Wireless communication method, network element and device

Abstract

The invention provides a wireless communication method, a network element and a device. The wireless communication method comprises: a first network element sending first information to a second network element, the first information being associated with a first QoS, the first QoS corresponding to a first group of terminal devices; according to the embodiment of the invention, the first QoS corresponding to the first group of terminal equipment is introduced, so that the network can guarantee the overall QoS of one group of terminal equipment based on the first QoS. In addition, the introduction of the first QoS is beneficial for the network to realize flexible cross-terminal equipment and cross-QoS flow resource scheduling according to the difference between the communication quality and the computing power among different nodes in the first group of terminal equipment.

Description

Wireless communication method, network element and device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a wireless communication method, network element, and device. Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, Quality of Service (QoS) flows are targeted at individual terminal devices. The network can allocate resources to each terminal device's QoS flow to ensure transmission quality for that individual terminal device. However, when encountering group services, the network needs to simultaneously guarantee QoS for a group of nodes (e.g., a group of terminal devices). Therefore, how to simultaneously guarantee transmission quality for a group of nodes as a whole is an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a wireless communication method, network element, and device. The following introduces various aspects of the present application.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, including: a first network element sending first information to a second network element, where the first information is associated with a first QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

[0006] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, including: a second network element receives first information sent by a first network element, the first information is associated with a first QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

[0007] According to a third aspect, a network element is provided, which is a first network element. The first network element includes: a first sending module for sending first information to a second network element, the first information is associated with a first QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a network element is provided, which is a second network element, and the second network element includes: a receiving module for receiving first information sent by the first network element, the first information is associated with a first QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

[0009] In the fifth aspect, a network element is provided, which is a first network element. The first network element includes a processor, a memory, and a communication interface. The memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the first network element executes part or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0010] In the sixth aspect, a network element is provided, which is a second network element. The second network element includes a processor, a memory, and a communication interface. The memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the second network element executes part or all of the steps in the method of the second aspect.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, the system including the first network element and / or the second network element described above. In another possible design, the system may further include other devices that interact with the first network element or the second network element in the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program enables the first network element and / or the second network element to execute part or all of the steps in the methods of the above aspects.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is operable to cause a first network element and / or a second network element to perform some or all of the steps of the methods of each of the aforementioned aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0014] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a memory and a processor. The processor can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the above aspects.

[0015] The embodiments of the present application introduce a first QoS corresponding to a first group of terminal devices (i.e., a group of nodes), enabling the network to guarantee QoS for the entire first group of terminal devices based on the first QoS. Furthermore, the introduction of the first QoS facilitates flexible resource scheduling across terminal devices and QoS flows based on the differences in communication quality and computing power between different nodes within the first group of terminal devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system architecture of a wireless communication system to which an embodiment of the present application may be applied.

[0017] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the end-to-end QoS control and mapping relationship of the QoS flow on the user plane provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] FIG3 is a flow chart of the session establishment process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG4 is an example diagram of an application scenario to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0020] FIG5 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG6 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG7 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG8 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG9 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG10 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG11 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Communication system architecture

[0031] 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, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, new radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) system, terrestrial networks (TN) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) system. system (UMTS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless fidelity (WIFI), fifth-generation (5G) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to other communication systems, such as future communication systems, such as the sixth-generation mobile communication system, and satellite communication systems.

[0032] 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, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0033] The communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0034] The communication system in the embodiment 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 embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, where the authorized spectrum can also be considered as a dedicated spectrum.

[0035] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates a system architecture diagram of a wireless communication system 100 to which embodiments of the present application may be applied. Taking the 5G system architecture as an example, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple network elements, such as terminal equipment, access network (AN) equipment, user plane function (UPF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, and application function (AF) network elements. The wireless communication system 100 may also include a data network (DN), etc.

[0036] The following is an exemplary description of the functions of each part or network element involved in the wireless communication system 100 in the 5G network.

[0037] Terminal device: A terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user apparatus. In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device may refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a vehicle equipment, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0038] Access network equipment: Access network equipment provides network access for authorized terminal devices in a specific area and can utilize transmission channels of varying quality based on the terminal device's level and service requirements. Access network equipment manages wireless resources, provides access services to terminal devices, and forwards control signals and data between terminal devices and the core network.

[0039] An access network device may be a device in a wireless network. An access network device may also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device or a network device. For example, an access network device may be a base station. The access network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. A base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmission point (TP), master station MeNB, secondary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, a modem or a chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device D2D, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the access network device.

[0040] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0041] In some deployments, the access network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a CU or a DU, or the access network device may include a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

[0042] The access network equipment and terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the access network equipment and terminal equipment are located.

[0043] UPF network element: UPF is the user plane function in the core network, which can be responsible for forwarding and receiving user data (such as business data flow) in the terminal device. For example, UPF can receive user data from DN and transmit it to the terminal device through the access network device; or, UPF can also receive user data from the terminal device through the access network device and then forward it to DN. The transmission resources and scheduling functions that provide services to terminal devices in UPF are managed and controlled by SMF. In some embodiments, UPF can be divided into intermediate-UPF (I-UPF) and anchor UPF (A-UPF). Among them, I-UPF is connected to the access network, A-UPF is the UPF of the session anchor, and A-UPF can also be called PDU session anchor (PSA).

[0044] AMF network element: AMF is the mobility management function in the core network. It can be used to implement other functions of the mobility management entity (MME) in addition to session management, such as lawful interception or access authorization (or authentication). In some embodiments, in addition to performing mobility management for terminal devices, the AMF can also be responsible for forwarding session management related messages between terminal devices and SMF.

[0045] SMF network element: SMF is the session management function in the core network. It is mainly responsible for session management, Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management of terminal devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control, or charging function interfaces, downlink data notification, and configuration of routing information for user plane functions.

[0046] PCF network element: PCF is the policy management function in the core network, which is responsible for formulating policies related to mobility management, session management, billing, etc. for terminal devices. Specifically, PCF can provide policy rule information to functional network elements of the control plane (such as AMF and SMF network elements) to manage and control mobility management and session management of terminal devices.

[0047] AF network element: The AF primarily supports interaction with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) core network to provide services, such as influencing data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing third-party services to the network. Alternatively, the AF can be primarily used to communicate application-side requirements to the network. In some embodiments, the AF can be an application within the operator, such as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology. In some embodiments, the AF can be understood as a third-party server, such as an application server on the Internet, providing relevant service information, including providing service-related quality of service (QoS) requirement information to the PCF and sending service user plane data information to the A-UPF. In some embodiments, the AF can also be a service provider (content provider, CP). In some embodiments, if the AF is within the operator and is within the same trusted domain as other network functions (NFs), it can directly interact and access other NFs. If the AF is not within the trusted domain, it needs to access other NFs through other network elements (e.g., the NEF network element described below).

[0048] DN: A DN is a network used to transmit data. It can be a private network, such as a local area network (LAN), an external network not controlled by a carrier, such as the internet, or a proprietary network deployed jointly with carriers, such as the network that provides IMS services.

[0049] It should be understood that the above network elements in the core network can also be referred to as functional entities, and this application does not limit this. For example, the UPF network element can also be referred to as the UPF entity, and the AMF network element can also be referred to as the AMF entity, etc. It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the xx network element or the xx functional entity can also be directly referred to as xx, for example, the UPF network element (or UPF entity) can be referred to as UPF, and the AMF network element (or AMF entity) can be referred to as AMF. For the sake of convenience of description, the xx (such as UPF, AMF, etc.) mentioned in the embodiments of this application can refer to the xx network element or the xx entity, which will not be repeated later.

[0050] Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may also include other network elements such as a unified data management (UDM) network element, an authentication and authorization service function (AUSF) network element, a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, and a network exposure function (NEF) network element, but this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0051] The UDM network element is a contract database in the core network, which can be used to generate and store user contract data in the network (for example, 5G network), authentication data management and other functions. The UDM network element can support interaction with external third-party servers. The AUSF network element can be used to receive AMF's request for terminal device identity authentication, request a key from the UDM, and then forward the issued key to the AMF for authentication processing. The NSSF network element can be used for network slice selection. The NEF network element can be responsible for managing the network data open to the outside world by the 5G network element. External non-trusted applications need to access the core network's internal data through the NEF to ensure the security of the 3GPP network. In some embodiments, the NEF network element can also provide external application QoS capability opening, event subscription, AF request distribution and other functions.

[0052] In the wireless communication system 100 shown in Figure 1 , various components or network elements can communicate with each other through interfaces. For example, a terminal device can establish an access layer connection with the AN via the Uu interface, exchanging access layer messages and wireless data transmission; a terminal device can establish a non-access stratum (NAS) connection with the AMF via the N1 interface, exchanging NAS messages; the AN can connect to the AMF via the N2 interface to transmit radio bearer control information from the core network to the AN; the UPF can transmit data with the AN via the N3 interface and with the DN via the N6 interface, etc. The interfaces connecting other components or network elements can be found in Figure 1 and will not be described in detail here.

[0053] It should be understood that the network elements such as the terminal device, access network device, SMF, and PCF shown in Figure 1 are merely names and do not limit the devices themselves. In 5G networks and other future networks, the network elements corresponding to the terminal device, access network device, SMF, and PCF may also have other names, and this embodiment of the application does not specifically limit this.

[0054] It should be understood that the above-mentioned communication system 100 is described using the 5G system as an example. Of course, the present application can also be applied to other 3GPP communication systems, such as the 4G communication system, or future 3GPP communication systems, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0055] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0056] It should be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of the present application is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art will know that with the evolution of network architecture, the embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to similar technical problems.

[0057] QoS flow

[0058] To achieve a higher-speed experience, greater bandwidth access, and lower latency and highly reliable information exchange, some communication systems (such as NR systems) have introduced the concept of QoS flows. A QoS flow is the granularity of QoS differentiation within a protocol data unit (PDU) session. In other words, the difference between two PDU sessions may lie in their different QoS flows.

[0059] A QoS flow identifier (QFI) can be used to identify a QoS flow. For example, one QFI can be used to identify one QoS flow. User plane data with the same QFI in a PDU session will receive the same forwarding treatment (e.g., the same scheduling, the same admission threshold, etc.).

[0060] Data can be bound to corresponding QoS flows for transmission. Multiple QoS flows can exist within the same PDU session to support different QoS requirements for different types of data transmission. For example, video, voice, and web browsing services may require different QoS flows.

[0061] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the end-to-end QoS control and mapping relationship for QoS flows on the user plane, as provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the PCF can specify policy charging control (PCC) rules based on information collected from various network elements and its own configuration, and send these PCC rules to the SMF. Based on these PCC rules, the SMF can provide the following three types of information to the UPF, AN, and terminal device, respectively, to implement end-to-end QoS control.

[0062] Information 1: The QoS profile provided by the SMF to the AN. The QoS profile may include the following QoS parameters for this QoS flow: 5G QoS identifier (5QI), allocation and retention priority (ARP), and bitrate requirements.

[0063] Information 2: One or more QoS rules (QoS rules) provided by the SMF to the terminal device, wherein the one or more QoS rules are mainly used for detecting uplink data. In some embodiments, each QoS rule may correspond to a QFI.

[0064] Information 3: One or more uplink and downlink packet detection rules (PDRs) and corresponding QoS execution rules provided by the SMF to the UPF.

[0065] In the downlink direction, the UPF matches received data packets against the downlink packet filter set in the PDR sent by the SMF, from high to low priority. If a matching downlink PDR is found, the UPF encapsulates the corresponding QFI into the header based on the matching result. Furthermore, the AN can map the data packet to the corresponding data radio bearer (DRB) based on the QFI. If no downlink PDR is matched, the UPF can discard the data packet.

[0066] In the uplink direction, the terminal device will match the data packets that need to be sent according to the priority of the uplink packet filter set in the QoS rule from high to low. If a match is found, the terminal device will use the QFI in the corresponding QoS rule to bind the uplink message to the QoS flow, and further bind the QoS flow to the corresponding DRB. If there is no match, the terminal device can discard the data packet. However, there is a default QoS rule in the terminal device, and the packet filter set therein can allow all data packets. The purpose is to match all data packets and prevent the loss of uplink data packets.

[0067] QoS parameters are often used to characterize QoS flows, an important measure of communication quality. QoS flows are primarily categorized as guaranteed bit rate (GBR) QoS flows and non-GBR QoS flows. For GBR QoS flows, the network must reserve resources to guarantee bandwidth.

[0068] QoS parameters mainly include 5QI, ARP, reflective QoS attribute (RQA), guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), notification control, and aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR). The following describes each parameter.

[0069] 5QI can be understood as a scalar pointing to multiple QoS feature values, which are divided into standardized 5QI, pre-configured 5QI, and dynamically allocated 5QI. For dynamically allocated 5QI, when the core network provides QoS configuration for a QoS flow (or QoS flow configuration for a QoS flow) to the access network device, it must include not only the 5QI but also the complete set of QoS feature values ​​corresponding to this 5QI. For standardized and pre-configured 5QI, the core network only needs to provide the 5QI, and the access network device can parse the set of multiple QoS feature values ​​corresponding to this 5QI. In addition, for a standardized or pre-configured 5QI, the core network is also allowed to provide one or more QoS feature values ​​that are different from the standardized or pre-configured ones to modify the corresponding standardized or pre-configured QoS feature values. Standardized 5QI is mainly used for relatively common and frequently used services. Dynamically allocated 5QI is mainly used for less common services that cannot be met by standardized 5QI.

[0070] ARP specifically includes three types of information: priority level, resource preemption capability, and whether resources are allowed to be preempted. This information is used to determine whether to allow the establishment, modification, or switching of QoS flows when resources are limited. ARP is generally used for admission control of GBR-type QoS flows. In some embodiments, ARP can also be used to preempt existing QoS flows when resources are limited. For example, a high-priority QoS flow can preempt a low-priority QoS flow.

[0071] RQA can be used to indicate that a QoS flow carried by a certain service data flow (SDF) applies reverse-mapped QoS. In some embodiments, a service data flow can also be referred to as a business data flow.

[0072] The GFBR can be used to indicate the bitrate at which the access network device reserves sufficient resources for a QoS flow within the average time window. The MFBR can be used to limit the maximum bitrate for a QoS flow.

[0073] QoS notification control can be used to indicate that when the access network equipment cannot guarantee the GFBR of the QoS flow, it continues to strive to maintain the QoS flow and notifies the core network that the QoS requirements cannot be guaranteed. The NG-RAN attempts to re-guarantee and notifies the SMF that the QoS requirements are re-guaranteed.

[0074] The Session AMBR (Session-AMBR) controls the total bitrate of all non-GBR QoS flows in a PDU session. The Terminal Equipment AMBR (UE-AMBR) controls the total bitrate of all non-GBR QoS flows in a terminal device.

[0075] PDU session establishment process

[0076] Under the existing mechanism, the terminal device can create a new PDU session for the terminal device by triggering the PDU session establishment process. The PDU session establishment process is described below with reference to FIG3.

[0077] FIG3 is a flow chart of a PDU session establishment process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the PDU session establishment process may include steps S310 to S390.

[0078] In step S310, the terminal device sends a session establishment request message to the AMF. The session establishment request message may include parameters such as session identifier, session type (for example, initial session establishment, evolved packet system (EPS) to 5G system (5GS) handover, non-3GPP to 3GPP handover, request for emergency services, etc.), session and service continuity mode (SSC mode), data network name (DNN), and single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI).

[0079] In step S320, the AMF selects an appropriate SMF based on the DNN, S-NSSAI and subscription data.

[0080] In step S330, the AMF calls the session service of the selected SMF to trigger session establishment.

[0081] In step S340, the SMF obtains session subscription data from the UDM, such as the SSC mode allowed by the user, the session type, and the Session-AMBR of the session.

[0082] In step S350, the SMF selects a PCF for the session.

[0083] In step S360, the SMF establishes a policy connection with the PCF and obtains PCC rules.

[0084] In step S370, the SMF establishes a user plane connection between the terminal device, the AN, and the UPF. This primarily involves allocating core network tunnel information (CN tunnel info) and retrieving access network tunnel information (AN tunnel info). Furthermore, the SMF may send a session establishment acceptance message to the terminal device via the AMF and AN.

[0085] In step S380, the SMF registers with the UDM, and the UDM records the SMF identifier (SMF ID) corresponding to this session.

[0086] In step S390, the SMF allocates an IPv6 prefix to the terminal device and sends it to the terminal device through the user plane.

[0087] From the above description, it can be found that the PDU session is to achieve an end-to-end connection between the terminal device and the DN, that is, the PDU session is for a single terminal device (or, the PDU session is at the terminal device level). The QoS flow is the QoS differentiation granularity in the PDU session, that is, the QoS flow is also for a single terminal device, and the QoS configuration sent by the core network to the access network device is also at the QoS flow granularity, which corresponds to a QFI. In other words, the network can allocate resources to the QoS flow of each terminal device according to the QoS configuration to ensure its transmission quality. However, when encountering a group service scenario (for example, a federated learning scenario), the network needs to ensure the overall QoS of a group of nodes (the group of nodes can form a group, and the corresponding service can be understood as a group service), not just the QoS of a single node. In the existing technology, the network cannot guarantee the QoS of a group of nodes, nor can it achieve flexible resource scheduling across terminal devices and QoS flows based on the differences in communication quality and computing power between different nodes in the group.

[0088] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a wireless communication method, network element and device, which can realize the network's QoS guarantee for a group of nodes as a whole, and also help the network to achieve flexible resource scheduling across terminal devices and QoS flows.

[0089] For ease of understanding, the following first introduces the application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to any application scenario that requires simultaneously ensuring the communication quality of a group of nodes (for example, the first group of terminal devices below), for example, it can be applied to the application scenario of federated learning (FL).

[0090] Figure 4 is an example diagram of an application scenario to which embodiments of the present application may be applied. In some embodiments, the system architecture shown in Figure 4 may also be referred to as a federated learning architecture. It should be understood that the application scenario shown in Figure 4 is merely an example of a scenario to which embodiments of the present application may be applied and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

[0091] As the performance of cameras and sensors on mobile devices continues to improve, more and more devices are able to collect valuable training data, which is essential for training artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) models. For many AI / ML tasks, small sample data collected by mobile devices is crucial for training the overall model.

[0092] As shown in Figure 4, the FL server 410 can complete the training of the global model by aggregating the local training results reported by each terminal device 420 (in some embodiments, each terminal device can also be called a federated node, and the terminal devices form a group of nodes). During each training iteration, the terminal device 420 can use local training data to train the global model downloaded from the FL server 410, and then report the local training results (e.g., deep neural network (DNN) gradient) to the FL server via an uplink channel (e.g., a 5G uplink channel). The FL server 410 can aggregate the collected local training results and update the global model. The FL server 410 can then distribute the updated global model to the terminal device 420 via a downlink channel (e.g., a 5G downlink channel) so that the terminal device 420 can perform the next iterative training for this updated model.

[0093] In the example of Figure 4 , data needs to be exchanged between a group of federated nodes (e.g., the various terminal devices 420 in Figure 4 ) and the FL server over the network. This is because the FL server needs to aggregate the local training results received from each federated node. Therefore, the federated node that reports the local training results the slowest slows down the overall training efficiency. In some cases, such as when the network resources used to ensure a federated learning system are limited, the time it takes for the local training results generated by each federated node to reach the FL server varies significantly. The FL server needs to wait until all federated nodes report their local training results before proceeding to the next step, resulting in the network being unable to ensure that a group of nodes can efficiently complete a training iteration.

[0094] The following describes the method embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0095] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 5 is described from the perspective of the interaction between the first network element and the second network element. Among them, the first network element is the sending end of information, and the second network element is the receiving end of information. The first network element and the second network element can be any network element in the communication system architecture (for example, any existing communication system or possible future communication system), as long as it involves the QoS of a group of nodes (for example, a group of terminal devices). The embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. For example, the first network element and / or the second network element can be any network element for the transmission of information related to the QoS of a group of nodes. Taking the communication system architecture as a 5G communication system as an example, the first network element and the second network element can be any network element in the 5G system architecture shown in Figure 1, for example, terminal equipment, access network equipment, core network element, AF network element, etc.

[0096] The method shown in FIG5 may include step S510, which is described below.

[0097] In step S510, the first network element sends first information to the second network element.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the first information is associated with the first QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a group of nodes.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present application, the first QoS corresponding to a group of nodes can be understood as the first QoS being used to indicate the overall QoS of a group of nodes. In other words, the first QoS can be understood as a group-based QoS, which can be used to indicate the overall QoS of a group of nodes.

[0100] In the embodiment of the present application, the group of nodes may be any group of nodes as long as the first QoS is used to indicate the overall QoS of the group of nodes. For example, the group of nodes may refer to a group of nodes included in a group service.

[0101] In some embodiments, the group of nodes may refer to a group of terminal devices. In this case, the first QoS corresponding to a group of nodes can be understood as corresponding to a group of terminal devices. The following description takes the group of terminal devices as the first group of terminal devices as an example, where the first group of terminal devices can be any group of terminal devices.

[0102] However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the group of nodes may also include other nodes besides the terminal device, for example, other nodes participating in the group service. As a specific example, the group of nodes may include the terminal device node and other nodes, and the terminal device node and other nodes both need to report local information (for example, local training results) to the network so that the network performs the next step of processing based on the local information reported by the terminal device node and the local information reported by the other nodes.

[0103] In some embodiments, a group of nodes may refer to a group of nodes that need to simultaneously perform the same task (e.g., a group task). For example, taking the group of nodes as a first group of terminal devices, the first group of terminal devices may refer to a group of terminal devices that need to perform the same task. In other words, the first group of terminal devices may include one or more terminal devices for the same task.

[0104] In some embodiments, the same task may include a task of transmitting model parameters for the same model and / or a task of downloading a global model. In some embodiments, the same task includes a task of transmitting model parameters and / or a task of downloading a global model using the same network slice.

[0105] In some embodiments, associating the first information with the first QoS may mean associating the first information with the QoS of a group of nodes as a whole. For example, the first information may be information associated with the transmission of the first QoS; or the first information may be information associated with the request for the first QoS; or the first information may be information associated with the allocation of resources corresponding to the first QoS, etc.

[0106] The embodiments of the present application introduce a first QoS corresponding to a group of nodes, enabling the network to guarantee QoS for the entire group of nodes based on the first QoS. Furthermore, the introduction of the first QoS facilitates flexible resource scheduling across terminal devices and QoS flows based on the differences in communication quality and computing power between different nodes within a group.

[0107] Taking federated learning as an example, the method of the embodiments of the present application can ensure that, when the network resources used for federated learning are limited, the network can allocate fewer communication resources to terminal devices that produce results quickly through local training (for example, terminal devices with strong local computing capabilities); while allocating more communication resources to terminal devices that produce results slowly through local training. In this way, when overall network resources are limited, it can ensure that the results of each terminal device participating in federated learning arrive at the FL server at approximately the same time, thereby effectively improving the efficiency of federated learning.

[0108] In the embodiment of the present application, the first information may be any information associated with the first QoS. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific content of the first information, and the content of the first information is described in detail below.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; and information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to directly indicate one or more of the above information, for example, directly indicating the QoS parameters of the first QoS, directly indicating the QoS configuration of the first QoS, etc. In some embodiments, the first information may be used to indirectly indicate one or more of the above information, for example, using association indication information between multiple service flows associated with the first QoS to indicate information for requesting the first QoS, using the QoS requirements of the service flows associated with the first QoS or the QoS processing policy of the service flows associated with the first QoS to indicate information for requesting the first QoS, etc.

[0111] In some embodiments, the information used to request the first QoS may include the request information of the first QoS sent by the AF to the core network network element, for example, it may include the identification of a group of nodes (for example, the ID of the first group of terminal devices), association information between multiple service flows (for example, association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS), the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS, and the candidate QoS requirement associated with the first QoS, etc.

[0112] In some embodiments, the QoS configuration information of the first QoS may include information such as the QoS configuration of the first QoS and an identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

[0113] In some embodiments, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS can be used by the network to allocate resources to a group of nodes according to the first QoS, so as to realize flexible scheduling and allocation of resources of the group of nodes on the network side, which is conducive to the data of the group of nodes to reach the data receiver (for example, FL server) basically at the same time.

[0114] In some embodiments, the information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS can be used by the network to allocate resources to a group of nodes when the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be guaranteed, so as to reduce unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0115] In some embodiments, the information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS may include at least one of the following: information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS sent by the AF to the core network network element, information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS transmitted between core network network elements, and information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS sent by the core network network element to the access network device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first information may include one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; associated indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing strategy of the first QoS; PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS; and candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0117] In some embodiments, the information of the candidate QoS associated with the first QoS refers to that the candidate QoS is a group-based candidate QoS, for example, group-based candidate QoS requirements, group-based candidate QoS parameters, group-based candidate QoS configuration, etc.

[0118] In some embodiments, the candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS association may be one or more in the candidate QoS requirement set of the first QoS association; the candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS association may be one or more in the candidate QoS parameter set of the first QoS association; and the candidate QoS configurations of the first QoS association may be one or more in the candidate QoS configuration set of the first QoS association.

[0119] In some embodiments, the QoS requirements of the first QoS can be used to indicate the service requirements of a group of nodes, or can be used to indicate the service requirements at the entire group level. For example, the QoS requirements of the first QoS can be used to indicate the guaranteed bit rate, maximum bit rate, transmission delay, priority, etc. required for the group service.

[0120] In some embodiments, the association indication information of the first QoS associated service flow can be used to indicate the association relationship between multiple service flows associated with the first QoS, for example, it can be used to indicate that multiple service flows are a group, or to indicate that multiple nodes corresponding to multiple service flows are a group.

[0121] In some embodiments, the QoS processing policy of the first QoS can be used to indicate the QoS processing policy of a group of nodes. In other words, the QoS processing policy of the first QoS can be a group-level processing policy. For example, the QoS processing policy of the first QoS can be used to instruct the network to schedule resources for the service of some or all nodes in a group of nodes to achieve flexible resource allocation. In some embodiments, the QoS processing policy of the first QoS can include the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

[0122] The current QoS parameters are for a single terminal device. In order to ensure the overall QoS of a group of nodes and realize flexible resource scheduling across terminal devices and across QoS flows, the embodiment of the present application can expand the current QoS parameters and define group-based QoS parameters (i.e., the QoS parameters of the first QoS).

[0123] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters of the first QoS can be used to indicate the QoS parameters of a group of nodes. In this way, the network can control the overall QoS of the group of nodes based on the QoS parameters of the first QoS. As an implementation method, the network can flexibly adjust the QoS parameters of the nodes in the group of nodes (for example, adjust the QoS parameters of the QoS flow of one or more terminal devices in the first group of terminal devices) based on the QoS parameters of the first QoS to ensure that the overall QoS of the group of nodes (for example, the first group of terminal devices) can meet the requirements of the first QoS.

[0124] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters of the first QoS may include the QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS. It should be understood that in some embodiments, the QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS are obtained based on the QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS. For example, the SMF generates the QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS based on the QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS.

[0125] In some embodiments, when the first information includes QoS parameters of the first QoS, the QoS parameters of the first QoS can be used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS, and resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

[0126] For example, the transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS may include, for example, the minimum or maximum transmission rate corresponding to the first QoS, or the average transmission rate corresponding to the first QoS. The delay information corresponding to the first QoS may include the maximum or minimum value of the packet delay budget corresponding to the first QoS. The priority information corresponding to the first QoS may include the highest priority or the lowest priority of the first QoS. The resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS may include the resource preemption capability of the first QoS, whether resources are allowed to be preempted, and other information.

[0127] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters of the first QoS may include one or more of the following parameters.

[0128] Parameter 1: Group transmission rate. The group transmission rate can be used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS, for example, the network (for example, the core network or access network equipment, the concept of the network mentioned later can be the same, for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated hereafter) guarantees the transmission rate for the first QoS. The group transmission rate can be indicated, for example, by Group-GBR, which can be used to represent a group of nodes performing the same task, and the transmission rate guaranteed by the network for this group of nodes (which can also be understood as the guaranteed minimum transmission rate), that is, the sum of the GBRs of the QoS flows of all nodes in the group performing the same task. It should be understood that the QoS flows of all nodes in the group performing the same task described here may include all GBR QoS flows of the nodes in the group performing the same task.

[0129] Parameter 2: Group maximum transmission rate. The group maximum transmission rate can be used to indicate the maximum transmission rate that the network limits the first QoS to achieve. The group maximum transmission rate can be indicated, for example, by Group-MBR, which can be used to indicate a group of nodes that are performing the same task, and the network limits their maximum transmission rate, that is, the sum of the MBRs of the QoS flows of all nodes in the group that perform the same task. In some embodiments, Group-MBR can also be understood as the maximum value that the sum of the MBRs of the QoS flows of all nodes in the group that perform the same task can reach. It should be understood that the QoS flows of all nodes in the group that perform the same task described here may include all GBR and / or non-GBR QoS flows of the nodes in the group that perform the same task.

[0130] Parameter 3: Group Packet Delay Budget. The Group Packet Delay Budget can be used to indicate the delay budget corresponding to the first QoS. For example, the Group Packet Delay Budget can be indicated by a Group-PDB, which can be used to represent the maximum or minimum packet delay budget for a group of nodes performing the same task. Specifically, the Group-PDB is the maximum or minimum PDB among all QoS flows in the group.

[0131] Parameter 4: Group allocation and retention priority. The group allocation and retention priority can be used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS. The group allocation and retention priority can be indicated, for example, by Group-ARP, which can be used to represent a group of nodes performing the same task, and the highest or lowest ARP in the QoS flows involved represents the Group-ARP. It should be understood that the group allocation and retention priority can be used to indicate information such as the priority level, resource preemption capability, and whether resources are allowed to be preempted of the first QoS. For example, the highest priority or the lowest priority among all QoS flows associated with the first QoS can be used to represent the priority of the first QoS; or the highest resource preemption capability or the lowest resource preemption capability among all QoS flows associated with the first QoS can be used to represent the resource preemption capability of the first QoS; or, if there is at least one QoS flow among all QoS flows associated with the first QoS that does not allow resources to be preempted, it means that the first QoS does not allow resources to be preempted; or, if all QoS flows associated with the first QoS allow resources to be preempted, it means that the first QoS allows resources to be preempted, etc.

[0132] In some embodiments, each node in a group of nodes (for example, each terminal device in a first group of terminal devices) may correspond to a PDU session, and the one PDU session may be used to carry at least one QoS flow. In this case, the QoS parameters of the first QoS may include the sum of the QoS parameters of the QoS flows corresponding to the same task in the QoS flows carried by the PDU sessions corresponding to the group of nodes, for example, Group-GBR and / or Group-MBR; and / or, the QoS parameters of the first QoS may include the maximum value and / or minimum value of the QoS parameters of the QoS flows corresponding to the same task in the QoS flows carried by the PDU sessions corresponding to the group of nodes, for example, Group-PDB and / or Group-ARP.

[0133] In some embodiments, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes mentioned herein may correspond to the same access network device. In some embodiments, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes mentioned herein may correspond to different access network devices.

[0134] In some embodiments, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes mentioned herein may correspond to the same UPF. In some embodiments, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes mentioned herein may correspond to different UPFs.

[0135] As an example, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes may correspond to the same access network device and the same UPF. As another example, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes may correspond to the same access network device and different UPFs. As yet another example, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes may correspond to different access network devices and the same UPF. As yet another example, the PDU sessions of different nodes in a group of nodes may correspond to different access network devices and different UPFs.

[0136] The foregoing describes in detail the first QoS and the first information of the embodiment of the present application. Based on the foregoing description, the following describes in detail the interaction between the first network element and the second network element.

[0137] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method illustrated in Figure 6 is described from the perspective of interaction between an AF and a PCF. That is, Figure 6 is described using the example of a first network element being an AF and a second network element being a PCF. The method illustrated in Figure 6 may include steps S610 and S620.

[0138] In step S610, the AF sends first information to the PCF.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the AF to the PCF may include one or more of the following information: node IDs of a group of nodes associated with the first QoS (for example, IDs of multiple terminal devices that need to perform federated learning), association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS, QoS requirements of the first QoS, QoS processing policies of the service flow associated with the first QoS, and candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. In some embodiments, the first information may also include other information, for example, separate candidate QoS requirements for each node in a group of nodes.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first information may be sent directly from the AF to the PCF. For example, the AF is an internal AF of an operator and is in the same trusted domain as the PCF. In this case, the AF may send the first information directly to the PCF.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first information may be sent by the AF to the PCF via other network elements. For example, the AF may send the first information to the PCF via the NEF. As an example, when the AF is not in the trusted domain, the AF may need to send the first information to the PCF via the NEF.

[0142] In step S620, the PCF generates QoS parameters of the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS.

[0143] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters of the first QoS generated by the PCF may refer to QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS. For example, the PCF may generate one or more of the following parameters based on the QoS requirements of the first QoS: Group-GBR, Group-MBR, Group-PDB, and Group-ARP. These QoS parameters may be service flow-level QoS parameters.

[0144] In some embodiments, the PCF may also determine whether to update the SMF policy based on the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS. For example, if the PCF determines that the SMF policy needs to be updated, it may initiate a policy update process to the SMF. The specific update process will be described later and will not be repeated here.

[0145] In some embodiments, if the AF carries the candidate QoS requirements of each node in a group of nodes individually and / or the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS in the first information, the PCF can generate candidate QoS parameters at the service flow level of each node and / or candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS based on the candidate QoS requirements of each node individually and / or the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS. For example, if the first information carries the candidate QoS requirements of each node individually, the PCF can generate candidate QoS parameters at the service flow level of each node; or, if the first information carries the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS, the PCF can generate candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS; or, if the first information carries both the candidate QoS requirements of each node individually and the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS, the PCF can generate candidate QoS parameters at the service flow level of each node and candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS. It should be noted that the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS and / or the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS mentioned in this application can be understood as group-based candidate QoS requirements and / or group-based QoS parameters, that is, the candidate QoS requirements and / or QoS parameters are for the QoS of a group of nodes as a whole, rather than the QoS of each node in a group of nodes.

[0146] In some embodiments, the method of Figure 6 may further include step S630. In step S630, the PCF sends a first response to the AF, where the first response may be used to indicate that the group QoS requirement requested by the AF can be guaranteed.

[0147] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 7 is described from the perspective of the interaction between the PCF and the SMF. That is, Figure 7 is described using the example of the first network element being the PCF and the second network element being the SMF. The method shown in Figure 7 may include steps S710 and S720.

[0148] In step S710, the PCF sends first information to the SMF.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the PCF to the SMF may include one or more of the following information: association indication information of the first QoS associated business flow, QoS parameters of the first QoS associated business flow, QoS processing policy of the first QoS associated business flow, candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS associated business flow, and PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS, etc.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the PCF to the SMF may be determined by the PCF based on the first information sent by the AF to the PCF.

[0151] In some embodiments, the first information sent by PCF to SMF can be the first information sent by AF to PCF that is directly forwarded by PCF. For example, PCF can determine the association indication information of the first QoS-associated business flow sent to SMF based on the association indication information of the first QoS-associated business flow sent by AF (direct forwarding); or, PCF can determine the QoS processing policy of the first QoS-associated business flow sent to SMF based on the QoS processing policy of the first QoS-associated business flow sent by AF.

[0152] In some embodiments, the first information sent by PCF to SMF can be obtained by PCF processing the first information sent by AF to PCF. For example, PCF can determine the QoS parameters of the business flow associated with the first QoS based on the QoS requirements of the first QoS sent by AF, and then send the QoS parameters of the business flow associated with the first QoS to SMF (sent after processing); or, PCF can determine the candidate QoS parameters of the business flow associated with the first QoS based on the candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS sent by AF, and then send the candidate QoS parameters of the business flow associated with the first QoS to SMF.

[0153] In some embodiments, the information of the first QoS-associated business flow mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may refer to the information of the business flow level of the first QoS, and the information of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS may refer to the information of the QoS flow level of the first QoS. For example, the QoS parameters of the first QoS-associated business flow mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may refer to the QoS parameters of the business flow level of the first QoS, and the QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS may refer to the QoS parameters of the QoS flow level of the first QoS. The rest of the related descriptions are similar. For example, the QoS processing strategy of the first QoS-associated business flow may refer to the QoS processing strategy of the business flow category of the first QoS, and the QoS processing strategy of the first QoS-associated QoS flow may refer to the QoS processing strategy of the QoS flow level of the first QoS. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated in the following text.

[0154] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS provided by the PCF to the SMF may be included in the PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS. That is, the PCF may store these two parameters in the PCC rules and send them to the SMF. In this case, the PCC rules may not include PCC rules for each node in a group of nodes.

[0155] In some embodiments, the QoS parameters for the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy for the service flow associated with the first QoS provided by the PCF to the SMF may be sent to the SMF as separate parameters. In this case, the PCC rules may not include a PCC rule for each node in a group of nodes; alternatively, the PCC rules may include a PCC rule for each node in a group of nodes, except that the PCC rule for each node does not apply to the group of nodes associated with the first QoS.

[0156] In step S720, the SMF binds the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows.

[0157] For the one or more QoS flows, the one or more QoS flows include the QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, that is, the one or more QoS flows include group-based QoS parameters. In some embodiments, each QoS flow in the one or more QoS flows does not have a QoS flow-level QoS parameter, but only has a group QoS parameter corresponding to a group of QoS flows (that is, the QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS).

[0158] In some embodiments, the SMF binds the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS (ie, the PCC rule at the group level) to the one or more QoS flows, and other services are not bound to the QoS flow.

[0159] In some embodiments, the method shown in Figure 7 may further include step S730. In step S730, the SMF determines one or more of the following: a QoS configuration of the first QoS, an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and a candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0160] The QoS configuration of the first QoS may be understood as a group-based QoS configuration, and the QoS configuration of the first QoS may include group-based QoS parameters.

[0161] In some embodiments, each QoS configuration may be associated with a QoS Flow ID (QFI) within the group.

[0162] The association identifier of the first QoS QoS configuration can be used to identify a group of QoS configurations, so that the access network device can identify a group of QoS flows and enable the access network device to perform group-based resource allocation based on the association identifier of the first QoS QoS configuration.

[0163] In some embodiments, the candidate QoS configuration of the first QoS association may be at the group level. For example, when the candidate QoS parameters received by the SMF are group-level candidate QoS parameters (candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS association), the candidate QoS configuration of the first QoS association may also be at the group level. In some embodiments, the candidate QoS configuration of the first QoS association may be at the level of an individual QoS flow. For example, when the candidate QoS parameters received by the SMF are node-level QoS parameters (candidate QoS parameters associated with each node in a group of nodes), the candidate QoS configuration of the first QoS association may be at the level of an individual QoS flow.

[0164] In some embodiments, the first network element may be an SMF, and the second network element may be an AMF. In this case, the first information sent by the SMF to the AMF may include one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy of a QoS flow associated with the first QoS, a QoS configuration of the first QoS, an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and a candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0165] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the SMF to the AMF may be determined by the SMF based on the first information sent by the PCF to the SMF. For example, the QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS sent by the SMF to the AMF may be determined by the SMF based on the QoS processing policy for the service flow associated with the first QoS sent by the PCF, wherein the QoS processing policy for the service flow associated with the first QoS sent by the PCF may be determined by the PCF based on the QoS processing policy for the service flow associated with the first QoS sent by the AF. Alternatively, the QoS configuration for the first QoS sent by the SMF to the AMF may be determined by the SMF based on the QoS parameters for the service flow associated with the first QoS sent by the PCF. In some embodiments, the QoS configuration for the first QoS may include the QoS parameters for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, that is, in some embodiments, the QoS parameters for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS may be determined based on the QoS parameters for the service flow associated with the first QoS. Alternatively, the candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS sent by the SMF to the AMF may be determined by the SMF based on the candidate QoS parameters for the service flow associated with the first QoS sent by the PCF, wherein the candidate QoS parameters for the service flow associated with the first QoS may be determined by the PCF based on the candidate QoS requirements for the first QoS sent by the AF. In some embodiments, the candidate QoS configuration of the first QoS association may include candidate QoS parameters of the business flow associated with the first QoS, that is, in some embodiments, the candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS may be determined based on the candidate QoS parameters of the business flow associated with the first QoS.

[0166] In some embodiments, the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS may be determined by the SMF based on the first information sent by the PCF, for example, based on the association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS sent by the PCF. In some embodiments, the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS may be the same as the association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS. In some embodiments, the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS may be different from the association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the SMF to the AMF can be transmitted via an N1N2 message.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first network element may be an AMF, and the second network element may be an access network device. In this case, the first information sent by the AMF to the access network device may include one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for a QoS flow associated with the first QoS, a QoS configuration for the first QoS, an association identifier for the QoS configuration for the first QoS, candidate QoS parameters for a QoS flow associated with the first QoS, and identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the AMF to the access network device (for example, the first access network device, the second access network device or the third access network device mentioned below) can be determined by the AMF based on the first information sent by the SMF to the AMF.

[0170] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the AMF to the access network device may be the first information sent by the SMF to the AMF that is directly forwarded by the AMF. For example, the AMF may determine the QoS processing policy (direct forwarding) of the first QoS-associated QoS flow sent to the access network device based on the QoS processing policy of the first QoS-associated QoS flow sent by the SMF; or, the AMF may determine the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent to the access network device based on the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent by the SMF; or, the AMF may determine the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent to the access network device based on the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent by the SMF; or, the AMF may determine the candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS-associated QoS sent to the access network device based on the candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS-associated QoS sent by the SMF.

[0171] In some embodiments, the first information sent by AMF to the access network device may be obtained by AMF processing the first information sent by SMF to AMF. For example, AMF can determine the identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS based on the identifiers of a group of nodes sent by SMF and / or information of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS (for example, the QoS configuration of the first QoS, the associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, etc.).

[0172] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the AMF to the access network device can be transmitted via an N2 session message.

[0173] In some embodiments, all nodes in a group of nodes may be under the coverage of the same access network device. In this case, the AMF may send parameters related to the first QoS received from the SMF (for example, the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, the QoS configuration of the first QoS, the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and the candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS) to the access network device.

[0174] In some embodiments, all nodes in a group of nodes may be covered by different access network devices. In this case, in addition to sending the parameters related to the first QoS received from the SMF to each access network device, the AMF may also send the identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS to each access network device, so that the access network devices can communicate with each other to jointly ensure the first QoS.

[0175] It should be noted that when the second network element is an access network device, it can be any one of the one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS. The following is an introduction taking the second network element as the first access network device as an example.

[0176] In some embodiments, the first access network device can determine one or more QoS flows (group QoS flows) that need to be managed based on the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and allocate resources to the one or more QoS flows based on the QoS parameters of the QoS flows associated with the first QoS (group QoS parameters) and the QoS processing strategy of the QoS flows associated with the first QoS (group QoS processing strategy) to ensure the QoS requirements of the entire group. Taking federated learning as an example, when the first access network device first receives a data packet corresponding to a local training result sent by a terminal device, it can allocate fewer communication resources to the terminal device and allocate more communication resources to other slower terminal devices to ensure that the group QoS remains unchanged while achieving flexible allocation of resources between terminal devices.

[0177] In some embodiments, if the first access network device receives separate candidate QoS parameters for each node in a group of nodes (candidate QoS parameters based on QoS flow granularity), then for the terminal device that receives the result first, the first access network device can select candidate QoS parameters with a lower transmission rate, and for the slower terminal device, it can select candidate QoS parameters with a higher transmission rate.

[0178] In some embodiments, if the first access network device receives candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS (candidate QoS parameters based on the group), and the first access network device cannot guarantee the QoS requirements of the entire group, the first access network device may select the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS, for example, to reduce the transmission rate of the entire group.

[0179] In some embodiments, if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of the first QoS, or selects a group-based candidate QoS parameter, the first access network device can send a first indication information to the network (e.g., the core network), and the first indication information can be used to indicate that the QoS requirements of the first QoS cannot be met.

[0180] In some embodiments, the first indication information sent by the first access network device to the network may carry candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS selected by the first access network device (ie, group-based candidate QoS parameters selected by the first access network device).

[0181] In some embodiments, after receiving the first indication information, the network may send the first indication information to the AF so that the AF can make the next decision based on the first indication information, for example, it may choose to stop the group service, or may choose to reduce the QoS requirements of the group service.

[0182] In some embodiments, the first network element may be an access network device (e.g., a first access network device), and the second network element may be a terminal device (e.g., a terminal device in a first group of terminal devices, or a node in a node associated with a group service). In this case, the first information may include resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS, and the resource allocation information may be used to indicate the resources allocated by the access network device to the terminal device according to the first QoS.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the access network device to the terminal device may be determined by the access network device based on the first information sent by the AMF to the access network device. For example, the access network device may determine the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS based on one or more of the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, the QoS configuration of the first QoS, the associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, the candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, and the identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS, sent by the AMF. For example, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS may be updated or adjusted based on one or more of the above information.

[0184] In some embodiments, if the access network device (eg, the first access network device) cannot meet the QoS requirements of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS may be determined by the access network device based on candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

[0185] As previously described, in some embodiments, all nodes in a group of nodes may be covered by different access network devices. In this case, the different access network devices need to communicate with each other to jointly guarantee the first QoS. The following describes the process of interaction between the different access network devices to jointly guarantee the first QoS, using the example of different access network devices including a second access network device and a third access network device.

[0186] In general, the second access network device and the third access network device can allocate communication resources based on the QoS parameters of the first QoS (i.e., the QoS parameters of the group), and synchronize them through the interface between the access networks (for example, the Xn interface) to ensure that the total resources allocated to all QoS flows involved in the group service do not exceed the group QoS requirements corresponding to the group service.

[0187] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method illustrated in Figure 8 is described from the perspective of interaction between a second access network device and a third access network device. The method illustrated in Figure 8 may include steps S810 to S830, which are described below.

[0188] In step S810, the second access network device sends first information to the third access network device.

[0189] In some embodiments, the second access network device may send the first information to the third access network device when allocating or updating communication resources to the QoS flow corresponding to the terminal device served by itself.

[0190] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the second access network device to the third access network device may include one or more of the following information: information on resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, information on the QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that has been met by the second access network device, candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, and an associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, etc.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first information sent by the second access network device to the third access network device may be determined by the second access network device based on the first information sent by the AMF to the second access network device. For example, the second access network device determines which access network devices (e.g., the third access network device) it needs to interact with based on the identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS sent by the AMF to jointly guarantee the first QoS; or, the second access network device determines which resources to allocate to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS based on the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent by the AMF, and shares the information of the allocated QoS flow resources associated with the first QoS with the third access network device, etc.

[0192] In step S820, the third access network device identifies the corresponding intra-group QoS flow based on the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent by the second access network device, and allocates or updates resources for the QoS flow of the third access network device based on the resource allocation related parameters sent by the second access network.

[0193] In some embodiments, the resource allocation-related parameters sent by the second access network device may include part or all of the first information mentioned in step S810, for example, it may include information about the resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, information about the QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that has been met by the second access network device, candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, etc.

[0194] In step S830, the third access network device sends the allocation or update result to the second access network device.

[0195] In some embodiments, the result sent by the third access network device to the second access network device may include one or more of the following information: information on resources allocated by the third access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, information on the QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that has been met by the third access network device, candidate QoS parameters adopted by the third access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS, and an associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, etc.

[0196] In some embodiments, the third access network device may identify the QoS flow within the group corresponding to the first QoS and / or allocate or update resources for the QoS flow within the group corresponding to the first QoS based on the first information sent to it by the AMF and / or the first information sent to it by the second access network device. For example, how to allocate or update resources for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS may be determined based on the QoS configuration of the first QoS sent by the AMF and the information sent by the second access network device about the resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

[0197] In some embodiments, steps S810 to S830 may occur multiple times between the second access network device and the third access network device.

[0198] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is only introduced by taking the interaction between two access network devices as an example, but the solution can be extended to more than two access network devices for interaction. The two or more access network devices can interact with the relevant parameters of the resources allocated for the first QoS so as to jointly guarantee the first QoS.

[0199] Through interaction between multiple access network devices, flexible resource scheduling between access network devices can be achieved without triggering a session modification process or notifying the core network every time a new resource allocation is made.

[0200] In some embodiments, when multiple access network devices (e.g., a second access network device and a third access network device) are unable to meet the QoS requirements of the entire group through resource allocation, or when multiple access network devices have selected a candidate QoS requirement based on the group through negotiation, any access network device may send a first indication message to the network to indicate that the first QoS requirement cannot be met. In this way, the access network device will only notify the core network if the access network device cannot meet the overall QoS requirement, thereby reducing unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0201] It should be noted that the first access network device mentioned above can be the second access network device here, or it can be the third access network device, and this application does not limit this.

[0202] It should be noted that the interactions between the various network elements mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be arbitrarily combined, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this, as long as they can be implemented. For example, the embodiment in which the AF sends the first information to the PCF can be combined with the embodiment in which the PCF sends the first information to the SMF; or, the embodiment in which the PCF sends the first information to the SMF can be combined with the embodiment in which the SMF sends the first information to the AMF; or, the embodiment in which the AF sends the first information to the PCF, the PCF sends the first information to the SMF, and the SMF sends the first information to the AMF can be combined, and so on. The interactions between other network elements can also be similarly combined.

[0203] To facilitate understanding, several specific examples are provided below, using federated learning as an example. It should be noted that the following examples are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit this application. It should also be noted that the following examples can be combined in part or in whole, and this application does not limit this. For example, Example 1 and Example 2 can be combined, or Example 1 and Example 3 can be combined, etc.

[0204] Example 1: AF sends the first QoS requirement to PCF

[0205] FIG9 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG9 may include steps S910 to S960.

[0206] In step S910, AF sends a group QoS request to NEF, which may include the ID of each terminal device in the first group of terminal devices on which federated learning needs to be performed, the association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS (i.e., the association information between multiple service flows), and the QoS requirements of the first QoS (such as the guaranteed bit rate, maximum bit rate, transmission delay, priority, etc. required by the service).

[0207] In some embodiments, AF will also send the QoS processing policy of the first QoS (group-level processing policy) to NEF. For example, it can schedule resources of other terminal devices in the group for the service, realize flexible resource allocation, and ensure that the local training results of all terminal devices in the group can basically reach the FL server at the same time.

[0208] In some embodiments, the AF may further provide a separate candidate service requirement parameter requirement set for each group node and / or the AF may provide a candidate QoS requirement set for the first QoS association (a group-based candidate requirement set).

[0209] In step S920, the NEF authorizes the request of the AF.

[0210] In step S930, the NEF forwards the request to the PCF, and the message includes the parameters in step S910.

[0211] In step S940, the PCF generates QoS parameters based on the group service according to the group QoS requirements, that is, one or more of the above-mentioned Group-GBR / MRB, Group-PDB, and Group-ARP.

[0212] In some embodiments, the PCF may determine that the SMF policy needs to be updated based on the received group processing policy, and thus initiate an SMF policy update process. The specific process is described in the following embodiment 2 and / or embodiment 3.

[0213] In some embodiments, if the AF carries a separate service requirement candidate parameter set for each group node and / or a group-based candidate requirement set in the request, the PCF can generate a candidate QoS parameter set for the service flow level of each node and / or a group-based candidate requirement set.

[0214] In step S950 , the PCF authorizes and allows the group QoS request, and sends a response to the NEF to indicate that the requested group-level QoS requirement can be guaranteed.

[0215] In step S960, the NEF sends a result indicating that the group QoS can be guaranteed to the AF.

[0216] It should be understood that embodiment 1 may be a pre-step of embodiment 2 and / or embodiment 3. That is, through embodiment 1, AF may send a group QoS request to PCF, and PCF generates group QoS parameters, establishes policies, and updates SMF policies.

[0217] Example 2: A group of nodes are covered by the same access network device, and the network executes the process of group QoS parameters

[0218] Figure 10 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 10 may include steps S1001 to S1011.

[0219] In step S1001, the AF sends a first QoS requirement to the PCF.

[0220] For details of step S1001 , please refer to the description of the first embodiment.

[0221] In step S1002, the PCF provides the SMF with association indication information for the first QoS-associated service flow, indicating that the service flows for this federated learning across multiple terminal devices are grouped together. In step S1002, the PCF may also provide the SMF with group QoS parameters and a group QoS processing policy. These two parameters can be stored in the PCC rules or sent to the SMF as separate parameters.

[0222] In step S1003, the SMF binds the PCC rules according to the information provided by the PCF.

[0223] As an implementation method, for each terminal device, SMF can bind the PCC rules corresponding to this federated learning service to a specific QoS flow, and other services are not bound to this QoS flow. Therefore, for each QoS flow, there are no QoS parameters at the QoS flow level, but only group QoS parameters corresponding to a group of QoS flows.

[0224] In some embodiments, the SMF may also determine a group-based QoS configuration, which includes group-based QoS parameters. Each QoS configuration may be associated with a QoS flow ID (e.g., QFI) within the group and sent to the RAN.

[0225] In some embodiments, the SMF may also determine an association ID of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, for use by the access network device to identify a group of QoS flows and perform group-based resource allocation.

[0226] In some embodiments, the SMF may also determine a candidate QoS configuration, which may be at a group level or at an individual QoS flow level.

[0227] In step S1004, the SMF passes the association ID of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, the group QoS processing policy, and the candidate QoS configuration to the AMF.

[0228] In some embodiments, the SMF may transmit the above information to the AMF via an N1N2 message.

[0229] In step S1005, the AMF sends the information obtained in step S1004 to the access network device.

[0230] In some embodiments, the AMF may transmit the above information to the access network device via an N2 session request message.

[0231] In step S1006, a connection on the access network side is established between the access network device and the plurality of terminal devices.

[0232] In step S1007, the access network device determines the group QoS flow that needs to be managed according to the association ID of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and allocates resources to the group QoS flow according to the group QoS parameters and group QoS processing policy in the QoS configuration to ensure the QoS requirements of the entire group.

[0233] As an implementation method, when the access network device first receives the data packet corresponding to the local training result sent by a terminal device, it can allocate fewer communication resources to the terminal device and allocate more communication resources to other slower terminal devices, thereby ensuring that the group QoS remains unchanged and realizing flexible allocation of resources between UEs.

[0234] In some embodiments, if the access network device receives a candidate QoS parameter set based on QoS flow granularity, the access network device may select a candidate QoS parameter with a lower transmission rate for the terminal device that receives the result first, and select a higher candidate QoS parameter set for the slower terminal device.

[0235] In some embodiments, if the access network device receives group-based candidate QoS parameters, if the access network device cannot guarantee the QoS requirements of the entire group, the access network device may select group-based candidate QoS parameters, such as reducing the transmission rate of the entire group.

[0236] In step S1008, if the access network device cannot meet the overall QoS requirements, or a group-based candidate QoS parameter is selected, the access network device sends a response to the AMF, indicating that the overall QoS requirements cannot be met.

[0237] In some embodiments, the response message sent by the access network device to the AMF may carry the group-based candidate QoS parameters selected by the access network device.

[0238] In some embodiments, the response message sent by the access network device to the AMF is an N2 session response message.

[0239] In step S1009, the AMF sends a response to the SMF, indicating that the overall QoS requirement cannot be met.

[0240] In some embodiments, the response message sent by the AMF to the SMF may carry the group-based candidate QoS parameters selected by the access network device.

[0241] In some embodiments, the response message sent by AMF to SMF is an N1N2 message.

[0242] In step S1010, the SMF sends an SMF policy update notification to the PCF, indicating that the overall QoS requirement cannot be met.

[0243] In some embodiments, the message sent by the SMF to the PCF carries the group-based candidate QoS parameters selected by the access network device.

[0244] In step S1011 , the PCF sends a message indicating that the overall QoS requirement cannot be met to the AF.

[0245] In some embodiments, the message sent by the PCF to the AF may carry the group-based candidate QoS parameters selected by the access network device.

[0246] In some embodiments, after receiving the information, the AF may choose to stop the federated learning or reduce the QoS requirements required for the federated learning.

[0247] Example 3: A group of nodes under the coverage of different access network devices, the network executes the process of group QoS parameters

[0248] FIG11 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG11 may include steps S1101 to S1114.

[0249] The details of steps S1101 to S1104 can be found in steps S1001 to S1004 in the second embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0250] In step S1105, since a group of terminal devices are not covered by one access network device, when the AMF receives relevant parameters based on the group, the AMF needs to select the access network device that serves the UE according to the ID of the terminal device in the group, and send the ID of the access network device that serves the group of terminal devices and other parameters to multiple access network devices.

[0251] In step S1106, each access network device establishes a connection with the terminal device on the access network side.

[0252] In step S1107, all access network devices allocate communication resources according to the group QoS parameters and synchronize through the Xn interface between the access network devices to ensure that the total resources allocated to all QoS flows involved do not exceed the group QoS requirements.

[0253] In step S1108, taking access network device 1 (for example, the second access network device mentioned above) as an example, when access network device 1 allocates or updates communication resources to the QoS flow corresponding to the terminal device it serves, access network device 1 sends the allocated communication resources, the QoS requirements corresponding to the single QoS flow that has been met, or the candidate QoS parameters used by the QoS flow, and the association ID of the QoS configuration of the first QoS to access network device 2 (for example, the third access network device mentioned above) through the Xn interface.

[0254] In step S1109, access network device 2 identifies the corresponding intra-group QoS flow according to the association ID of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and allocates or updates resources for the QoS flow of access network device 2 according to the resource allocation related parameters sent by access network device 1.

[0255] In step S1110, access network device 2 sends the allocated or updated result to access network device 1. The message may include the resources allocated by access network device 2, the candidate QoS parameters used for the QoS flow of access network device 2, and the association ID of the QoS configuration of the first QoS, and is sent to access network device 1 through the Xn interface.

[0256] Steps S1107 to S1110 may occur multiple times between access network devices. In this way, flexible resource scheduling between access network devices may be achieved without triggering a session modification process or notifying the core network each time new resource allocation is performed.

[0257] In step S1111, if the access network devices cannot meet the QoS requirements of the entire group through resource allocation, or if the access network devices have selected a candidate group-based QoS requirement through negotiation, any access network device may send an indication to the core network. Specifically, the step of sending the indication may refer to step S1008 in Example 2.

[0258] In steps S1112 to S1114, the core network element transmits the instruction information in step S1111 to the AF so that the AF can make the next decision. Specifically, the step of the core network element transmitting the instruction information in step S1111 to the AF can refer to steps S1009 to S1011 in the second embodiment.

[0259] The method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 11. The device embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 12 to 14. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment. Therefore, for parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiment.

[0260] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in an embodiment of the present application. The network element 1200 shown in FIG12 can be any of the first network elements described above. The network element 1200 shown in FIG12 can include a first sending module 1210.

[0261] The first sending module 1210 can be used to send first information to the second network element, where the first information is associated with a first quality of service QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

[0262] Optionally, the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; and information on candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

[0263] Optionally, the first information includes one or more of the following: QoS requirements of the first QoS; associated indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing strategy of the first QoS; policy charging control PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0264] Optionally, the first information includes QoS parameters of the first QoS, and the QoS parameters of the first QoS are used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS; resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

[0265] Optionally, the QoS parameters of the first QoS include one or more of the following parameters: group transmission rate, used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS; group maximum transmission rate, used to indicate the maximum transmission rate that the network limits the first QoS to achieve; group packet delay budget, used to indicate the delay budget corresponding to the first QoS; group allocation and retention priority, used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS.

[0266] Optionally, the first network element is an application function AF network element, the second network element is a policy control function PCF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; associated indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; and candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS.

[0267] Optionally, the first network element is a PCF network element, the second network element is a session management function SMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; and PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS.

[0268] Optionally, the first network element also includes one or more of the following: a first generation module, used to generate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS; or a determination module, used to determine the policy for updating the second network element according to the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; or a second generation module, used to generate candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS.

[0269] Optionally, the QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS are included in the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

[0270] Optionally, the first network element is an SMF network element, the second network element is an access and mobility management function AMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; the QoS configuration of the first QoS; the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; and the candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0271] Optionally, the first network element further includes: a binding module 1220, configured to bind the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows, where the one or more QoS flows include QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

[0272] Optionally, the first network element is an AMF network element, the second network element is a first access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; the QoS configuration of the first QoS; the associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; the candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; and the identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

[0273] Optionally, the first network element is a first access network device, the second network element is a terminal device in the first group of terminal devices, and the first information includes resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS.

[0274] Optionally, if the first network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS is determined by the first network element according to the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

[0275] Optionally, the first network element further includes: a second sending module, configured to send first indication information to the network if the first network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be met.

[0276] Optionally, the first indication information includes candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS selected by the first network element.

[0277] Optionally, the first network element is a second access network device, the second network element is a third access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: information on resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; information on the QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that have been met by the second access network device; candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; and an associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

[0278] Optionally, the first group of terminal devices includes multiple terminal devices for the same task.

[0279] Optionally, the first sending module 1210 may be a transceiver 1430. The network element 1200 may further include a processor 1410 and a memory 1420, as specifically shown in FIG14 .

[0280] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element provided in another embodiment of the present application. The network element 1300 shown in FIG13 can be any of the second network elements described above. The network element 1300 shown in FIG13 can include a receiving module 1310.

[0281] The receiving module 1310 can be used to receive first information sent by a first network element, where the first information is associated with a first quality of service QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

[0282] Optionally, the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; and information on candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

[0283] Optionally, the first information includes one or more of the following: QoS requirements of the first QoS; associated indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing strategy of the first QoS; policy charging control PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0284] Optionally, the first information includes QoS parameters of the first QoS, and the QoS parameters of the first QoS are used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS; resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

[0285] Optionally, the QoS parameters of the first QoS include one or more of the following parameters: group transmission rate, used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS; group maximum transmission rate, used to indicate the maximum transmission rate that the network limits the first QoS to achieve; group packet delay budget, used to indicate the delay budget corresponding to the first QoS; group allocation and retention priority, used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS.

[0286] Optionally, the first network element is an application function AF network element, the second network element is a policy control function PCF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; associated indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; and candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS.

[0287] Optionally, the second network element also includes one or more of the following: a first generation module, used to generate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS; or a determination module, used to determine the policy for updating the second network element according to the QoS processing policy of the first QoS; or a second generation module, used to generate candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS.

[0288] Optionally, the first network element is a PCF network element, the second network element is a session management function SMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; and PCC rules corresponding to the first QoS.

[0289] Optionally, the QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS are included in the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

[0290] Optionally, the second network element further includes: a binding module, configured to bind the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows, where the one or more QoS flows include QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

[0291] Optionally, the first network element is an SMF network element, the second network element is an access and mobility management function AMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; the QoS configuration of the first QoS; the association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; and the candidate QoS configuration associated with the first QoS.

[0292] Optionally, the first network element is an AMF network element, the second network element is a first access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: the QoS processing policy of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; the QoS configuration of the first QoS; the associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; the candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; and the identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

[0293] Optionally, if the second network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS is determined by the second network element according to the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

[0294] Optionally, the second network element further includes: a sending module 1320, configured to send first indication information to the network if the second network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be met.

[0295] Optionally, the first indication information includes candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS selected by the first network element.

[0296] Optionally, the first network element is a first access network device, the second network element is a terminal device in the first group of terminal devices, and the first information includes resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS.

[0297] Optionally, the first network element is a second access network device, the second network element is a third access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: information on resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; information on the QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that have been met by the second access network device; candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; and an associated identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

[0298] Optionally, the first group of terminal devices includes multiple terminal devices for the same task.

[0299] Optionally, the receiving module 1310 may be a transceiver 1430. The network element 1300 may further include a processor 1410 and a memory 1420, as specifically shown in FIG14 .

[0300] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed lines in Figure 14 indicate that the unit or module is optional. Device 1400 may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. Device 1400 may be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0301] The device 1400 may include one or more processors 1410. The processor 1410 may support the device 1400 to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The processor 1410 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0302] The apparatus 1400 may further include one or more memories 1420. The memories 1420 store programs that can be executed by the processor 1410, causing the processor 1410 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memories 1420 may be independent of the processor 1410 or integrated into the processor 1410.

[0303] The apparatus 1400 may further include a transceiver 1430. The processor 1410 may communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1430. For example, the processor 1410 may transmit and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1430.

[0304] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first network element or the second network element provided in the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the first network element or the second network element in each embodiment of the present application.

[0305] The present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the first network element or the second network element provided in the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the first network element or the second network element in each embodiment of the present application.

[0306] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the first network element or the second network element provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the first network element or the second network element in each embodiment of the present application.

[0307] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0308] In the embodiments of this application, the term "indication" may refer to a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" may refer to a direct indication of B, e.g., B can obtain information through A; it may refer to an indirect indication of B, e.g., A indicates C, e.g., B can obtain information through C; or it may refer to an association between A and B.

[0309] In the embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0310] In 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 indication, configuration and configuration, etc.

[0311] 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.

[0312] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communications field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0313] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0314] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0315] 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.

[0316] 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.

[0317] 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.

[0318] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0319] 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 this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this 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 sends first information to the second network element, where the first information is associated with a first quality of service QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; Processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; Information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first information includes one or more of the following: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing strategy of the first QoS; a policy charging control (PCC) rule corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS association; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first information includes a QoS parameter of the first QoS, where the QoS parameter of the first QoS is used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; Delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS; Resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the first QoS include one or more of the following parameters: A group transmission rate, used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS; The maximum transmission rate of the group is used to indicate that the network limits the maximum transmission rate that the first QoS can achieve; A group packet delay budget, used to indicate a delay budget corresponding to the first QoS; The group allocation and retention priority is used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is an application function AF network element, the second network element is a policy control function PCF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS association.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is a PCF network element, the second network element is a session management function SMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method may further comprise one or more of the following: The first network element generates QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS; or The first network element determines to update the policy of the second network element according to the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; or The first network element generates candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS are included in the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is an SMF network element, the second network element is an access and mobility management function AMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first network element binds the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows, where the one or more QoS flows include QoS parameters of the QoS flows associated with the first QoS.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is an AMF network element, the second network element is a first access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is a first access network device, the second network element is a terminal device in the first group of terminal devices, and the first information includes resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that If the first network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS is determined by the first network element according to the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the first network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the first network element sends first indication information to the network, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be met.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The first indication information includes candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS selected by the first network element.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is a second access network device, the second network element is a third access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Information about resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; Information about QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that have been met by the second access network device; candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that The first group of terminal devices includes multiple terminal devices for the same task.

19. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The second network element receives first information sent by the first network element, where the first information is associated with a first quality of service QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; Processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; Information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The first information includes one or more of the following: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing strategy of the first QoS; a policy charging control (PCC) rule corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS association; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The first information includes a QoS parameter of the first QoS, where the QoS parameter of the first QoS is used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; Delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS; Resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the first QoS include one or more of the following parameters: A group transmission rate, used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS; The maximum transmission rate of the group is used to indicate that the network limits the maximum transmission rate that the first QoS can achieve; A group packet delay budget, used to indicate a delay budget corresponding to the first QoS; The group allocation and retention priority is used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein: The first network element is an application function AF network element, the second network element is a policy control function PCF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS association.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The method may further comprise one or more of the following: The second network element generates QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS; or The second network element determines, according to the QoS processing policy of the first QoS, to update the policy of the second network element; or The second network element generates candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS.

26. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein: The first network element is a PCF network element, the second network element is a session management function SMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS are included in the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second network element binds the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows, where the one or more QoS flows include QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

29. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein: The first network element is an SMF network element, the second network element is an access and mobility management function AMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

30. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein: The first network element is an AMF network element, the second network element is a first access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein If the second network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS is determined by the second network element according to the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

32. The method according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the second network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the second network element sends first indication information to the network, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be met.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that The first indication information includes candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS selected by the first network element.

34. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein: The first network element is a first access network device, the second network element is a terminal device in the first group of terminal devices, and the first information includes resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS.

35. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein: The first network element is a second access network device, the second network element is a third access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Information about resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; Information about QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that have been met by the second access network device; candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

36. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 35, wherein: The first group of terminal devices includes multiple terminal devices for the same task.

37. A network element, characterized in that: The network element is a first network element, and the first network element includes: The first sending module is used to send first information to the second network element, where the first information is associated with a first quality of service QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

38. The network element according to claim 37, characterized in that The first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; Processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; Information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

39. The network element according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that The first information includes one or more of the following: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing strategy of the first QoS; a policy charging control (PCC) rule corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS association; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

40. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 39, characterized in that: The first information includes a QoS parameter of the first QoS, where the QoS parameter of the first QoS is used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; Delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS; Resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

41. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 40, characterized in that: The QoS parameters of the first QoS include one or more of the following parameters: A group transmission rate, used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS; The maximum transmission rate of the group is used to indicate that the network limits the maximum transmission rate that the first QoS can achieve; A group packet delay budget, used to indicate a delay budget corresponding to the first QoS; The group allocation and retention priority is used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS.

42. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that: The first network element is an application function AF network element, the second network element is a policy control function PCF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS association.

43. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that: The first network element is a PCF network element, the second network element is a session management function SMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

44. The network element according to claim 43, characterized in that The first network element further includes one or more of the following: A first generating module is configured to generate QoS parameters of a service flow associated with the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS; or a determination module, configured to determine a policy for updating the second network element according to the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; or The second generating module is used to generate candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS.

45. The network element according to claim 43 or 44, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS are included in the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

46. ​​The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that: The first network element is an SMF network element, the second network element is an access and mobility management function AMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

47. The network element according to claim 46, characterized in that The first network element further includes: A binding module is configured to bind the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows, where the one or more QoS flows include QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

48. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that: The first network element is an AMF network element, the second network element is a first access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

49. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that: The first network element is a first access network device, the second network element is a terminal device in the first group of terminal devices, and the first information includes resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS.

50. The network element according to claim 49, wherein: If the first network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS is determined by the first network element according to the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

51. The network element according to claim 49 or 50, characterized in that The first network element further includes: The second sending module is used to send first indication information to the network if the first network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be met.

52. The network element according to claim 51, characterized in that The first indication information includes candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS selected by the first network element.

53. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 41, characterized in that: The first network element is a second access network device, the second network element is a third access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Information about resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; Information about QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that have been met by the second access network device; candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

54. The network element according to any one of claims 37 to 53, characterized in that: The first group of terminal devices includes multiple terminal devices for the same task.

55. A network element, characterized in that: The network element is a second network element, and the second network element includes: A receiving module is used to receive first information sent by a first network element, where the first information is associated with a first quality of service QoS, and the first QoS corresponds to a first group of terminal devices.

56. The network element according to claim 55, characterized in that The first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Information for requesting the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration information of the first QoS; Processing policy information of the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; Information of candidate QoS associated with the first QoS.

57. The network element according to claim 55 or 56, characterized in that The first information includes one or more of the following: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the first QoS; a policy charging control (PCC) rule corresponding to the first QoS; resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS; candidate QoS requirements associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS association; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

58. The network element according to any one of claims 55 to 57, characterized in that: The first information includes a QoS parameter of the first QoS, where the QoS parameter of the first QoS is used to indicate one or more of the following information: transmission rate information corresponding to the first QoS; Delay information corresponding to the first QoS; priority information corresponding to the first QoS; Resource preemption information corresponding to the first QoS.

59. The network element according to any one of claims 55 to 58, characterized in that: The QoS parameters of the first QoS include one or more of the following parameters: A group transmission rate, used to indicate the transmission rate of the first QoS; The maximum transmission rate of the group is used to indicate that the network limits the maximum transmission rate that the first QoS can achieve; A group packet delay budget, used to indicate a delay budget corresponding to the first QoS; The group allocation and retention priority is used to indicate the allocation and retention priority corresponding to the first QoS.

60. The network element according to any one of claims 55 to 59, characterized in that: The first network element is an application function AF network element, the second network element is a policy control function PCF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: QoS requirements of the first QoS; Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS association.

61. The network element according to claim 60, characterized in that The second network element further includes one or more of the following: A first generating module is configured to generate QoS parameters of a service flow associated with the first QoS according to the QoS requirements of the first QoS; or a determining module, configured to determine a policy for updating the second network element according to the QoS processing policy of the first QoS; or The second generating module is used to generate candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS according to the candidate QoS requirements of the first QoS.

62. The network element according to any one of claims 55-59, characterized in that The first network element is a PCF network element, the second network element is a session management function SMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Association indication information of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS; The PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

63. The network element according to claim 62, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the service flow associated with the first QoS and / or the QoS processing policy of the service flow associated with the first QoS are included in the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS.

64. The network element according to claim 62 or 63, characterized in that The second network element further includes: A binding module is configured to bind the PCC rule corresponding to the first QoS to one or more QoS flows, where the one or more QoS flows include QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS.

65. The network element according to any one of claims 55-59, characterized in that The first network element is an SMF network element, the second network element is an access and mobility management function AMF network element, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; a candidate QoS configuration for the first QoS association.

66. The network element according to any one of claims 55 to 59, characterized in that: The first network element is an AMF network element, the second network element is a first access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: a QoS processing policy for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; QoS configuration of the first QoS; an association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS; candidate QoS parameters of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The identifiers of one or more access network devices associated with the first QoS.

67. The network element according to claim 66, characterized in that If the second network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, the resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS is determined by the second network element according to the candidate QoS parameters associated with the first QoS.

68. The network element according to claim 66 or 67, characterized in that The second network element further includes: A sending module is used to send first indication information to the network if the second network element cannot meet the QoS requirement of the first QoS, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the QoS requirement of the first QoS cannot be met.

69. The network element according to claim 68, characterized in that The first indication information includes candidate QoS parameters of the first QoS selected by the first network element.

70. The network element according to any one of claims 55 to 59, characterized in that: The first network element is a first access network device, the second network element is a terminal device in the first group of terminal devices, and the first information includes resource allocation information corresponding to the first QoS.

71. The network element according to any one of claims 55 to 59, characterized in that: The first network element is a second access network device, the second network element is a third access network device, and the first information includes one or more of the following information: Information about resources allocated by the second access network device to the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; Information about QoS requirements of the QoS flow associated with the first QoS that have been met by the second access network device; candidate QoS parameters adopted by the second access network device for the QoS flow associated with the first QoS; The association identifier of the QoS configuration of the first QoS.

72. The network element according to any one of claims 55-59, characterized in that The first group of terminal devices includes multiple terminal devices for the same task.

73. A network element, characterized in that The device comprises a memory, a processor and a transceiver, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory so that the network element executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

74. A device, characterized in that The device comprises a processor configured to call a program from a memory so as to cause the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

75. A chip, characterized in that The device comprises a processor configured to call a program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

76. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A program is stored thereon, the program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

77. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

78. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

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