jitter in the process of transmitting data units from the server to each network node, and the present solution alleviates the jitter in the network transmission of data units.

[0140] Optionally, the method 900 further includes a step S940 of sending, by the access network device, DRX period configuration information to the terminal, and correspondingly, receiving, by the terminal, the DRX period configuration information. The terminal can configure the DRX period according to the DRX period configuration information.

[0141] Through the above solution, the access network device obtains the period information of the service, thereby configuring a DRX period that can match the service, so that the terminal can save power consumption.

[0142] It can be understood that the method 900 and the DRX period configuration appearing later can be long DRX period configuration or short DRX period configuration, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0143] The rectification in the present application will be described exemplarily below. Figure 10 is a rectification schematic diagram applicable to the embodiments of the present application. Figure 10

[0144] When the data units are transmitted to the access network device, the time intervals at which the data units arrive at the access network device are irregular, and the present application rectifies the data units that arrive at the access network device irregularly into periodically output data units through a data buffer.

[0145] Specifically, the access network device rectifies the received data units according to the first period and the second period. That is, the period of the data units rectified by the access network device, that is, the second rectified service period, can correspond to the first period or the second period. The corresponding meaning is that the second rectified service period is equal to the first period or the second period, or is equal to a multiple of the first period or the second period; it can also be understood that the first period or the second period is equal to a multiple of the second rectified service period. The present application does not limit the specific corresponding relationship between the second rectified service period and the first period or the second period, as long as the second rectified service period is determined according to the first period and / or the second period, which belongs to the protection scope of the present application.

[0146] ​Optionally, when the first period is the first rectified service period, the data unit received by the access network device has been rectified by the core network element. For example, the core network element is a user plane element, and the specific rectification process is as shown in Figure 11 The method 1100 includes the following steps:

[0147] Step S1110, the step S910.

[0148] Step S1120, the access network device reports the terminal expected service period to the user plane element.

[0149] Step S1130, the user plane element acquires the initial service period.

[0150] Optionally, the initial service period is carried in a packet detection rule (PDR) sent by the session management element to the user plane element through an N4 interface.

[0151] Step S1140, the user plane element rectifies the received data unit according to the terminal expected service period and the initial service period to obtain a first rectified service period.

[0152] The period of the data unit rectified by the user plane element, that is, the first rectified service period, can correspond to the terminal expected service period or the initial service period. The corresponding meaning is that the first rectified service period is equal to the terminal expected service period or the initial service period, or is equal to a multiple of the terminal expected service period or the initial service period. It can also be understood that the terminal expected service period or the initial service period is equal to a multiple of the first rectified service period. The present application does not limit the specific corresponding relationship between the first rectified service period and the terminal expected service period or the initial service period, as long as the first rectified service period is determined according to the terminal expected service period and / or the initial service period, which belongs to the protection scope of the present application.

[0153] Step S1150, the user plane element indicates the first rectified service period to the access network device.

[0154] Optionally, the user plane element can encapsulate the information indicating the first rectified service period in a general packet radio system tunneling protocol (GTP) header and send it to the access network device through an N3 interface.

[0155] Step S1160, after the access network device acquires the first rectified service period, the step S930 is the same as above, which will not be repeated here.

[0156] Step S1170, same as step S940, which is not repeated here.

[0157] It can be understood that the user plane network element obtaining the terminal expected service period and the initial service period in the above scheme has no sequential relationship, and can be performed simultaneously, and the present application does not make any limitation.

[0158] In the present application, for the rectification scheme, it needs to be explained that during the data unit transmission process, rectification can be performed once or twice. If rectification is performed only once, the network node for rectifying the data unit can be an access network device or a user plane network element, and the present application does not make any limitation.

[0159] Figure 12 A flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method 1200 includes:

[0160] Step S1210, the access network device obtains first information, the first information indicating the integrity transmission requirement of the data unit.

[0161] Optionally, the access network device can obtain the first information by receiving the QoS configuration template from the core network element.

[0162] The integrity transmission requirement refers to whether the data unit needs to be transmitted completely during the transmission process.

[0163] It can be understood that the first information can be 1-bit indication information from the application network element, if the 1-bit is 0, it indicates that the data unit has integrity transmission requirement, if the 1-bit is 1, it indicates that the data unit has no integrity transmission requirement, of course, it can also be the opposite, and the present application does not make any limitation.

[0164] The first information can also be obtained from the category to which the data unit belongs, for example, the data packet belonging to the video frame has integrity transmission requirement. Therefore, the present application does not make any limitation on the way of obtaining the first information.

[0165] Step S1220, the access network device receives the data unit, the data unit including N data packets, each data packet of the N data packets including the same first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, wherein N is a positive integer.

[0166] Optionally, each data packet of the N data packets further includes a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the data packet.

[0167] It can be understood that after the PDU session (the PDU session provides data connectivity between the terminal and the data network, and the data flow of the terminal is carried by the PDU session) is established, the N data packets are transmitted to the user plane network element, and the user plane network element analyzes the data of the application layer according to the PDR (s) issued by the session management network element, divides the plurality of PDRs into a plurality of groups according to the packet identifier of the packet to which the PDR belongs, and detects the data packet containing the first identifier or containing the first identifier and the second identifier. The user plane network element encapsulates the first identifier or the first identifier and the second identifier in the GTP header information, and sends the data packet to the access network device through the N3 interface.

[0168] In step S1230, the access network device sends the sleep indication information to the terminal according to the first information and the first identifier, for example, sends the DRX Command to the terminal.

[0169] Specifically, the first identifier can represent that the N data packets belong to one data unit. After the access network device obtains the first information, it is judged whether the data unit needs integrity transmission. If the data unit needs integrity transmission, it is judged whether the data packets belonging to the same data unit are completed transmission according to the first identifier in the data packet. If the transmission has been completed, the sleep indication information is sent to the terminal. If the data unit does not need integrity transmission, the access network device can also detect the data packet, but will not send the sleep indication information to the terminal.

[0170] For example, when the data unit is a video frame, the first identifier can be used to identify the frame number of the video frame, the size of the video frame, or the number of data packets belonging to the video frame. After the access network device determines that the video frame needs integrity transmission, it will detect the first identifier in the data packet, and then judge whether the video frame is completed transmission according to the first identifier.

[0171] Optionally, the access network device sends the sleep indication information to the terminal according to the first information, the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0172] Specifically, when the data packet belonging to the same data unit also includes the second identifier, the second identifier is used to mark the data packet. The access network device judges whether the data unit needs integrity transmission according to the first information. If the data unit needs integrity transmission, it is judged whether the data packets belonging to the same data unit are completed transmission according to the first identifier and the second identifier in the data packet. If the transmission has been completed, the sleep indication information is sent to the terminal. If the data unit does not need integrity transmission, the access network device can also detect the data packet, but will not send the sleep indication information to the terminal.

[0173] For example, if the data unit is a video frame, the first identifier can be used to identify the frame number of the video frame, the bit size of the video frame, or the number of data packets belonging to the video frame. The second identifier can be used to identify an integer less than or equal to N, or the bit size of each data packet. For example, the first identifier and the second identifier can be 1 / 30, 2 / 30, 3 / 30, 4 / 30, and so on, where 30 is the first identifier, indicating that there are 30 data packets belonging to the video frame, and 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on are the second identifiers, each of the 30 data packets including the same first identifier and different second identifiers. In this example, the access network device can determine whether the 30 data packets belonging to the video frame have been completely transmitted according to the first identifier and the second identifier in the transmitted data packets, and if the transmission has been completed, the access network device sends the sleep indication information to the terminal.

[0174] It can be understood that the above example only illustrates one marking method, and other methods can also be used to mark the data packets, which are not limited in the present application.

[0175] In step S1240, the access network device sends the sleep indication information to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the sleep indication information and enters the sleep state according to the sleep indication information.

[0176] Based on the above scheme, the access network device can send the sleep indication information indicating the terminal to enter the sleep state when the data unit is completely transmitted according to the integrity requirement of the transmission service, thereby saving the power consumption of the terminal.

[0177] The way of obtaining the first information and the initial service period is described below.

[0178] Optionally, the application network element provides the initial service period and the first information to the network element (such as a network exposure network element or a policy control network element) in the control plane for storage.

[0179] The session control network element obtains the initial service period and the first information from the network element of the control plane, and configures the initial service period and the first information in a quality of service (QoS) profile. It can be understood that the initial service period in the present application can also be a frame rate, and the present application does not limit the specific form of the initial service period. Taking the QoS guarantee mechanism of video and XR transmission services in 5G communication as an example, the QoS guarantee mechanism includes a QoS flow supporting a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) and a QoS flow supporting a non-GBR. In 5G QoS management, data packets are divided into several QoS flows, and each QoS flow is marked with a QoS flow identifier (QFI). Each QoS profile uses QFI to guarantee the transmission of services with different performance requirements. The QoS flow configuration template configured with the initial service period and the first information can be as shown in Table 1.

[0180] Table 1 QoS flow configuration template

[0181]

[0182]

[0183] It can be understood that only part of the attributes in the QoS flow configuration template is listed in Table 1 above, and in addition to this, the QoS flow configuration template can also include other attributes, or only include part of the attributes in Table 1, which is not limited in the present application.

[0184] Optionally, the access network device can obtain the initial service period and / or the first information by receiving the QoS configuration template. When the first information is not included in the QoS configuration template, the technical solution of the first period being the initial service period in the method 900 can be referred to, which is not described herein.

[0185] Optionally, the initial service period can also be configured in the PDR issued by the session management network element.

[0186] When the initial service period is not included in the QoS configuration template, the technical solution of the method 1200 can be referred to, which is not described herein.

[0187] There is another solution that the QoS configuration template includes both the initial service period and the first information. At this time, the method 1300 combined with the method 900 and the method 1200 can be referred to.

[0188] Figure 13 A flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0189] The method 1300 comprises the steps in the method 900 and the method 1200.

[0190] Specifically, step S1310 is synchronous with step S1210; step S1320 is synchronous with step S910; step S1330 is synchronous with step S920; step S1340 is synchronous with step S1220; step S1341 is synchronous with step S1230; step S1342 is synchronous with step S1240; step S1350 is synchronous with step S930; and step S1351 is synchronous with step S940.

[0191] It should be noted that the sequence of step S1310, step S1320 and step S1330 is not fixed, and they can be performed simultaneously. The sequence between the same steps as the method 900 is in accordance with the sequence of the steps in the method 900, and the sequence between the same steps as the method 1200 is in accordance with the sequence of the steps in the method 1200. There is no fixed sequence between the same steps as the method 900 and the same steps as the method 1200, which is not limited in the present application.

[0192] Optionally, when the first period in S1330 is the initial service period, the first information and the initial service period are both configured in the QoS configuration template.

[0193] Optionally, the method 1300 comprises the steps in the method 1100 in addition to the steps in the method 900 and the method 1200.

[0194] That is, when the first period is the first rectification period, or in step S1350, the access network device can further configure the DRX period according to the second rectification period, and the steps in the method 1100 can be added. The sequence between the specific steps is determined according to the inherent logic, which is not limited in the present application.

[0195] The specific implementation of all the steps involved in the method 1300 is described in detail in the method 900, the method 1100 and the method 1200, which is not repeated here.

[0196] The scheme of the method 1300 can make the terminal enter the sleep state by receiving the sleep indication information sent by the access network device when the terminal has not completed the reception of the N data packets belonging to the data unit in the duration period of the DRX period, which can further save energy consumption.

[0197] It should be noted that, Figure 9 , Figure 11 , Figure 12 and Figure 13The execution subject shown in the above is only an example, and the execution subject can also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the implementation of the method 900, the method 1100, the method 1200, and the method 1300, and the present application does not limit this.

[0198] The method embodiments of the embodiments of the present application are described above in combination with the drawings, and the device embodiments of the embodiments of the present application are described below. It can be understood that the description of the method embodiments and the description of the device embodiments can correspond to each other, and therefore, the parts not described can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0199] It can be understood that the methods and operations implemented by the access network device in each of the above method embodiments can also be implemented by a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) that can be used for the access network device, and the methods and operations implemented by the core network element or the terminal can also be implemented by a component (for example, a chip or a circuit) that can be used for the core network element or the terminal.

[0200] The method embodiments provided by the present application are described above, and the device embodiments provided by the present application are described below. It can be understood that the description of the device embodiments and the description of the method embodiments correspond to each other, and therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments, and here, the description is not repeated for brevity.

[0201] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between the network elements. It can be understood that each network element, for example, a transmitting end device or a receiving end device, contains a corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function in order to implement the above functions. It can be realized by a person skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driven by hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but this should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0202] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the transmitting end device or the receiving end device according to the above method examples, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The above integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division, and another division mode can be used in actual implementation. The following is described by taking the division of each function module according to each function as an example.

[0203] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1400 comprises a transceiver unit 1410 and a processing unit 1420. The transceiver unit 1410 can communicate with the outside, and the processing unit 1420 is configured to process data. The transceiver unit 1410 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0204] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1400 can further comprise a storage unit, which can be configured to store instructions or and / or data, and the processing unit 1420 can read the instructions or and / or data in the storage unit.

[0205] In one case, the communication apparatus 1400 can be an access network device, the transceiver unit 1410 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the access network device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1420 is configured to perform the internal processing operation of the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0206] In one design, the transceiver unit 1410 is configured to receive a first period from a core network element and a second period from a terminal, the first period being an initial service period or a first rectified service period, and the second period being a service period expected by the terminal. The processing unit 1420 is configured to configure a DRX period for the terminal according to the first period and the second period.

[0207] Optionally, the processing unit 1420 is further configured to rectify a received data unit according to the first period and the second period.

[0208] Specifically, a second rectified service period is obtained, the second rectified service period corresponding to the DRX period.

[0209] Optionally, the processing unit 1420 is further configured to obtain first information, the first information indicating integrity transmission requirements of a data unit, the data unit comprising N data packets, each data packet of the N data packets comprising a same first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, wherein N is a positive integer. The processing unit 1420 is further configured to control the transceiver unit 1410 to send sleep indication information to the terminal according to the first information and the first identifier.

[0210] Optionally, each data packet of the N data packets further comprises a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the data packet, and the processing unit 1420 is further configured to control the transceiver unit 1410 to send the sleep indication information to the terminal according to the first information, the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0211] In another design, the processing unit 1420 is configured to obtain first information, the first information indicating integrity transmission requirement of a data unit, the data unit comprising N data packets, each of the N data packets comprising a same first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, wherein N is a positive integer. The processing unit 1420 is further configured to control the transceiver unit 1410 to send dormancy indication information to a terminal according to the first information and the first identifier.

[0212] Optionally, each of the N data packets further comprises a second identifier, the second identifier being used to identify the data packet, and the processing unit 1420 is further configured to control the transceiver unit 1410 to send the dormancy indication information to the terminal according to the first information, the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0213] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1410 is further configured to receive a first period from a core network element and a second period from a terminal, the first period being an initial traffic period or a first rectified traffic period, and the second period being a traffic period expected by the terminal. The processing unit 1420 is further configured to configure a DRX period for the terminal according to the first period and the second period.

[0214] Optionally, the processing unit 1420 is further configured to rectify a received data unit according to the first period and the second period.

[0215] In particular, a second rectified traffic period is obtained after rectification, the second rectified traffic period corresponding to the DRX period.

[0216] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1410 is specifically configured to receive a QoS configuration template, the QoS configuration template comprising the first information.

[0217] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1410 is specifically configured to receive a QoS configuration template, the QoS configuration template comprising the initial traffic period.

[0218] In another case, the communication apparatus 1400 can be a component configured in an access network device, for example, a chip in the access network device.

[0219] In this case, the transceiver unit 1410 can be an interface circuit, a pin, etc. In particular, the interface circuit can comprise an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processing unit 1420 can comprise a processing circuit.

[0220] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1410 can also be a radio frequency module. The processing unit 1420 can be a baseband module. The radio frequency module is mainly used for the transceiving of radio frequency signals and the conversion between radio frequency signals and baseband signals; the baseband module is mainly used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, etc.

[0221] Figure 15is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1500 comprises a transceiver unit 1515 and a processing unit 1520. The transceiver unit 1515 can communicate with the outside, and the processing unit 1520 is configured to process data. The transceiver unit 1515 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0222] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1500 can further comprise a storage unit, which can be configured to store instructions or and / or data, and the processing unit 1520 can read the instructions or and / or data in the storage unit.

[0223] In one case, the communication apparatus 1500 can be a user plane network element, the transceiver unit 1515 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the user plane network element in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1520 is configured to perform the internal processing operation of the user plane network element in the above method embodiments. The transceiver unit 1515 is configured to receive an initial service period from a core network element and / or a terminal expected service period. The processing unit 1520 is configured to regulate the received data unit according to the initial service period and / or the terminal expected service period, and obtain a first regulated service period after regulation, which is used to configure a DRX period for the terminal.

[0224] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1515 is further configured to receive a PDR, wherein the PDR comprises the initial service period.

[0225] Optionally, the PDR further comprises first information, wherein the first information indicates integrity transmission requirements of the data unit. The processing unit 1520 is further configured to detect a first identifier of N data packets belonging to the data unit according to the PDR; and encapsulate the initial service period and / or the first identifier into GTP header information, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the data unit, and N is a positive integer.

[0226] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can also be a component configured in the user plane network element, for example, a chip in the user plane network element.

[0227] In this case, the transceiver unit 1510 can be an interface circuit, a pin, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can comprise an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processing unit 1520 can comprise a processing circuit.

[0228] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1510 can also be a radio frequency module. The processing unit 1520 can be a baseband module. The radio frequency module is mainly used for the transceiving of radio frequency signals and the conversion between radio frequency signals and baseband signals; and the baseband module is mainly used for baseband processing, control of the base station, etc.

[0229] In another case, the communication apparatus 1500 can be a session management network element, the transceiver 1510 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the session management network element in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1520 is configured to perform the processing operation inside the session management network element in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 1520 is configured to obtain an initial service period and / or first information, the initial service period is a period in which a core network element (for example, an application network element) generates a data unit in a transmission service process, and send a QoS profile to an access network device, the QoS profile including the initial service period and / or the first information.

[0230] Optionally, the first information includes type information of the transmission service or 1-bit indication information.

[0231] Optionally, the transceiver 1510 is configured to send a PDR to a user plane network element, the PDR including the initial service period and / or the first information, the PDR being used to detect a first identifier of N data packets belonging to the data unit, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, and N being a positive integer.

[0232] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can also be a component configured in the session management network element, for example, a chip in the session management network element.

[0233] In this case, the transceiver 1510 can be an interface circuit, a pin, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can include an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processing unit 1520 can include a processing circuit.

[0234] Optionally, the transceiver 1510 can also be a radio frequency module. The processing unit 1520 can be a baseband module. The radio frequency module is mainly used for the transceiving of radio frequency signals and the conversion between radio frequency signals and baseband signals; the baseband module is mainly used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, etc.

[0235] In another case, the communication apparatus 1500 can be an application network element, and the transceiver 1515 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the application network element in the above method embodiments. The transceiver 1515 is configured to send an initial service period and / or first information, the initial service period being used to configure a DRX period for a terminal, and the first information indicating integrity transmission requirements of a data unit.

[0236] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can also be a component configured in the application network element, for example, a chip in the application network element.

[0237] In this case, the transceiver 1510 can be an interface circuit, a pin, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can include an input circuit and an output circuit.

[0238] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1500 further includes a processing unit 1520, which can include processing circuitry.

[0239] In another case, the communication apparatus 1500 can be a server, the transceiver 1515 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the server in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1520 is configured to perform the internal processing operation of the server in the above method embodiments. The transceiver 1515 is configured to transmit a data packet, the data packet including a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify a data unit, the data unit including N data packets, where N is a positive integer. The processing unit 1520 is configured to mark the data packet.

[0240] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can also be a component configured in the server, for example, a chip in the server.

[0241] In this case, the transceiver 1510 can be an interface circuit, a pin, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can include an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processing unit 1520 can include processing circuitry.

[0242] In another case, the communication apparatus 1500 can be a terminal, the transceiver 1515 is configured to perform the receiving or transmitting operation of the terminal in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1520 is configured to perform the internal processing operation of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The transceiver 1515 is configured to transmit a desired service period to an access network device; receive a DRX cycle from the access network device.

[0243] Optionally, the DRX cycle corresponds to the desired service period.

[0244] Optionally, the transceiver 1515 is further configured to receive sleep indication information from the access network device; and the processing unit 1520 is configured to enter a sleep state according to the sleep indication information.

[0245] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can also be a component configured in the terminal, for example, a chip in the terminal.

[0246] In this case, the transceiver 1510 can be an interface circuit, a pin, etc. Specifically, the interface circuit can include an input circuit and an output circuit, and the processing unit 1520 can include processing circuitry.

[0247] As Figure 16As shown, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1600. The communication device 1600 includes a processor 1610, which is coupled to a memory 1620. The memory 1620 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1610 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1620, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0248] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may include one or more processors 1610.

[0249] Optionally, such as Figure 16 As shown, the communication device 1600 may also include a memory 1620.

[0250] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may include one or more memory 1620s.

[0251] Alternatively, the memory 1620 may be integrated with the processor 1610 or set separately.

[0252] Optionally, such as Figure 16 As shown, the communication device 1600 may further include a transceiver 1630, which is used for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, a processor 1610 is used to control the transceiver 1630 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0253] As one option, the communication device 1600 is used to implement the operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0254] For example, processor 1610 is used to implement the operations performed internally by the access network device in the above method embodiments, and transceiver 1630 is used to implement the receiving or transmitting operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 1420 in device 1400 can be... Figure 16 The processor in the middle, the transceiver unit 1410 can be Figure 16 The transceiver in the transceiver. For details on the operations performed by the processor 1610, please refer to the description of the processing unit 1420 above. For details on the operations performed by the transceiver 1630, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit 1410. They will not be repeated here.

[0255] like Figure 17 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 1700. The communication device 1700 includes a processor 1710, which is coupled to a memory 1720. The memory 1720 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1710 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1720, so that the methods in the above method embodiments are executed.

[0256] Optionally, the processor 1710 comprised in the communication apparatus 1700 is one or more.

[0257] Optionally, as shown in Figure 17 the communication apparatus 1700 can further comprise a memory 1720.

[0258] Optionally, the memory 1720 comprised in the communication apparatus 1700 is one or more.

[0259] Optionally, the memory 1720 can be integrated with the processor 1710 or be separately arranged.

[0260] Optionally, as shown in Figure 17 the communication apparatus 1700 can further comprise a transceiver 1730 for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 1710 is configured to control the transceiver 1730 to receive and / or send signals.

[0261] As an option, the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to implement operations performed by a core network element or a terminal in the above method embodiments. For example, the processor 1710 is configured to implement operations performed inside a core network element or a terminal in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 1730 is configured to implement operations of receiving or sending performed by a core network element or a terminal in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 1520 in the apparatus 1500 can be the processor in the above, and the transceiving unit 1510 can be the transceiver in the above. The operations performed by the processor 1710 can refer to the description of the processing unit 1520, and the operations performed by the transceiver 1730 can refer to the description of the transceiving unit 1510, which will not be repeated here. Figure 17 Figure 17

[0262] Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments, or the method performed by the core network element or the terminal.

[0263] For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments, or the method performed by the core network element or the terminal.

[0264] Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the method performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments, or the method performed by the core network element or the terminal.

[0265] ​​The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, comprising the access network device and the core network element or the terminal in the above embodiment.

[0266] The explanations and beneficial effects of the related content in any of the communication devices provided above can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0267] In the embodiment of the present application, the access network device or the core network element or the terminal can include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer can include central processing unit (CPU), memory management unit (MMU), memory (also known as main memory), and other hardware. The operating system of the operating system layer can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux operating system, Unix operating system, Android operating system, iOS operating system, or windows operating system, etc. The application layer can include browsers, address books, word processing software, instant messaging software, etc.

[0268] The embodiment of the present application does not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiment of the present application by running the program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application is recorded. For example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be an access network device or a core network element or a terminal, or a functional module in the access network device or the core network element and the terminal that can call and execute the program.

[0269] Various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" used herein can encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, or magnetic tape), optical storage devices (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card, stick, or key drive, etc.).

[0270] The various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" can include, without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instruction(s) and / or data.

[0271] It can be understood that the processor mentioned 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.

[0272] It can also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile 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). For example, the RAM can be used as an external cache. As an example but not limitation, the RAM can include the following various forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DR RAM).

[0273] It should be noted that when the processor is a general processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0274] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable type of memory.

[0275] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and steps of the examples 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 realized 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.

[0276] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the above-described device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0277] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner. For example, multiple 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, which can be electrical, mechanical or other form.

[0278] 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, i.e. they can be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0279] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into one unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0280] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium, or a semiconductor medium (for example, a solid state disk (SSD), etc.). For example, the foregoing available media can include but not limited to: a variety of media that can store program codes such as a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0281] 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 communication method, characterized in that, include: Obtain first information, which indicates the integrity transmission requirements of the data unit. The data unit includes N data packets, each of which includes the same first identifier, which is used to identify the data unit, where N is a positive integer. Based on the first information, determine whether the data unit requires complete transmission; and When the data unit needs to be transmitted in integrity, the data packets belonging to the same data unit are determined according to the first identifier to determine whether the transmission has been completed. When the data packets belonging to the same data unit have completed transmission, a sleep indication message is sent to the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the N data packets further includes a second identifier, which is used to identify the data packet; Sending sleep indication information to the terminal based on the first information and the first identifier includes: The hibernation instruction information is sent to the terminal based on the first information, the first identifier, and the second identifier.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives a first cycle from a core network element and a second cycle from the terminal. The first cycle is an initial service cycle or a first rectified service cycle, and the second cycle is the service cycle expected by the terminal. Configure the DRX cycle for the terminal according to the first cycle and the second cycle.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The received data units are rectified according to the first cycle and the second cycle.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the second rectified service cycle after rectification, which corresponds to the DRX cycle.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The acquisition of the first information includes: Receive a Quality of Service (QoS) configuration template, the QoS configuration template including the first information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The initial service cycle received from core network elements includes: Receive a QoS configuration template, which includes the initial service period.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processing unit and transceiver unit; The processing unit is configured to acquire first information, the first information indicating the integrity transmission requirements of the data unit, the data unit comprising N data packets, each of the N data packets including the same first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the data unit, wherein N is a positive integer; The processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether the data unit requires integrity transmission; and When the data unit needs to be transmitted in integrity, the data packets belonging to the same data unit are determined according to the first identifier to determine whether the transmission has been completed. When the data packets belonging to the same data unit have completed transmission, the transceiver unit is controlled to send a sleep indication message to the terminal.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each of the N data packets further includes a second identifier, which is used to identify the data packet; The processing unit is specifically used to: control the transceiver unit to send the sleep indication information to the terminal based on the first information, the first identifier, and the second identifier.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first cycle from a core network element and a second cycle from the terminal, wherein the first cycle is an initial service cycle or a first rectified service cycle, and the second cycle is the service cycle expected by the terminal. The processing unit is further configured to configure a DRX cycle for the terminal according to the first cycle and the second cycle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to rectify the received data unit according to the first period and the second period.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to obtain the second rectified service cycle after rectification, the second rectified service cycle corresponding to the DRX cycle.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is specifically used to: receive a Quality of Service (QoS) configuration template, wherein the QoS configuration template includes the first information.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The transceiver unit is specifically used to: receive a QoS configuration template, the QoS configuration template including the initial service period.

15. A chip system, characterized in that, Includes: a processor for retrieving and running a computer program from memory, causing a communication device equipped with the chip system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer contains a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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