A communication method and a communication device

Abstract

The application discloses a communication method and a communication device, comprising: receiving, by an access network element, first indication information of a session management function network element, and activating, by the access network element, a congestion acquisition function according to the first indication information, the congestion acquisition function being used for acquiring a congestion condition of the access network element in a data flow transmission process of a target service; acquiring, by the access network element, the congestion condition of the access network element, and sending, by the access network element, first congestion information to a terminal device or a user plane function network element, the first congestion information indicating the congestion condition of the access network element. In the application, the access network element sends the first congestion information indicating the congestion condition of the access network element to the user plane function network element or the terminal device, so that the congestion condition of the access network element can be reported to a sending end of the data flow of the target service, and thus the sending end can adjust a sending window of the data flow of the target service according to the congestion condition of the access network element, thereby reducing a transmission delay of the data flow of the target service.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Latency-sensitive applications can be broadly categorized into two types: compute-offloading applications and real-time synchronous applications. Compute-offloading applications are characterized by offloading the heavy computational load from the terminal device to the edge cloud, where the computation results are retrieved. These applications have real-time requirements for the results returned from the edge cloud, and include examples such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), tele-operated driving, cloud gaming, cloud augmented reality, drones, real-time video conferencing, augmented reality occlusion, and cloud virtual reality. Real-time synchronous applications, on the other hand, are characterized by the self-constrained synchronization of data and information within a distributed system, with high real-time requirements for synchronization. Examples include multiplayer games and autonomous driving.

[0003] Latency stability is an important indicator for latency-sensitive applications, and how to improve latency stability to enhance user experience is currently a hot topic. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device to reduce latency during data transmission.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by an access network element or by a component (such as a chip or chip system) of the access network element. In this method, the access network element receives first indication information from a session management function network element; the access network element activates a congestion acquisition function based on the first indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the congestion status of the access network element during the data stream transmission of a target service; the access network element acquires the congestion status of the access network element; the access network element sends first congestion information to a user plane function network element or a terminal device, indicating the congestion status of the access network element through the first congestion information.

[0006] Optionally, the sender of the data stream for the target service can be a terminal device or an application function network element. For example, when the sender is a terminal device, the access network element sends first congestion information to the terminal device. After receiving the first congestion information, the terminal device can adjust the sending window of the data stream for the target service based on the first congestion information. Alternatively, the access network element sends the first congestion information to the user plane function network element. After receiving the first congestion information, the user plane function network element sends it to the application function network element, which then sends it to the terminal device. The terminal device can then adjust the sending window of the data stream for the target service based on the first congestion information. For example, when the sending end is an application function network element, the access network element sends the first congestion information to the terminal device. After receiving the first congestion information, the terminal device forwards it to the application function network element, which can adjust the sending window of the data stream of the target service according to the first congestion information. Alternatively, the access network element sends the first congestion information to the user plane function network element. After receiving the first congestion information, the user plane function network element forwards it to the application function network element, which can adjust the sending window of the data stream of the target service according to the first congestion information.

[0007] In the above embodiments, the access network element responds to the first indication information from the session management function network element and activates its own congestion acquisition function, that is, it acquires its own congestion status during the data stream transmission of the target service. Furthermore, the access network element can send first congestion information indicating its own congestion status to the user plane function network element or terminal device, thereby reporting its own congestion status to the sending end of the target service's data stream. This allows the sending end to adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the access network element's congestion status, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0008] In one possible design, the method may further include: the access network element receiving second congestion information from the user plane function network element; the access network element obtaining the congestion status of the user plane function network element based on the second congestion information; and the access network element sending the second congestion information to the terminal device.

[0009] Through the above design, the access network element can also obtain the second congestion information of the user plane function network element and send the second congestion information to the terminal device, thereby realizing the reporting of the congestion status of the user plane function network element, which can reduce the transmission latency of the data stream of the target service and improve the latency stability of the target service.

[0010] In one possible design, the access network element learns the congestion status of the user plane function network element based on the second congestion information, which can be: the access network element learns the congestion status of the user plane function network element based on the reception frequency of the second congestion information; or, the second congestion information includes at least one of the congestion level of the user plane function network element or the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the user plane function network element.

[0011] Through the above design, the second congestion information can be used in a variety of ways to indicate the congestion status of user plane functional network elements, and the implementation method is flexible.

[0012] In one possible design, the access network element sends the first congestion information to the terminal device by means of: the access network element sending the first congestion information to the terminal device through a media access control element message or higher-layer signaling.

[0013] With the above design, the access network element can send the first congestion information to the terminal device through the media access control layer or higher layers, which is flexible in implementation.

[0014] In one possible design, the method may further include: the access network element determining the logical channel carrying the media access control element message based on the quality of service flow identifier of the target service, the correspondence between the quality of service flow identifier and the data radio bearer identifier, and the correspondence between the data radio bearer identifier and the logical channel identifier.

[0015] Through the above design, the access network element can use the logical channel corresponding to the target service to carry the media access control control element message including the first congestion information.

[0016] In one possible design, the access network element indicates its congestion status through the first congestion information. This can be achieved by the access network element using the transmission frequency of the first congestion information to indicate its congestion status; or, the first congestion information includes one or more of the following: the congestion level of the access network element, the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the access network element, the channel quality indication between the access network element and the terminal device, the air interface delay between the access network element and the terminal device, or the transmission method of the access network element transmitting the data stream.

[0017] Through the above methods, the first congestion information can be used in a variety of ways to indicate the congestion status of access network elements, and the implementation methods are flexible.

[0018] In one possible design, the method may further include: the access network element activating its notification function according to the first indication information, wherein the notification function of the access network element is used to send the congestion status of the access network element to the user plane function network element or the terminal device.

[0019] In this way, the access network element can activate the notification function and send the first congestion information according to the notification function.

[0020] In one possible design, the method may further include: the access network element receiving at least one of a first congestion acquisition method or a first notification method from a session management function network element; when the access network element receives the first congestion acquisition method, the access network element determines, according to the first congestion acquisition method, at least one of the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the access network element or the usage of air interface resources; when the access network element receives the first notification method, the access network element determines, according to the first notification method, that when the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, to send the congestion status of the access network element to the user plane function network element or the terminal device, and determines to indicate the congestion status of the access network element through the first congestion information, or determines at least one of the following: a message carrying the first congestion information.

[0021] In the above manner, the access network element can determine the method for obtaining its own congestion status according to the first congestion acquisition method, and determine the method for sending the first congestion information according to the first notification method, thereby realizing the reporting of its own congestion status.

[0022] In one possible design, the access network element obtains the congestion status of the access network element by: the access network element obtaining the congestion status of the access network element based on at least one of the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the access network element or the usage of air interface resources.

[0023] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a user plane function network element (MPF) or by a component of the MPF (such as a chip or chip system). In this method, the MPF receives second indication information from a session management function network element; the MPF activates a congestion acquisition function based on the second indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the congestion status of the MPF during the data stream transmission of a target service; the MPF acquires the congestion status of the MPF; and the MPF sends second congestion information to an application function network element or an access network element, indicating the congestion status of the MPF through the second congestion information.

[0024] Optionally, the sender of the data stream for the target service can be a terminal device or an application function network element. For example, when the sender is a terminal device, the user plane function network element sends second congestion information to the access network element. After receiving the second congestion information, the access network element sends it to the terminal device, and the terminal device can adjust the sending window of the data stream for the target service based on the second congestion information. Alternatively, the user plane function network element sends second congestion information to the application function network element. After receiving the second congestion information, the application function network element sends it to the terminal device, and the terminal device can then adjust the sending window of the data stream for the target service based on the second congestion information. For example, when the sending end is an application function network element, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the access network element. After receiving the second congestion information, the access network element sends it to the terminal device, which then sends it to the application function network element. The application function network element can adjust the sending window of the data stream of the target service according to the second congestion information. Alternatively, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element. After receiving the second congestion information, the application function network element can adjust the sending window of the data stream of the target service according to the first congestion information.

[0025] In the above embodiments, the user plane function network element responds to the second indication information from the session management function network element and activates its own congestion acquisition function, that is, it acquires its own congestion status during the data stream transmission of the target service. Furthermore, the user plane function network element can send second congestion information indicating its own congestion status to the access network element or application function network element, thereby reporting its own congestion status to the sending end of the target service's data stream. This allows the sending end to adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the congestion status of the user plane function network element, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0026] In one possible design, the method may further include: the user plane function network element receiving first congestion information from the access network element; the user plane function network element obtaining the congestion status of the access network element based on the first congestion information; and the user plane function network element sending the first congestion information to the application function network element.

[0027] Through the above design, the user plane function network element can also obtain the first congestion information of the access network element and send the first congestion information to the application function network element, realizing the reporting of the congestion status of the access network element, which can reduce the transmission latency of the target service data stream and improve the latency stability of the target service.

[0028] In one possible design, the user plane function network element learns the congestion status of the access network element based on the first congestion information, which can be: the user plane function network element learns the congestion status of the access network element based on the reception frequency of the first congestion information; or, the first congestion information includes one or more of the following: the congestion level of the access network element, the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the access network element, the channel quality indication between the access network element and the terminal device, the air interface delay between the access network element and the terminal device, or the transmission mode of the access network element transmitting the data stream.

[0029] In one possible design, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element, which can be done by the user plane function network element sending the second congestion information to the application function network element through the network open function network element, wherein the second congestion information includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the target service.

[0030] Through the above design, the user plane function element can create a message carrying the second congestion information and send the message to the application function element through the network open function element.

[0031] In one possible design, the method may further include: the user plane function network element sending second congestion information to the application function network element, which may be: the user plane function network element generating a first message carrying the second congestion information; the user plane function network element sending the first message to the application function network element; wherein, when the data flow is a downlink data flow, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the data flow; or, when the data flow is a downlink data flow, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the application function network element configured by the application function network element; or, when the data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is the source address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the destination address of the data flow; or, when the data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is the source address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the application function network element configured by the application function network element.

[0032] Through the above design, whether it is an uplink data stream or a downlink data stream, the user plane function network element can use multiple methods to determine the source address and destination address of the first message carrying the second congestion information, so as to realize the reporting of the second congestion information.

[0033] In one possible design, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element as follows: when the data flow is a downlink data flow, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element through the response message of the data flow.

[0034] Alternatively, when the data stream is an uplink data stream, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element through an uplink packet carrying the data of the target service.

[0035] With the above design, user plane function network elements can carry the second congestion information using response messages or uplink packets, such as by adding or modifying additional element items in the protocol header. This eliminates the need to add new packets to carry the second congestion information, thereby reducing network resource consumption and improving network resource utilization.

[0036] In one possible design, the user plane function element indicates its congestion status through the second congestion information, which can be:

[0037] The user plane function network element indicates the congestion status of the user plane function network element according to the transmission frequency of the second congestion information;

[0038] Alternatively, the second congestion information may include at least one of the following: the congestion level of the user plane function element, or the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the user plane function element.

[0039] In one possible design, the method may further include: the user plane function network element activating its notification function according to the second indication information, wherein the notification function of the user plane function network element is used to send the congestion status of the user plane function network element to the application function network element or the access network element.

[0040] In one possible design, the method may further include: the user plane function network element receiving at least one of a second congestion acquisition method or a second notification method from a session management function network element; when the user plane function network element receives the second congestion acquisition method, the user plane function network element determines, according to the second congestion acquisition method, the congestion status of the user plane function network element based on the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the user plane function network element; when the user plane function network element receives the second notification method, the user plane function network element determines, according to the second notification method, that when the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, to send the congestion status of the user plane function network element to the application function network element or the access network network element, and determines to indicate the congestion status of the user plane function network element through the second congestion information, or determines at least one of a message carrying the second congestion information.

[0041] In this way, user plane function network elements can determine how to obtain their own congestion status based on the second congestion acquisition method, and determine how to send the second congestion information based on the second notification method, thereby reporting their own congestion status.

[0042] In one possible design, the user plane function network element obtains the congestion status of the user plane function network element by: the user plane function network element obtaining the congestion status of the user plane function network element based on the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the user plane function network element.

[0043] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which can be an access network element having the functions of an access network element in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect. These functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0044] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device may include a communication module and a processing module. These modules can perform the corresponding functions of the access network element in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect, as detailed in the method examples, and will not be repeated here.

[0045] In one possible design, the communication device may include interface circuitry and one or more processors. Optionally, the communication device may also include a memory. The interface circuitry is used for transmitting and receiving data, and for communicating with other devices in the communication system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions of the access network element in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The memory is coupled to the one or more processors and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0046] In one possible design, the communication device may include a memory and one or more processors. The memory is coupled to the one or more processors; the memory stores computer programs or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the access network element in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect.

[0047] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which may be a user plane function network element, having the functions of the user plane function network element in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0048] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device may include a communication module and a processing module. These modules can perform the corresponding functions of the user plane functional network elements in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect, as detailed in the method examples, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] In one possible design, the communication device may include interface circuitry and one or more processors. Optionally, the communication device may also include a memory. The interface circuitry is used for transmitting and receiving data, and for communicating with other devices in the communication system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions of the user plane functional network elements in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect described above. The memory is coupled to the one or more processors and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0050] In one possible design, the communication device may include a memory and one or more processors. The memory is coupled to the one or more processors; the memory stores computer programs or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the user plane function network elements in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect described above.

[0051] Fifthly, this application provides a communication system, including the communication device of the third aspect and / or the communication device of the fourth aspect.

[0052] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, can implement the method described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, can implement the method described in the second aspect or any of the designs in the second aspect.

[0054] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the method described in the first aspect or any of the designs of the first aspect.

[0055] Ninthly, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the method described in the second aspect or any of the designs of the second aspect.

[0056] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip system including a processor and an interface for supporting a communication device to implement the method described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0057] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing necessary information and data of the aforementioned communication device. This chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0058] In one aspect, this application provides a chip system including a processor and an interface for supporting a communication device to implement the methods described in the second aspect or any of the designs in the second aspect.

[0059] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing necessary information and data of the aforementioned communication device. This chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0060] In a twelfth aspect, this application also provides a communication system comprising one or more access network elements and core network elements for performing the methods described in the first aspect or any design of the first aspect, and for performing the methods described in the second aspect or any design of the second aspect.

[0061] The beneficial effects of the fourth to twelfth aspects mentioned above can be found in the descriptions of the beneficial effects in the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture.

[0063] Figure 1b A schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface;

[0064] Figure 1c This is another schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface;

[0065] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] This application provides a communication method and a communication device for reporting the congestion status of network bottleneck nodes to a data sending end. This allows the data sending end to adjust its sending window based on the congestion status, reducing latency during data transmission and improving latency stability. The method and device are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles by which the method and device solve problems are similar, their implementations can be mutually referenced, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0075] It should be noted that the "and / or" in the embodiments of this application describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship. "Multiple" in this application refers to two or more. "At least one" refers to one or more.

[0076] In addition, it should be understood that in the description of this application, the words "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0077] The following section will first introduce the application scenarios applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0078] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1a As shown, this network architecture may include user equipment, (wireless) access network equipment, user plane network elements, data network, authentication server, mobility management network elements, session management network elements, application network elements, unified data management network elements, policy control network elements, network function repository function network elements, network open network elements, and network slice selection function network elements. The following sections describe each network element involved in this network architecture.

[0079] 1. User equipment (UE): User equipment can also be called terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. The terminals in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks, or terminals in future evolved networks, etc.

[0080] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses. They also include devices focused on a specific application function that require the use of other devices, such as smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0081] 2. Radio access network (R)AN: Access network equipment can also be called access device, access network element, etc. R)AN can manage radio resources, provide access services for user equipment, and complete the forwarding of user equipment data between user equipment and core network. R)AN can also be understood as base station in network.

[0082] For example, the access network device in this application embodiment can be any communication device with wireless transceiver function for communicating with user equipment. The access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved NodeB (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved NodeB (HeNB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system. It can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0083] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a dedicated unit (DU). The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements others. For example, the CU handles non-real-time protocols and services, implementing radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU handles physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and active antenna-related functions. RRC layer information is generated by the CU and is ultimately encapsulated by the DU's PHY layer to become PHY layer information, or it may be derived from PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can be considered as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It is understood that access network equipment can be one or more of the following: CU nodes, DU nodes, and AAU nodes. Furthermore, a CU can be classified as an access network device in the radio access network (RAN) or as an access network device in the core network (CN); this application does not impose any limitations on this classification.

[0084] 3. User plane network elements: Serving as the interface with the data network, they perform functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / flow-based billing and statistics, and bandwidth limiting. This includes packet routing and forwarding, as well as Quality of Service (QoS) processing for user plane data.

[0085] In a 5G communication system, this user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0086] 4. Data Network: Provides services such as carrier services, internet access, or third-party services, including servers. The server side implements video source encoding, rendering, etc. In a 5G communication system, this data network can be a data network (DN).

[0087] 5. Authentication Server: Performs user security authentication. In 5G communication systems, this authentication server can be an authentication server function (AUSF) network element.

[0088] 6. Mobility Management Network Element: Primarily used for mobility management and access management. In 5G communication systems, this access management network element can be the access and mobility management function (AMF), mainly performing mobility management, access authentication / authorization, and other functions. Additionally, it is responsible for transmitting user policies between the terminal and the policy control function (PCF) network element.

[0089] 7. Session Management Network Element: Primarily used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for user equipment, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification, etc.

[0090] In 5G communication systems, this session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element, which completes terminal IP address allocation, UPF network element selection, and billing and QoS policy control, etc.

[0091] 8. Application Network Element: In a 5G communication system, the application network element can be an application function (AF) network element, which represents the application function of a third party or operator. It is the interface for the 5G network to obtain external application data and is mainly used to convey the application side's requirements to the network side.

[0092] 9. Unified Data Management Network Element: Responsible for the management of user identifiers, subscription data, authentication data, and user service network element registration management. In 5G communication systems, this unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) system.

[0093] 10. Policy control network elements: These include user subscription data management functions, policy control functions, billing policy control functions, quality of service (QoS) control, etc., which form a unified policy framework to guide network behavior and provide policy rule information to control plane function network elements (such as AMF network elements, SMF network elements, etc.).

[0094] In 5G communication systems, the policy control network element can be a PCF network element.

[0095] 11. Network Function Repository Function (NRF): Provides storage and selection functions for network function entity information for other core network elements. In 5G communication systems, this network element can be a network function repository function (NRF).

[0096] 12. Network Open Element: In a 5G communication system, this network open element can be a network element function (NEF) element, which is mainly used to expose the services and capabilities of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network functions to the AF element, and at the same time, it can also allow the AF element to provide information to the 3GPP network functions.

[0097] 13. Network slice selection function network element: responsible for selecting network slices for UE. In 5G communication system, this application network element can be the network slice selection function (NSSF) network element.

[0098] Figure 1a Nnssf, Nausf, Nnef, Nnrf, Namf, Npcf, Nsmf, Nudm, Naf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definitions in the 3GPP standard protocols, and are not limited here.

[0099] like Figure 1b The diagram shown is a schematic of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface. For a description of the functions of the network elements, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 1a The functions of the corresponding network elements will not be described in detail here. Figure 1b and Figure 1a The main difference is: Figure 1b The interfaces between the various network elements are point-to-point interfaces, while Figure 1a The interfaces between the various network elements are service-oriented interfaces.

[0100] Figure 1b N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, and N22 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definitions in the 3GPP standard protocols, and are not limited here.

[0101] When the 5G core network supports untrusted Non-3GPP access, the 5G network architecture based on the point-to-point interface is as follows: Figure 1cAs shown. The access network includes 3GPP access networks and non-3GPP access networks. Access equipment in a 3GPP access network can be called a RAN. Access equipment in a non-3GPP access network can be called a Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF) device. N3IWF devices may include, for example, routers.

[0102] It should be noted that when the 5G core network supports trusted Non-3GPP access, its 5G network architecture is different from... Figure 1c Similarly. It can be... Figure 1c The untrusted Non-3GPP access in the system is replaced with trusted Non-3GPP access, and the N3IWF is replaced with a trusted Non-3GPP access gateway.

[0103] Figure 1c N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, N11, NWu, Y1, and Y2 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definitions in the 3GPP standard protocols, and are not limited here.

[0104] It is understood that the aforementioned functional network elements can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). These functional network elements can be divided into one or more services; furthermore, services existing independently of network functions may also exist. In this application, instances of the aforementioned functional network elements, instances of services included in the aforementioned functional network elements, or instances of services existing independently of network functions can all be referred to as service instances.

[0105] The application scenarios adapted to the embodiments of this application have been introduced above. The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be described next with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0106] This application provides a communication method, which can be applied to... Figure 1a ,or Figure 1b ,or Figure 1c The communication scenario shown. In this application embodiment, the access network element, session management function network element, user plane function network element, and terminal device can respectively be... Figure 1a , Figure 1b or Figure 1cThe RAN, SMF, UPF, and UE mentioned can also be network elements in future communications such as 6th generation (6G) networks that have the functions of the aforementioned RAN, SMF, UPF, and UE. This application embodiment does not limit this. For ease of explanation, this application embodiment uses the access and mobility management network element, unified data management, and user plane network element as examples, respectively representing the aforementioned RAN, SMF, UPF, and UE. Furthermore, this application uses the UE as an example for the terminal in its explanation.

[0107] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. In this embodiment, the RAN obtains the congestion status of the RAN and sends first congestion information to the UPF network element or UE.

[0108] S201: The SMF network element sends the first indication information to the RAN; correspondingly, the RAN receives the first indication information.

[0109] The first indication information may indicate the activation (or triggering) of the RAN's congestion acquisition function. This congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the RAN's congestion status during the data stream transmission of the target service. Optionally, the first indication information may also indicate the activation of the RAN's notification function, which is used to send information about the RAN's congestion status. It should be understood that indicating the activation of the RAN's congestion acquisition function and indicating the activation of the RAN's notification function can be the same indication information or different indication information; this application embodiment does not limit this. Furthermore, the target service can be a latency-sensitive service or a latency-insensitive service; this application embodiment is not limited to this. The data stream of the target service can originate from the UE, i.e., the sender of the target service's data stream is the UE, or it can originate from an AF network element, i.e., the sender of the target service's data stream is the AF network element.

[0110] For example, the SMF network element can send the first indication information to the AMF network element via a service-based message, and then the AMF network element can send the first indication information to the RAN via an N2 message. This service-based message can be, for example, a Namf communication N1 N2 message transfer message, but this embodiment is not limited to this. The N2 SM message in the service-based message can include the first indication information. Optionally, the N2 SM message can also include the QoS flow ID (QFI) of the target service. For example, the SMF network element can determine, based on local configuration (such as the requirements of the target service), to activate the RAN's congestion acquisition function for the target service, or to activate both the RAN's congestion acquisition function and notification function for the target service. As another example, the SMF can determine, based on the authorized QoS monitoring policy for the target service from the PCF network element, to activate either the RAN's congestion acquisition function or the RAN's congestion acquisition function and notification function for the target service. Furthermore, the SMF network element carries the first indication information in the serviced message and sends the serviced message to the AMF network element; after receiving the serviced message, the AMF network element sends the N2 SM message in the serviced message to the RAN through the N2 message; correspondingly, the RAN receives the N2 SM message and obtains the first indication information.

[0111] The first indication information can be represented by a newly added information element (IE) or field in the N2 SM message, or it can be represented by a reserved IE or field in the N2 SM message (i.e., by a reserved bit in the N2 SM message), etc. The embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0112] It should be noted that when the first indication information is an indication information for activating the RAN congestion acquisition function, the congestion acquisition function can be understood as: acquiring the RAN congestion status during the data flow transmission of the target service and reporting the acquired congestion status.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the SMF network element can send a first congestion acquisition method (referred to as RAN action, e.g., denoted as "action for RAN"), a first notification method (referred to as RAN reporting events, e.g., denoted as "report events"), or both the first congestion acquisition method and the first notification method to the RAN. Correspondingly, the RAN receives the first congestion acquisition method, or receives the first notification method, or receives both the first congestion acquisition method and the first notification method. The first congestion acquisition method is used to determine the method for acquiring the RAN's congestion status. The first notification method is used to determine the conditions for reporting the RAN's congestion status, the method for reporting the RAN's congestion status, and one or more of the reporting content. It should be understood that the first congestion acquisition method and the first indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages; similarly, the first notification method and the first indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0114] As an example, the first congestion acquisition method may indicate one or more of the following:

[0115] 1. Based on the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the RAN, obtain the RAN congestion status.

[0116] The amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted can be one or more of the following: the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer, the percentage of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, the percentage of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer, the growth of the length or percentage of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, and the growth of the length or percentage of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer. The RAN congestion status can be the current RAN congestion status, the RAN congestion status within a set future time period, or the RAN congestion status within both the current and set future time periods. For example, the first congestion acquisition method can instruct the RAN to obtain the current congestion status based on the length or percentage of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer). Another example is that the first congestion acquisition method can instruct the RAN to obtain the congestion status within a set future time period based on the growth of the length or percentage of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer). For example, the first congestion acquisition method can indicate the current and future congestion status of the RAN within a set time period based on the length or proportion of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer), and the growth of the length or proportion of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer). Furthermore, the queue can be a queue at the radio link control (RLC) protocol layer in the RAN, or a queue at other protocol layers, such as a queue at the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, or a queue at the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, etc.

[0117] 2. Obtain RAN congestion status based on RAN air interface resource usage.

[0118] For example, the first congestion acquisition method may indicate that the current congestion status of the RAN is obtained based on the RAN's air interface resource usage, or the RAN's congestion status within a set future time period is obtained. The RAN's air interface resource usage may be, for example, a channel quality indicator (CQI) between the RAN and the UE, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0119] Through the above example, the RAN can determine how to obtain its own congestion status based on this first congestion acquisition method. That is, the RAN can determine its congestion status based on at least one of the following: the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the RAN and the usage of the RAN's air interface resources.

[0120] As an example, the first notification method may indicate one or more of the following:

[0121] 1. First threshold.

[0122] The first threshold can be understood as the trigger condition for the RAN to report its own congestion status. For example, when the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the RAN is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the RAN sends out the RAN congestion status. The first threshold can be a queue length threshold, a buffer length threshold, a queue data percentage threshold, a buffer data percentage threshold, a queue length or data percentage growth threshold, or a buffer length or data percentage growth threshold, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0123] 2. Congestion status of the RAN.

[0124] The first notification method instructs the transmission of RAN congestion information, which can be understood as the RAN receiving its own congestion information and then transmitting it. Furthermore, this first notification method can also instruct the transmission of RAN congestion information to the UE or UPF network element.

[0125] 3. Indicate the RAN's congestion status through the first congestion information.

[0126] The first notification method indicates the RAN congestion status through the first congestion information, which can be understood as instructing the RAN to report the content. For example, the first notification method indicates the RAN congestion status through the transmission frequency of the first congestion information, or through the content contained in the first congestion information, or through both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the first congestion information.

[0127] For example, the frequency of sending the first congestion information can indicate the congestion status of the RAN. This first congestion information can be, for example, a fixed IE (interval) or field, or one or more bits; or one or more bytes, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. In this case, the sending or receiving end of the target service's data stream can determine the RAN congestion status by counting the number of first congestion messages received per unit time.

[0128] Table 1 illustrates one possible transmission frequency for the first congestion message, using the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue or buffer within the RAN as an example. As shown in Table 1, when the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue or buffer is in range 1, the transmission frequency of the first congestion message is frequency 1; when the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue or buffer is in range 2, the transmission frequency of the first congestion message is frequency 2; and when the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue or buffer is in range 3, the transmission frequency of the first congestion message is frequency 3. Optionally, the greater the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue or buffer within the RAN, the higher the transmission frequency of the first congestion message can be. It should be understood that Table 1 is only an example and does not limit the transmission frequency of the first congestion message.

[0129] Table 1

[0130] The length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue or buffer The frequency of sending first congestion information Scope 1 Frequency 1 Scope 2 Frequency 2 Range 3 Frequency 3

[0131] Table 2 illustrates one possible transmission frequency of the first congestion information, using the CQI between the RAN and UE as an example. As shown in Table 2, when the CQI between the RAN and UE is in range 1, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information is frequency 1; when the CQI between the RAN and UE is in range 2, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information is frequency 2; and when the CQI between the RAN and UE is in range 3, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information is frequency 3. Optionally, the higher the CQI between the RAN and UE, the higher the transmission frequency of the first congestion information can be. It should be understood that Table 2 is only an example and does not limit the transmission frequency of the first congestion information.

[0132] Table 2

[0133] CQI The frequency of sending first congestion information Scope 1 Frequency 1 Scope 2 Frequency 2 Range 3 Frequency 3

[0134] Optionally, the number of first congestion messages received within a unit of time can correspond to a preset congestion level. For example, the more first congestion messages received within a unit of time, the higher the corresponding congestion level.

[0135] For example, the content included in the first congestion information may indicate the congestion status of the RAN. For instance, the first congestion information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0136] 1) RAN congestion level.

[0137] The RAN congestion level can be the current congestion level, the predicted congestion level for a set future period, or the congestion level for both the current and a set future period. This congestion level can be predefined or pre-configured, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this. Furthermore, a higher congestion level indicates a more severe congestion.

[0138] 2) The amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the RAN.

[0139] The amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted can be one or more of the following: the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer, the proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, the proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer, the growth of the length or proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, and the growth of the length or proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer.

[0140] 3) CQI between RAN and UE.

[0141] The CQI between the RAN and the UE can be the current CQI between the RAN and the UE, or the CQI between the RAN and the UE within a predicted future set duration, or the CQI between the RAN and the UE within the current and future set durations.

[0142] 4) Air interface delay between RAN and UE.

[0143] The air interface delay between the RAN and the UE can be the current air interface delay, the predicted air interface delay within a set future duration, or the air interface delay within both the current and set future durations. This air interface delay can be, for example, the retransmission delay at the RLC layer, the retransmission delay at the media access control (MAC) layer, or the retransmission delay at both the RLC layer and the MAC layer, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited to these.

[0144] 5) Transmission method of data stream for target services in RAN.

[0145] The transmission method of the data stream for the target service transmitted by the RAN can be the current transmission method, the transmission method for the data stream for the target service transmitted by the RAN within a set future time period, or the transmission method for the data stream for the target service transmitted by the RAN within both the current and set future time periods. This transmission method can be one or more of the following: air interface standard, frequency band, and transmission technology. The transmission technology can be, for example, carrier aggregation (CA) or multiple-input multiple-output mode (MIMO).

[0146] 4. The message carrying the first congestion information.

[0147] The first notification method instructing a message carrying first congestion information can be understood as instructing the RAN to report the first congestion information. In this embodiment, the message carrying the first congestion information may be, for example, an N3 message, a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) message, or higher-layer signaling, etc., and this embodiment is not limited to these. The N3 message may be, for example, an N3 notification message, etc., and this embodiment is not limited to these. The higher-layer signaling may be, for example, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, PDCP signaling, or SDAP signaling, etc. For example, when the first notification method instructs the use of an N3 message to report the first congestion information, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UPF network element via the N3 message according to the first notification method. As another example, when the first notification method instructs the use of a MAC-CE message to report the first congestion information, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via the MAC-CE message according to the first notification method. For example, when the first notification method instructs the use of higher-layer signaling to report the first congestion information, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via higher-layer signaling according to the first notification method.

[0148] Through the above example, the RAN can determine the reporting conditions, reporting method, and reporting content of the first congestion information based on the first notification method. That is, the RAN can determine, based on the first notification method, that it sends the RAN's congestion status to the UPF network element or UE when the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, determine to indicate the RAN's congestion status through the first congestion information, or determine at least one of the following messages carrying the first congestion information:

[0149] In the foregoing description, the first indication information can be represented using a newly added IE or field in the N2 SM message, or by a reserved IE or field in the N2 SM message. That is, the SMF network element explicitly instructs the RAN to activate the RAN's congestion acquisition function. In another possible implementation, the SMF network element can implicitly instruct the RAN to activate the RAN's congestion acquisition function. For example, the SMF network element can instruct the RAN to activate its own congestion acquisition function through a first congestion acquisition method, a first notification method, or both. For example, the SMF network element sends a first congestion acquisition method to the RAN. After receiving the first congestion acquisition method, the RAN activates its own congestion acquisition function and acquires and reports its own congestion status according to the first congestion acquisition method during the data flow transmission of the target service. As another example, the SMF network element sends a first notification method to the RAN. After receiving the first notification method, the RAN activates its own congestion acquisition function and acquires and reports its own congestion status according to the first notification method during the data flow transmission of the target service. For example, the SMF network element sends a first congestion acquisition method and a first notification method to the RAN. After receiving the first congestion acquisition method and the first notification method, the RAN activates its own congestion acquisition function and acquires its own congestion status according to the first congestion acquisition method during the data flow transmission of the target service, and reports its own congestion status according to the first notification method. For ease of understanding, the following description uses the example of the SMF network element sending a first indication information to the RAN.

[0150] In step S201 above, the RAN receives the first indication information from the SMF network element. Next, the RAN can perform the actions shown in step S202.

[0151] S202: The RAN activates the RAN congestion acquisition function according to the first instruction information.

[0152] In response to the first indication information, the RAN activates (or triggers) its own congestion acquisition function. Optionally, if the first indication information is also used to activate the RAN's notification function, the RAN activates (or triggers) its own notification function in response to the first indication information. For a description of the congestion acquisition function and the notification function, please refer to the relevant content in step S201, which will not be repeated here.

[0153] S203: RAN obtains RAN congestion information.

[0154] The RAN can activate its own congestion acquisition function to obtain the RAN's congestion status during the data flow transmission of the target service.

[0155] As an example, the RAN activates its congestion acquisition function to obtain RAN congestion information during the data flow transmission of the target service. For instance, during the data flow transmission of the target service, the RAN can obtain RAN congestion information based on the amount of data to be transmitted in the RAN, the usage of air interface resources in the RAN, or both the amount of data to be transmitted in the RAN and the usage of air interface resources.

[0156] In another example, if the RAN receives a first congestion acquisition method from an SMF network element, then during the data flow transmission of the target service, the RAN can obtain its congestion status based on the first congestion acquisition method. For example, when the first congestion acquisition method instructs the RAN to obtain its congestion status based on the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted in the RAN, the RAN can obtain its congestion status based on the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted in the RAN. As another example, when the first congestion acquisition method is used to obtain the RAN congestion status based on the RAN's air interface resource usage, the RAN can obtain its congestion status based on the RAN's air interface resource usage. Yet another example, when the first congestion acquisition method is used to obtain the RAN congestion status based on both the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted in the RAN and the air interface resource usage, the RAN can obtain its congestion status based on both the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted in the RAN and the air interface resource usage.

[0157] In step S203 above, the RAN obtains its own congestion status. Further, the RAN can send its own congestion status to the UE (i.e., send the first congestion information), or send its own congestion status to the UPF network element (i.e., send the first congestion information). That is, next, the RAN can execute the content shown in step S204a, or execute the content shown in step S204b.

[0158] As an example, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE or the UPF network element based on its own bandwidth resource usage, air interface resource usage, and the type of target service. For instance, when air interface resources are sufficient, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE, i.e., execute the steps shown in S204a. As another example, when air interface resources are scarce, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UPF network element, i.e., execute the steps shown in S204b.

[0159] As another example, when the RAN receives a first notification method from the SMF network element, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE or the UPF network element according to the first notification method. For example, when the first notification method indicates that the first congestion information is reported using an N3 message, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UPF network element via an N3 message according to the first notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S204b. As another example, when the first notification method indicates that the first congestion information is reported using a MAC-CE message, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via a MAC-CE message according to the first notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S204a. Yet another example, when the first notification method indicates that the first congestion information is reported using higher-layer signaling, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via higher-layer signaling according to the first notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S204a.

[0160] S204a: The RAN indicates the congestion status of the RAN through the first congestion information and sends the first congestion information to the UE.

[0161] The RAN can send first congestion information to the UE, which indicates the RAN's congestion status. For example, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status, or the content contained in the first congestion information is used to indicate the RAN's congestion status, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the first congestion information indicate the RAN's congestion status. Please refer to the description of the first congestion information in the aforementioned step S201 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0162] For example, the RAN can indicate its own congestion status by at least one of the transmission frequency of the first congestion information and the content included in the first congestion information. For instance, the RAN can indicate its own congestion status according to its local configuration by at least one of the transmission frequency of the first congestion information and the content included in the first congestion information. As another example, if the RAN receives a first notification method from an SMF network element, the RAN can indicate its own congestion status according to the first notification method by at least one of the transmission frequency of the first congestion information and the content included in the first congestion information. For instance, when the first notification method indicates that the RAN's congestion status is indicated by the transmission frequency of the first congestion information, the RAN can indicate its own congestion status according to the first notification method by using the transmission frequency of the first congestion information. As another example, when the first notification method indicates that the RAN's congestion status is indicated by using the content included in the first congestion information, the RAN can indicate its own congestion status according to the first notification method by using the content included in the first congestion information. For example, when the first notification method indicates the frequency of sending the first congestion information and the content contained in the first congestion information to indicate the RAN's congestion status, the RAN can indicate its own congestion status through the frequency of sending the first congestion information and the content contained in the first congestion information according to the first notification method.

[0163] As an example, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via MAC-CE messages or higher-layer signaling (such as RRC signaling, PDCP signaling, or SDAP signaling). For instance, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via MAC-CE messages or higher-layer signaling according to its local configuration. As another example, if the RAN receives a first notification method from an SMF network element, it can send the first congestion information to the UE via MAC-CE messages or higher-layer signaling according to that first notification method. For instance, when the first notification method indicates that the first congestion information is reported using MAC-CE messages, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via MAC-CE messages according to that first notification method. As yet another example, when the first notification method indicates that the first congestion information is reported using higher-layer signaling, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE via higher-layer signaling according to that first notification method.

[0164] As another example, the RAN can determine the logical channel carrying the MAC-CE message and send the MAC-CE message carrying the first congestion information to the UE through the determined logical channel. For example, the RAN can determine the logical channel carrying the MAC-CE message based on the target service's QFI, the correspondence between the QFI and the data radio bearer (DRB) identifier, and the correspondence between the DRB identifier and the logical channel identifier (LCID).

[0165] For example, the correspondence between QFI and DRB identifiers includes QFI 1 corresponding to DRB 1, and QFI 2 corresponding to DRB 2; the correspondence between DRB identifiers and LCIDs includes DRB 1 corresponding to LCID 2, and DRB 2 corresponding to LCID 1. If the QFI of the target service is QFI 1, the RAN can determine that the QFI of the target service corresponds to DRB 1 based on the QFI of the target service and the correspondence between QFI and DRB identifiers; then, based on DRB 1 and the correspondence between DRB identifiers and LCIDs, it can determine that DRB 1 corresponds to LCID 2, that is, determine that the logical channel carrying the MAC-CE message is LCID 2.

[0166] It is worth noting that after step S204a, if the sender of the target service's data stream is the UE, then after receiving the first congestion information, the UE can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream according to the first congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service. If the sender of the target service's data stream is an AF network element, then after receiving the first congestion information, the UE can forward the first congestion information to the AF network element through a higher layer; after receiving the first congestion information, the AF network element can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream according to the first congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0167] S204b: The RAN indicates the congestion status of the RAN through the first congestion information and sends the first congestion information to the UPF network element.

[0168] The RAN can send first congestion information to the UPF network element, which indicates the RAN's congestion status. For example, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status, or the content contained in the first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the first congestion information indicate the RAN's congestion status. Please refer to the description of the first congestion information in step S201 above for details, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the specific implementation method of the RAN using at least one of the transmission frequency and the content contained in the first congestion information to indicate its own congestion status can be referred to the description in step S204a above, which will not be repeated here.

[0169] As an example, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UPF network element via an N3 message. For instance, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UPF network element via an N3 message according to its local configuration. Another example is when the RAN receives a first notification method from the SMF network element; the RAN can then send the first congestion information to the UPF network element via an N3 message according to that first notification method. For instance, when the first notification method indicates that the first congestion information should be reported using an N3 message, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UPF network element via an N3 message according to that first notification method.

[0170] It is worth noting that after step S204b, if the sender of the target service's data stream is the UE, the UPF network element, upon receiving the first congestion information, can send it to the AF network element, which then forwards it to the UE through higher layers. Upon receiving the first congestion information, the UE can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on this information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving its latency stability. Similarly, if the sender of the target service's data stream is the AF network element, the UPF network element, upon receiving the first congestion information, can send it to the AF network element. The AF network element, upon receiving the first congestion information, can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on this information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving its latency stability.

[0171] In the above embodiments, the RAN, in response to the first indication information from the SMF network element, activates its own congestion acquisition function, that is, acquires its own congestion status during the data stream transmission of the target service. Furthermore, the RAN can send first congestion information indicating its own congestion status to the UE or UPF network element, thereby reporting its own congestion status to the sending end of the target service's data stream. This allows the sending end to adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the RAN's congestion status, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0172] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated process, the RAN acquires and reports its own congestion status to reduce the increased transmission latency of the target service's data stream due to RAN congestion. The target service's data stream is transmitted from the sender to the receiver, and congestion may occur not only on the RAN side but also on the UPF network element side, affecting the transmission latency of the target service's data stream. Therefore, the following section describes the specific implementation methods for the UPF network element to acquire and report its own congestion status from the perspective of the UPF network element.

[0173] Figure 3 This illustration shows another flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the UPF network element obtains the congestion status of the UPF network element and sends second congestion information to the AF network element or RAN.

[0174] S301: The SMF network element sends a second instruction message to the UPF network element; correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the second instruction message.

[0175] The second indication information may indicate the activation (or triggering) of the congestion acquisition function of the UPF network element. This congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the congestion status of the UPF network element during the data stream transmission of the target service. Optionally, the second indication information may also indicate the activation of the notification function of the UPF network element, which is used to send the congestion status of the UPF network element. It should be understood that indicating the activation of the congestion acquisition function of the UPF network element and indicating the activation of the notification function of the UPF network element can be the same indication information or different indication information; this application embodiment does not limit this. Furthermore, the target service can be a latency-sensitive service or a latency-insensitive service; this application embodiment is not limited to this. The data stream of the target service can originate from the UE, i.e., the sender of the target service's data stream is the UE, or it can originate from the AF network element, i.e., the sender of the target service's data stream is the AF network element.

[0176] For example, the SMF network element can send second indication information to the UPF network element via an N4 message. This N4 message can be, for example, an N4 session establishment request message or an N4 session modification request message, but this embodiment is not limited to these. Optionally, the N4 message may also include the QFI of the target service. For example, the SMF network element can determine, based on local configuration (such as the requirements of the target service), to activate the UPF network element's congestion acquisition function for the target service, or to activate both the UPF network element's congestion acquisition function and notification function for the target service. As another example, the SMF can determine, based on the authorized service quality monitoring policy for the target service from the PCF network element, to activate either the UPF network element's congestion acquisition function or the UPF network element's congestion acquisition function and notification function for the target service. Further, the SMF network element carries the second indication information in the N4 message and sends the second indication information to the UPF network element; correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the N4 message and obtains the second indication information.

[0177] The second indication information can be represented by a newly added IE or field in the N4 message, or it can be represented by a reserved IE or field in the N4 message (i.e., by a reserved bit in the N4 message), etc. The embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0178] It should be noted that when the second indication information is an indication information for activating the congestion acquisition function of the UPF network element, the congestion acquisition function can be understood as: acquiring the congestion status of the UPF network element during the data flow transmission of the target service, and reporting the acquired congestion status.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the SMF network element can send a second congestion acquisition method (referred to as a UPF network element action, such as "action for UPF"), a second notification method (referred to as a UPF network element reporting event, such as "report events"), or both to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the second congestion acquisition method, or the second notification method, or both. The second congestion acquisition method is used to determine how to acquire the congestion status of the UPF network element. The second notification method is used to determine the conditions for reporting the congestion status of the UPF network element, the method for reporting the congestion status of the UPF network element, and one or more of the reporting content. It should be understood that the second congestion acquisition method and the second indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages; similarly, the second notification method and the second indication information can be carried in the same message or in different messages; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0180] As an example, the second congestion acquisition method can instruct the acquisition of the congestion status of a UPF network element based on the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the UPF network element. A detailed description of the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted can be found in the relevant content of step S201, and will not be repeated here. The congestion status of the UPF network element can be the current congestion status of the UPF network element, the congestion status of the UPF network element within a set future time period, or the congestion status of the UPF network element in both the current and future set time periods. For example, the second congestion acquisition method can instruct the acquisition of the current congestion status of the UPF network element based on the length or data proportion of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer). As another example, the second congestion acquisition method can instruct the acquisition of the congestion status of the UPF network element within a set future time period based on the growth of the length or data proportion of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer). For example, the second congestion acquisition method can instruct the acquisition of the congestion status of the UPF network element for the current and future specified time period based on the length or proportion of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer), and the growth of the length or proportion of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue (or buffer). Additionally, the queue can be a queue at the IP layer or the general packet radio service tunneling protocol user plane (GTPU) layer within the UPF network element.

[0181] Through the above example, the UPF network element can determine how to obtain its own congestion status based on this second congestion acquisition method. That is, the UPF network element can determine its congestion status based on the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted within the UPF network element, using this second congestion acquisition method.

[0182] As an example, the second notification method may indicate one or more of the following:

[0183] 1. Second threshold.

[0184] The second threshold can be understood as a trigger condition for a UPF network element to report its own congestion status. For example, when the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in a UPF network element is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the UPF network element sends a congestion status report. The second threshold can be a queue length threshold, a buffer length threshold, a queue data percentage threshold, a buffer data percentage threshold, a threshold for the increase in queue length or data percentage, or a threshold for the increase in buffer length or data percentage, etc. This application embodiment is not limited to these. Furthermore, the second threshold and the first threshold can be the same or different.

[0185] 2. Congestion status of UPF network elements.

[0186] The second notification method instructs the transmission of congestion information of UPF network elements. This can be understood as the UPF network element receiving its own congestion information and then transmitting it. Furthermore, this second notification method can also instruct the transmission of UPF network element congestion information to RAN or AF network elements.

[0187] 3. The congestion status of UPF network elements is indicated through the second congestion information.

[0188] The second notification method indicates the congestion status of UPF network elements through the second congestion information, which can be understood as instructing the content reported by the UPF network elements. For example, the second notification method indicates the congestion status of UPF network elements through the sending frequency of the second congestion information, or through the content contained in the second congestion information, or through both the sending frequency and the content contained in the second congestion information.

[0189] For example, the transmission frequency of the second congestion information can indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element. This second congestion information can be, for example, a fixed IE or field, or one or more bits; or one or more bytes, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. In this case, the sending end or receiving end of the target service's data stream can determine the congestion status of the UPF network element by counting the number of second congestion messages received per unit time. Furthermore, the transmission frequency of the second congestion information can be referred to the relevant description in Table 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0190] Optionally, the number of second congestion messages received within a unit of time can correspond to a preset congestion level. For example, the more second congestion messages received within a unit of time, the higher the corresponding congestion level.

[0191] For example, the content included in the second congestion information may indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element. For instance, the second congestion information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0192] 1) Congestion level of UPF network elements.

[0193] The congestion level of a UPF network element can be the current congestion level, the predicted congestion level for a set future period, or the congestion level for both the current and a set future period. This congestion level can be predefined or pre-configured, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this. Furthermore, a higher congestion level indicates a more severe congestion.

[0194] 2) The amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the UPF network element.

[0195] The amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted can be one or more of the following: the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, the length of the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer, the proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, the proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer, the growth of the length or proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the queue, and the growth of the length or proportion of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the buffer.

[0196] 4. A message carrying the second congestion information.

[0197] The second notification method instructs the message carrying the second congestion information, which can be understood as instructing the UPF network element to report the second congestion information. In this embodiment, the message carrying the second congestion information may be, for example, an N3 message, a response message for the data stream of the target service, an uplink message carrying the data of the target service, or a first message, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. Among them, the N3 message may be, for example, a GTPU message, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited to these. Among them, the response message may be an acknowledgment (ACK) message or a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message, and this application embodiment is not limited to these. The first message is a message constructed other than the response message and the uplink message. The first message may be, for example, a data plane notification message or a control plane notification message, and this application embodiment is not limited to these.

[0198] Through the above example, the UPF network element can determine the reporting conditions, reporting method, and reporting content of the second congestion information based on this second notification method. That is, the UPF network element can determine, based on this second notification method, that it sends the UPF network element's congestion status to the AF network element or RAN when the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted is greater than or equal to the second threshold, determine to indicate the UPF network element's congestion status through the second congestion information, or determine at least one of the following messages carrying the second congestion information:

[0199] In the foregoing description, the second indication information can be represented using either a newly added IE or a field in the N4 message, or it can be represented using a reserved IE or field in the N4 message. That is, the SMF network element explicitly instructs the UPF network element to activate its congestion acquisition function. In another possible implementation, the SMF network element can implicitly instruct the UPF network element to activate its congestion acquisition function. For example, the SMF network element can instruct the UPF network element to activate its own congestion acquisition function through a second congestion acquisition method, a second notification method, or both. For example, the SMF network element sends a second congestion acquisition method to the UPF network element. After receiving the second congestion acquisition method, the UPF network element activates its own congestion acquisition function and acquires and reports its own congestion status according to the second congestion acquisition method during the data flow transmission of the target service. For example, an SMF network element sends a second notification method to a UPF network element. After receiving the second notification method, the UPF network element activates its own congestion acquisition function and acquires its own congestion status during the data flow transmission of the target service, as well as reporting its own congestion status according to the second notification method. As another example, an SMF network element sends a second congestion acquisition method and a second notification method to a UPF network element. After receiving the second congestion acquisition method and the second notification method, the UPF network element activates its own congestion acquisition function and acquires its own congestion status during the data flow transmission of the target service according to the second congestion acquisition method, as well as reporting its own congestion status according to the second notification method. For ease of understanding, the following description uses the example of an SMF network element sending a second indication message to a UPF network element.

[0200] In step S301 above, the UPF network element receives the second instruction information from the SMF network element. Next, the UPF network element can execute the actions shown in step S302.

[0201] S302: The UPF network element activates the congestion acquisition function of the UPF network element according to the second instruction information.

[0202] In response to the second indication information, the UPF network element activates (or triggers) its own congestion acquisition function. Optionally, if the second indication information is also used to activate the notification function of the UPF network element, the UPF network element activates (or triggers) its own notification function in response to the second indication information. For a description of the congestion acquisition function and the notification function, please refer to the relevant content in step S301, which will not be repeated here.

[0203] S303: UPF network element obtains congestion information of UPF network element.

[0204] UPF network elements can activate their own congestion acquisition function to obtain the congestion status of UPF network elements during the data flow transmission of the target service.

[0205] As an example, a UPF network element activates its congestion acquisition function to obtain the congestion status of the UPF network element during the data flow transmission of the target service. For instance, during the data flow transmission of the target service, the UPF network element can obtain the congestion status of the UPF network element based on the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted within the UPF network element.

[0206] In another example, if a UPF network element receives a second congestion acquisition method from an SMF network element, then during the data flow transmission of the target service, the UPF network element can obtain its congestion status based on the second congestion acquisition method. For example, when the second congestion acquisition method indicates that the congestion status of the UPF network element should be obtained based on the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted within the UPF network element, the UPF network element can obtain its congestion status based on the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted within the UPF network element.

[0207] In step S303 above, the UPF network element obtains its own congestion status. Further, the UPF network element can send its own congestion status to the AF network element (i.e., send second congestion information), or send its own congestion status to the RAN (i.e., send second congestion information). That is, next, the UPF network element can execute the content shown in step S304a, or execute the content shown in step S304b.

[0208] As an example, a UPF network element can send a second congestion message to an AF network element or to a RAN network element based on its own bandwidth resource usage and the type of target service. For instance, if the target service is an ultra-high-definition video service and the data stream of the target service is sent by an AF network element, then the UPF network element can send a second congestion message to the RAN, i.e., execute the steps shown in S304b.

[0209] As another example, if a UPF network element receives a second notification method from an SMF network element, the UPF network element can send second congestion information to the AF network element or to the RAN according to the second notification method. For example, when the second notification method indicates that the second congestion information is reported using an N3 message, the UPF network element can send the second congestion information to the RAN via an N3 message according to the second notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S304b. As another example, when the second notification method indicates that the second congestion information is reported using a response message of the target service's data stream, the UPF network element can send the second congestion information to the AF network element via the response message according to the second notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S304a. As yet another example, when the second notification method indicates that the second congestion information is reported using an uplink message carrying data for the target service, the UPF network element can send the second congestion information to the AF network element via the uplink message according to the second notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S304a. For example, when the second notification method instructs the use of the first message to report the second congestion information, the UPF network element can construct the first message according to the second notification method and send the second congestion information to the AF network element through the first message, that is, execute the content shown in step S304a.

[0210] S304a: The UPF network element indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element through the second congestion information and sends the second congestion information to the AF network element.

[0211] UPF network elements can send second congestion information to AF network elements, which indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element. For example, the sending frequency of the second congestion information can indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element, or the content contained in the second congestion information can indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element, or both the sending frequency and the content contained in the second congestion information can indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element. Please refer to the description of the second congestion information in step S301 above for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0212] For example, a UPF network element can indicate its own congestion status through at least one of the transmission frequency and content of the second congestion information. For instance, a UPF network element can indicate its own congestion status according to its local configuration through at least one of the transmission frequency and content of the second congestion information. As another example, if a UPF network element receives a second notification method from an SMF network element, the UPF network element can indicate its own congestion status according to the second notification method through at least one of the transmission frequency and content of the second congestion information. For instance, when the second notification method indicates that the UPF network element's congestion status is indicated by the transmission frequency of the second congestion information, the UPF network element can indicate its own congestion status according to this second notification method. As another example, when the second notification method indicates that the UPF network element's congestion status is indicated by the content of the second congestion information, the UPF network element can indicate its own congestion status according to this second notification method. For example, when the second notification method indicates the congestion status of a UPF network element by sending the second congestion information at a certain frequency and by including the content of the second congestion information, the UPF network element can indicate its own congestion status by sending the second congestion information at a certain frequency and by including the content of the second congestion information according to the second notification method.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the UPF network element can send second congestion information to the AF network element via a response message from the target service's data stream, an uplink message carrying the target service's data, or a first message. For example, the UPF network element can send second congestion information to the AF network element according to its local configuration, via a response message from the target service's data stream, an uplink message carrying the target service's data, or a first message. As another example, if the UPF network element receives a second notification method from the SMF network element, the UPF network element can send second congestion information to the AF network element according to the second notification method, via a response message from the target service's data stream, an uplink message carrying the target service's data, or a first message.

[0214] For example, when the second notification method instructs the use of a response message from the data stream carrying the target service to report the second congestion information, the UPF network element can send the second congestion information to the AF network element through the response message, according to the second notification method. As another example, when the second notification method instructs the use of an uplink message carrying data for the target service to report the second congestion information, the UPF network element can send the second congestion information to the AF network element through the uplink message, according to the second notification method. Yet another example, when the second notification method instructs the use of a first message to report the second congestion information, the UPF network element can construct a first message according to the second notification method and send the second congestion information to the AF network element through the first message.

[0215] As an example, a UPF network element can send second congestion information to an AF network element via a response message from the data stream of the target service. For instance, a UPF network element receives a response message from a UE for the data stream of the target service, carries second congestion information in the response message, and sends a response message carrying the second congestion information to the AF network element. For example, the UPF network element can determine the method of reporting the second congestion information based on one or more of the protocol of the response message, the number of response messages, and the second notification method. For example, if the response message is based on the IPv4 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the UPF network element can use special bits in the response message, such as explicit congestion notification (ECN), to indicate the congestion status (e.g., congestion level) of the UPF network element. As another example, if the number of response messages is sufficient, the UPF network element can use the sending frequency of the response messages to indicate the congestion status of the UFP network element. For example, if the header of the response message is an extensible protocol, the UPF network element can use reserved bits in the response message, or add new bits in the response message, to indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element (such as the amount of data to be transmitted in the UPF network element, or the congestion level, etc.).

[0216] In the example above, the UPF network element uses the response message during the transmission of the target service's data stream to carry the second congestion information. This eliminates the need to construct a new message to carry the second congestion information, thereby reducing network resource consumption and improving network resource utilization.

[0217] As an example, a UPF network element can send second congestion information to an AF network element via uplink packets containing data for the target service. For instance, a UPF network element receives an uplink packet from a UE containing data for the target service, includes the second congestion information in the uplink packet, and then sends an uplink packet containing the second congestion information to the AF network element. For example, the UPF network element can add second congestion information to the uplink packet containing the data for the target service, such as the amount of data to be transmitted within the UPF network element or the congestion level.

[0218] In the example above, the UPF network element uses the uplink packet carrying the data of the target service to carry the second congestion information. This eliminates the need to construct a new packet to carry the second congestion information, thereby reducing the consumption of network resources and improving the utilization rate of network resources.

[0219] As another example, a UPF network element can send second congestion information to an AF network element through a NEF network element. The NEF network element may have a co-location relationship with the UPF network element, but this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the UPF network element can construct (or generate) a first message carrying the second congestion information and send the first message to the AF network element through the NEF network element. For example, the UPF network element can construct the first message based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow and the address of the UPF network element. For example, when the target service's data flow is a downlink data flow, the source address of the first message is the address of the UPF network element, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data flow. As another example, when the target service's data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is the address of the UPF network element, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data flow. Optionally, the second congestion information may include the UE's identification information and the target service's identification information (such as the target service's QFI), etc.

[0220] UPF network elements can send second congestion information to AF network elements via NEF network elements. In another possible implementation, UPF network elements can also send second congestion information to AF network elements via a proxy. For example, UPF network elements can construct (or generate) a first message carrying the second congestion information and send it to the AF network element. For example, UPF network elements can construct the first message based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow, or based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow and the address of the AF network element configured by the AF network element. For example, when the target service's data flow is a downlink data flow and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element (i.e., the UPF network element is a transparent proxy), the source address of the first message is the destination address of the target service's data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data flow. For example, when the target service's data flow is a downlink data flow and the UE is aware of the UPF network element (i.e., the UPF network element is a non-transparent proxy), the source address of the first message is the destination address of the target service's data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the AF network element configured by the AF network element. For example, when the target service's data stream is an uplink data stream and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the source address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data stream, and the destination address of the first message is the destination address of the target service's data stream. As another example, when the target service's data stream is an uplink data stream and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the source address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data stream, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the AF network element configured in the AF network element configuration.

[0221] In the above example, the UPF network element can construct a first message carrying the second congestion information and send the first message to the AF through the NEF network element or a proxy. The implementation method is flexible, and it can promptly reflect the congestion status of the UPF network element with strong real-time performance.

[0222] In this context, the AF network element configured by the AF network element can be understood as the destination address of the first message pre-configured by the AF network element. For example, the AF network element can pre-configure the destination address of the first message. When network congestion occurs, the UPF network element can use this destination address to construct the first message so that the first message can be sent to the AF network element.

[0223] It is worth noting that after step S304a, if the sender of the target service's data stream is an AF network element, the AF network element, upon receiving the second congestion information, can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service. If the sender of the target service's data stream is a UE, the AF network element, upon receiving the second congestion information, can forward the second congestion information to the UE through a higher layer; the UE, upon receiving the second congestion information, can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0224] S304b: The UPF network element indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element through the second congestion information and sends the second congestion information to the RAN.

[0225] UPF network elements can send second congestion information to the RAN, which indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element. For example, the transmission frequency of the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element, or the content contained in the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the second congestion information indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element. Please refer to the description of the second congestion information in step S301 above for details, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the specific implementation method of the UPF network element indicating its own congestion status through at least one of the transmission frequency and content contained in the second congestion information can be referred to the description in step S304a above, which will not be repeated here.

[0226] As an example, a UPF network element can send second congestion information to the RAN via an N3 message. For instance, a UPF network element can send second congestion information to the RAN via an N3 message according to its local configuration. As another example, if a UPF network element receives a second notification method from an SMF network element, the UPF network element can send second congestion information to the RAN network element via an N3 message according to that second notification method. For instance, when the second notification method indicates that second congestion information should be reported using an N3 message, the UPF network element can send second congestion information to the RAN network element via an N3 message according to that second notification method.

[0227] It is worth noting that after step S304b, if the sender of the target service's data stream is the UE, the RAN, upon receiving the second congestion information, can send it to the UE. Upon receiving the second congestion information, the UE can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service. If the sender of the target service's data stream is the AF network element, the RAN, upon receiving the second congestion information, can send it to the UE, which then forwards it to the AF network element through a higher layer. Upon receiving the second congestion information, the AF network element can adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0228] In the above embodiments, the UPF network element responds to the second indication information from the SMF network element and activates its own congestion acquisition function, that is, it acquires its own congestion status during the data stream transmission of the target service. Furthermore, the UPF network element can send second congestion information indicating its own congestion status to the AF network element or RAN, thereby reporting its own congestion status to the sending end of the target service's data stream. This allows the sending end to adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the UPF network element's congestion status, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0229] In steps S201 and S301 above, the SMF network element sends a first indication message to the RAN and a second indication message to the UPF network element. Next, we will combine... Figure 4 This paper describes the specific implementation process of the SMF network element sending the first indication information to the RAN and the second indication information to the UPF network element.

[0230] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application is shown. This method can be applied to the protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment process of a target service, or to the PDU session modification process of a target service, or to other communication processes; the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the SMF network element sends a first indication message to the RAN and a second indication message to the UPF network element. Furthermore, Figure 4 The dashed lines in the text indicate optional steps (i.e., steps that can be executed or not).

[0231] S401: The SMF network element determines whether to activate the congestion acquisition function of the RAN and the congestion acquisition function of the UPF network element.

[0232] For example, an SMF network element can determine whether to activate the RAN congestion acquisition function, or the UPF network element congestion acquisition function, or both, based on at least one of its local configuration (such as the requirements of the target service) and the authorized quality of service monitoring policy of the target service from the PCF network element. The RAN congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the RAN congestion status during the transmission of the target service's data stream. The UPF network element congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the UPF network element congestion status during the transmission of the target service's data stream. For ease of understanding, this application embodiment describes the process of determining whether to activate the RAN congestion acquisition function and the UPF network element congestion acquisition function as examples.

[0233] For example, the SMF network element can also determine, based on at least one of the local configuration and the authorized quality of service monitoring policy from the target service of the PCF network element, whether to activate the RAN notification function, or to activate both the RAN and UPF network element notification functions. The RAN notification function is used to send RAN congestion information. The UPF network element notification function is used to send UPF network element congestion information.

[0234] S402: The SMF network element sends an N4 session establishment / modification request message to the UPF network element; correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the N4 session establishment / modification request message.

[0235] The SMF network element can send a second indication message to the UPF network element. This second indication message is used to activate the congestion acquisition function of the UPF network element. Optionally, the second indication message can also be used to activate the notification function of the UPF network element. For example, the SMF network element can send the second indication message to the UPF network element via an N4 session establishment / modification request message, which includes the second indication message. Of course, the SMF network element can also send the second indication message to the UPF network element via other messages besides the N4 session establishment / modification request message; this embodiment does not limit this. For ease of understanding, this embodiment uses the N4 session establishment / modification request message as an example. Furthermore, the N4 session establishment / modification request message may include the QFI of the target service.

[0236] In one possible implementation, the N4 session establishment / modification request message may further include a second congestion acquisition method, a second notification method, or both. The second congestion acquisition method is used to determine how to acquire the congestion status of the UPF network element. The second notification method is used to determine the conditions for reporting the congestion status of the UPF network element, the method for reporting the congestion status of the UPF network element, and one or more of the reporting content. For specific implementation details of the second congestion acquisition method and the second notification method, please refer to the relevant description in step S301, which will not be repeated here.

[0237] S403: The UPF network element activates the congestion acquisition function for the target service based on the second instruction information.

[0238] Upon receiving an N4 session establishment / modification request message, the UPF network element obtains second indication information. Based on this second indication information, the UPF network element can activate the congestion acquisition function for the target service. Optionally, if the second indication information also instructs the activation of the UPF network element's notification function, the UPF network element can also activate its own notification function based on the second indication information. Furthermore, after activating the congestion acquisition function for the target service, the UPF network element can monitor the data flow of the target service to obtain the congestion status of the UPF network element during the transmission of the target service's data flow.

[0239] S404: The UPF network element sends an N4 session establishment / modification response message to the SMF network element; correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the N4 session establishment / modification response message.

[0240] Step S404 is optional. That is, the UPF network element may send an N4 session establishment / modification response message to the SMF network element, or it may choose not to send an N4 session establishment / modification response message to the SMF network element. For example, after receiving an N4 session establishment request message, the UPF network element may send an N4 session establishment response message to the SMF network element in response to the N4 session establishment request message.

[0241] S405: The SMF network element sends a service-oriented message to the AMF network element; the AMF network element receives the service-oriented message.

[0242] The SMF network element can send a first indication message to the AMF network element. The first indication message is used to activate the congestion acquisition function of the RAN network element. Optionally, the first indication message can also be used to activate the notification function of the RAN network element. For example, the SMF network element can send the first indication message to the AMF network element through a service-based message, which includes an N1 SM message and an N2 SM message, with the N2 SM message containing the first indication message. Of course, the SMF network element can also send the first indication message to the AMF network element through other messages besides service-based messages; this embodiment does not limit this. For ease of understanding, this embodiment uses a service-based message as an example. Additionally, the N2 SM message may include the QFI of the target service.

[0243] In one possible implementation, the N2 SM message may further include a first congestion acquisition method, a first notification method, or both. The first congestion acquisition method is used to determine how to acquire the RAN congestion status. The first notification method is used to determine the conditions for reporting the RAN congestion status, the method for reporting the RAN congestion status, and one or more of the reporting content. For specific implementation details of the first congestion acquisition method and the first notification method, please refer to the relevant description in step S201, which will not be repeated here.

[0244] S406: The AMF network element sends an N2 PDU session request message to the RAN; correspondingly, the RAN receives the N2 PDU session request message.

[0245] The AMF network element sends a first indication message to the RAN. For example, the AMF network element can send the first indication message to the RAN through an N2 PDU session request message. For example, the AMF network element receives a service message, obtains an N1 SM message and an N2 SM message, and sends an N2 PDU session request message to the RAN. The N2 PDU session request message includes the N1 SM message and the N2 SM message, and the N2 SM message includes the first indication message.

[0246] S407: The RAN activates the congestion acquisition function for the target service based on the first instruction information.

[0247] Upon receiving an N2 PDU session request message, the RAN obtains first indication information. Based on this first indication information, the RAN can activate congestion acquisition functionality for the target service. Optionally, if the first indication information also instructs the activation of the RAN's notification function, the RAN can also activate its own notification function based on the first indication information. Furthermore, after activating the congestion acquisition functionality for the target service, the RAN can monitor the data flow of the target service to obtain the RAN's congestion status during the transmission of the target service's data flow.

[0248] At this point, the UPF network element activates the congestion acquisition function for the target service, and the RAN activates the congestion acquisition function for the target service. Next, the RAN can also execute the steps shown in S408 and S409. That is, steps S408 and S409 are optional steps.

[0249] S408: The RAN sends an N1 SM message to the UE; correspondingly, the UE receives the N1 SM message.

[0250] The RAN receives the N2 PDU session request message, obtains the N1 SM message, and sends the N1 SM message to the UE.

[0251] S409: The RAN sends an N2 PDU session response message to the AMF network element; correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the N2 PDU session response message.

[0252] After receiving the N2 PDU session request message, the RAN can send an N2 PDU session response message to the AMF network element in response to the N2 PDU session request message.

[0253] Through steps S408 and S409, the UE and RAN establish an air interface transmission channel, and the RAN and UPF network element establish an N3 uplink tunnel. The UE can send uplink data packets through the RAN and UPF network elements.

[0254] In the above embodiments, the SMF network element sends a first indication message to the RAN and a second indication message to the UPF network element based on the requirements of the target service or the service quality monitoring strategy of the target service. Upon receiving the first indication message, the RAN activates its congestion acquisition function for the target service to obtain the RAN's congestion status during the transmission of the target service's data stream. Upon receiving the second indication message, the UPF network element activates its congestion acquisition function for the target service to obtain the UPF network element's congestion status during the transmission of the target service's data stream.

[0255] Figure 4 This section introduces the RAN (Radio Router) activation of congestion acquisition functionality for target services, and the UPF (Universal Power Filter) element activation of congestion acquisition functionality for target services. The following section will combine... Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 ,as well as Figure 8 This section introduces the specific implementation methods for RAN (Radio Router) and UPF (Universal Filter Element) network elements to report their own congestion status.

[0256] Figure 5This illustration shows another flowchart of the communication method provided in this application. In this embodiment, the UPF network element sends second congestion information to the RAN, which then forwards the second congestion information to the sender of the data stream of the target service. The sender of the data stream of the target service can be a UE or an AF network element.

[0257] S501: RAN obtains RAN congestion information.

[0258] The RAN activates the congestion acquisition function for the target service. During the data flow transmission of the target service, the RAN acquires the RAN's congestion status. Specifically, the RAN can acquire the RAN's congestion status based on local configuration or the primary congestion acquisition method. For example, the RAN can acquire the RAN's congestion status based on the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted, the usage of air interface resources in the RAN, or both the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted and the usage of air interface resources. For the specific implementation of step S501, please refer to the relevant description in step S203, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] S502: UPF network element obtains congestion information of UPF network element.

[0260] The UPF network element activates its congestion acquisition function for the target service. During the data flow transmission of the target service, the UPF network element acquires its congestion status. Specifically, the UPF network element can acquire its congestion status based on local configuration or a second congestion acquisition method. For example, the UPF network element can acquire its congestion status based on the amount of data in the data flow to be transmitted within it. The specific implementation of step S502 is described in step S303 and will not be repeated here.

[0261] S503: The UPF network element sends an N3 message to the RAN; correspondingly, the RAN receives the N3 message.

[0262] The UPF network element indicates its congestion status through second congestion information and sends the second congestion information to the RAN; correspondingly, the RAN receives the second congestion information. For example, the UPF network element sends the second congestion information to the RAN through an N3 message, which includes the second congestion information. It is understood that the UPF network element can also send the second congestion information to the RAN through messages other than the N3 message, and the embodiments of this application are not limited to this. For example, the UPF network element can send the N3 message to the RAN according to local configuration or a second notification method. For example, when the data flow of data to be transmitted in the UPF network element is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the UPF network element sends the N3 message to the RAN. As another example, when the second notification method instructs the use of the N3 message to report the second congestion information, the UPF network element sends the N3 message to the RAN. For the specific implementation of step S503, please refer to the relevant description in step S304b, which will not be repeated here.

[0263] The second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element. For example, the transmission frequency of the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element, or the content contained in the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the second congestion information indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element. Please refer to the description of the second congestion information in step S301 above for details, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the specific implementation method of the UPF network element indicating its own congestion status through at least one of the transmission frequency and content contained in the second congestion information can be referred to the description in step S304a above, which will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the RAN can know the congestion status of the UPF network element based on the transmission frequency and the content contained in the second congestion information. It should be understood that the RAN may also choose not to know the congestion status of the UPF network element.

[0264] The RAN receives the second congestion information. Next, the RAN can send the second congestion information to the UE via either step S504a or step S504b. For example, the RAN can send the second congestion information to the UE via a MAC-CE message through local configuration or the first notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S504a; or, it can send the second congestion information to the UE via higher-layer signaling, i.e., execute the content shown in step S504b. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned step S204a, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] It is worth noting that when the RAN receives the second congestion information and its own congestion situation meets the reporting conditions (e.g., the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the RAN is greater than or equal to the first threshold), the RAN sends the second congestion information to the UE, or it can send the first congestion information to the UE or the UPF network element. Specifically, the RAN can send the first congestion information to the UE according to its local configuration or the first notification method, or send the first congestion information to the UPF network element. For details on the implementation, please refer to the relevant content in step S203 above, which will not be repeated here. For ease of description, this embodiment takes the RAN sending the first and second congestion information to the UE as an example.

[0266] S504a: The RAN sends a MAC-CE message to the UE; correspondingly, the UE receives the MAC-CE message.

[0267] The RAN can send first congestion information and second congestion information to the UE. In this embodiment, the RAN sends the first congestion information and second congestion information to the UE through a MAC-CE message. It should be understood that the first congestion information and the second congestion information can be carried in the same MAC-CE message or in different MAC-CE messages, and this embodiment does not limit this. Figure 5 Taking the first and second congestion information as an example, this paper carries the first and second congestion information in a single MAC-CE message.

[0268] For example, if the RAN receives a second congestion message, but its congestion status does not meet the reporting conditions, the RAN can send a MAC-CE message carrying the second congestion information to the UE. Then, once the RAN's congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the RAN will send a MAC-CE message carrying the first congestion information to the UE. Alternatively, if the RAN does not receive the second congestion message, but its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the RAN can send a MAC-CE message carrying the first congestion information to the UE. Then, once the RAN receives the second congestion message, the RAN will send another MAC-CE message carrying the second congestion information to the UE. Or, if the RAN receives the second congestion message and its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the RAN can send a MAC-CE message carrying both the first and second congestion information to the UE; or, the RAN can send one MAC-CE message carrying the first congestion information and one MAC-CE message carrying the second congestion information to the UE separately.

[0269] In addition, the RAN can determine the logical channel carrying the MAC-CE message and send the MAC-CE message to the UE through the determined logical channel. For the specific implementation method, please refer to the relevant content in the aforementioned step S204a, which will not be repeated here.

[0270] The first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status. For example, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information can indicate the RAN's congestion status, or the content contained in the first congestion information can indicate the RAN's congestion status, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the first congestion information can indicate the RAN's congestion status. Please refer to the description of the first congestion information in step S201 above for details, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the specific implementation method of the RAN indicating its own congestion status through at least one of the transmission frequency and content contained in the first congestion information can be referred to the description in step S204a above, which will not be repeated here.

[0271] S504b: The RAN sends higher-layer signaling to the UE; correspondingly, the UE receives the higher-layer signaling.

[0272] The RAN can send first congestion information and second congestion information to the UE. In this embodiment, the RAN sends the first and second congestion information to the UE through higher-layer signaling. Higher-layer signaling includes, for example, RRC signaling, PDCP signaling, or SDAP signaling. It should be understood that the first and second congestion information can be carried in the same higher-layer signaling or in different higher-layer signaling; this embodiment does not limit this. Figure 5 Taking the first and second congestion information as an example, this is an example of a high-level signaling system.

[0273] For example, if the RAN receives a second congestion message, but its congestion status does not meet the reporting conditions, the RAN can send higher-layer signaling carrying the second congestion message to the UE. Then, once the RAN's congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the RAN will send higher-layer signaling carrying the first congestion message to the UE. Alternatively, if the RAN does not receive the second congestion message, but its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the RAN can send higher-layer signaling carrying the first congestion message to the UE. Then, once the RAN receives the second congestion message, the RAN will send a higher-layer signaling message carrying the second congestion message to the UE. Or, if the RAN receives the second congestion message and its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the RAN can send higher-layer signaling carrying both the first and second congestion messages to the UE; or, the RAN can send both higher-layer signaling carrying the first and second congestion messages to the UE separately.

[0274] At this point, the UE receives the first congestion information and the second congestion information. In this embodiment, the data stream of the target service can be an uplink data stream, meaning the sender of the target service data stream is the UE; or it can be a downlink data stream, meaning the sender of the target service data stream is the AF network element. When the data stream of the target service is an uplink data stream, the UE executes the steps shown in step S505. When the data stream of the target service is a downlink data stream, the UE executes the steps shown in step S506.

[0275] S505: The UE adjusts the transmission window of the data stream of the target service based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information.

[0276] The target service's data stream is an uplink data stream. The UE can adaptively adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the first and second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0277] S506: The UE sends the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the AF network element. Correspondingly, the AF network element receives the first congestion information and the second congestion information.

[0278] The data flow for the target service is a downlink data flow. After receiving the first and second congestion information, the UE can forward them to the AF network element.

[0279] S507: The AF network element adjusts the sending window of the data stream of the target service based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information.

[0280] When the AF network element receives the first congestion information and the second congestion information, it can adaptively adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the first and second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0281] In the above embodiments, the UPF network element reports its own congestion status through the RAN, the RAN reports its own congestion status, and the sending end of the target service data stream reasonably adjusts the sending window of the target service data stream based on the congestion status of the UPF network element and the RAN, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0282] Figure 6This illustration shows another flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the RAN sends first congestion information to the UPF network element, which then sends the first congestion information to the sender of the data stream of the target service. The data stream of the target service can be a downlink data stream or an uplink data stream. In this embodiment, the UPF network element creates a first message and sends it to the AF network element or via the NEF network element. The first message includes first congestion information and second congestion information.

[0283] Among them, steps S601, S602, S606, and S608 are respectively related to Figure 5 Steps S502, S501, S507, and S505 are the same, the difference being:

[0284] S603: The RAN sends an N3 message to the UPF network element; correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the N3 message.

[0285] The RAN indicates its congestion status through first congestion information and sends the first congestion information to the UPF network element; correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the first congestion information. For example, the RAN sends the first congestion information to the UPF network element through an N3 message, which includes the first congestion information. It is understood that the RAN can also send the first congestion information to the UPF network element through messages other than the N3 message, and this application embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the RAN can send the N3 message to the UPF network element according to local configuration or a first notification method. For example, when the data flow of data to be transmitted in the RAN is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the RAN sends the N3 message to the UPF network element. As another example, when the first notification method instructs the use of an N3 message to report the first congestion information, the RAN sends the N3 message to the UPF network element. For the specific implementation of step S603, please refer to the relevant description in step S204b, which will not be repeated here.

[0286] The first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status. For example, the transmission frequency of the first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status, or the content contained in the first congestion information indicates the RAN's congestion status, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the first congestion information indicate the RAN's congestion status. Please refer to the description of the first congestion information in step S201 above for details, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the specific implementation method of the RAN indicating its own congestion status through at least one of the transmission frequency and content contained in the first congestion information can be referred to the description in step S204a above, which will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the UPF network element can know the RAN network element's congestion status based on the transmission frequency and content contained in the first congestion information. It should be understood that the UPF network element may or may not need to know the RAN's congestion status.

[0287] The UPF network element receives the first congestion information. Next, the UPF network element can create a first message and send the first congestion information to the AF network element via step S605a or step S605b. For example, the UPF network element can send the first congestion information to the AF network element through the NEF network element via local configuration or a second notification method, i.e., execute the content shown in step S605a; or, it can directly send the first congestion information to the AF network element, i.e., execute the content shown in step S605b. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned step S304a, which will not be repeated here.

[0288] It is worth noting that when the UPF network element receives the first congestion information and the congestion status of the UPF network element meets the reporting conditions (e.g., the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the UPF network element is greater than or equal to the second threshold), the UPF network element sends the first congestion information to the AF network element, and may send the second congestion information to the RAN or the AF network element. The UPF network element may send the second congestion information to the RAN or to the AF network element according to its local configuration or the second notification method. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant content in step S303 above, which will not be repeated here. For ease of description, this embodiment takes the example of the UPF network element sending the first and second congestion information to the AF network element.

[0289] S604: First message when UPF network element is created.

[0290] UPF network elements can create a first message. In this embodiment, the first message includes first congestion information and second congestion information. It should be understood that the first congestion information and the second congestion information can be carried in the same message or in different messages; this embodiment does not limit this. Figure 6 Take, for example, the first and second congestion information carried in a single message.

[0291] For example, if a UPF network element receives the first congestion information, but its congestion status does not meet the reporting conditions, the UPF network element can create a first message carrying the first congestion information. Then, once the UPF network element's congestion status meets the reporting conditions, it can create another first message carrying the second congestion information. Alternatively, if a UPF network element does not receive the first congestion information, but its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, it can create a first message carrying the second congestion information. Then, once the UPF network element receives the first congestion information, it can create another first message carrying the first congestion information. Or, if a UPF network element receives the first congestion information and its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, it can create a first message carrying both the first and second congestion information; or, it can create one first message carrying the first congestion information and another first message carrying the second congestion information separately.

[0292] The UPF network element can construct the first message based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow and the UPF network element's address, or based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow and the AF network element's address configured in the AF network element. For example, when the UPF network element reports the first and second congestion information to the AF network element through the NEF network element, the UPF network element can construct the first message based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow and the UPF network element's address. As another example, when the UPF network element reports the first and second congestion information to the AF network element through a proxy, and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the UPF network element can construct the first message based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow. Yet another example, when the UPF network element reports the first and second congestion information to the AF network element through a proxy, and the UE is aware of the UPF network element, the UPF network element can construct the first message based on the five-tuple information of the target service's data flow and the AF network element's address configured in the AF network element. For details on how to construct the first message using UPF network elements, please refer to the relevant description in step S304a above; it will not be repeated here.

[0293] The second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element. For example, the transmission frequency of the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element, or the content contained in the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the UPF network element, or both the transmission frequency and the content contained in the second congestion information indicate the congestion status of the UPF network element. Please refer to the description of the second congestion information in step S301 above for details, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the specific implementation method of the UPF network element indicating its own congestion status through at least one of the transmission frequency and content contained in the second congestion information can be referred to the description in step S304a above, which will not be repeated here.

[0294] S605a: The UPF network element sends the first message to the AF network element through the NEF network element; correspondingly, the AF network element receives the first message.

[0295] A UPF network element sends a first message to an AF network element through a NEF network element. For example, if the UPF and NEF network elements share an address, the UPF network element sends a first message to the NEF network element. Upon receiving the first message, the NEF network element sends it to the AF network element, which then receives it. As another example, the UPF network element sends a first message to an SMF network element. The SMF network element receives the first message and forwards it to the NEF network element, which then forwards it to the AF network element, which receives it. Specifically, when the target service's data flow is a downlink data flow, the source address of the first message is the address of the UPF network element, and the destination address is the source address of the target service's data flow. When the target service's data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is the address of the UPF network element, and the destination address is the source address of the target service's data flow.

[0296] S605b: The UPF network element sends the first message to the AF network element; correspondingly, the AF network element receives the first message.

[0297] The UPF network element sends the first message to the AF network element via a proxy. Specifically, when the target service's data flow is a downlink data flow and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the target service's data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data flow. When the target service's data flow is a downlink data flow and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the target service's data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the AF network element configured in the AF network element. When the target service's data flow is an uplink data flow and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the source address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the destination address of the target service's data flow. When the target service's data flow is an uplink data flow and the UE is unaware of the UPF network element, the source address of the first message is the source address of the target service's data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the AF network element configured in the AF network element.

[0298] S607: The AF network element sends the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the UE; correspondingly, the UE receives the first congestion information and the second congestion information.

[0299] The data flow for the target service is an uplink data flow. After receiving the first and second congestion information, the AF network element can forward them to the UE.

[0300] In the above embodiments, the RAN reports its own congestion status through the UPF network element. The UPF network element, in turn, reports its own congestion status, and the sending end of the target service's data stream adjusts the sending window of the target service's data stream reasonably based on the congestion status of the UPF network element and the RAN, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving its latency stability. Furthermore, the UPF network element constructs a first message and sends it to the AF network element through NEF or a proxy. This first message carries at least one of first congestion information and second congestion information, enabling timely reporting of the congestion status of the UPF network element and the RAN, thus improving the real-time performance of congestion reporting.

[0301] Figure 7 This illustration shows another flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the RAN sends first congestion information to the UPF network element, which then forwards the first congestion information to the sender of the data stream of the target service. The data stream of the target service is a downlink data stream. In this embodiment, the UPF network element sends the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the AF network element through the response message of the data stream of the target service.

[0302] Among them, steps S701-S703 and S705 are Figure 6Steps S601-S603 and S606 are the same, the difference is:

[0303] S704: The UPF network element sends a response message for the data stream of the target service to the AF network element. Correspondingly, the AF network element receives the response message for the data stream of the target service.

[0304] The target service's data stream is a downlink data stream. The UPF network element can send a response message for the target service's data stream to the AF network element. In this embodiment, the response message for the target service's data stream includes first congestion information and second congestion information. For example, the UPF network element receives a response message from the UE for the target service's data stream, which carries the first and second congestion information, and sends a response message carrying the first and second congestion information to the AF network element. Further, the UPF network element can determine the method for reporting the first and second congestion information based on one or more of the protocol of the response message, the number of response messages, and the second notification method, etc. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant content in the aforementioned step S304a, which will not be repeated here.

[0305] It should be understood that the first congestion information and the second congestion information can be carried in the same response message or in different response messages, and this application embodiment does not limit this. Figure 7 Taking the example of carrying the first and second congestion information in a single response message.

[0306] For example, if a UPF network element receives first congestion information and a response message for the target service's data stream, but its congestion status does not meet the reporting conditions, the UPF network element can include the first congestion information in its response message and send a response message containing the first congestion information to the AF network element. Later, once the UPF network element's congestion status meets the reporting conditions, it can include second congestion information in another response message and send a response message containing the second congestion information to the AF network element. As another example, if a UPF network element does not receive the first congestion information but receives a response message for the target service's data stream, and its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, the UPF network element can include second congestion information in its response message and send a response message containing the second congestion information to the AF network element. Later, once the UPF network element receives the first congestion information, it can include the first congestion information in another response message and send a response message containing the first congestion information to the AF network element. For example, if a UPF network element receives a response message containing first congestion information and the data stream of the target service, and the congestion status of the UPF network element meets the reporting conditions, then the UPF network element can carry the first congestion information and the second congestion information in the response message and send a response message carrying the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the AF network element; or, the UPF network element can carry the first congestion information and the second congestion information in different response messages and send a response message carrying the first congestion information and a response message carrying the second congestion information to the AF network element.

[0307] In the above embodiments, the data stream of the target service is a downlink data stream. The RAN reports its own congestion status through the UPF network element, and the AF network element adjusts the transmission window of the target service data stream based on the congestion status of the UPF network element and the RAN, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service. Furthermore, the UPF network element reports the first and second congestion information to the AF network element through the response message of the target service data, realizing the reuse of the response message without the need to construct a new message.

[0308] Figure 8 This illustration shows another flowchart of the communication method provided in this application. In this embodiment, the RAN sends first congestion information to the UPF network element, which then forwards the first congestion information to the sender of the data stream of the target service. The data stream of the target service is an uplink data stream. In this embodiment, the UPF network element sends the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the AF network element through the uplink message of the data stream of the target service. A first message is sent to the AF network element or through the NEF network element.

[0309] Among them, steps S801-S803 and Figure 7 Steps S701-S703 are the same, the difference is:

[0310] S804: The UPF network element sends an uplink message of the target service's data stream to the AF network element; correspondingly, the AF network element receives the uplink message of the target service's data stream.

[0311] In this embodiment, the data stream of the target service is an uplink data stream. The UPF network element can send uplink packets of the target service data stream to the AF network element. In this embodiment, the uplink packets of the target service data stream include first congestion information and second congestion information. For example, the UPF network element receives an uplink packet from the UE for the data stream of the target service, carries the first and second congestion information in the uplink packet, and sends an uplink packet carrying the first and second congestion information to the AF network element. For example, the UPF network element can add second congestion information, such as the amount of data to be transmitted in the UPF network element or the congestion level, to the uplink packet of the target service data.

[0312] It should be understood that the first congestion information and the second congestion information can be carried in the same uplink message or in different uplink messages, and this application embodiment does not limit this. Figure 8 Taking the example of carrying the first and second congestion information in a single uplink message.

[0313] For example, if a UPF network element receives first congestion information and an uplink message for the target service's data stream, but its congestion status does not meet the reporting conditions, the UPF network element can include the first congestion information in the uplink message and send it to the AF network element. Later, once the UPF network element's congestion status meets the reporting conditions, it can include second congestion information in another uplink message and send it to the AF network element. As another example, if a UPF network element does not receive the first congestion information but receives an uplink message for the target service's data stream, and its congestion status meets the reporting conditions, it can include second congestion information in the uplink message and send it to the AF network element. Later, once the UPF network element receives the first congestion information, it can include the first congestion information in another uplink message and send it to the AF network element. For example, if a UPF network element receives an uplink message containing first congestion information and the data stream of the target service, and the congestion status of the UPF network element meets the reporting conditions, then the UPF network element can carry the first congestion information and the second congestion information in the uplink message and send an uplink message carrying the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the AF network element; or, the UPF network element can also carry the first congestion information and the second congestion information in different uplink messages and send an uplink message carrying the first congestion information and an uplink message carrying the second congestion information to the AF network element.

[0314] S805: The AF network element sends the first congestion information and the second congestion information to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the first congestion information and the second congestion information.

[0315] The data flow for the target service is an uplink data flow. After receiving the first and second congestion information, the AF network element can forward them to the UE.

[0316] S806: The UE adjusts the transmission window of the data stream of the target service based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information.

[0317] The UE can adaptively adjust the transmission window of the target service's data stream based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service's data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service.

[0318] In the above embodiments, the data stream of the target service is an uplink data stream. The RAN reports its own congestion status through the UPF network element, and the UE adjusts the transmission window of the target service data stream based on the congestion status of the UPF network element and the RAN, thereby reducing the transmission latency of the target service data stream and improving the latency stability of the target service. Furthermore, the UPF network element sends first and second congestion information to the AF network element through the uplink data message of the target service, realizing the reuse of the data packets of the target service without constructing new messages.

[0319] It should be noted that the execution steps in the above embodiments are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, in Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the SMF network element sends the second indication information to the UPF network element first, and then sends the first indication information to the RAN; alternatively, the SMF network element may first send the first indication information to the RAN, and then send the second indication information to the UPF network element; or, the SMF network element may simultaneously send the first indication information to the RAN and the second indication information to the UPF network element. For example, in... Figure 5 In the embodiments shown, the RAN obtains its own congestion status before the UPF network element; or, the UPF network element may obtain its own congestion status before the RAN; or, the RAN and UPF network elements obtain their own congestion status simultaneously.

[0320] The foregoing mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspectives of devices and device interaction. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, each device may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and implementation 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 this application.

[0321] The embodiments of this application can divide the device into functional units according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0322] When using integrated units, Figure 9A possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in an embodiment of this application is shown. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include a communication module 901 and a processing module 902. The processing module 902 is used to control and manage the operation of the communication device 900. The communication module 901 is used to support communication between the communication device 900 and other devices, such as performing sending and receiving operations under the control of the processing module 902. Optionally, the communication module 901 may be one module or two modules, such as a receiving module and a sending module. Optionally, the communication module 901 may also be referred to as a communication unit, transceiver module, transceiver unit, or interface circuit, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a storage module 903 for storing the program code and / or data of the communication device 900.

[0323] As an example, processing module 902 can support communication device 900 in performing the actions of access network elements, user plane function elements, or session management function elements in the method examples above. Alternatively, processing module 902 may primarily perform the internal actions of access network elements, user plane function elements, or session management function elements in the method examples.

[0324] For example, the communication device 900 can be an access network element in the above embodiments, or it can be a component (such as a chip) of the access network element in the above embodiments.

[0325] The communication module 901 is used to receive the first instruction information from the session management function network element.

[0326] The processing module 902 is configured to activate the congestion acquisition function of the communication device according to the first indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the congestion status of the communication device during the data stream transmission of the target service; and to acquire the congestion status of the communication device.

[0327] The communication module 901 is also used to send first congestion information to user plane function network elements or terminal equipment, and to indicate the congestion status of the communication device through the first congestion information.

[0328] In one possible implementation, the communication module 901 is further configured to:

[0329] Receive second congestion information from the user plane function network element;

[0330] The processing module 902 is further configured to obtain the congestion status of the user plane function network element based on the second congestion information;

[0331] The communication module 901 is also used to send the second congestion information to the terminal device.

[0332] In one possible implementation, when the congestion status of the user plane function network element is determined based on the second congestion information, the processing module 902 is specifically used for:

[0333] The congestion status of the user plane function network element is obtained by the frequency of receiving the second congestion information.

[0334] Alternatively, the second congestion information may include at least one of the following: the congestion level of the user plane function element, or the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the user plane function element.

[0335] In one possible implementation, when sending the first congestion information to the terminal device, the communication module 901 is specifically used for:

[0336] The first congestion information is sent to the terminal device via a media access control element message or higher-level signaling.

[0337] In one possible implementation, the processing module 902 is further configured to:

[0338] Based on the QoS flow identifier of the target service, the correspondence between the QoS flow identifier and the data radio bearer identifier, and the correspondence between the data radio bearer identifier and the logical channel identifier, the logical channel carrying the media access control control element message is determined.

[0339] In one possible implementation, when the first congestion information indicates the congestion status of the communication device, the processing module 902 is specifically configured to:

[0340] The frequency at which the first congestion information is transmitted is used to indicate the congestion status of the communication device.

[0341] Alternatively, the first congestion information may include one or more of the following: the congestion level of the communication device, the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the communication device, the channel quality indication between the communication device and the terminal device, the air interface delay between the communication device and the terminal device, or the transmission method by which the communication device transmits the data stream.

[0342] In one possible implementation, the processing module 902 is further configured to:

[0343] The notification function of the communication device is activated according to the first instruction information, wherein the notification function is used to send the congestion status of the communication device to the user plane function network element or the terminal device.

[0344] In one possible implementation, the communication module 901 is further configured to:

[0345] Receive at least one of the first congestion acquisition method or the first notification method from the session management function network element;

[0346] Upon receiving the first congestion acquisition, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine, based on the first congestion acquisition method, at least one of the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the communication device or the usage of air interface resources, and acquire the congestion status of the communication device.

[0347] Upon receiving the first notification method, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine, based on the first notification method, that when the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, to send the congestion status of the communication device to the user plane function network element or the terminal device, determine to indicate the congestion status of the communication device through the first congestion information, or determine at least one of the following:

[0348] In one possible implementation, when obtaining the congestion status of the communication device, the processing module 902 is specifically used for:

[0349] The congestion status of the communication device is obtained based on at least one of the data volume of the data stream to be transmitted in the communication device or the usage of air interface resources.

[0350] For example, the communication device 900 may be a user plane function network element in the above embodiments, or it may be a component (such as a chip) of the user plane function network element in the above embodiments.

[0351] The communication module 901 is used to receive second instruction information from the session management function network element.

[0352] Processing module 902 is configured to activate the congestion acquisition function of the communication device according to the second indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the congestion status of the communication device during the data stream transmission of the target service; and to acquire the congestion status of the communication device;

[0353] The communication module 901 is also used to send second congestion information to the application function network element or the access network element, the second congestion information being used to indicate the congestion status of the communication device.

[0354] In one possible implementation, the communication module 901 is further configured to:

[0355] Receive first congestion information from the access network element;

[0356] The processing module 902 is further configured to obtain the congestion status of the access network element based on the first congestion information;

[0357] The communication module 901 is also used to send the first congestion information to the application function network element.

[0358] In one possible implementation, when obtaining the congestion status of the access network element based on the first congestion information, the processing module 902 is specifically used for:

[0359] The congestion status of the access network element is determined based on the receiving frequency of the first congestion information;

[0360] Alternatively, the first congestion information may include one or more of the following: the congestion level of the access network element, the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the access network element, the channel quality indication between the access network element and the terminal device, the air interface delay between the access network element and the terminal device, or the transmission method of the access network element for transmitting the data stream.

[0361] In one possible implementation, the processing module 902 is further configured to:

[0362] Generate a first message carrying the second congestion information;

[0363] The communication module 901 is used to send the first message to the application function network element;

[0364] Wherein, when the data stream is a downlink data stream, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the data stream, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the data stream;

[0365] Alternatively, when the data stream is a downlink data stream, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the data stream, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the application function network element configured by the application function network element.

[0366] Alternatively, when the data stream is an uplink data stream, the source address of the first message is the source address of the data stream, and the destination address of the first message is the destination address of the data stream.

[0367] Alternatively, when the data stream is an uplink data stream, the source address of the first message is the source address of the data stream, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the application function network element configured by the application function network element.

[0368] In one possible implementation, when sending the second congestion information to the application function network element, the communication module 901 is specifically used for:

[0369] When the data stream is a downlink data stream, the second congestion information is sent to the application function network element through the response message of the data stream;

[0370] Alternatively, when the data stream is an uplink data stream, the second congestion information is sent to the application function network element through an uplink message carrying the data of the target service.

[0371] In one possible implementation, when the congestion status of the user plane function network element is indicated by the second congestion information, the processing module 902 is specifically used for:

[0372] The frequency of sending the second congestion information indicates the congestion status of the communication device.

[0373] Alternatively, the second congestion information may include at least one of the following: the congestion level of the communication device, or the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the communication device.

[0374] In one possible implementation, the processing module 902 is further configured to:

[0375] The notification function of the communication device is activated according to the second instruction information. The notification function of the communication device is used to send the congestion status of the communication device to the application function network element or the access network element.

[0376] In one possible implementation, the communication module 901 is further configured to:

[0377] Receive at least one of the second congestion acquisition method or the second notification method from the session management function network element;

[0378] Upon receiving the second congestion acquisition method, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine, based on the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the communication device, the congestion status of the communication device according to the second congestion acquisition method;

[0379] Upon receiving the second notification method, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine, based on the second notification method, that when the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, to send the congestion status of the communication device to the application function network element or the access network element, to determine to indicate the congestion status of the communication device through the second congestion information, or to determine at least one of the following: a message carrying the second congestion information.

[0380] In one possible implementation, when obtaining the congestion status of the communication device, the processing module 902 is specifically used for:

[0381] The congestion status of the communication device is obtained based on the amount of data in the data stream to be transmitted in the communication device.

[0382] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, all units in the device can be implemented entirely through software calls from processing elements; all units can be implemented entirely in hardware; or some units can be implemented through software calls from processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, each unit can be a separate processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip within the device. Alternatively, it can be stored as a program in memory, called and executed by a processing element of the device. Moreover, these units can be fully or partially integrated together, or implemented independently. The processing element here can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the operations or units described above can be implemented through integrated logic circuits in the processor element or through software calls from processing elements.

[0383] In one example, a unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods described above, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these forms of integrated circuits. As another example, when a unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), or other processor capable of calling programs. Furthermore, these units can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0384] The receiving unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices. The transmitting unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to transmit signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transmitting unit is an interface circuit for the chip to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

[0385] Please refer to Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, used to implement the operations of access network elements, user plane function network elements, or session management function network elements in the above embodiments. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface 1030. Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes a memory 1020. The interface 1030 is used to enable communication with other devices.

[0386] In the above embodiments, the methods executed by the access network element, user plane function element, or session management function element can be implemented by the processor 1010 calling a program stored in the memory (which can be the memory 1020 in the access network element, user plane function element, or session management function element, or it can be external memory). That is, the communication device 1000 for implementing the functions of the access network element, user plane function element, or session management function element may include a processor 1010, which executes the methods executed by the access network element, user plane function element, or session management function element in the above method embodiments by calling a program in the memory. The processor here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities, such as a CPU. The device for the access network element, user plane function element, or session management function element can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods. For example: one or more ASICs, or one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. Alternatively, the above implementation methods can be combined.

[0387] When the communication device 1000 is used in the above method, the processor 1010 is used to implement the function of the processing module 902, and the interface 1030 is used to implement the function of the transceiver module 901.

[0388] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0389] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or operate the described functions using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor; alternatively, it can also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented using a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0390] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments of this application can be directly embedded in hardware, software units executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software units can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can be housed in an ASIC.

[0391] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0392] In one or more exemplary implementations, the functions described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of these three. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted on a computer-readable medium in the form of one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. For example, such computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and other forms that can be read by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Furthermore, any connection can be suitably defined as a computer-readable medium, for example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server or other remote resource via a coaxial cable, fiber optic computer, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wirelessly, such as infrared, wireless and microwave, it is also included in the defined computer-readable medium. The disks and discs mentioned include compressed disks, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically copy data magnetically, while discs typically copy data optically using lasers. Combinations of these can also be contained in computer-readable media.

[0393] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0394] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific implementations of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made based on the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application should be included within the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. The above description of this application specification allows any artist in the art to utilize or implement the content of the embodiments of this application. Any modifications based on the disclosed content should be considered obvious in the art. The basic principles described in the embodiments of this application can be applied to other variations without departing from the inventive nature and scope of this application. Therefore, the content disclosed in the embodiments of this application is not limited to the described embodiments and implementations, but can be extended to the maximum scope consistent with the principles of this application and the disclosed new features.

[0395] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and modifications to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, the embodiments of this application are also intended to include these modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The access network element receives first indication information from a session management function network element; The access network element receives at least one of a first congestion acquisition mode or a first notification mode from the session management function network element, wherein the first congestion acquisition mode is used to determine to acquire the congestion condition of the access network element according to at least one of the data amount of a data flow to be transmitted in the access network element or the usage of air interface resources, and the first notification mode is used to determine at least one of sending the congestion condition of the access network element to a user plane function network element or a terminal device when the data amount of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, indicating the congestion condition of the access network element by first congestion information, or determining a message carrying the first congestion information; The access network element activates a congestion acquisition function of the access network element according to the first indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is used to acquire the congestion condition of the access network element in the data flow transmission process of a target service; The access network element acquires the congestion condition of the access network element; The access network element sends the first congestion information to the user plane function network element or the terminal device, and indicates the congestion condition of the access network element by the first congestion information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The access network element receives second congestion information from the user plane function network element; The access network element learns the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to the second congestion information; The access network element sends the second congestion information to the terminal device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein The access network element learns the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to the second congestion information, comprising: The access network element learns the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to the receiving frequency of the second congestion information; or The second congestion information comprises at least one of the congestion level of the user plane function network element or the data amount of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function network element.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The access network element sends the first congestion information to the terminal device, comprising: The access network element sends the first congestion information to the terminal device through a medium access control control element message or high layer signaling.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The method further comprises: The access network element determines a logical channel carrying the medium access control control element message according to the quality of service flow identifier of the target service, the correspondence between the quality of service flow identifier and the data radio bearer identifier, and the correspondence between the data radio bearer identifier and the logical channel identifier.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The access network element indicates the congestion condition of the access network element by the first congestion information, comprising: The access network element indicates the congestion condition of the access network element by the sending frequency of the first congestion information; or The first congestion information includes one or more of the following: a congestion level of the access network element, a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the access network element, a channel quality indication between the access network element and the terminal device, an air interface delay between the access network element and the terminal device, or a transmission mode of the access network element for transmitting the data flow.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The access network element activates a notification function of the access network element according to the first indication information, wherein the notification function of the access network element is configured to send a congestion condition of the access network element to the user plane function element or the terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the access network element receives the first congestion acquisition mode, the access network element determines to acquire the congestion condition of the access network element according to at least one of a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the access network element or a usage condition of air interface resources according to the first congestion acquisition mode; When the access network element receives the first notification mode, the access network element determines to send the congestion condition of the access network element to the user plane function element or the terminal device when the data volume of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, to indicate the congestion condition of the access network element by the first congestion information, or to determine at least one of a message carrying the first congestion information according to the first notification mode.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The access network element acquires the congestion condition of the access network element, including: The access network element acquires the congestion condition of the access network element according to at least one of a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the access network element or a usage condition of air interface resources.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: Including: The user plane function element receives second indication information from a session management function element; The user plane function element receives at least one of a second congestion acquisition mode or a second notification mode from the session management function element, wherein the second congestion acquisition mode is configured to determine to acquire a congestion condition of the user plane function element according to a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function element, and the second notification mode is configured to determine at least one of to send the congestion condition of the user plane function element to an application function element or an access network element when the data volume of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, to indicate the congestion condition of the user plane function element by second congestion information, or to determine a message carrying the second congestion information; The user plane function element activates a congestion acquisition function of the user plane function element according to the second indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is configured to acquire the congestion condition of the user plane function element in a data flow transmission process of a target service; The user plane function element acquires the congestion condition of the user plane function element; The user plane function element sends the second congestion information to the application function element or the access network element, and indicates the congestion condition of the user plane function element by the second congestion information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method further includes: The user plane function network element receives first congestion information from the access network element; The user plane function network element learns the congestion condition of the access network element according to the first congestion information; The user plane function network element sends the first congestion information to the application function network element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The user plane function network element learns the congestion condition of the access network element according to the first congestion information, comprising: The user plane function network element learns the congestion condition of the access network element according to the receiving frequency of the first congestion information; or, The first congestion information comprises one or more of the following information: congestion level of the access network element, data volume of the data flow to be transmitted in the access network element, channel quality indication between the access network element and the terminal device, air interface delay between the access network element and the terminal device, or transmission mode of the access network element for transmitting the data flow.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element, comprising: The user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element through the network exposure function network element, wherein the second congestion information comprises identification information of the terminal device and identification information of the target service.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element, comprising: The user plane function network element generates a first message carrying the second congestion information; The user plane function network element sends the first message to the application function network element; Wherein, when the data flow is a downlink data flow, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the source address of the data flow; or, When the data flow is a downlink data flow, the source address of the first message is the destination address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the application function network element configured by the application function network element; or, When the data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is the source address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the destination address of the data flow; or, When the data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is the source address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is the address of the application function network element configured by the application function network element.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element, comprising: When the data flow is a downlink data flow, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element through the response message of the data flow; or, When the data flow is an uplink data flow, the user plane function network element sends the second congestion information to the application function network element through the uplink packet carrying the data of the target service.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that, The user plane function network element indicates the congestion condition of the user plane function network element through the second congestion information, comprising: The user plane function network element indicates the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to the sending frequency of the second congestion information; or, The second congestion information includes at least one of a congestion level of the user plane function network element or a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function network element.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The user plane function network element activates a notification function of the user plane function network element according to the second indication information, where the notification function of the user plane function network element is configured to send a congestion condition of the user plane function network element to the application function network element or the access network network element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the user plane function network element receives the second congestion acquisition mode, the user plane function network element determines to acquire the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function network element according to the second congestion acquisition mode; When the user plane function network element receives the second notification mode, the user plane function network element determines to send the congestion condition of the user plane function network element to the application function network element or the access network network element when the data volume of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, to determine to indicate the congestion condition of the user plane function network element through the second congestion information, or to determine at least one of a message carrying the second congestion information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that, The user plane function network element acquires the congestion condition of the user plane function network element, including: The user plane function network element acquires the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function network element.

20. A communications device, characterized by The communication module and the processing module are included; The communication module is configured to receive first indication information from a session management function network element; The communication module is further configured to receive at least one of a first congestion acquisition mode or a first notification mode from the session management function network element, where the first congestion acquisition mode is configured to determine to acquire a congestion condition of the access network network element according to at least one of a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the access network network element or a usage condition of a radio resource, and the first notification mode is configured to determine at least one of to send the congestion condition of the access network network element to a user plane function network element or a terminal device when the data volume of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, to indicate the congestion condition of the access network network element through first congestion information, or to carry the first congestion information in a message The processing module is configured to activate a congestion acquisition function of the communication device according to the first indication information, where the congestion acquisition function is configured to acquire a congestion condition of the communication device in a data flow transmission process of a target service, and to acquire the congestion condition of the communication device. The communication module is further configured to send the first congestion information to the user plane function network element or the terminal device, and to indicate the congestion condition of the communication device through the first congestion information.

21. The communication apparatus according to claim 20, wherein, The communication module is further configured to: receive second congestion information from the user plane function network element; The processing module is further configured to acquire the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to the second congestion information. The communication module is further configured to send the second congestion information to the terminal device.

22. The communication apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, When the congestion condition of the user plane function network element is learned according to the second congestion information, the processing module is specifically configured to: learn the congestion condition of the user plane function network element through a receiving frequency of the second congestion information; or The second congestion information includes at least one of a congestion level of the user plane function network element or a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function network element.

23. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 20-22, wherein, When the first congestion information is sent to the terminal device, the communication module is specifically configured to: send the first congestion information to the terminal device through a medium access control control element message or high layer signaling.

24. The communication apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, The processing module is further configured to: determine a logical channel carrying the medium access control control element message according to a quality of service flow identifier of the target service, a correspondence between the quality of service flow identifier and a data radio bearer identifier, and a correspondence between the data radio bearer identifier and a logical channel identifier.

25. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 20-24, wherein, When the congestion condition of the communication apparatus is indicated through the first congestion information, the processing module is specifically configured to: use a sending frequency of the first congestion information to indicate the congestion condition of the communication apparatus; or The first congestion information includes one or more of the following information: a congestion level of the communication apparatus, a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the communication apparatus, a channel quality indicator between the communication apparatus and the terminal device, an air interface delay between the communication apparatus and the terminal device, or a transmission mode of the communication apparatus for transmitting the data flow.

26. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 20-25, wherein, The processing module is further configured to: activate a notification function of the communication apparatus according to the first indication information, where the notification function is used to send the congestion condition of the communication apparatus to the user plane function network element or the terminal device.

27. The communication apparatus according to any of claims 20 to 26, wherein When the first congestion acquisition is received, the processing module is further configured to determine, according to the first congestion acquisition mode, that the congestion condition of the communication apparatus is acquired according to at least one of a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the communication apparatus or a usage condition of air interface resources; When the first notification mode is received, the processing module is further configured to determine, according to the first notification mode, that at least one of the following is determined: the congestion condition of the communication apparatus is sent to the user plane function network element or the terminal device when the data volume of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the congestion condition of the communication apparatus is indicated through the first congestion information, or a message carrying the first congestion information.

28. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 20-27, wherein, When the congestion condition of the communication apparatus is acquired, the processing module is specifically configured to: acquire the congestion condition of the communication apparatus according to at least one of a data volume of a data flow to be transmitted in the communication apparatus or a usage condition of air interface resources.

29. A communications device, characterized by comprise a communication module and a processing module; The communication module is configured to receive second indication information from a session management function network element; The communication module is configured to receive second indication information from a session management function network element; The communication module is further configured to receive at least one of a second congestion acquisition manner or a second notification manner from the session management function network element, wherein the second congestion acquisition manner is configured to determine to acquire the congestion condition of the user plane function network element according to a data amount of a data flow to be transmitted in the user plane function network element, and the second notification manner is configured to determine to at least one of send the congestion condition of the user plane function network element to an application function network element or an access network network element when the data amount of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, send the congestion condition of the user plane function network element to the application function network element or the access network network element, send second congestion information indicating the congestion condition of the user plane function network element, or send a message carrying the second congestion information. The processing module is configured to activate a congestion acquisition function of the communication device according to the second indication information, wherein the congestion acquisition function is configured to acquire the congestion condition of the communication device in a data flow transmission process of a target service. The communication module is further configured to send second congestion information to the application function network element or the access network network element, wherein the second congestion information is configured to indicate the congestion condition of the communication device.

30. The communication apparatus according to claim 29, wherein, The communication module is further configured to: receive first congestion information from the access network network element; The processing module is further configured to acquire the congestion condition of the access network network element according to the first congestion information. The communication module is further configured to send the first congestion information to the application function network element.

31. The communication apparatus according to claim 30, wherein In the process of acquiring the congestion condition of the access network network element according to the first congestion information, the processing module is specifically configured to: acquire the congestion condition of the access network network element according to a receiving frequency of the first congestion information; or The first congestion information includes one or more of the following information: a congestion level of the access network network element, a data amount of a data flow to be transmitted in the access network network element, a channel quality indication between the access network network element and a terminal device, an air interface delay between the access network network element and the terminal device, or a transmission manner of the access network network element in transmitting the data flow.

32. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 29-31, wherein, In the process of sending the second congestion information to the application function network element, the communication module is specifically configured to: send the second congestion information to the application function network element through a network exposure function network element, wherein the second congestion information includes identification information of a terminal device and identification information of the target service.

33. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 29-31, wherein, The processing module is further configured to: generate a first message carrying the second congestion information; The communication module is configured to send the first message to the application function network element. When the data flow is a downlink data flow, a source address of the first message is a destination address of the data flow, and a destination address of the first message is a source address of the data flow; or When the data flow is a downlink data flow, a source address of the first message is a destination address of the data flow, and a destination address of the first message is an address of an application function network element configured by the application function network element; or In a case that the data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is a source address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is an address of an application function network element configured by the application function network element. In a case that the data flow is an uplink data flow, the source address of the first message is a source address of the data flow, and the destination address of the first message is an address of an application function network element configured by the application function network element.

34. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 29-31, wherein, In the sending of the second congestion information to the application function network element, the communication module is specifically configured to: In a case that the data flow is a downlink data flow, the second congestion information is sent to the application function network element through a response message of the data flow; or In a case that the data flow is an uplink data flow, the second congestion information is sent to the application function network element through an uplink packet carrying data of the target service.

35. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 29-34, wherein, In the indication of the congestion situation of the user plane function network element through the second congestion information, the processing module is specifically configured to: The sending frequency of the second congestion information is used to indicate the congestion situation of the communication device; or The second congestion information includes at least one of a congestion level of the communication device or a data amount of a data flow to be transmitted in the communication device.

36. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 29-35, wherein, The processing module is further configured to: According to the second indication information, the notification function of the communication device is activated, and the notification function of the communication device is used to send the congestion situation of the communication device to the application function network element or the access network element.

37. The communication device of any one of claims 29 to 36, wherein In the receiving of the second congestion acquisition manner, the processing module is further configured to determine, according to the second congestion acquisition manner, that the congestion situation of the communication device is acquired according to the data amount of the data flow to be transmitted in the communication device; In the receiving of the second notification manner, the processing module is further configured to determine, according to the second notification manner, that the congestion situation of the communication device is sent to the application function network element or the access network element when the data amount of the data flow to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, to determine that the congestion situation of the communication device is indicated through the second congestion information, or to determine at least one of the messages carrying the second congestion information.

38. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 37, characterized by, In the acquisition of the congestion situation of the communication device, the processing module is specifically configured to: The congestion situation of the communication device is acquired according to the data amount of the data flow to be transmitted in the communication device.

39. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a memory and one or more processors, and the memory is coupled to the one or more processors; The memory is used to store a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the communication device performs the method in any one of claims 1 to 9.

40. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a memory and one or more processors, and the memory is coupled to the one or more processors; The memory is configured to store a computer program or instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 10 to 19.

41. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising: The computer readable storage medium has stored therein instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

42. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored therein instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 10 to 19.

43. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises a computer program which, when executed, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 10 to 19 to be implemented.

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