Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for accurately obtaining end-to-end time delay of UE-UE (User Equipment-User Equipment) in a UE-UE communication scene. The time delay is determined through a first core network device, such as a TSN AF, a TSCTSF, an NEF, an SMF or an UPF, and the time delay of the first service flow and the time delay of the second service flow belonging to two segments of the third service flow are combined. The accuracy of determining the end-to-end time delay can be improved, and the network performance is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Currently, some services have high requirements for the quality of service (QoS). In practical applications, in order to ensure latency and reliability, the network needs to be able to promptly sense the link quality and make corresponding adjustments. By measuring the real-time latency of packets, the QoS visualization management of some services can be achieved, providing the real-time detection ability of the slice service-level agreement (SLA), the QoS closed-loop warning for ultra-high reliable services, and improving the traffic monetization ability. QoS monitoring can measure the packet latency between the user equipment (UE) and the protocol data unit (PDU) session anchor (PSA) user plane function (UPF), including the uplink / downlink packet latency between the UE and the radio access network (RAN) (i.e., the air interface part), and the uplink / downlink packet latency composition between the RAN and the PSA UPF (which can be abbreviated as the anchor UPF) (i.e., the core network part).

[0003] For the scenario of communication between two user equipments (UEs), such as the communication between UE1 and UE2, it may involve two segments of traffic flows. Currently, third-party applications cannot perceive the internal topology of the core network, so they cannot accurately obtain the transmission latency between UE-UE, which affects network performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus, which can also accurately obtain the end-to-end latency between UE-UE in the scenario of UE-UE communication.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first core network device. The communication method includes: receiving a Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring request; determining a QoS monitoring result, where the QoS monitoring result indicates QoS monitoring parameters. The QoS monitoring parameters include one or more of end-to-end delay, congestion degree, or bit rate. The QoS monitoring parameters are determined according to the first QoS monitoring parameters of the first service flow and the second QoS monitoring parameters of the second service flow. The first service flow and the second service flow belong to two segments of a third service flow transmitted between a first terminal device and a second terminal device; taking the end-to-end delay indicated by the QoS monitoring result as an example. The end-to-end delay is determined according to the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow. The first transmission delay is the transmission delay of the first service flow between the first terminal device and the user plane function (UPF) corresponding to the first terminal device, and the second transmission delay is the transmission delay of the second service flow between the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0006] In the embodiment of the present application, when monitoring the QoS of an end-to-end service flow, determining the end-to-end delay based on the transmission delays of two service flow segments can improve the accuracy of determining the end-to-end delay and improve network performance.

[0007] In a possible implementation manner, the first core network device is:

[0008] Time-Sensitive Networking Application Function (TSN AF); or,

[0009] Time-Sensitive Communication and Clock Synchronization Function (TSCTSF); or,

[0010] Network Exposure Function (NEF); or,

[0011] Session Management Function (SMF); or,

[0012] UPF, where the UPF is the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device or the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device.

[0013] In the above implementation manner, if the first core network device is TSN AF or TSCTSF, the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow can be maintained, so that when determining the delay, the delays of the two segments are combined. If the first core network device is NEF, NEF can obtain the corresponding relationship between the two service flow segments, so that when determining the delay, the delays of the two segments are combined. If the first core network device is SMF or UPF, SMF or UPF can obtain the corresponding relationship between the two service flow segments, so that when determining the delay, the delays of the two segments are directly combined.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the first core network device is a TSN AF or a TSCTSF or a NEF or an SMF, and the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow; or,

[0015] the first core network device is a UPF, the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device are the same UPF, and the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow; or

[0016] the first core network device is a UPF, the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device are different UPFs, and the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is the transmission delay of the third service flow between the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the QoS monitoring result includes (or corresponds to) at least one of the following: the ingress port identifier of the third service flow, the egress port identifier of the third service flow, the ingress interface identifier of the third service flow, the egress interface identifier of the third service flow, or the flow identifier of the third service flow.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the QoS monitoring result includes (or corresponds to) the flow identifier of the third service flow and / or the application port information of the third service flow, etc. The application port information may include one or more of the ingress port identifier of the third service flow, the egress port identifier of the third service flow, the ingress interface identifier of the third service flow, the egress interface identifier of the third service flow, and other port or interface information.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending the QoS monitoring result to a second core network device.

[0020] In a possible implementation, if the first core network device is a TSCTSF, the second core network device is an application function AF or a NEF; or, if the first core network device is a NEF or an SMF or a UPF, the second core network device is an AF or a TSN AF.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the sending the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device includes:

[0022] Send the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs respectively; or send the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device through the AF session to which the set service flow belongs, where the set service flow is the first service flow or the second service flow; or send the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs, and send a second indication to the second core network device through the AF to which the second service flow belongs, where the second indication is used to indicate that the AF session to which the first service flow belongs carries the QoS monitoring result.

[0023] In some embodiments, when the first core network device is a TSCTSF or a NEF, the TSCTSF or the NEF can send the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device in any one of the above three possible ways. In other embodiments, when the first core network device is an SMF or a UPF, the SMF or the UPF can first send the QoS monitoring result to the NEF, and then the NEF can send the QoS monitoring result to the AF or the TSN AF in any one of the above three possible ways.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow; the correspondence is used to indicate that the first service flow and the second service flow belong to two segments of the third service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the determining the QoS monitoring result includes: determining the QoS monitoring result according to the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0025] In the embodiments of the present application, before determining the QoS monitoring result, the first core network device obtains the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow, and determines the end-to-end delay based on the correspondence and the transmission delay of the two service flows, which can improve the accuracy of determining the end-to-end delay and improve the network performance.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, the first core network device is a TSN AF or a TSCTSF; the obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow can adopt any one of the above first to fourth possible ways.

[0027] In the first possible way, determine that the input port and the output port of the protocol data unit (PDU) session to which the third service flow belongs exist in the TSN translator on the terminal device side; divide the third service flow into the first service flow and the second service flow, and generate the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0028] Exemplarily, determining the input port and output port of the protocol data unit (PDU) session to which the third traffic flow belongs in the TSN translator on the terminal device side, that is, determining that the third traffic flow belongs to an end-to-end traffic flow, or in other words, the scenario to which the third traffic flow belongs is a UE-UE scenario.

[0029] In the second possible way, determine that the traffic flow belongs to the traffic flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the identifiers of the ingress interface and egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third traffic flow belongs, divide the third traffic flow into the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow, and generate the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow.

[0030] Exemplarily, determine that the third traffic flow belongs to an end-to-end traffic flow according to the identifiers of the ingress interface and egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third traffic flow belongs, or in other words, the scenario to which the third traffic flow belongs is a UE-UE scenario.

[0031] In the third possible way, determine that the third traffic flow belongs to the traffic flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the identifier of the egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third traffic flow belongs and the source IP address included in the PDU session parameters, divide the third traffic flow into the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow, and generate the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow.

[0032] Exemplarily, determine that the third traffic flow belongs to an end-to-end traffic flow according to the identifier of the egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third traffic flow belongs and the source IP address included in the PDU session parameters, or in other words, the scenario to which the third traffic flow belongs is a UE-UE scenario.

[0033] In the fourth possible way, receive the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow from the network exposure function (NEF).

[0034] In a possible implementation manner, the first core network device is a TSN application function (AF) or a time-sensitive communication service function (TSCTSF);

[0035] The corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow includes one or more of the following:

[0036] The association relationship between the filter of the first traffic flow and the filter of the second traffic flow;

[0037] The association relationship between the port information of the first traffic flow and the port information of the second traffic flow;

[0038] The association relationship between the interface information of the first service flow and the interface information of the second service flow; or,

[0039] The association relationship between the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner, receiving the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow sent by the Network Exposure Function (NEF) includes:

[0041] Receiving a first message from the NEF, where the first message carries the correspondence and a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate that the first core network device reports the delay of the first service flow and the delay of the second service flow in a combined manner.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner, when the first core network device is the Network Exposure Function (NEF) or the Session Management Function (SMF) or the User Plane Function (UPF), obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes:

[0043] Receiving the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow from the TSCTSF.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner, when the first core network device is the Session Management Function (SMF) or the User Plane Function (UPF), obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes:

[0045] Receiving the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow from the Policy Control Function (PCF).

[0046] In a possible implementation manner, when the first core network device is the Network Exposure Function (NEF) or the Session Management Function (SMF) or the User Plane Function (UPF), the method further includes:

[0047] Receiving a third indication from the TSCTSF, where the third indication is used to indicate that the first core network device reports the delay of the first service flow and the delay of the second service flow in a combined manner.

[0048] In a possible implementation manner, when the first core network device is the NEF or the SMF or the UPF, the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes one or more of the following:

[0049] The association relationship between the filter of the first service flow and the filter of the second service flow;

[0050] The association relationship between the port information of the first service flow and the port information of the second service flow;

[0051] The association relationship between the interface information of the first service flow and the interface information of the second service flow;

[0052] The association relationship between the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs;

[0053] The association relationship between the PDU session to which the first service flow belongs and the PDU session to which the second service flow belongs; or,

[0054] The association relationship between the PCC rule corresponding to the first service flow and the PCC rule corresponding to the second service flow.

[0055] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first core network device. The first core network device is a NEF or an SMF or a UPF. The method includes receiving a QoS monitoring request and receiving a third indication, where the third indication is used to instruct the first core network device to report the delay of the first service flow and the delay of the second service flow in a combined manner. The first service flow and the second service flow are two segments of a third service flow transmitted between a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The first core network device sends a QoS monitoring result to a second core network device, and the QoS monitoring result indicates the end-to-end delay. The end-to-end delay is determined according to a first transmission delay of the first service flow and a second transmission delay of the second service flow. The first transmission delay is the transmission delay of the first service flow between the first terminal device and the user plane network element UPF corresponding to the first terminal device, and the second transmission delay is the transmission delay of the second service flow between the user plane network element corresponding to the second terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0056] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the first core network device described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect above. The communication device has the functions of the first core network device above. The communication device is, for example, the first core network device, or a larger device including the first core network device, or a functional module in the first core network device, such as a chip system, etc. In an optional implementation manner, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement the sending function and the receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending unit (sometimes also referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving unit (sometimes also referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit may be the same functional module, and this functional module is called the transceiver unit, and this functional module can implement the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0057] For example, a transceiver unit is configured to receive a Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring request. A processing unit is configured to determine a QoS monitoring result, where the QoS monitoring result indicates QoS monitoring parameters. The QoS monitoring parameters include one or more of end-to-end delay, congestion level, or bit rate. The QoS monitoring parameters are determined based on the first QoS monitoring parameters of the first traffic flow and the second QoS monitoring parameters of the second traffic flow. The first traffic flow and the second traffic flow are two segments of a third traffic flow transmitted between a first terminal device and a second terminal device. Taking the case where the QoS monitoring result indicates the end-to-end delay as an example, the end-to-end delay is determined based on the first transmission delay of the first traffic flow and the second transmission delay of the second traffic flow. The first transmission delay is the transmission delay of the first traffic flow between the first terminal device and the User Plane Function (UPF) corresponding to the first terminal device, and the second transmission delay is the transmission delay of the second traffic flow between the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0058] In an alternative embodiment, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module). The processing unit is configured to be coupled to the storage unit and execute programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the first core network device described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect above.

[0059] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs or instructions. When run, the methods performed by the first core network device in the above aspects are implemented.

[0060] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions. When run on a computer, the methods described in the above aspects are implemented.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system including a processor and an interface. The processor is configured to call and run instructions from the interface to enable the chip system to implement the methods in the above aspects.

[0062] Based on the implementations provided in the above aspects, the present application can be further combined to provide more implementations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Figure 1A It is an architecture diagram of a 5G network;

[0064] Figure 1B It is another architecture diagram of a 5G network;

[0065] Figure 2 Schematic diagram for QoS monitoring related to delay

[0066] Figure 3A Structural diagram of a fully centralized configuration model

[0067] Figure 3B System architecture diagram for the interworking of 5G network and TSN

[0068] Figure 3C Schematic diagram for cache forwarding delay deterministic transmission

[0069] Figure 4 System architecture diagram for supporting TSC services

[0070] Figure 5A Schematic diagram for the downlink burst arrival time

[0071] Figure 5B Schematic diagram for the uplink burst arrival time

[0072] Figure 5C Schematic diagram for the communication between two UEs in a single RAN scenario

[0073] Figure 5D Schematic diagram for the communication between two UEs in a multi-RAN scenario

[0074] Figure 5E Schematic diagram for the service flow transmission in the UE-UE scenario

[0075] Figure 6 Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application

[0076] Figure 7 Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by Scenario 1 of an embodiment of the present application

[0077] Figure 8 Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by Scenario 2 of an embodiment of the present application

[0078] Figure 9 Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by Scenario 3 of an embodiment of the present application

[0079] Figure 10 Schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by Scenario 4 of an embodiment of the present application

[0080] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of a device provided by an embodiment of the present application

[0081] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of another device provided by an embodiment of the present application Detailed implementation manners

[0082] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] The following explains some terms or concepts in the embodiments of the present application to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, for the number of nouns, it means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. " / ", which describes the association relationship between associated objects, indicates that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the preceding and following associated objects. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0085] The ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, the first request information and the second request information can be the same information or different information. Moreover, such names do not indicate differences in the content, size, sender and / or receiver, sending time, priority, or importance of these two pieces of information. In addition, the numbering of steps in each embodiment introduced in the present application is only for distinguishing different steps and does not limit the sequence of steps. For example, S301 can occur before S302, or may occur after S302, or may also occur simultaneously with S302.

[0086] In the embodiments of this application, the network device may include an access network device or a core network device. The communication device for implementing the functions of the network device may be the network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement such functions, such as a chip system, and this device may be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, the network device is taken as an example of the device for implementing the functions of the network device to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Additionally, the communication device for implementing the functions of the terminal device may be the terminal device or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement such functions, such as a chip system, and this device may be installed in the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device is taken as an example of the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0087] The embodiments of this application relate to two scenarios. One is the scenario where the mobile communication system interoperates with the time-sensitive network (TSN), and the other is the scenario where the mobile communication system supports time-sensitive communication (TSC) services. Below, taking the mobile communication system as the 5th generation (5G) communication system as an example, the 5G communication system and the TSN network are introduced respectively.

[0088] Figure 1A and Figure 1B shows two possible architectures of the 5G communication system. The architecture of this communication system may include: (radio) access network ( Figure 1A and Figure 1B the (R)AN in), terminal devices, and the core network. Exemplarily, in the architecture of this communication system, the (radio) access network may include access network devices.

[0089] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver functions, which may be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (such as a mobile phone), a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device, or a wireless device (such as a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.) built into the above devices. The terminal device is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as including but not limited to the following scenarios: cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, etc. The terminal device may sometimes be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a terminal, an access station, a UE station, a remote station, a wireless communication device, or a user device, etc. For ease of description, the terminal device is described by taking the UE as an example in the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] The access network device is a device with wireless transceiver functions and is used to communicate with terminal devices. The access network device includes, but is not limited to, base stations (base transceiver stations (BTS), Node B, eNodeB / eNB, or gNodeB / gNB), transmission reception points (TRP), base stations evolved from the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) in the future, access nodes in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base station can be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, etc. Multiple base stations can support a network of the same access technology or networks of different access technologies. A base station can include one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission and reception points. The access network device can also be a wireless controller, a centralized unit (CU), and / or a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). The following takes the base station as an example to illustrate the access network device. The base station can communicate with terminal devices or communicate with terminal devices through a relay station. Terminal devices can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies.

[0091] The devices in the core network include, but are not limited to, devices for implementing functions such as mobility management, data processing, session management, policy and charging. Taking the 5G system as an example, the core network devices can include a network exposure function (NEF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, a unified data management (UDM), an application function (AF) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, etc.

[0092] The session management function network element can be used to be responsible for the session management of the terminal device (including the establishment, modification or release of the session, maintaining the tunnel between the user plane function network element and the access network device), the selection or reselection of the user plane function network element, the allocation of the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UE (including optional authorization), the configuration of traffic routing in the user plane function network element, quality of service (QoS) control, etc. The session management function network element is the session management part endpoint of the non-access stratum (NAS) message. For example, in a 5G communication system, the session management function network element can be an SMF network element, such as Figure 1A and Figure 1B shown; in future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, the session management function network element can still be an SMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application. When the session management function network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element can provide the Nsmf service.

[0093] The policy control function network element mainly supports providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, providing policy rules to the control layer network function, and at the same time being responsible for obtaining the user subscription information related to policy decision-making. For example, in a 5G communication system, the policy control function network element can be a PCF network element, such as Figure 1A and Figure 1B shown; in future communication, such as 6G communication systems, the policy control function network element can still be a PCF network element, or have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application. If the policy control function network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element can provide the Npcf service.

[0094] The access and mobility management function network element can be used to manage the access control and mobility of the UE. In practical applications, it includes the mobility management function in the mobility management entity (MME) in the network framework of Long Term Evolution (LTE), and adds the access management function. Specifically, it can be responsible for the registration of the UE, mobility management, tracking area update process, reachability detection, selection of the SMF network element, mobile state transition management, etc. For example, in a 5G system, the access and mobility management function network element can be an AMF network element, such as Figure 1A and Figure 1BAs shown in the figure; in future communication systems, such as 6G systems, the access and mobility management function network element can still be the AMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application. When the access and mobility management function network element is the AMF network element, the AMF network element can provide Namf services. In the embodiments of this application, the communication between the (R)AN network element and the SMF network element can be relayed through the AMF network element.

[0095] The user plane function network element is responsible for the forwarding and reception of the user data of the UE. The UPF network element can receive the user data from the data network and send it to the UE through the access network device; the UPF network element can also receive the user data from the UE through the access network device and forward the received user data to the data network. For example, in the 5G system, the user plane function network element can be the UPF network element, for example Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown in the figure; in future communication systems, such as 6G systems, the user plane function network element can still be the UPF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0096] The network exposure function network element can expose the capabilities of each network element and convert the information inside and outside the 5G communication system, which is generally used in edge computing scenarios. For example, in the 5G system, the network exposure function network element can be the NEF network element, for example Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown in the figure; in future communication systems, such as 6G systems, the network exposure function network element can still be the NEF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0097] The data network (DN) refers to a service network that provides data transmission services for users, such as IP multimedia service (IMS), Internet, etc. The UE accesses the DN through the packet data unit (PDU) session established between the UE and the DN.

[0098] Among them, each network element in the core network can also be called a functional entity or device, which can be a network element implemented on dedicated hardware, a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or an instance of virtualized functions on an appropriate platform. For example, the above virtualization platform can be a cloud platform.

[0099] Among them, the AMF network element and the access network device can be connected through the N2 interface, the access network device and the UPF network element can be connected through the N3 interface, the SMF network element and the UPF network element can be connected through the N4 interface, the AMF network element and the UE can be connected through the N1 interface, and the UPF and the DN can be connected through the N6 interface. The interface names are only for illustrative purposes, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to Figure 1A and Figure 1B the communication systems shown, Figure 1A and Figure 1B the names of the network elements shown therein are only for illustrative purposes here and do not limit the network elements included in the communication system architecture applicable to the methods of the embodiments of the present application. The functions of some network elements or devices in the communication system will be introduced below. The names of the devices that implement the core network functions in systems with different access technologies may be different, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0100] Figure 1A Shown is a schematic diagram of a communication network architecture based on a service-based architecture. Figure 1A In it, between the NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, AUSF, UDR, AMF, and SMF, any two network elements can communicate using service-based communication methods. For example, the interfaces Nnef and Nausf used for communication between the NEF and the AUSF are both service-based interfaces. Similarly, the interfaces Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Nudr, Namf, and Nsmf are all service-based interfaces. In addition, the AMF and the terminal device can communicate through the N1 interface, the AMF and the (R)AN can communicate through the N2 interface, the RAN and the UPF can communicate through the N3 interface, the SMF and the UPF can communicate through the N4 interface, the terminal device and the RAN perform air interface communication, and the UPF and the DN can communicate through the N6 interface.

[0101] Figure 1B Shown is a schematic diagram of a communication network architecture based on point-to-point interfaces; Figure 1A The main difference from Figure 1B is that: Figure 1B the interfaces between the network elements in Figure 1B are point-to-point interfaces rather than service-based interfaces. For the clarity of the point-to-point diagram, the UDSF, NEF, NWDAF, and NRF are not described. It should be noted that Figure 1A and Figure 1B the core network elements in

[0102] It should be noted that Figure 1A andFigure 1B The shown communication system does not constitute a limitation on the communication systems applicable to the embodiments of this application. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The shown communication system architecture is a 5G system architecture. Optionally, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied not only to 5G systems but also to the fourth-generation mobile communication technology (4G) systems, such as LTE systems, or can also be applied to next-generation mobile communication systems or other similar communication systems, without specific limitation.

[0103] It should be noted that Figure 1A and Figure 1B The architecture of the shown communication system is not limited to only including the network elements shown in the figure and may also include other devices not shown in the figure, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0104] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the distribution form of each network element. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The shown distribution form is only exemplary and is not limited by the embodiments of this application.

[0105] The following describes the quality of service monitoring (QoS monitoring) involved in this application. Currently, some services have high requirements for QoS. In actual applications, to ensure latency and reliability, the network needs to be able to promptly sense the link quality and make corresponding adjustments. By measuring the real-time latency of packets, the QoS visualization management of some services can be achieved, providing the real-time detection ability of the slice service-level agreement (SLA), the QoS closed-loop warning for ultra-high-reliability services, and improving the traffic monetization ability. QoS monitoring can measure the packet latency between the UE and the PDU session anchor (PSA) UPF, including the uplink / downlink packet latency between the UE and the RAN (i.e., the air interface part), and the uplink / downlink packet latency composition between the RAN and the PSA UPF (which can be simply referred to as the anchor UPF) (i.e., the core network part). The PCF generates an authorized QoS monitoring policy for the traffic flow according to the QoS monitoring request received from the AF. The PCF includes the authorized QoS monitoring policy in the policy and charging control (PCC) rule and provides it to the SMF. When the SMF receives the authorized packet latency QoS monitoring policy, the SMF configures the UPF(s) and the RAN to perform latency measurement according to the selected method.

[0106] The QoS monitoring of the core network can be achieved through QoS monitoring at the flow granularity or QoS monitoring at the node granularity.

[0107] (1) QoS monitoring at the flow granularity, which can also be understood as real-time QoS monitoring of service flows:

[0108] The SMF sends the QoS supervision policy of the QoS flow to the anchor UPF through the PDU session establishment or modification process. Based on the QoS supervision policy received from the PCF, the anchor UPF initiates the packet delay measurement between the RAN node and the anchor UPF, and the RAN node initiates the packet delay measurement of the uplink / downlink data packets on the Uu interface. When the anchor UPF sends a downlink data packet, if all user plane nodes of the 5G system are time-synchronized, the anchor UPF adds the transmission timestamp to the downlink packet, such as Figure 2 T1 in Figure 2 The RAN calculates the downlink delay based on the time of receiving the packet. The time when the RAN receives the packet is, for example, Figure 2 T2 in Figure 2 The RAN sends the downlink delay and the Uu interface delay in the uplink packet to the anchor UPF. In the absence of uplink service data packets, the RAN node can send a Dummy uplink packet to the UPF as a listening response packet. The anchor UPF can calculate the transmission delay of each segment of the uplink and downlink packets based on the information reported by the RAN and the time when the RAN sends the uplink packet (such as Figure 2 T3 in Figure 2 and the time when the packet is received (such as Figure 2 T4 in )

[0109] If the anchor UPF and the RAN do not support time synchronization, the anchor UPF records the local time when the downlink packet is sent. The RAN node provides the measurement results of the uplink / downlink data packet delay on the Uu interface and the local packet sending and receiving time to the anchor UPF through the N3 interface. The anchor UPF can calculate the packet round-trip time based on the local time of receiving the uplink packet and the information reported by the NG-RAN. Assuming that the uplink and downlink delays between the RAN and the UPF are symmetric, the one-way delay can be obtained by dividing the packet round-trip time by 2.

[0110] The anchor UPF can report the QoS monitoring results to the SMF according to certain conditions (such as the delay reaching the reporting threshold configured by the SMF) for subsequent application layer alarms or other QoS policy decisions, etc.

[0111] For example, Figure 2In it, the protocol stack used for the UE to transmit data with the RAN includes the Service Data Application Protocol (SDAP) layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and the L1 layer. The L1 layer mainly includes the physical layer protocol, which is responsible for providing the physical bit stream transmission and adapting to the transmission medium. The PDCP layer is mainly used to process the packet data carrying the network layer on the air interface, such as IP data streams. SDAP is responsible for QoS flow processing across the 5G interface, such as mapping specific QoS flows in the PDU session to the corresponding data radio bearers. RLC is a link layer protocol responsible for error recovery and flow control. The MAC layer is used to arbitrate the use of network capacity. The protocol stack used for the RAN to transmit data with the UPF includes the GPRS Tunnelling Protocol for the user plane (GTP-U), UDP / IP, the L2 layer, and the L1 layer. GTP-U is used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. The transmitted user data can be any kind of data packet in the IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet, or PPP format. UDP / IP provides a point-to-point transmission service for signaling during transmission. The L2 layer can be understood as the data link layer. The data link layer is built on the physical layer and is responsible for dividing the original bit stream into data frames and transmitting them between adjacent nodes. The main tasks of the data link layer include frame encapsulation and decapsulation, error detection and correction, flow control, and access control, etc. The data link layer also processes the packetization and reassembly of data to ensure the orderly transmission of data.

[0112] (2) Node granularity (or node-level) QoS monitoring:

[0113] Node granularity QoS monitoring can provide node granularity delay estimation results. Different from the above-mentioned flow granularity QoS monitoring, node granularity QoS monitoring is based on the GTP-U Echo request / response in the user plane transmission path for core network packet delay estimation. Specifically, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions in 3GPP TS28.552. It can be understood that the delay of the uplink / downlink data packets between the RAN and the anchor UPF used in flow granularity QoS monitoring is replaced by the delay of the GTP-U Echo request / response in the user plane transmission path.

[0114] During the forwarding process of traditional Ethernet networks, when a large number of data packets arrive at the forwarding port in an instant, it will cause problems such as large forwarding delay or packet loss. Therefore, traditional Ethernet cannot provide services with high reliability and guaranteed transmission delay, and cannot meet the requirements of fields such as automotive control and industrial Internet. In response to the need for reliable delay transmission, relevant TSN standards have been defined currently. This standard provides reliable delay transmission services based on layer 2 switching, ensuring the reliability of the transmission of delay-sensitive service data and predictable end-to-end transmission delay.

[0115] See Figure 3A , which is a structural diagram of a fully centralized configuration model. The management plane in the fully centralized configuration model includes a centralized user configuration (CUC) network element and a centralized network configuration (CNC) network element, and the user plane includes TSN terminals and switching nodes (also called bridges, abbreviated as bridges). TSN terminals include a sending end (called a Talker) and a receiving end (called a Listener).

[0116] The CUC network element is used to manage TSN terminals (Talker and Listener) and services, responsible for discovering and managing TSN terminals, obtaining the capabilities and user requirements of TSN terminals, sending the requirements of TSN flows to the CNC, and configuring TSN terminals according to the instructions of the CNC. The CNC network element is responsible for managing the topology of the user plane of the TSN system (including TSN terminals and each switching node) and the capability information of each switching node, calculating and generating the end-to-end (E2E) forwarding path of the TSN flow according to the requirements of the TSN flow, and sending down scheduling parameters to each switching node. Each switching node reports the switching node capability information and topology information to the CNC, and schedules and forwards data streams based on the rules sent down by the CNC.

[0117] Please refer to Figure 3B , which is a system architecture diagram of the interworking between 5G networks and TSN. In this architecture, the 5G communication system (5G system, 5GS) and the TSN translator are regarded as a logical TSN bridge as a whole, Figure 3B The device side of the bridge in [] refers to the UE side of this logical TSN bridge. The 5GS communicates with the TSN (such as Figure 3B the TSN AF in []) through the TSN Translator on the control plane. Figure 3BNodes in the TSN system) exchange information. The information exchanged may include: 5GS bridge capabilities information, TSN configuration information, time scheduling information for TSN input / output ports, time synchronization information, etc. Additionally, a TSN translator is added on both the UPF and UE sides to adapt the data transmission of the user plane. Among them, the TSN translator on the UPF side is, for example, Figure 3B The network-side TSN translator (NW-TT) in Figure 3B The device-side TSN translator (DS-TT) in Figure 3B For the interface names between two network elements in Figure 3B , details are not elaborated here.

[0118] The 5GS and the TSN translator together act as a logical TSN bridge. Through centralized network configuration (CNC), the transmission time window and flow period are configured for each TSN bridge based on the information reported by the 5GS bridge and other bridges to ensure deterministic latency end-to-end (from the TSN talker to the TSN listener). Taking the following behavior as an example, during the process of the user plane processing the message, after the message is transmitted from the TSN system to the NW-TT, the NW-TT sends the message to the DS-TT, and the DS-TT sends the message within the pre-configured time according to the transmission time window (i.e., the gating scheduling parameter) of the centralized network configuration (CNC). To ensure that the message can be sent in time, the message needs to arrive at the DS-TT before the preset transmission time and be cached at the DST-TT until the transmission time window. For the uplink, it is passed from the DS-TT to the NW-TT. See Figure 3C As shown, for specific messages with deterministic latency requirements, 5GS needs to determine the corresponding packet delay budget (PDB) according to the message requirements, and the transmission time of the message between the UE and the UPF should not be greater than the PDB. That is to say, the message will arrive at the DS-TT in advance so as to be within the transmission time window of the CNC. Figure 3CThe UE-DS-TT residence time, for example, is the duration from the entrance of DS-TT to the exit of the UE. PDB refers to the upper bound of the transmission delay of data packets from the UPF to the terminal device. More specifically, PDB consists of the packet delay budget from the CN to the access network (AN) and the packet delay budget from the access network to the terminal device. Among them, the packet delay budget from the core network to the access network can be abbreviated as CN PDB, and the packet delay budget from the access network to the terminal device can be abbreviated as AN PDB.

[0119] Please refer to Figure 4 , which is a system architecture diagram for the 5G network to support the TSC service without interoperating with the TSN. In this architecture, a new time sensitive communication and time synchronization function (TSCTSF) network element is added, through which the TSC service in a non-TSN scenario can be enabled. The functions of the TSCTSF network element include at least one of the following: associating the time synchronization service request from the AF with the AF session; interacting with the DS-TT for the port management information container (PMIC), interacting with the NW-TT for the user plane node management information container (UMIC), managing and controlling the DS-TT / NW-TT; detecting the availability of the 5GS bridge or 5GS node information reported by the PCF; creating a TSC assistance container according to the service type parameters provided by the AF / NEF and providing the container to the PCF; determining the 5GS bridge delay according to the UE-DS-TT residence time and providing the 5GS bridge delay to the PCF.

[0120] Regarding Figure 3A or Figure 4 For some of the network elements in Figure 1A and Figure 1B , please refer to the previous introduction of

[0121] For ease of explanation, in the following embodiments of this application, Figure 1A , Figure 1B , Figure 3B , Figure 4Taking the network element shown in any of the accompanying drawings as an example for illustration, and directly abbreviating the XX network element as XX. For example, abbreviate the SMF network element as SMF, the PCF network element as PCF, the TSN AF network element as TSN AF, the TSCTSF network element as TSCTSF, etc. It should be understood that the names of all network elements in the embodiments of the present application are only examples, and may also be called other names in future communications, or the network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application in future communications may also be replaced by other entities or devices with the same functions, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this. A unified explanation is made here and will not be repeated later.

[0122] For Figure 3B or Figure 4 For the architectures shown, the RAN can obtain the time when the quality of service (QoS) flow arrives at the entrance of the RAN from the core network, so that the RAN can schedule resources for the QoS flow according to the time when the QoS flow arrives at the entrance of the RAN. Taking the architecture shown in Figure 3B as an example. In this architecture, the centralized network configuration (CNC) in the TSN can configure the time when the traffic flow arrives at the 5GS and the time when it leaves the 5GS according to the flow granularity. The uncertainties caused by radio access and wired transmission between the UE and the UPF can be eliminated by caching at the end points TT (such as DS-TT and NW-TT).

[0123] Based on the scheduling information of the traffic flow obtained from the CNC, the TSN AF can determine the time when the traffic flow arrives at the entrance of the 5GS. If it is a downlink traffic flow, the arrival of the traffic flow at the entrance of the 5GS means the arrival of the traffic flow at the entrance of the NW-TT, and reference can be made to Figure 5A , where the downlink burst arrival time (DL BAT) is the time when the downlink traffic flow arrives at the entrance of the 5GS. If it is an uplink traffic flow, the arrival of the traffic flow at the entrance of the 5GS means the arrival of the traffic flow at the entrance of the DS-TT, and reference can be made to Figure 5B , where the uplink burst arrival time (ULBAT) is the time when the uplink traffic flow arrives at the entrance of the 5GS. The TSN AF can provide the TSC assistance container (TSCAC) to the SMF through the PCF. Based on the TSCAC, the SMF further calculates the time when the QoS flow corresponding to the traffic flow arrives at the NG-RAN in the downlink direction, for example Figure 5AThe downlink (DL) TSC assistance information (TSCAI) burst arrival time (BAT) in it, and calculate the time when the QoS flow corresponding to the service flow is sent from the UE in the uplink direction. For example Figure 5B The uplink (UL) TSCAI BAT in it. The time information calculated by the SMF can be provided to the RAN as TSC assistance information (TSCAI) so that the RAN can reserve resources in advance for the service flow accordingly.

[0124] The TSCAI may include one or more of the following information: the direction of the flow, the period, or the burst arrival time (BAT). The direction of the flow indicates whether the service flow is in the uplink direction or the downlink direction. The period indicates the interval between the start times of two bursts. In the downlink direction, the BAT indicates the time when the burst arrives at the RAN entrance; in the uplink direction, the BAT indicates the time when the burst arrives at the UE exit. Optionally, the TSCAI may also contain other information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0125] The TSCAC includes one or more of the following information: the direction of the flow, the period, or the burst arrival time. The direction of the flow indicates whether the service flow is in the uplink direction or the downlink direction. The period indicates the interval between the start times of two bursts. In a given flow direction, the BAT indicates the time when the first data packet of the data burst arrives at the ingress port of the 5GS (the RAN entrance time (DS-TT for uplink and NW-TT for downlink)). Optionally, the TSCAC may also contain other information, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0126] Exemplarily, the method for the SMF to determine the downlink direction TSCAI BAT is: TSCAI BAT = TSCAC DL BAT + DLCN PDB. Exemplarily, the method for the SMF to determine the uplink direction TSCAI BAT is: TSCAI BAT = TSCAC UL BAT + UE-DS-TT Residence Time.

[0127] The SMF binds the service (data flow) to a quality of service (QoS) flow, that is, there is a corresponding relationship between the QoS flow and the service flow. For delay-sensitive services, it is generally considered that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the QoS flow and the service flow.

[0128] Some service flows may be related. For example, when UE1 communicates with UE2 through the access network and the core network, it may involve two service flows, namely the service flow sent from UE1 to UE2 and the service flow sent from UE2 to UE1. The arrival times of these two service flows at the entrance of the RAN or at the exit of the UE have a certain correlation. The above communication between UE1 and UE2 can be simply referred to as UE-UE or UE to UE. Correspondingly, the arrival times of the two QoS flows used to transmit these two service flows at the entrance of the RAN or at the exit of the UE also have a certain correlation. For example, this correlation is manifested as follows: after the QoS flow sent from UE1 to UE2 arrives at the exit of UE1, the QoS flow sent from UE2 to UE1 may arrive at the entrance of the RAN after a certain time interval. Please refer to Figure 5C and Figure 5D , which are two scenarios for the communication between UE1 and UE2. The input / output (I / O) is the device (or unit) associated with UE1, and the programmable logic controller (PLC) is the device (or unit) associated with UE2. Among them, UE1 is, for example, Figure 5C or Figure 5D the UE1 in Figure 5C or Figure 5D ; or UE2 is, for example, Figure 5C or Figure 5D the UE2 in Figure 5C or Figure 5D ; or, for example, UE1 is Figure 5C or Figure 5D the input / output (I / O) in Figure 5C or Figure 5D , and UE2 is Figure 5C or Figure 5D the programmable logic controller (PLC) in Figure 5C or Figure 5D . It should be understood that taking I / O and PLC as the devices associated with UE is just an example. Some communication scenarios may not include I / O and PLC. Figure 5C is a single-RAN scenario, that is, the two QoS flows for the communication between UE1 and UE2 are transmitted through one RAN; Figure 5D is a multi-RAN scenario, that is, the two QoS flows for the communication between UE1 and UE2 are transmitted through different RANs. Figure 5C and Figure 5D Each arrow in represents a service flow.

[0129] In the above UE-UE scenario, the functions of the TSN AF or the TSCTSF may include one or more of the following 1), 2), or 3):

[0130] 1) Determine the delay of the 5GS bridge and report it to the CNC.

[0131] 2) Decompose the QoS requirements of the service flow into uplink QoS requirements and downlink QoS requirements, and associate them with the PDU sessions corresponding to two different DS-TTs respectively. Figure 5E Shown is a schematic diagram of the transmission process of the business flow.

[0132] 3) Determine the BAT in the TSCAI of each QoS flow separately.

[0133] However, at present, third-party applications cannot perceive the internal topology of 5GS, that is, they cannot perceive whether it is a UE-UE scenario or a non-UE-UE scenario, and therefore cannot obtain accurate QoS monitoring results.

[0134] Currently, in the UE-UE scenario, third-party applications cannot perceive the internal topology results of the core network, and only determine the end-to-end delay in the QoS monitoring results according to the delay from UE to UPF. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately obtain the QoS monitoring results.

[0135] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for enabling a third-party application to accurately obtain QoS monitoring results in a UE-UE scenario.

[0136] In order to better describe the embodiments of the present application, the following describes the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of the present application, all optional steps are indicated by dotted lines. The methods provided by the various embodiments of the present application can be applied to Figure 1A , Figure 1B or Figure 3B or Figure 4 For example, the first core network device involved in each embodiment of the present application can be Figure 3B TSN AF in Figure 4 TSCTSF in , or Figure 1A , Figure 1B or Figure 3B or Figure 4 The second core network device involved in each embodiment of the present application may be Figure 1A , Figure 1B or Figure 3B or Figure 4 AF or TSF AF in .

[0137] For the convenience of explanation, in the various embodiments below, the access network device is replaced by RAN, the first core network device is replaced by SMF or TSC TSF or NEF or SMF or UPF, and the second core network device is replaced by TSN AF or AF.

[0138] See also Figure 6The figure is a flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 The method shown is applied to the first core network device. Figure 6 As shown, the communication method includes:

[0139] 601, receiving a QoS monitoring request.

[0140] Exemplarily, the QoS monitoring request may be from a third device. For example, the third device may be an NEF or an AF. The type of the QoS monitoring request may be a subscription type, that is, the QoS monitoring subscribed by the third device.

[0141] 603, determine the QoS monitoring result.

[0142] The QoS monitoring result indicates the end-to-end delay, which is determined based on the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow. The end-to-end delay can also be understood as the delay of the bridge of the core network, such as 5GSbridge delay. The first transmission delay is the transmission delay of the first service flow between the first terminal device and the user plane network element UPF corresponding to the first terminal device, and the second transmission delay is the transmission delay of the second service flow between the user plane network element corresponding to the second terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0143] End-to-end delay can also be understood as UE-UE delay, or other names may be used, such as the first delay, the transmission delay of the third service flow, etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0144] In a possible application scenario, the first core network device is TSN AF or TSCTSF or NEF or SMF, and the end-to-end delay can be the sum of the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow.

[0145] In another possible application scenario, the first core network device is a UPF, the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device are the same UPF, and the end-to-end delay is the sum of a first transmission delay of the first service flow and a second transmission delay of the second service flow;

[0146] In another possible application scenario, the first core network device is UPF, the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device are different UPFs, the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the third transmission delay, and the third transmission delay is the transmission delay of the third service flow between the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device.

[0147] As an example, the determined end-to-end delay (which can be understood as the delay between two DS-TT ports of the same 5GS bridge, referred to as 5GS bridge delay) can meet the conditions shown in the following formula (1).

[0148] 5GS bridge delay = UE1-DS-TT Residence Time + PDB1 + UE2-DS-TT Residence Time + PDB2 Formula (1). Among them, UE1-DS-TT Residence Time represents the time from the entrance of DS-TT1 to the exit of UE1. PDB1 represents the upper limit of the transmission delay of the data packet from UPF to UE1. UE2-DS-TT Residence Time represents the time from the entrance of DS-TT2 to the exit of UE2. PDB2 represents the upper limit of the transmission delay of the data packet from UPF to UE2. In general, in some possible implementation scenarios, the determined end-to-end delay does not exceed this value, that is, 5GS bridge delay.

[0149] Optionally, before determining the QoS monitoring result, the method may further include: 602, obtaining a correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow. The correspondence is used to indicate that the first service flow and the second service flow belong to two service flows of a third service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Thus, the QoS monitoring result is determined based on the above correspondence. Determining the QoS monitoring result based on the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow can also be described as determining the above end-to-end delay based on the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0150] The third service flow can be understood as: a service flow that belongs to the communication between two terminal devices. The first service flow and the second service flow can be understood as two service flows belonging to the third service flow. Taking the third service flow as a service flow sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device as an example, the first service flow can be understood as a service flow belonging to the transmission from the first terminal device to the UPF, and the second service flow can be understood as a service flow belonging to the transmission from the UPF to the second terminal device.

[0151] The correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow may include one or more of the following (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) or (6).

[0152] (1) An association relationship between the filter of the first service flow and the filter of the second service flow.

[0153] The filter of the service flow can also be referred to as a service data flow (SDF) filter. The SDF filter can include one or more of the information such as the source Internet Protocol (IP) address, the destination IP address, the source port, and the destination port.

[0154] (2) The association relationship between the port information of the first service flow and the port information of the second service flow.

[0155] Exemplarily, the port information can include the identifier of the source port and / or the identifier of the destination port. Alternatively, the port information can include the identifier of the ingress port and / or the identifier of the egress port. The identifier of the port can be the port number or other identifiers used to mark or indicate the port.

[0156] (3) The association relationship between the interface information of the first service flow and the interface information of the second service flow.

[0157] Exemplarily, the interface information can include the identifier of the incoming interface and / or the identifier of the outgoing interface (identity of the incoming and / or outgoing interface).

[0158] (4) The association relationship between the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs.

[0159] The AF session is a session established between the AF and the PCF for making policy requests from the application layer to the network layer. Exemplarily, the association relationship between the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs can be the correspondence relationship between the session identifier of the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the session identifier of the AF session to which the second service flow belongs, or can also be the correspondence relationship between other information of the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and other information of the AF session to which the second service flow belongs.

[0160] (5) The association relationship between the PDU session to which the first service flow belongs and the PDU session to which the second service flow belongs.

[0161] (6) The association relationship between the PCC rule corresponding to the first service flow and the PCC rule corresponding to the second service flow.

[0162] For example, when the first core network device is a TSN AF or a TSCTSF or a NEF, obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow may include one or more of the above (1)-(4). For example, when the first core network device is an SMF or a UPF, obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow may include one or more of the above (1)-(6).

[0163] Alternatively, see Figure 6 As shown, the first core network device may also execute 604. At 604, the first core network device sends the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device.

[0164] In a possible application scenario, the first core network device is TSCTSF and the second core network device is AF.

[0165] In another possible application scenario, the first core network device is NEF or SMF or UPF, and the second core network device is AF or TSN AF.

[0166] The above embodiments of the present application only describe the QoS monitoring related to delay. The present application can also be extended to other types of QoS monitoring (i.e., QoS monitoring that reports other types of parameters). For example, QoS monitoring that reports congestion level or QoS monitoring that reports bit rate (bandwidth), etc. For example, the QoS monitoring result in step 603 can indicate the QoS monitoring parameters. The QoS monitoring parameters may include one or more of the end-to-end delay, congestion level, or bit rate (bandwidth) of the third service flow. For example, in the case of QoS monitoring that needs to report the congestion level, the QoS monitoring result may indicate the congestion level. For example, in the case of QoS monitoring that needs to report the bit rate, the QoS monitoring result may indicate the bit rate. For another example, in the case of QoS monitoring that needs to report the congestion level and end-to-end delay, the QoS monitoring result may indicate the congestion level and end-to-end delay. Of course, in some embodiments, in the case of QoS monitoring that needs to report the congestion level and end-to-end delay, the congestion level and end-to-end delay may also be reported separately, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0167] The calculation method of QoS monitoring of congestion level or QoS monitoring of reporting bit rate (bandwidth) is different from the calculation method of end-to-end delay.

[0168] For example, the congestion level can be determined based on the first congestion level of the first traffic flow and the second congestion level of the second traffic flow. For example, the congestion level can be the maximum or minimum of the first congestion level of the first traffic flow and the second congestion level of the second traffic flow, i.e., MAX{first congestion level, second congestion level} or MIN{first congestion level, second congestion level}. Alternatively, the congestion level can be the average of the first congestion level of the first traffic flow and the second congestion level of the second traffic flow. The average mentioned here can be calculated by means such as weighted average or arithmetic average, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0169] For another example, the bit rate can be determined based on the first bit rate of the first traffic flow and the second bit rate of the second traffic flow. For example, the bit rate can be the maximum or minimum of the first bit rate of the first traffic flow and the second bit rate of the second traffic flow, i.e., MAX{first bit rate, second bit rate} or MIN{first bit rate, second bit rate}. Alternatively, the bit rate can be the average of the first bit rate of the first traffic flow and the second bit rate of the second traffic flow. The average mentioned here can be calculated by means such as weighted average or arithmetic average, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0170] The above is only an example, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0171] The solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with different application scenarios. It should be noted that only the end-to-end delay is taken as an example for illustration below, and the monitoring methods for other QoS monitoring parameters can be carried out in a similar manner, which will not be elaborated hereinafter.

[0172] In Scenario 1, taking the first core network device as TSCTSF or TSN AF as an example, the subsequent description takes TSCTSF as an example. Refer to Figure 7 As shown, it is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided for Scenario 1 of the embodiments of the present application. This method is applicable to Figure 3B the architecture shown, and is also applicable to Figure 4 the architecture shown, and is also applicable to Figure 5C or Figure 5D the architecture shown.

[0173] 701. The third device sends a QoS monitoring request to the TSCTSF. Exemplarily, the third device can be an AF or NEF. The type of the QoS monitoring request can be a subscription type, that is, the QoS monitoring subscribed by the third device. Figure 7 In this case, taking the third device as NEF as an example.

[0174] 702. The TSCTSF maintains the correspondence between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow.

[0175] TSCTSF can determine that the current communication scenario is a UE-UE scenario based on the port information of the PDU session, or maintain the corresponding relationship between service flows (such as the first service flow and the second service flow) after determining that the communication scenario is a UE-UE scenario according to the configured pairing relationship between UEs. The port information of the PDU session can be, for example, the port number of DS-TT (DS-TT port number), etc.

[0176] The corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow is as described in the relevant content of the previous step 602 and will not be elaborated here.

[0177] If step 702 is executed by TSCTSF, that is, the first core network device is TSCTSF. TSCTSF can obtain the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow through any of the following implementation methods.

[0178] In the first possible method, for the UE-UE scenario, TSCTSF can determine that the third service flow belongs to the service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the identifiers of the ingress interface and the egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs. Or rather, TSCTSF can determine that the current communication scenario is a UE-UE scenario based on the identifiers of the ingress interface and the egress interface in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs. Or rather, TSCTSF can determine two UE addresses, such as the address of the first terminal device and the address of the second terminal device, based on the identifiers of the ingress interface and the egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs, that is, the current communication scenario is a UE-UE scenario, that is, the third service flow belongs to the service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. Further, the third service flow can be split into two service flows. For example, the two split service flows are respectively called the first service flow and the second service flow. The first service flow is, for example, an uplink service, and the second service flow is, for example, a downlink service flow; or the first service flow is, for example, a downlink service flow, and the second service flow is, for example, an uplink service flow. The first service flow actually belongs to the third service flow. Among them, both the first service flow and the second service flow are flows between the UE and the UPF. The third service flow can be understood as the service flow of the TSC service and can also be called the TSC flow. From a service perspective, the first service flow and the second service flow are different segments of this TSC flow. Furthermore, maintain the corresponding relationship between the two service flows. For example, generate the association relationship between the filter of the first service flow and the filter of the second service flow, or the association relationship between the port information of the first service flow and the port information of the second service flow.

[0179] In the second possible way, the TSCTSF determines that the third traffic flow belongs to the traffic flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the identifier of the outgoing interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third traffic flow belongs, and the source IP address included in the PDU session parameters. The third traffic flow is divided into the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow, and the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow is generated. For example, in the case where the parameters of the PDU session to which the third traffic flow belongs do not include the identifier of the incoming interface, the second possible way described above can be adopted.

[0180] In the third possible way, the TSCTSF determines that the third traffic flow is a UE-to-UE traffic flow, that is, the traffic flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, according to the local configuration. For example, due to network configuration, all traffic flows transmitted in this network are UE-to-UE traffic flows.

[0181] In the fourth possible way, the TSCTSF can obtain the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow from the NEF. For example, the NEF can determine or perceive that the third traffic flow is a UE-to-UE traffic flow through local configuration, and thus send the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow to the TSCTSF.

[0182] Optionally, when the NEF sends the corresponding relationship between the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow to the TSCTSF, it can also send a first indication to the TSCTSF. For example, the NEF sends a first message to the TSCTSF, and the first message carries the corresponding relationship and the first indication. For example, the first message can be a QoS monitoring request or other messages. The corresponding relationship and the first indication can also be sent by the NEF to the TSCTSF in different messages respectively. The first indication can also be called a combined reporting indication, and other names can also be used. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this. The first indication is used to indicate the combined reporting of the delay of the first traffic flow and the delay of the second traffic flow.

[0183] If step 702 is executed by the TSN AF, that is, the first core network device is the TSN AF, corresponding to the UE-UE scenario, the direction of the service flow includes both the uplink direction and the downlink direction. Taking this service flow as the third service flow as an example. If the TSN AF determines that the input port and output port of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs exist in the TSN translator on the terminal device side, it determines the UE-UE scenario, and thus can split the third service flow into two service flows. For example, the two service flows obtained by splitting are respectively called the first service flow and the second service flow. The first service flow is, for example, a service in the uplink direction, and the second service flow is, for example, a service flow in the downlink direction; or the first service flow is, for example, a service flow in the downlink direction, and the second service flow is, for example, a service in the uplink direction. The first service flow actually belongs to the third service flow. Among them, both the first service flow and the second service flow are flows between the UE and the UPF. The third service flow can be understood as the service flow of the TSC service, and can also be called the TSC flow. This scenario is applicable to the TSN architecture, and the above TSC flow can also be called the TSN flow. From a service perspective, the first service flow and the second service flow are different segments of this TSC flow.

[0184] That the TSN AF determines that the input port and output port of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs exist in the TSN translator on the terminal device side can be: The TSN AF determines that the input port and output port of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs belong to the TSN translator on the terminal device side according to the input port identifier and output port identifier in the PDU session parameters of the third service flow, or determines that the types of the input port and output port of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs belong to the port types of the TSN translator on the terminal device side.

[0185] 703. The TSCTSF sends a QoS monitoring request to the PCF. For example, when the PCFs corresponding to the first terminal device and the second terminal device are different, the QoS monitoring requests can be sent to the PCFs of the PDU sessions of the first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively.

[0186] 704. The PCF sends a policy and charging control (PCC) rule to the corresponding SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives this PCC rule from the PCF. The PCC rule may include a QoS monitoring policy.

[0187] 705. The SMF triggers the execution of the QoS monitoring process (QoS monitoring process) according to the QoS monitoring policy in the PCC rule. For example, the SMF configures the UPF(s) and the RAN to perform latency measurement. The SMF obtains the first transmission latency of the first service flow and the second transmission latency of the second service flow, and thus sends the QoS monitoring result 1 of the first service flow and the QoS monitoring result 2 of the second service flow corresponding to each PCC rule to the PCF. For example, the first transmission latency of the first service flow and the second transmission latency of the second service flow are sent to the PCF.

[0188] 706. The PCF sends the QoS monitoring result 1 of the first service flow and the QoS monitoring result 2 of the second service flow to the TSCTSF. For example, the QoS monitoring result 1 of the first service flow and the QoS monitoring result 2 of the second service flow can be reported in the way of SDF filter + latency, or in the way of port information (interface information) + latency reporting.

[0189] 707. The TSCTSF merges the first transmission latency and the second transmission latency according to the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to obtain a merged result, that is, the end-to-end latency. End-to-end latency == First transmission latency + Second transmission latency.

[0190] In some possible implementation scenarios, the TSCTSF can obtain the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow from the NEF. And the NEF will also send a first indication to the TSCTSF. In this case, the TSCTSF can determine to perform the merging operation according to the first indication, and then perform the merging operation according to the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow, that is, merge the first transmission latency and the second transmission latency.

[0191] 708. The TSCTSF sends the end-to-end latency (or the merged result) to the AF or the NEF. It can also be that the TSCTSF sends the QoS monitoring result to the AF / NEF, and the QoS monitoring result can indicate the end-to-end latency.

[0192] The end-to-end delay can be reported in the form of end-to-end service description. In one example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input port identifier and the output port identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input port identifier + output port identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input interface identifier and the output interface identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input interface identifier + output interface identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the flow identifier of the third service flow and / or the application side port information to which the third service flow belongs. For example, (flow identifier Stream ID, end-to-end delay), or (Stream ID + application side port information, end-to-end delay) or (application side port information, end-to-end delay). The application side port information may include one or more of the information such as the input port identifier, the output port identifier, the input interface identifier, the output interface identifier, and the like, and may also include other port-related information, such as the MAC address of the receiving end, the MAC address of the sending end, the virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier, the IP prefix / address, etc. One or more of the above.

[0193] In some embodiments, when the TSCTSF sends the merged result (end-to-end delay, or QoS monitoring result (including or indicating end-to-end delay)) to the AF or NEF, it may report once in the AF session corresponding to each service flow, or it may report only in the AF session corresponding to one of the service flows. For example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF or NEF through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs, respectively. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF or NEF by setting the AF session to which the service flow belongs, and the set service flow is the first service flow or the second service flow. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF or NEF through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs, and a second indication is sent to the AF or NEF through the AF to which the second service flow belongs, and the second indication is used to indicate that the AF session to which the first service flow belongs carries the QoS monitoring result.

[0194] In some embodiments, if step 707 is performed by the TSN AF, the TSN AF may directly report the QoS monitoring result to the CNC.

[0195] Scenario 2: Take the first core network device as NEF as an example. Figure 8 As shown, it is a flow chart of a communication method provided in scenario 2 of the embodiment of the present application. The method is applicable to Figure 3B The architecture shown also applies to Figure 4 The architecture shown also applies to Figure 5C or Figure 5DThe architecture shown.

[0196] 801. The AF sends a QoS monitoring request to the TSCTSF. The type of the QoS monitoring request may be a subscription type, that is, the QoS monitoring subscribed by the AF.

[0197] 802, see 702, which will not be described here. When the TSCTSF maintains the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow, any possible manner from the first to the third possible manners may be adopted. 802 may also be executed by the TSN AF.

[0198] 803, TSCTSF sends the correspondence relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to NEF. The correspondence relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow is as described in step 602, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] Optionally, when TSCTSF sends the correspondence between the above-mentioned first service flow and the second service flow to NEF, it may also send a third indication to NEF. For example, TSCTSF sends a second message to NEF, and the second message carries the above-mentioned correspondence and the third indication. For example, the second message may be a QoS monitoring request or other message. The above-mentioned correspondence and the third indication may also be sent by TSCTSF to TSCTSF in different messages respectively. The third indication may also be referred to as a combined reporting indication, and other names may also be used, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. The third indication is used to indicate the combined reporting delay of the first service flow and the delay of the second service flow.

[0200] In some embodiments, the TSCTSF may also send the address of the NEF to report the QoS monitoring result, such as the address of the AF or the TSN AF, to the NEF. For example, the TSCTSF may carry the address of reporting the QoS monitoring result in the QoS monitoring request and send it to the NEF.

[0201] 804-805, please refer to 703-704, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] 806, SMF triggers execution of QoS monitoring process (QoS monitoring process) according to the QoS monitoring policy in the PCC rule. For example, SMF configures UPF(s) and RAN to perform delay measurement.

[0203] In some embodiments, the SMF obtains the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow from the UPF. The SMF sends the QoS monitoring results of the two service flows corresponding to each PCC rule to the PCF, such as the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow to the PCF, so that the PCF further reports to the NEF. Correspondingly, the NEF receives the QoS monitoring results (first transmission delay and second transmission delay) of the two service flows from the PCF. When the PCF sends the QoS monitoring results of the two service flows to the NEF, the QoS monitoring results of the first service flow and the QoS monitoring results of the second service flow can be reported in the SDF filter + delay reporting method, or the port information (interface information) + delay reporting method can be used.

[0204] In some other embodiments, the SMF may send the QoS monitoring results of the two service flows corresponding to each PCC rule to the NEF. Accordingly, the NEF receives the QoS monitoring results (the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay) of the two service flows from the SMF. In some embodiments, different terminal devices correspond to different SMFs, and each SMF reports the transmission delay corresponding to its own service flow to the NEF. Alternatively, one SMF sends the transmission delay corresponding to the service flow to another SMF, so that the other SMF sends the transmission delay corresponding to the two service flows to the NEF.

[0205] In some other embodiments, the UPF may send the QoS monitoring results of the two service flows to the NEF. Accordingly, the NEF receives the QoS monitoring results (the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay) of the two service flows from the UPF. In some embodiments, different terminal devices correspond to different UPFs, and each UPF reports the transmission delay corresponding to its own service flow to the NEF. Alternatively, one UPF sends the transmission delay corresponding to the service flow to another UPF, so that the other UPF sends the transmission delay corresponding to the two service flows to the NEF.

[0206] In some possible implementation scenarios, the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device is different from the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device. The two UPFs can be connected through the N19 interface, and one UPF can send the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow to the other UPF. Optionally, the other UPF can send the transmission delay of the N19 interface (which can be understood as the third transmission delay between the two UPFs) to the NEF. Then the end-to-end delay == first transmission delay + second transmission delay + third transmission delay.

[0207] Optionally, when sending configuration information (indicating delay monitoring) to UPF, SMF can instruct UPF to use the GTP-Uecho mechanism to calculate the N19 interface delay (ie, the third transmission delay).

[0208] 807, the NEF combines the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay according to the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow to obtain a combination result, that is, an end-to-end delay. End-to-end delay==first transmission delay+second transmission delay.

[0209] In some possible implementation scenarios, when NEF receives a third indication from TSCTSF, NEF may determine to perform a merging operation based on the third indication, and then perform a merging operation based on the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow, i.e., merging the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay.

[0210] 808, NEF sends the end-to-end delay (or the combined result) to AF (or TSN AF). Alternatively, NEF sends the QoS monitoring result to AF (or TSN AF), and the QoS monitoring result may indicate the end-to-end delay.

[0211] The end-to-end delay can be reported in the form of end-to-end service description. In one example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input port identifier and the output port identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input port identifier + output port identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input interface identifier and the output interface identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input interface identifier + output interface identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the flow identifier of the third service flow and / or the application port information to which the third service flow belongs. For example, (flow identifier Stream ID, end-to-end delay), or (Stream ID + application side port information, end-to-end delay) or (application side port information, end-to-end delay).

[0212] In some embodiments, when NEF sends the merged result (end-to-end delay, or QoS monitoring result (including or indicating end-to-end delay)) to AF (or TSN AF), it may report once in the AF session corresponding to each service flow, or may report only in the AF session corresponding to one of the service flows. For example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs, respectively. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) by setting the AF session to which the service flow belongs, and the set service flow is the first service flow or the second service flow. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs, and a second indication is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the second service flow belongs, and the second indication is used to indicate that the AF session to which the first service flow belongs carries the QoS monitoring result.

[0213] In some embodiments, the NEF also receives the address for reporting the QoS monitoring result sent by the TSCTSF, so that the NEF can send the QoS monitoring result to the AF or the TSN AF according to the address.

[0214] Scenario 3: Take the first core network device as SMF as an example. Figure 9 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a communication method flow provided in scenario 3 of the embodiment of the present application. The method is applicable to Figure 3B The architecture shown also applies to Figure 4 The architecture shown also applies to Figure 5C or Figure 5D The architecture shown.

[0215] 901, please refer to 701, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] 902, TSCTSF sends a QoS monitoring request to PCF. For example, when the PCFs corresponding to the first terminal device and the second terminal device are different, QoS monitoring requests can be sent to the PCFs of the PDU sessions of the first terminal device and the second terminal device respectively. Optionally, TSCTSF can also send a third indication to PCF, and the third indication can also be called a combined reporting indication, or other names can be used, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. The third indication is used to indicate the combined reporting delay of the first service flow and the delay of the second service flow. Exemplarily, the third indication can be carried in the QoS monitoring request.

[0217] 903, the PCF sends a policy and charging control (PCC) rule to the corresponding SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the PCC rule from the PCF. The PCC rule may include a QoS monitoring policy.

[0218] If the PCF receives the third indication, it may also forward the third indication to the SMF. Exemplarily, the third indication may be carried in the PCC rule, or may be sent using other messages, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0219] In some possible implementation scenarios, the SMF can sense the forwarding relationship between the service flows, that is, can sense the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow. For example, the operator's configuration information in the SMF indicates the forwarding relationship between the service flows, so that the SMF can determine the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0220] In some other possible implementation scenarios, optionally, before step 902, the following further includes: 902a, see 702, which will not be described in detail here. 903a, TSCTSF sends the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to PCF. 904a, PCF sends the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to SMF. In some embodiments, the corresponding relationship reported by PCF is not limited to the above-mentioned Figure 6 In addition to one or more of (1)-(4) in the corresponding embodiment. PCF may also use the correspondence between the PCC rules of the two service flows to indicate the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow, and may also use the correspondence between the PDU sessions of the two service flows (for example, the PDU session identifier of the first service flow and the identifier of the PDU session of the second service flow) to indicate the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0221] 904, SMF triggers the execution of QoS monitoring process (QoS monitoring process) according to the QoS monitoring policy in the PCC rule. For example, SMF configures UPF(s) and RAN to perform delay measurement. SMF can obtain the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow from UPF.

[0222] 905, the SMF combines the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay according to the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to obtain a combined result, that is, an end-to-end delay. End-to-end delay = = first transmission delay + second transmission delay.

[0223] In some possible implementation scenarios, when the SMF also obtains a third indication from the PCC, the SMF can determine when to perform a merging operation based on the third indication, and then perform a merging operation based on the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow, that is, merge the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay. For example, the first transmission delay (or simply referred to as delay 1) and the second transmission delay (or simply referred to as delay 2) are merged based on the correspondence between the SDF filter 1 of the first service flow and the SDF filter 2 of the second service flow, or the correspondence between the PCC rule 1 of the first service flow and the PCC rule 2 of the second service flow, or the correspondence between the PDU session 1 of the first service flow and the PDU session 2 of the second service flow.

[0224] For example, according to (SDF filter 1 + delay 1) and (SDF filter 2 + delay 2), the merged result is delay 1 + delay 2. For another example, according to (PCC rule 1 + delay 1) and (PCC rule 2 + delay 2), the merged result is delay 1 + delay 2. For another example, according to (PDU session 1 + delay 1) and (PDU session 2 + delay 2), the merged result is delay 1 + delay 2.

[0225] 906, SMF sends the end-to-end delay (or the combined result) to NEF. Alternatively, SMF sends the QoS monitoring result to NEF, and the QoS monitoring result may indicate the end-to-end delay.

[0226] The end-to-end delay can be reported in the form of end-to-end service description. In one example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input port identifier and the output port identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input port identifier + output port identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input interface identifier and the output interface identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input interface identifier + output interface identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the flow identifier of the third service flow and / or the application port information to which the third service flow belongs. For example, (flow identifier Stream ID, end-to-end delay), or (Stream ID + application side port information, end-to-end delay) or (application side port information, end-to-end delay).

[0227] 907. NEF sends the QoS monitoring result to AF (or TSN AF).

[0228] In some embodiments, when NEF sends the merged result (end-to-end delay, or QoS monitoring result (including or indicating end-to-end delay)) to AF (or TSN AF), it may report once in the AF session corresponding to each service flow, or may report only in the AF session corresponding to one of the service flows. For example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs, respectively. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) by setting the AF session to which the service flow belongs, and the set service flow is the first service flow or the second service flow. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs, and a second indication is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF to which the second service flow belongs, and the second indication is used to indicate that the AF session to which the first service flow belongs carries the QoS monitoring result.

[0229] Scenario 4: Take the first core network device as UPF as an example. Figure 10 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a communication method flow chart provided for scenario 4 of the embodiment of the present application. The method is applicable to Figure 3B The architecture shown also applies to Figure 4 The architecture shown also applies to Figure 5C or Figure 5D The architecture shown.

[0230] 1001, please refer to 901, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] 1002, see 902, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the TSCTSF may also send a third indication to the PCF, and the third indication may also be called a combined reporting indication, or may be named otherwise, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. The third indication is used to indicate the combined reporting of the delay of the first service flow and the delay of the second service flow. Exemplarily, the third indication may be carried in the QoS monitoring request.

[0232] 1003, the PCF sends a policy and charging control (PCC) rule to the corresponding SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the PCC rule from the PCF. The PCC rule may include a QoS monitoring policy.

[0233] Optionally, if the PCF receives the third indication, it may also forward the third indication to the SMF. Exemplarily, the third indication may be carried in the PCC rule, or may be sent using other messages, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0234] In some possible implementation scenarios, the SMF can sense the forwarding relationship between the service flows, that is, can sense the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow. For example, the operator's configuration information in the SMF indicates the forwarding relationship between the service flows, so that the SMF can determine the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0235] In some other possible implementation scenarios, optionally, before step 1002, the following further includes: 1002a, see 702, which will not be described in detail here. 1003a, TSCTSF sends the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to PCF. 1004a, PCF sends the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to SMF. In some embodiments, the corresponding relationship reported by PCF is not limited to the above-mentioned Figure 6 In addition to one or more of (1)-(4) in the corresponding implementation, the PCF may also use the correspondence between the PCC rules of the two service flows to indicate the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow to the SMF, and may also use the correspondence between the PDU sessions of the two service flows (for example, the PDU session identifier of the first service flow and the identifier of the PDU session of the second service flow) to indicate the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow to the SMF.

[0236] 1004, SMF sends the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow to UPF(s). Correspondingly, UPF(s) receives the above correspondence. Optionally, SMF can send the above correspondence together with the configuration information to UPF(s), or send them separately, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, if SMF receives the above third indication, it can also forward the third indication to SMF. Exemplarily, the third indication can be carried in the PCC rule, and can also be sent using other messages, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0237] 1005, SMF triggers the execution of QoS monitoring process (QoS monitoring process) according to the QoS monitoring policy in the PCC rule. For example, SMF configures and RAN to perform delay measurement. For example, SMF sends configuration information to UPF(s), and the configuration information is used to instruct UPF(s) to perform delay measurement.

[0238] 1006, UPF(s) monitors the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow, and merges the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay according to the corresponding relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow to obtain a merged result, that is, an end-to-end delay. End-to-end delay==first transmission delay+second transmission delay.

[0239] In some possible implementation scenarios, when UPF(s) also obtains a third indication from SMF, UPF(s) can determine when to perform a merging operation based on the third indication, and then perform a merging operation based on the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow, that is, merge the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay. For example, the first transmission delay (or simply referred to as delay 1) and the second transmission delay (or simply referred to as delay 2) are merged based on the correspondence between SDF filter 1 of the first service flow and SDF filter 2 of the second service flow, or the correspondence between PCC rule 1 of the first service flow and PCC rule 2 of the second service flow, or the correspondence between PDU session 1 of the first service flow and PDU session 2 of the second service flow.

[0240] For example, according to (SDF filter 1 + delay 1) and (SDF filter 2 + delay 2), the merged result is delay 1 + delay 2. For another example, according to (PCC rule 1 + delay 1) and (PCC rule 2 + delay 2), the merged result is delay 1 + delay 2. For another example, according to (PDU session 1 + delay 1) and (PDU session 2 + delay 2), the merged result is delay 1 + delay 2.

[0241] 1007, UPF(s) sends the end-to-end delay (or the combined result) to SMF. Alternatively, UPF(s) sends the QoS monitoring result to SMF, and the QoS monitoring result may indicate the end-to-end delay.

[0242] The end-to-end delay can be reported in the form of end-to-end service description. In one example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input port identifier and the output port identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input port identifier + output port identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the input interface identifier and the output interface identifier of the third service flow. For example, (input interface identifier + output interface identifier, end-to-end delay). In another example, the end-to-end delay corresponds to the flow identifier of the third service flow and / or the application port information to which the third service flow belongs. For example, (flow identifier Stream ID, end-to-end delay), or (Stream ID + application side port information, end-to-end delay) or (application side port information, end-to-end delay).

[0243] In some possible implementation scenarios, the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device is different from the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device, and the two UPFs can be connected through the N19 interface, where one UPF can send the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow to another UPF, which performs the merging operation. Optionally, another UPF can add the transmission delay of the N19 interface (which can be understood as the third transmission delay between the two UPFs). Then the end-to-end delay == first transmission delay + second transmission delay + third transmission delay.

[0244] Optionally, when sending configuration information (indicating delay monitoring) to UPF, SMF can instruct UPF to use the GTP-Uecho mechanism to calculate the N19 interface delay (ie, the third transmission delay).

[0245] 1008. SMF sends the end-to-end delay (or the combined result) to NEF.

[0246] 1009. NEF sends the QoS monitoring result to AF (or TSN AF).

[0247] In some embodiments, when NEF sends the merged result (end-to-end delay, or QoS monitoring result (including or indicating end-to-end delay)) to AF (or TSN AF), it may report once in the AF session corresponding to each service flow, or may report only in the AF session corresponding to one of the service flows. For example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs, respectively. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) by setting the AF session to which the service flow belongs, and the set service flow is the first service flow or the second service flow. For another example, the QoS monitoring result is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs, and a second indication is sent to the AF (or TSN AF) through the AF to which the second service flow belongs, and the second indication is used to indicate that the AF session to which the first service flow belongs carries the QoS monitoring result.

[0248] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is given. The communication device 1100 may be Figure 6 The embodiment shown to Figure 10 The first core network device or the circuit system of the first core network device described in any of the embodiments shown in the figures is used to implement the method corresponding to the first core network device in the above method embodiment. For example, a circuit system is a chip system. For example, the communication device 1100 can be Figure 6The embodiment shown to Figure 10 The TSN AF or the circuit system of the TSN AF described in any of the embodiments shown in the figures is used to implement the method corresponding to the TSN AF in the above method embodiment. For another example, the communication device 1100 may be Figure 6 The embodiment shown to Figure 10 The TSCTSF or the circuit system of TSCTSF described in any of the embodiments shown in the figures is used to implement the method corresponding to TSCTSF in the above method embodiment. For another example, the communication device 1100 may be Figure 6 The embodiment shown to Figure 10 The SMF or SMF circuit system described in any of the embodiments shown in the figure is used to implement the method corresponding to the SMF in the above method embodiment. For another example, the communication device 1100 may be Figure 6 The embodiment shown to Figure 10 The NEF or the circuit system of the NEF described in any of the embodiments shown in the figures is used to implement the method corresponding to the NEF in the above method embodiment. For another example, the communication device 1100 may be Figure 6 The embodiment shown to Figure 10 The UPF or the circuit system of the UPF described in any one of the illustrated embodiments is used to implement the method corresponding to the UPF in the above method embodiment.

[0249] The communication device 1100 includes at least one processor 1101. The processor 1101 can be used for internal processing of the device to implement certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 1101 includes instructions. Optionally, the processor 1101 can store data. Optionally, different processors can be independent devices, can be located in different physical locations, and can be located on different integrated circuits. Optionally, different processors can be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more integrated circuits.

[0250] Optionally, the communication device 1100 includes one or more memories 1103 for storing instructions. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 1103. The processor and memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0251] Optionally, the communication device 1100 includes a communication line 1102 and at least one communication interface 1104. Since the memory 1103, the communication line 1102 and the communication interface 1104 are all optional, Figure 11 Indicated by dotted lines.

[0252] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a transceiver and / or an antenna. The transceiver may be used to send information to other devices or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, an input / output interface, etc., and is used to implement the transceiver function of the communication device 1100 through an antenna. Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver.

[0253] The processor 1101 may include a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0254] The communication link 1102 may include a pathway to transmit information between the above-mentioned components.

[0255] The communication interface 1104 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired access networks, etc.

[0256] The memory 1103 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1103 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1101 via the communication line 1102. Alternatively, the memory 1103 may also be integrated with the processor 1101.

[0257] The memory 1103 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1101. The processor 1101 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1103, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the above embodiment of the present application.

[0258] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0259] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1101 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 11 CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0260] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1100 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 11 1 and 1108. Each of these processors may be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0261] when Figure 11 When the device shown is a chip, for example, a chip of a first core network device, the chip includes a processor 1101 (may also include a processor 1108), a communication line 1102, a memory 1103 and a communication interface 1104. Specifically, the communication interface 1104 may be an input interface, a pin or a circuit, etc. The memory 1103 may be a register, a cache, etc. The processor 1101 and the processor 1108 may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program of the communication method of any of the above embodiments.

[0262] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the device according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, in the case of dividing each functional module according to each function, Figure 12A schematic diagram of a device is shown, and the device 1200 may be the first core network device or the second core network device involved in each of the above method embodiments, or a chip in the first core network device or a chip in the second core network device. The device 1200 includes a sending unit 1201, a processing unit 1202, and a receiving unit 1203.

[0263] It should be understood that the device 1200 can be used to implement the steps performed by the first access network device, the first core network device or the second core network device in the method of the embodiment of the present application. The relevant features can refer to the various embodiments above and will not be repeated here.

[0264] Optional, Figure 12 The functions / implementation processes of the sending unit 1201, the receiving unit 1203 and the processing unit 1202 can be Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the embodiment calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103 to implement. Or, Figure 12 The function / implementation process of the processing unit 1202 in Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the embodiment calls the computer execution instruction stored in the memory 1103 to implement, Figure 12 The functions / implementation processes of the sending unit 1201 and the receiving unit 1203 can be Figure 11 It is implemented by the communication interface 1104 in.

[0265] Optionally, when the device 1200 is a chip or a circuit, the functions / implementation processes of the sending unit 1201 and the receiving unit 1203 can also be implemented through pins or circuits.

[0266] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method performed by the first access network device, the first core network device or the second core network device in the aforementioned method embodiment is implemented. In this way, the functions described in the above embodiments can be implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or in other words, the part that contributes or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0267] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, when the computer program code runs on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method performed by the first access network device, the first core network device or the second core network device in any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0268] An embodiment of the present application also provides a processing device, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the method executed by the first core network device or the second core network device involved in any of the above method embodiments.

[0269] 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 may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may 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 may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0270] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or operated by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, and optionally, the general-purpose processor can also be any traditional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor can also be implemented by a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0271] The steps of the method or algorithm described in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embedded in the hardware, the software unit executed by the processor, or the combination of the two. The software unit can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM), EEPROM, register, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM or other storage media of any form in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be arranged in an ASIC, and the ASIC can be arranged in a terminal device. Optionally, the processor and the storage medium can also be arranged in different components in the terminal device.

[0272] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0273] Although the embodiments of the present application have been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application and the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the embodiments of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the embodiments of the present application are also intended to include these changes and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a first core network device, the communication method includes: Receiving a Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring request; Determining a QoS monitoring result, the QoS monitoring result indicating an end-to-end delay, the end-to-end delay being determined according to a first transmission delay of a first service flow and a second transmission delay of a second service flow, the first service flow and the second service flow being two segments of a third service flow transmitted between a first terminal device and a second terminal device; the first transmission delay is the transmission delay of the first service flow between the first terminal device and the user plane function (UPF) corresponding to the first terminal device, and the second transmission delay is the transmission delay of the second service flow between the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device and the second terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first core network device is: Time-Sensitive Networking Application Function (TSN AF); or, Time-Sensitive Communication and Clock Synchronization Function (TSCTSF); or, Network Exposure Function (NEF); or, Session Management Function (SMF); or, UPF, where the UPF is the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device or the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the first core network device is TSN AF or TSCTSF or NEF or SMF, the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow; or, when the first core network device is UPF, and the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device are the same UPF, the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow; or, when the first core network device is UPF, and the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device are different UPFs, the end-to-end delay is the sum of the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and a third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is the transmission delay of the third service flow between the UPF corresponding to the first terminal device and the UPF corresponding to the second terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, the QoS monitoring result includes at least one of the following: The ingress port identifier of the third service flow, the egress port identifier of the third service flow, the ingress interface identifier of the third service flow, the egress interface identifier of the third service flow, or the flow identifier of the third service flow.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, the method further includes: Sending the QoS monitoring result to a second core network device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, when the first core network device is TSCTSF, the second core network device is Application Function (AF) or NEF; or, The first core network device is a NEF, or an SMF, or a UPF, and the second core network device is an AF or a TSN AF.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, the sending of the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device includes: sending the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device respectively through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs; or, sending the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device through the AF session to which the set service flow belongs, where the set service flow is the first service flow or the second service flow; or, sending the QoS monitoring result to the second core network device through the AF session to which the first service flow belongs, and sending a second indication to the second core network device through the AF to which the second service flow belongs, where the second indication is used to indicate that the AF session to which the first service flow belongs carries the QoS monitoring result.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, the method further includes: obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow; the correspondence is used to indicate that the first service flow and the second service flow are two segments of the service flow in the third service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the determining of the QoS monitoring result includes: determining the QoS monitoring result according to the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the first core network device is a TSN AF or a TSCTSF; the obtaining of the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes: determining that the input port and the output port of the protocol data unit (PDU) session to which the third service flow belongs exist in the TSN translator on the terminal device side; dividing the third service flow into the first service flow and the second service flow, and generating the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow; or, determining that the third service flow belongs to the service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the identifiers of the ingress interface and the egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs, dividing the third service flow into the first service flow and the second service flow, and generating the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow; or, determining that the third service flow belongs to the service flow transmitted between the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the identifier of the egress interface included in the parameters of the PDU session to which the third service flow belongs and the source IP address included in the PDU session parameters, dividing the third service flow into the first service flow and the second service flow, and generating the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow; or, receiving the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow from the network exposure function (NEF).

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, The first core network device is a TSN AF or a TSCTSF; The correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes one or more of the following: The association relationship between the filter of the first service flow and the filter of the second service flow; or, The association relationship between the port information of the first service flow and the port information of the second service flow; The association relationship between the interface information of the first service flow and the interface information of the second service flow; or, The association relationship between the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that receiving the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow sent by a network exposure function NEF includes: receiving a first message from the NEF, the first message carrying the correspondence and a first indication, the first indication being used to instruct the first core network device to report the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow in a combined manner.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the first core network device is a network exposure function NEF or an SMF or a UPF, and obtaining the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes: receiving the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow from the TSCTSF.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the method further includes: receiving a third indication from the TSCTSF, the third indication being used to instruct the first core network device to report the first transmission delay of the first service flow and the second transmission delay of the second service flow in a combined manner.

14. The method according to any one of claims 12-13, characterized in that the correspondence between the first service flow and the second service flow includes one or more of the following: The association relationship between the filter of the first service flow and the filter of the second service flow; The association relationship between the port information of the first service flow and the port information of the second service flow; The association relationship between the interface information of the first service flow and the interface information of the second service flow; The association relationship between the AF session to which the first service flow belongs and the AF session to which the second service flow belongs; The association relationship between the PDU session to which the first service flow belongs and the PDU session to which the second service flow belongs; or, The association relationship between the PCC rule corresponding to the first service flow and the PCC rule corresponding to the second service flow.

15. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a processor and a memory, the memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory, so as to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A chip system, characterized in that the chip system includes: a processor and an interface, the processor is used to call and run instructions from the interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes a computer program, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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