Wireless communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a wireless communication method and device, and a network element of a core network can determine the actually transmitted downlink data volume based on the information of a discarded data set and / or the information of a successfully transmitted data set. The unreasonable charging caused by the fact that the downlink data transmission quantity recorded by the core network exceeds the downlink data quantity actually received by the terminal equipment is avoided, and the user experience is improved. The wireless communication method comprises the following steps: a first network element receives first information; wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following information: information of the discarded data set and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

Description

Wireless communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and device for wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] New Radio (NR) systems introduce downlink data transmission at the data set level. Each data set consists of multiple packets. If one or more packets in a data set cannot be transmitted correctly (for example, they are discarded by the access network device), the remaining packets in the data set, even if correctly transmitted to the terminal device, cannot be correctly decoded at the application layer. Therefore, the access network device may directly discard the remaining packets in the data set and no longer transmit them to the terminal device. In this case, the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeds the actual downlink data volume received by the terminal device, resulting in unreasonable billing.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a method and device for wireless communication, in which a core network element can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on information about a discarded data set and / or information about a successfully transmitted data set, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, and improving the user experience.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, the method comprising:

[0006] The first network element receives first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information of a discarded data set, information of a successfully transmitted data set.

[0007] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, the method comprising:

[0008] The second network element sends first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information of a discarded data set, information of a successfully transmitted data set.

[0009] According to a third aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, the method comprising:

[0010] The third network element receives a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit;

[0011] The target unit is a unit to which the data set associated with the first information belongs, and the first information includes at least one of the following: information about the discarded data set, information about the successfully transmitted data set;

[0012] The target unit is at least one of the following: a PDU session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

[0013] In a fourth aspect, a network device is provided for executing the method in the first aspect.

[0014] Specifically, the network device is a first network element, and the network device includes a functional module for executing the method in the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0015] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided for executing the method in the second aspect.

[0016] Specifically, the network device is a second network element, and the network device includes a functional module for executing the method in the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0017] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided for executing the method in the third aspect.

[0018] Specifically, the network device is a third network element, and the network device includes a functional module for executing the method in the above-mentioned third aspect.

[0019] In the seventh aspect, a network device is provided, which is a first network element and includes a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0020] In the eighth aspect, a network device is provided, which is a second network element, and the network device includes a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the method in the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0021] In the ninth aspect, a network device is provided, which is a third network element, and the network device includes a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the method in the above-mentioned third aspect.

[0022] In a tenth aspect, a device is provided for implementing the method in any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0023] Specifically, the apparatus includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the apparatus executes the method in any one of the first to third aspects described above.

[0024] In an eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the method in any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0025] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions enable a computer to execute the method in any one of the above-mentioned first to third aspects.

[0026] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0027] Through the above technical solution, the core network network element can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on the information of the discarded data set and / or the information of the successfully transmitted data set, avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applied in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applied in an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture applied in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of determining data transmission volume provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of another wireless communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of another network device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of another network device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] FIG11 is a schematic block diagram of a device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. With respect to the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0041] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Internet of Things (IoT), Wireless Fidelity (WFI) system. Fidelity, WiFi), fifth-generation communication (5G) system, sixth-generation communication (6G) system or other communication systems.

[0042] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, sidelink (SL) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0043] In some embodiments, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, an independent (SA) networking scenario, or a non-standalone (NSA) networking scenario.

[0044] In some embodiments, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, where the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0045] In some embodiments, the communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the FR1 frequency band (corresponding to the frequency band range of 410MHz to 7.125GHz), can also be applied to the FR2 frequency band (corresponding to the frequency band range of 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz), and can also be applied to new frequency bands such as high-frequency bands corresponding to the frequency band range of 52.6GHz to 71GHz or the frequency band range of 71GHz to 114.25GHz.

[0046] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0047] The terminal device can be a station (ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, an in-vehicle communication device, a wireless communication chip / application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) / system on chip (SoC), etc.

[0050] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in WLAN, a base station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a network device or base station (gNB) or a transmission reception point (TRP) in a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0052] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. In some embodiments, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. In some embodiments, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0054] For example, a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG1 . The communication system 100 may include a network device 110, which may be a device that communicates with a terminal device 120 (or a communication terminal or terminal). The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area and may communicate with terminal devices within the coverage area.

[0055] FIG1 exemplarily shows a network device and two terminal devices. In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include another number of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may further include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0057] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, a device having a communication function in a network / system may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120 having a communication function. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may be the specific devices described above and will not be described in detail here. The communication device may also include other devices in the communication system 100, such as a network controller, a mobility management entity, and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0058] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0059] The terms used in the embodiments of this application are intended only to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0060] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0061] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., a terminal device and a network device). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-definition may refer to information defined in a protocol.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communications field, for example, it may be an evolution of an existing LTE protocol, NR protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, or a protocol related to other communication systems. The present application does not limit the protocol type.

[0064] In some embodiments, the network system architecture of the present application may be as shown in FIG2 or FIG3 . The core network elements shown in FIG2 are connected to each other through agreed interfaces, and the core network elements shown in FIG3 interact by calling services provided by the network elements. The present invention does not limit the interface method or service calling mode used between the network elements. Among them, the UE establishes an access layer connection with the access network (including the radio access network, RAN; or access network, AN) through the Uu interface, exchanging access layer messages and wireless data transmission. The UE establishes a non-access stratum (NAS) connection with the access and mobility management function (AMF) entity through the N1 interface, exchanging NAS messages. The AMF entity is the mobility management function in the core network, and the session management function (SMF) entity is the session management function in the core network. In addition to performing mobility management for the UE, the AMF entity is also responsible for forwarding session management-related messages between the UE and the SMF entity. The policy control function (PCF) entity is the policy management function in the core network, responsible for formulating policies related to mobility management, session management, billing, etc. for the UE. The user plane function (UPF) entity is a user plane function in the core network, which transmits data with the external data network through the N6 interface and transmits data with the AN through the N3 interface.

[0065] Specifically, in Figure 2, the UE and the (R)AN are connected through the Uu interface, the UE and the AMF entity are connected through the N1 interface, the (R)AN and the AMF entity are connected through the N2 interface, the (R)AN and the UPF entity are connected through the N3 interface, different UPF entities are connected through the N9 interface, the UPF entity and the DN are connected through the N6 interface, the UPF entity and the SMF entity are connected through the N4 interface, different AMF entities are connected through the N14 interface, the AMF entity and the SMF entity are connected through the N11 interface, the AMF entity and the PCF entity are connected through the N15 interface, the SMF entity and the PCF entity are connected through the N7 interface, and the PCF entity and the AF entity are connected through the N5 interface.

[0066] Specifically, in Figure 3, the UE and the (R)AN are connected through the Uu interface, the UE and the AMF entity are connected through the N1 interface, the (R)AN and the AMF entity are connected through the N2 interface, the (R)AN and the UPF entity are connected through the N3 interface, different UPF entities are connected through the N9 interface, the UPF entity and the DN are connected through the N6 interface, the UPF entity and the SMF entity are connected through the N4 interface, the AMF entity calls the service provided by the network element through the Namf interface, the SMF entity calls the service provided by the network element through the Nsmf interface, the PCF entity calls the service provided by the network element through the Npcf interface, and the AF entity calls the service provided by the network element through the Naf interface.

[0067] The application function (AF) entity is used to interact with 3GPP core network elements to support application-affected data routing, access network exposure functions, and interact with PCF entities for policy control.

[0068] A data network (DN) provides data services to users, such as IP Multimedia Service (IMS) networks and the Internet. A DN can contain multiple application servers (ASs) that provide different application services, such as carrier services, Internet access, or third-party services. The ASs implement the functions of an AF entity.

[0069] Application-layer data exchanged between UEs and application servers, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), cloud gaming, and live video streaming, is typically encoded and compressed. During the encoding process, media data may be split into multiple data sets, each of which is independently encoded. For example, a 100x100 pixel image may be independently encoded, or the image may be split into 10 100x10 pixel blocks, each of which is independently encoded. Each data set includes multiple Internet Protocol (IP) data packets, which are sent from the application server, reach the UPF entity via the data network, and then sent to the access network device by the UPF entity. The access network device allocates wireless resources to send these IP data packets to the UE through the air interface. After receiving the data, the UE identifies the data set through the protocol layer above the IP layer (which can be called the upper layer protocol), such as the upper layer transmission protocol Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), or application layer coding protocol H.26x (H.263 / H.264 / H.265, etc.), Moving Picture Coding Experts Group (MPEG), Audio Video Coding Standard (AVS), etc., decodes each data set separately or further combines them to obtain the entire picture.

[0070] In the 5G system, the SMF entity collects data transmission reports (also called usage information, or network resource usage information, data usage information, etc.) from the UPF entity. Data transmission reports include data transmission volume, events where the data transmission volume reaches a specific threshold, etc. The SMF entity can interact with the billing system based on the data transmission reports collected from the UPF entity, thereby charging the terminal according to the terminal's data usage.

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the problems solved by the present application are described below.

[0072] In the 5G network, each data packet is transmitted independently, that is, there is no dependency between data packets. In the subsequent evolution, support for data transmission at the data set level is considered. Each data set includes multiple data packets. When one or more data packets in the same data set cannot be transmitted correctly (for example, discarded by the access network device), the remaining data packets in this data set cannot be correctly decoded at the application layer even if they are correctly transmitted to the terminal. Therefore, in this case, the access network device may directly discard the remaining data packets in the data set and no longer transmit them to the UE (that is, discard the entire data set). Because the data transmission report is provided by the UPF entity to the SMF entity, for downlink data, the data transmission volume counted by the UPF entity will include data discarded by the access network device, causing the statistics of the UE's data usage to exceed the actual data volume received by the UE, and the billing to exceed the actual usage of the UE, causing users to be dissatisfied with the operator's network billing.

[0073] Based on the above problems, the present application proposes a downlink data transmission solution, in which the core network network element can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on the information of the discarded data set and / or the information of the successfully transmitted data set, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, and improving the user experience.

[0074] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0075] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the wireless communication method 200 may include at least part of the following contents:

[0076] S210, the second network element sends first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, and information about a successfully transmitted data set;

[0077] S220: The first network element receives the first information.

[0078] In the embodiment of the present application, a data set includes multiple data packets, wherein the data in the data packets is downlink data. It should be noted that when one or more data packets in a data set cannot be correctly transmitted (for example, discarded by an access network device), the data packets in the data set cannot be correctly decoded at the application layer, and therefore the access network device may discard the data set.

[0079] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network element (core network element) can obtain information about the discarded data set and / or information about the successfully transmitted data set from the second network element, so that the first network element can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on the information about the discarded data set and / or information about the successfully transmitted data set, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device discards invalid data packets in the data set, causing the statistics of the UE's data usage to exceed the amount of data actually received by the UE. The embodiment of the present application can more accurately bill the data used by the terminal and improve user satisfaction.

[0081] The embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to 5G networks, but also to future 3GPP networks.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a UPF entity, or the first network element may be an SMF entity. Of course, the first network element may also be other core network elements, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second network element may be an access network device. Of course, the second network element may also be other core network elements, such as an AMF entity, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0084] In some embodiments, the information of the discarded data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0085] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0086] In some embodiments, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0087] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0088] In some embodiments, the first information further includes a first QoS flow identifier (QoS Flow Identifier, QFI); wherein the data set associated with the first information belongs to a Quality of Service (QoS) flow identified by the first QFI.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information. Of course, the first information can also be other similar names, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by a header of a first data packet. In this case, optionally, the first network element is a UPF entity, and the second network element is an access network device, and the access network device sends the first information to the UPF entity via the header of the first data packet.

[0091] Specifically, for example, the first information is carried by a GPRS user plane tunneling protocol (GPRS Tunneling Protocol for User Plane, GTP-U) packet header of the first data packet.

[0092] In some embodiments, the first data packet is a data packet carrying uplink data. Specifically, for example, the access network device may send the first information to the UPF entity via a GTP-U packet header of the data packet carrying uplink data.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first data packet is a data packet generated by the second network element. Optionally, the first data packet is an empty data packet, or the first data packet is a pre-agreed data packet, or the first data packet is a specific data packet. For example, if the access network device does not receive an uplink data packet to be transmitted from the UE, the access network device may also generate a data packet and send it to the UPF entity, such as generating an empty packet, and carrying the first information in the GTP-U packet header of the empty packet.

[0094] In some embodiments, the header of the first data packet (such as a GTP-U header) also carries a first QFI; wherein the data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by a control plane message. In this case, optionally, the first network element is an SMF entity, the second network element is an access network device, and the access network device sends the first information to the SMF entity via a control plane message.

[0096] In some embodiments, when the first network element is a UPF entity, the first network element can record the data transmission information of the downlink data. For example, for downlink data, after receiving the downlink data, the UPF entity sends the downlink data to the access network device and records the data transmission information of the downlink data. Optionally, the UPF entity records at least one of the following: data transmission volume, data set transmission volume, transmitted data set identifier, transmitted data set size, etc. Optionally, the UPF entity can also record the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter. Thus, based on the identifier of the data set and the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter, the service data flow to which the data set belongs can be determined.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first network element sends a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit; wherein, the data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit, and the target unit is at least one of the following: a protocol data unit (PDU) session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

[0098] Specifically, the first network element sends a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit to a third network element. Optionally, the third network element may be an SMF entity.

[0099] For example, the first network element is a UPF entity, and the UPF entity sends a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity can determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, and interact with the billing system based on the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network (such as the UPF entity) exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0100] It should be noted that a PDU session may include one or more QoS flows, a QoS flow may include one or more service data flows, and a service data flow may include one or more data sets.

[0101] Optionally, the data set associated with the first information belongs to a service data flow, that is, the data set associated with the first information belongs to a QoS flow and PDU session.

[0102] In some embodiments, when the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the first information and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element (such as a UPF entity) and the service data flow filter.

[0103] In some embodiments, the data transmission report is determined based on at least one of the following: content contained in the first information, data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0104] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching the first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

[0105] For example, in the data transmission report, the event information that the data transmission volume of the target unit reaches the first threshold value may be the number of times that the data transmission volume of the target unit reaches the first threshold value.

[0106] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information. That is, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit, and the SMF entity can obtain the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (that is, the actual data transmission volume of the target unit).

[0107] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information.

[0108] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information.

[0109] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information.

[0110] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0111] In some embodiments, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0112] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0113] Therefore, in this embodiment, the SMF entity can determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit based on the data transmission report, and interact with the billing system based on the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network (such as the UPF entity) exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first network element receives second information;

[0115] The second information includes the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and / or the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the UPF entity and the service data flow filter;

[0116] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit, and the target unit is at least one of the following: a PDU session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

[0117] Specifically, the first network element is an SMF entity, and the SMF entity can receive the second information directly or indirectly from the UPF entity.

[0118] In some embodiments, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity includes at least one of the following:

[0119] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first network element determines the actual data transmission volume of the target unit according to the content included in the first information and the content included in the second information.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first network element (such as an SMF entity) interacts with a billing system according to the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, thereby charging the terminal according to the data usage of the terminal.

[0122] Therefore, in this embodiment, the SMF entity can determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit based on the content contained in the first information and the content contained in the second information, and interact with the billing system based on the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network (such as the UPF entity) exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0123] In some embodiments, before the first network element receives the first information, the first network element sends first indication information;

[0124] The first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow, the at least one QoS flow includes a QoS flow identified by a first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

[0125] That is, the second network element may send the first information based on the first indication information.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first network element is a UPF entity, the second network element is an access network device, and the first indication information can be carried by a user plane message.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first network element is an SMF entity, the second network element is an access network device, and the first indication information can be carried by a control plane message.

[0128] In some embodiments, the signaling interaction process involved in the present application may be as shown in FIG5 , and may specifically include the following S11 to S13 .

[0129] S11, the SMF entity sends first indication information to the access network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the access network device to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow;

[0130] S12, the UPF entity sends second information to the SMF entity; wherein the second information includes the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and / or the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the UPF entity and the service data flow filter; wherein the target unit is at least one of the following: PDU session, QoS flow, service data flow; optionally, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit;

[0131] S13, the access network device sends first information to the SMF entity; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, information about a successfully transmitted data set; the data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit.

[0132] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the core network network element can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on the information of the discarded data set and / or the information of the successfully transmitted data set, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, and improving the user experience.

[0133] The above, in combination with Figures 4 to 5, describes in detail an embodiment of the first network element of the present application. The following, in combination with Figure 6, describes in detail an embodiment of the third network element of the present application. It should be understood that the embodiment of the third network element corresponds to the embodiment of the first network element, and similar descriptions can refer to the embodiment of the first network element.

[0134] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the wireless communication method 300 may include at least part of the following contents:

[0135] S310, the third network element receives a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit; wherein, the target unit is the unit to which the data set associated with the first information belongs, and the first information includes at least one of the following: information of the discarded data set, information of the successfully transmitted data set; the target unit is at least one of the following: PDU session, QoS flow, service data flow.

[0136] In the embodiment of the present application, a data set includes multiple data packets, wherein the data in the data packets is downlink data. It should be noted that when one or more data packets in a data set cannot be correctly transmitted (for example, discarded by an access network device), the data packets in the data set cannot be correctly decoded at the application layer, and therefore the access network device may discard the data set.

[0137] In the embodiment of the present application, the first information may be sent by the access network device to the first network element. That is, the access network device may determine information about discarded data sets and / or information about successfully transmitted data sets.

[0138] In some embodiments, the third network element receives a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit sent by the first network element.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first network element may be a UPF entity, and the third network element may be an SMF entity. Of course, the first network element may also be another core network element, and the third network element may also be another core network element, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] In an embodiment of the present application, the third network element (such as an SMF entity) can receive a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit from the first network element (such as an UPF entity), so that the third network element (such as an SMF entity) can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on the data transmission report corresponding to the target unit, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission amount recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data amount actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device discards invalid data packets in the data set, causing the statistics of the UE's data usage to exceed the amount of data actually received by the UE. The embodiment of the present application can more accurately bill the data used by the terminal and improve user satisfaction.

[0142] The embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to 5G networks, but also to future 3GPP networks.

[0143] In some embodiments, the information of the discarded data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0144] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0145] In some embodiments, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0146] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first information further includes a first QFI; wherein the data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information. Of course, the first information can also be other similar names, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0149] In some embodiments, the third network element (such as an SMF entity) sends first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element (such as an access network device) to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow, the at least one QoS flow includes a QoS flow identified by a first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI. Optionally, the first indication information can be carried by a control plane message.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by a header of a first data packet. Specifically, for example, the access network device sends the first information to the UPF entity through the header of the first data packet.

[0151] For example, the first information is carried by a GTP-U header of the first data packet.

[0152] In some embodiments, the first data packet is a data packet carrying uplink data. Specifically, for example, the access network device may send the first information to the UPF entity via a GTP-U packet header of the data packet carrying uplink data.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first data packet is a data packet generated by the access network device itself. Optionally, the first data packet is an empty data packet, or the first data packet is a pre-agreed data packet, or the first data packet is a specific data packet. For example, if the access network device does not receive an uplink data packet to be transmitted from the UE, the access network device may also generate a data packet and send it to the UPF entity, such as generating an empty packet, and carrying the first information in the GTP-U header of the empty packet.

[0154] In some embodiments, the header of the first data packet (such as a GTP-U header) also carries a first QFI; wherein the data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0155] In some embodiments, when the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the first information and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element (such as a UPF entity) and the service data flow filter.

[0156] In some embodiments, after receiving downlink data, the UPF entity sends the downlink data to the access network device and records the data transmission information for the downlink data. Optionally, the UPF entity records at least one of the following: data transmission volume, data set transmission volume, transmitted data set identifier, and transmitted data set size. Optionally, the UPF entity may also record the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter. Thus, based on the data set identifier and the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter, the service data flow to which the data set belongs can be determined.

[0157] In some embodiments, the data transmission report corresponding to the target unit is determined based on at least one of the following: the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0158] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching a first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

[0159] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching the first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

[0160] For example, in the data transmission report, the event information that the data transmission volume of the target unit reaches the first threshold value may be the number of times that the data transmission volume of the target unit reaches the first threshold value.

[0161] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity) and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information. That is, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit, and the SMF entity can obtain the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (that is, the actual data transmission volume of the target unit).

[0162] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity) and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity) and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information.

[0163] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity) and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity) and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information.

[0164] In some embodiments, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity), the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity), the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the first information.

[0165] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as UPF entity), and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element (such as UPF entity) and the service data flow filter.

[0166] In some embodiments, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element (such as a UPF entity) includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0167] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0168] In some embodiments, the third network element determines the actual data transmission volume of the target unit based on the data transmission report.

[0169] Therefore, in this embodiment, the SMF entity can determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit based on the data transmission report, and interact with the billing system based on the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network (such as the UPF entity) exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0170] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the core network network element can determine the actual amount of downlink data transmitted based on the information of the discarded data set and / or the information of the successfully transmitted data set, thereby avoiding unreasonable billing caused by the downlink data transmission volume recorded by the core network exceeding the downlink data volume actually received by the terminal device, and improving the user experience.

[0171] The technical solution of this application is described in detail below through specific examples 1 and 2.

[0172] In Example 1, for downlink data, after receiving the downlink data, the UPF entity sends the downlink data to the access network device and records the data transmission information of the downlink data (also known as the data transmission status). Optionally, the UPF entity records at least one of the following: data transmission volume, data set transmission volume, transmitted data set identifier, transmitted data set size, etc. Optionally, the UPF entity can also record the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter. Thus, based on the data set identifier and the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter, the service data flow to which the data set belongs can be determined.

[0173] The access network device receives downlink data. In some cases, the access network device may discard one or more data sets. After discarding the data packets of the data set, the access network device sends a data set transmission report (also known as a data set usage report, data set usage information, etc.) for the downlink data to the UPF entity. The data set transmission report includes one or more of the following: information about the discarded data set and information about the successfully transmitted data set.

[0174] Optionally, the information of the discarded data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0175] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0176] Optionally, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0177] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0178] Optionally, the data set transmission report further includes a first QFI; wherein the data set associated with the data set transmission report belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0179] Specifically, the data set transmission report sent by the access network device to the UPF entity can be carried in the data packet header of the uplink data and sent to the UPF entity, for example, carried in the GTP-U packet header of the uplink data and sent to the UPF entity. If the access network device does not receive the uplink data packet that needs to be transmitted from the UE, the access network device can also generate a data packet carrying the data set transmission report and send it to the UPF entity. For example, the access network device generates an empty packet, carries the data set transmission report in the GTP-U packet header of the empty packet, and sends it to the UPF entity. Optionally, the data packet header can also carry the QoS flow identifier (QFI) to which the data set associated with the data set transmission report belongs.

[0180] After receiving the data set transmission report, the UPF entity sends a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit to the SMF entity; and the target unit is at least one of the following: PDU session, QoS flow, business data flow.

[0181] Optionally, when the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the data set transmission report belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the data set transmission report belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the data set transmission report and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element (such as the UPF entity) and the service data flow filter.

[0182] Optionally, the UPF entity generates a data transmission report that needs to be reported to the SMF entity based on at least one of the following: a data set transmission report received from the access network device, and data transmission information of downlink data recorded by the UPF entity, and a correspondence between a data set identifier recorded by the UPF entity and a service data flow filter. Optionally, the data transmission report includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching a first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set. That is, the SMF entity interacts with the billing system based on the data transmission report collected from the UPF entity, thereby billing the terminal based on the data usage of the terminal.

[0183] For example, in a data transmission report, the event information that the data transmission amount of the target unit reaches the first threshold value may be the number of times that the data transmission amount of the target unit reaches the first threshold value.

[0184] Optionally, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the data set transmission report. That is, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit, and the SMF entity can obtain the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (that is, the actual data transmission volume of the target unit).

[0185] Optionally, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the data set transmission report. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the data set transmission report.

[0186] Optionally, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the data set transmission report. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume of successful transmission in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the data set transmission report.

[0187] Optionally, in the data transmission report, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the data set transmission report, and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the data set transmission report. Specifically, the SMF entity can determine the data transmission volume successfully transmitted in the target unit (i.e., the actual data transmission volume of the target unit) based on the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the data set transmission report, and the data transmission volume successfully transmitted based on the data set transmission report.

[0188] Optionally, the data transmission report includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the data set transmission report, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity, and the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter recorded by the UPF entity. That is, the UPF entity sends the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter to the SMF entity, and also sends the data set transmission report of the target unit received from the access network device to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity can determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit (such as the service data flow). The UPF entity also sends the data transmission volume of the target unit (such as the service data flow) recorded by itself to the SMF entity, and the SMF entity determines the information for interaction with the billing system.

[0189] Optionally, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0190] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0191] In embodiment 2, the SMF entity sends first indication information to the access network device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the access network device to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow.

[0192] For downlink data, after receiving the downlink data, the UPF entity sends the downlink data to the access network device and records the data transmission information of the downlink data (also known as the data transmission status). Optionally, the UPF entity records at least one of the following: data transmission volume, data set transmission volume, transmitted data set identifier, transmitted data set size, etc. Optionally, the UPF entity can also record the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter. Thus, based on the data set identifier and the correspondence between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter, the service data flow to which the data set belongs can be determined.

[0193] The access network device receives downlink data. In some cases, the access network device may discard one or more data sets. After discarding the data packets of the data set, the access network device sends a data set transmission report (also known as a data set usage report, data set usage information, etc.) of the downlink data to the SMF entity, where the data set transmission report includes one or more of the following: information about the discarded data set and information about the successfully transmitted data set.

[0194] Optionally, the information of the discarded data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0195] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0196] Optionally, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0197] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0198] Optionally, the data set transmission report further includes a first QFI, wherein the data set associated with the data set transmission report belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI. Specifically, the at least one QoS flow includes the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0199] The UPF entity sends the data transmission information of the target unit it records to the SMF entity, and optionally sends the corresponding relationship between the data set identifier and the service data flow filter to the SMF entity. The target unit is at least one of the following: PDU session, QoS flow, service data flow.

[0200] Optionally, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0201] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0202] Optionally, the SMF entity can determine the information for interaction with the billing system based on the data transmission information recorded by the UPF entity and the data set transmission report received from the access network device. For example, the data transmission volume of the target unit that needs to be billed can be generated by subtracting the discarded data volume of the target unit obtained from the access network device from the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity.

[0203] Optionally, the SMF entity determines the data set transmission report of the target unit (such as the business data flow) based on the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the UPF entity and the business data flow filter, and the data set transmission report received from the access network device; the SMF entity can then generate the data transmission volume of the target unit (such as the business data flow) that needs to be billed based on the data transmission volume of the target unit (such as the business data flow) recorded by the UPF.

[0204] The SMF entity interacts with the billing system based on the actual data transmission volume of the target unit, thereby charging the terminal according to the terminal's data usage.

[0205] The above text, in combination with Figures 4 to 6, describes in detail the method embodiment of the present application. The following text, in combination with Figures 7 to 12, describes in detail the device embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the device embodiment and the method embodiment correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can refer to the method embodiment.

[0206] FIG7 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 400 is a first network element. As shown in FIG7 , the network device 400 includes:

[0207] The communication unit 410 is configured to receive first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, and information about a successfully transmitted data set.

[0208] In some embodiments, the information of the discarded data set includes at least one of the following:

[0209] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0210] In some embodiments, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes at least one of the following:

[0211] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0212] In some embodiments, the first information further includes a first QoS flow identifier QFI;

[0213] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the quality of service QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by a header of the first data packet.

[0215] In some embodiments, the first data packet is a data packet carrying uplink data, or the first data packet is a data packet generated by the second network element itself.

[0216] In some embodiments, the header of the first data packet further carries a first QFI;

[0217] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0218] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to send a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit;

[0219] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit, and the target unit is at least one of the following: a protocol data unit PDU session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

[0220] In some embodiments, when the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, when the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the first information and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0221] In some embodiments, the data transmission report is determined based on at least one of the following: content contained in the first information, data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0222] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching a first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

[0223] In some embodiments, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes a difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or

[0224] The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or,

[0225] The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the first information; or,

[0226] The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the successfully transmitted data transmission volume determined based on the first information.

[0227] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0228] In some embodiments, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element includes at least one of the following:

[0229] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0230] In some embodiments, the first network element is a user plane function UPF entity.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first information is carried via a control plane message.

[0232] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to receive second information;

[0233] The second information includes the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and / or the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the UPF entity and the service data flow filter;

[0234] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit, and the target unit is at least one of the following: a PDU session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

[0235] In some embodiments, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity includes at least one of the following:

[0236] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0237] In some embodiments, the network device 400 further includes:

[0238] The processing unit 420 is configured to determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit according to the content of the first information and the content of the second information.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first network element is a session management function SMF entity.

[0240] In some embodiments, before receiving the first information, the communication unit 410 is further configured to send first indication information;

[0241] The first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow, the at least one QoS flow includes a QoS flow identified by a first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

[0242] In some embodiments, the second network element is an access network device.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information.

[0244] In some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0245] It should be understood that the network device 400 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the first network element in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the network device 400 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the first network element in the method 200 shown in Figure 4. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0246] FIG8 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 500 is a second network element. As shown in FIG8 , the network device 500 includes:

[0247] The communication unit 510 is configured to send first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, and information about a successfully transmitted data set.

[0248] In some embodiments, the information of the discarded data set includes at least one of the following:

[0249] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0250] In some embodiments, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes at least one of the following:

[0251] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0252] In some embodiments, the first information further includes a first QoS flow identifier QFI;

[0253] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the quality of service QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0254] In some embodiments, the first information is carried by a header of the first data packet.

[0255] In some embodiments, the first data packet is a data packet carrying uplink data, or the first data packet is a data packet generated by the second network element itself.

[0256] In some embodiments, the header of the first data packet further carries a first QFI;

[0257] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0258] In some embodiments, the first information is carried via a control plane message.

[0259] In some embodiments, before the second network element sends the first information, the communication unit 510 is further configured to receive first indication information;

[0260] The first indication information is used to indicate the transmission status of the data set of at least one QoS flow reported by the second network element, the at least one QoS flow includes the QoS flow identified by the first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

[0261] In some embodiments, the first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information.

[0262] In some embodiments, the second network element is an access network device.

[0263] In some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0264] It should be understood that the network device 500 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the second network element in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the network device 500 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the second network element in the method 200 shown in Figure 4. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0265] FIG9 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 600 is a third network element. As shown in FIG9 , the network device 600 includes:

[0266] The communication unit 610 is configured to receive a data transmission report corresponding to a target unit;

[0267] The target unit is a unit to which the data set associated with the first information belongs, and the first information includes at least one of the following: information about the discarded data set, information about the successfully transmitted data set;

[0268] The target unit is at least one of the following: a protocol data unit (PDU) session, a quality of service (QoS) flow, or a business data flow.

[0269] In some embodiments, the information of the discarded data set includes at least one of the following:

[0270] The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

[0271] In some embodiments, the information of the successfully transmitted data set includes at least one of the following:

[0272] The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

[0273] In some embodiments, the first information further includes a first QoS flow identifier QFI;

[0274] The data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

[0275] In some embodiments, the data transmission report is determined based on at least one of the following: content contained in the first information, data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0276] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching a first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

[0277] In some embodiments, the data transmission volume of the target unit includes a difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or

[0278] The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or,

[0279] The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the first information; or,

[0280] The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the successfully transmitted data transmission volume determined based on the first information.

[0281] In some embodiments, the data transmission report includes at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0282] In some embodiments, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element includes at least one of the following:

[0283] The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

[0284] In some embodiments, when the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or,

[0285] In the case where the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or,

[0286] In the case that the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the first information and the corresponding relationship between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first network element is a user plane function UPF entity.

[0288] In some embodiments, the communication unit 610 is further configured to send first indication information;

[0289] The first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow, the at least one QoS flow includes a QoS flow identified by a first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

[0290] In some embodiments, the second network element is an access network device.

[0291] In some embodiments, the network device 600 further includes:

[0292] The processing unit 620 is configured to determine the actual data transmission volume of the target unit according to the data transmission report.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information.

[0294] In some embodiments, the third network element is a session management function SMF entity.

[0295] In some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0296] It should be understood that the network device 600 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the third network element in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the network device 600 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the third network element in the method 300 shown in Figure 6. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0297] Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 shown in Figure 10 includes a processor 710, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0298] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10 , the communication device 700 may further include a memory 720. The processor 710 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 720 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0299] The memory 720 may be a separate device independent of the processor 710 , or may be integrated into the processor 710 .

[0300] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10 , the communication device 700 may further include a transceiver 730 , and the processor 710 may control the transceiver 730 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 730 may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0301] The transceiver 730 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 730 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0302] In some embodiments, the processor 710 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a network device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0303] In some embodiments, the transceiver 730 may implement the function of a communication unit in a network device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0304] In some embodiments, the communication device 700 may specifically be a network device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 700 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0305] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 800 shown in Figure 11 includes a processor 810, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0306] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11 , the apparatus 800 may further include a memory 820. The processor 810 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 820 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0307] The memory 820 may be a separate device independent of the processor 810 , or may be integrated into the processor 810 .

[0308] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 may further include an input interface 830. The processor 810 may control the input interface 830 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips. Optionally, the processor 810 may be located inside or outside the chip.

[0309] In some embodiments, the processor 810 may implement the functions of a processing unit in a network device, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0310] In some embodiments, the input interface 830 may implement the functionality of a communication unit in a network device.

[0311] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 may further include an output interface 840. The processor 810 may control the output interface 840 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to output information or data to other devices or chips. Optionally, the processor 810 may be located inside or outside the chip.

[0312] In some embodiments, the output interface 840 may implement the functionality of a communication unit in a network device.

[0313] In some embodiments, the device can be applied to the network equipment in the embodiments of the present application, and the device can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network equipment in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0314] In some embodiments, the device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be a chip, such as a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip, a chip system, or a system-on-chip chip.

[0315] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the communication system 900 includes a terminal device 910 , an access network device 920 , and a core network device 930 .

[0316] Among them, the terminal device 910 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, the access network device 920 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the access network device in the above method, and the core network device 930 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the core network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0317] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0318] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0319] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0320] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0321] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0322] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0323] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0324] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0325] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0326] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel 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.

[0327] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0328] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0329] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0330] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0331] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. In view of this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0332] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The first network element receives first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, information about a successfully transmitted data set.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information of the discarded data set includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information of the successfully transmitted data set includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first information also includes a first QoS flow identifier QFI; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the quality of service QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first information is carried by the header of the first data packet.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The first data packet is a data packet carrying uplink data, or the first data packet is a data packet generated by the second network element itself.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The header of the first data packet also carries a first QFI; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first network element sends a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit, and the target unit is at least one of the following: a protocol data unit (PDU) session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein In the case where the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, In the case where the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, In the case that the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the first information and the correspondence between the identifier of the data set recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The data transmission report is determined based on at least one of the following: content contained in the first information, data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and a correspondence between a data set identifier recorded by the first network element and a service data flow filter.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The data transmission report includes at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching a first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The data transmission volume of the target unit includes a difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or, The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the first information; or, The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the successfully transmitted data transmission volume determined based on the first information.

13. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The data transmission report includes at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element includes at least one of the following: The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

15. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 14, characterized in that The first network element is a user plane function UPF entity.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first information is carried by a control plane message.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first network element receives second information; The second information includes the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity and / or the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the UPF entity and the service data flow filter; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the target unit, and the target unit is at least one of the following: a PDU session, a QoS flow, and a service data flow.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the UPF entity includes at least one of the following: The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein: The method further comprises: The first network element determines the actual data transmission volume of the target unit according to the content included in the first information and the content included in the second information.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that The first network element is a session management function SMF entity.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: The first network element sends first indication information; The first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow, the at least one QoS flow includes a QoS flow identified by a first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

22. The method according to claim 6 or 21, wherein: The second network element is an access network device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that The first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information.

24. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The second network element sends first information; wherein, the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, information about a successfully transmitted data set.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein: The information of the discarded data set includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein: The information of the successfully transmitted data set includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that The first information also includes a first QoS flow identifier QFI; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the quality of service QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, characterized in that The first information is carried by the header of the first data packet.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein The first data packet is a data packet carrying uplink data, or the first data packet is a data packet generated by the second network element itself.

30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein The header of the first data packet also carries a first QFI; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

31. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein The first information is carried by a control plane message.

32. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 31, wherein Before the second network element sends the first information, the method further includes: The second network element receives the first indication information; Among them, the first indication information is used to indicate the transmission status of the data set of at least one QoS flow reported by the second network element, the at least one QoS flow includes the QoS flow identified by the first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

33. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 32, wherein The first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information.

34. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 33, wherein The second network element is an access network device.

35. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The third network element receives a data transmission report corresponding to the target unit; The target unit is a unit to which the data set associated with the first information belongs, and the first information includes at least one of the following: information about the discarded data set, information about the successfully transmitted data set; The target unit is at least one of the following: a protocol data unit (PDU) session, a quality of service (QoS) flow, or a business data flow.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein: The information of the discarded data set includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the discarded data set, the size of the discarded data set, the number of data packets included in the discarded data set, a list of identifiers of multiple discarded data sets, the total size of the multiple discarded data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple discarded data sets.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein: The information of the successfully transmitted data set includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the successfully transmitted data set, the size of the successfully transmitted data set, the number of data packets included in the successfully transmitted data set, a list of identifiers of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, the total size of multiple successfully transmitted data sets, and the total number of data packets included in the multiple successfully transmitted data sets.

38. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 37, wherein The first information also includes a first QoS flow identifier QFI; The data set associated with the first information belongs to the QoS flow identified by the first QFI.

39. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 38, wherein The data transmission report is determined based on at least one of the following: content contained in the first information, data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and a correspondence between a data set identifier recorded by the first network element and a service data flow filter.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein The data transmission report includes at least one of the following: the data transmission volume of the target unit, event information of the data transmission volume of the target unit reaching a first threshold value, information of the discarded data set, and information of the successfully transmitted data set.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein: The data transmission volume of the target unit includes a difference between the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information; or, The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element and the data transmission volume of successful transmission determined based on the first information; or, The data transmission volume of the target unit includes the data transmission volume of the target unit recorded by the first network element, the discarded data transmission volume determined based on the first information, and the successfully transmitted data transmission volume determined based on the first information.

42. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 38, wherein The data transmission report includes at least one of the following: part or all of the content contained in the first information, the data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element, and the correspondence between the data set identifier recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

43. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 42, wherein The data transmission information of the target unit recorded by the first network element includes at least one of the following: The data transmission volume of the target unit, the transmission volume of the data set in the target unit, the identifier of the data set transmitted in the target unit, and the size of the data set transmitted in the target unit.

44. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 43, wherein In the case where the target unit is a PDU session, the target unit is determined based on the PDU session to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, In the case where the target unit is a QoS flow, the target unit is determined based on the QoS flow to which the data packet carrying the first information belongs; and / or, In the case that the target unit is a service data flow, the target unit is determined based on the identifier of the data set associated with the first information and the correspondence between the identifier of the data set recorded by the first network element and the service data flow filter.

45. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 44, wherein The first network element is a user plane function UPF entity.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 35 to 45, wherein The method further comprises: The third network element sends first indication information; The first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to report the transmission status of a data set of at least one QoS flow, the at least one QoS flow includes a QoS flow identified by a first QFI, and the data set associated with the first information belongs to the first QFI.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein The second network element is an access network device.

48. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 47, wherein The method further comprises: The third network element determines the actual data transmission amount of the target unit according to the data transmission report.

49. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 48, wherein The first information is a data set transmission report, or the first information is a data set usage report, or the first information is data set usage information.

50. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 49, wherein The third network element is a session management function SMF entity.

51. A network device, characterized in that: The network device is a first network element, and the network device includes: The communication unit is configured to receive first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, and information about a successfully transmitted data set.

52. A network device, characterized in that: The network device is a second network element, and the network device includes: A communication unit is used to send first information; wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: information about a discarded data set, and information about a successfully transmitted data set.

53. A network device, characterized in that: The network device is a third network element, and the network device includes: A communication unit, configured to receive a data transmission report corresponding to a target unit; The target unit is a unit to which the data set associated with the first information belongs, and the first information includes at least one of the following: information about the discarded data set, information about the successfully transmitted data set; The target unit is at least one of the following: a protocol data unit (PDU) session, a quality of service (QoS) flow, or a business data flow.

54. A network device, characterized in that include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

55. A network device, characterized in that include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the method according to any one of claims 24 to 34.

56. A network device, characterized in that include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the method according to any one of claims 35 to 50.

57. A chip, characterized in that: include: A processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip performs a method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23, or a device equipped with the chip performs a method as described in any one of claims 24 to 34, or a device equipped with the chip performs a method as described in any one of claims 35 to 50.

58. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that Used to store a computer program, when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 34 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 35 to 50 is implemented.

59. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 34 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 35 to 50 is implemented.

60. A computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 34 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 35 to 50 is implemented.

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