Communication method and device, computer readable medium and electronic equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and device, a computer readable medium and electronic equipment. The communication method is executed by a first network element, and the communication method comprises the following steps: generating a first message, the first message comprising quality of service (QoS) monitoring related information of the first network element; and sending the first message to a second network element so as to synchronize QoS monitoring related information of the first network element with the second network element. According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the problem that whether QoS monitoring can be performed or not cannot be predicted when QoS sensitive services are processed can be avoided, and the reliability and the processing performance of key services such as QoS sensitive services can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the fields of computer and communication technologies. Specifically, it relates to a communication method, apparatus, computer-readable medium, and electronic device. Background Art

[0002] In a mobile communication network, with the increasing diversity of services, the QoS (Quality of Service) monitoring ability is crucial for meeting different service requirements and improving network performance. Especially when introducing high-bandwidth QoS-sensitive services such as XR (Extended Reality) and XRM (XR and Media Services), as well as supporting scenarios such as industrial control and remote driving, the role of QoS monitoring ability becomes more prominent.

[0003] In actual network deployment, since the QoS monitoring-related information of RAN (Radio Access Network) side devices and core network devices may be different, it may lead to unsupported issues after initiating end-to-end QoS monitoring requirements, which will in turn affect the reliability and processing performance of such critical multimedia services. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, computer-readable medium, and electronic device, which can avoid the problem of being unable to predict whether QoS monitoring can be performed when processing QoS-sensitive services, and is beneficial to improving the reliability and processing performance of critical services such as QoS-sensitive services.

[0005] Other features and advantages of this application will become apparent through the following detailed description, or be learned in part through the practice of this application.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. The communication method is executed by a first network element, and the communication method includes: generating a first message that contains QoS (Quality of Service) monitoring-related information of the first network element itself; and sending the first message to a second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring-related information of the first network element with the second network element.

[0007] In a second aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus is applied to a first network element, and the communication apparatus includes: a generating unit configured to generate a first message that contains QoS (Quality of Service) monitoring-related information of the first network element itself; and a sending unit configured to send the first message to a second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring-related information of the first network element with the second network element.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method described in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including: one or more processors; a storage device for storing one or more computer programs. When the one or more computer programs are executed by the one or more processors, the electronic device implements the communication method described in the above embodiments.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of an electronic device reads and executes the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, so that the electronic device executes the communication methods provided in the above various alternative embodiments.

[0011] In the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present application, a first network element generates a first message containing its own QoS monitoring-related information, and then sends the first message to a second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring-related information of the first network element with the second network element, so that the network elements can synchronize the QoS monitoring-related information. Furthermore, the problem of being unable to predict whether QoS monitoring can be performed when processing QoS-sensitive services can be avoided, which is beneficial to improving the reliability and processing performance of key services such as QoS-sensitive services, and thus better meets the requirements of real-time control and data transmission.

[0012] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an exemplary system architecture to which the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied;

[0014] Figure 2 A flowchart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 3 A flowchart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the architecture of key network elements in a 5G network;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart showing the process of a gNB synchronizing QoS monitoring capability information with a 5GC network element according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 6 The PDU session establishment flow chart is shown;

[0019] Figure 7 The block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0020] Figure 8 The structural schematic diagram of a computer system of an electronic device suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present application is shown. Detailed implementation manners

[0021] Now, the exemplary embodiments will be described in a more comprehensive manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to these examples; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be more comprehensive and complete, and the concept of the exemplary embodiments will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0022] In addition, the features, structures or characteristics described in this application can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, there are many specific details so that the embodiments of this application can be fully understood. However, those skilled in the art should be aware that when implementing the technical solutions of this application, not all the detailed features in the embodiments may be required, one or more specific details may be omitted, or other methods, elements, devices, steps, etc. may be adopted.

[0023] In the embodiments of this application, the term "module" or "unit" refers to a computer program with a predetermined function or a part of a computer program, which works together with other related parts to achieve a predetermined goal, and can be fully or partially implemented by using software, hardware (such as a processing circuit or a memory), or a combination thereof. Similarly, a processor (or multiple processors or memories) can be used to implement one or more modules or units. In addition, each module or unit can be a part of the overall module or unit that includes the function of the module or unit.

[0024] The block diagrams shown in the drawings are only functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0025] The flow charts shown in the drawings are only exemplary illustrations, and do not necessarily include all the content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily need to be executed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be decomposed, and some operations / steps can be combined or partially combined. Therefore, the actual execution order may change according to the actual situation.

[0026] It should be noted that the "multiple" mentioned in this article refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0027] With the development of 5G (5th-Generation, the fifth generation of mobile communication technology) and its subsequent evolution systems (such as 5G-A, 6G, etc.), many multimedia services requiring high data volume and short latency have been applied, such as cloud gaming services, VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), XR, CR (Cinematic Reality) and other interactive services.

[0028] For example, in Figure 1 In the cloud game scenario shown, the cloud server 101 is used to run the cloud game. The cloud server 101 can render the game screen, encode the audio signal and the rendered image, and finally transmit the encoded data obtained by the encoding process to each game client through the network. The game client can be a user device (User Equipment) with basic streaming media playback capabilities, human-computer interaction capabilities, and communication capabilities, such as a smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, smart TV, smart home, car terminal, aircraft, etc.; or the game client can be an application running in a terminal device. Specifically, the game client can decode the encoded data transmitted by the cloud server 101 to obtain an analog audio and video signal and play it.

[0029] It should be understood that Figure 1 The system architecture of the cloud gaming system is only exemplified, and the specific architecture of the cloud gaming system is not limited; for example, in other embodiments, the cloud gaming system may also include a background server for scheduling, etc. In addition, the cloud server 101 may be an independent physical server, or a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communications, middleware services, domain name services, security services, CDN (Content Delivery Network), and big data and artificial intelligence platforms. The game client and the cloud server 101 can be directly or indirectly connected via wired or wireless communication, and this application does not limit this.

[0030] The above multimedia services require the network to provide higher data rates, lower latency and better connection reliability, so the role of QoS monitoring capabilities is more prominent. In 5G networks, QoS monitoring involves monitoring of multiple network elements and multiple parameters, such as uplink delay UL (Uplink) delay, downlink delay DL (Downlink) delay, round-trip time RTT (Round-Trip Time) delay, network congestion information, network transmission rate and network delay jitter information, etc. The monitoring of these parameters is crucial for evaluating network performance and ensuring service quality.

[0031] However, in actual network deployment, the QoS monitoring related information of different RAN side devices and core network devices may not be the same, for example, the supported QoS monitoring capabilities may be different. For example, some devices may not support certain specific QoS monitoring parameters, or the supported measurement granularity may be inconsistent. In addition, the measurement of some QoS monitoring parameters also requires the cooperation of multiple devices to complete, for example, RTT delay measurement requires the support of RAN and UPF (User Plane Function).

[0032] In this case, if end-to-end QoS monitoring is initiated, some devices may fail to provide the required QoS monitoring capabilities, resulting in an inability to correctly evaluate network performance and quality. This may cause the network to be unable to meet the needs of real-time control and data transmission, which in turn will have a negative impact on key applications such as industrial control and remote driving.

[0033] In response to the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a new communication solution that allows synchronization of QoS monitoring capabilities between network elements, such as synchronizing QoS monitoring-related information during interface establishment, network element discovery, and PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session establishment / modification, thereby ensuring that each network element in the network can work together to provide consistent QoS monitoring capabilities, which will help to ensure the service quality and reliability of critical applications such as industrial control and remote driving, thereby better meeting the needs of real-time control and data transmission.

[0034] The implementation details of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application are described in detail below:

[0035] Figure 2The flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. This communication method can be executed by a first network element, which can be an access network element, such as a base station; the first network element can also be a core network element, such as other network elements like AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), SMF (Session Management Function), UPF (User Plane Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), etc. Refer to Figure 2 As shown, this communication method at least includes S210 to S220, which are introduced in detail as follows:

[0036] In S210, a first message is generated, and the first message contains service quality of service (QoS) monitoring related information of the first network element itself.

[0037] In some alternative embodiments, the QoS monitoring related information may include at least one of the following information: QoS monitoring configuration information, QoS monitoring parameter information, QoS monitoring capability information. Among them, the QoS monitoring capability information is used to indicate whether the network element supports monitoring network parameters and which network parameters it supports monitoring. Optionally, the QoS monitoring capability information may indicate monitoring of some or all of the following network parameters: uplink delay (UL delay), downlink delay (DL delay), round-trip time delay (RTT delay), network congestion information (which can be uplink network congestion information, downlink network congestion information, or uplink and downlink network congestion information), network transmission rate (which can be uplink network transmission rate, downlink network transmission rate, or uplink and downlink network transmission rate), and network delay jitter information (which can be uplink network delay jitter information, downlink network delay jitter information, or uplink and downlink network delay jitter information), etc.

[0038] Optionally, the QoS monitoring configuration information may include one or more of the following information: QoS parameters, monitoring targets, monitoring periods, alarm thresholds, data storage and analysis, access control, etc.

[0039] Among them, the QoS parameters define the required quality of service levels, such as bandwidth, latency, jitter, and packet loss rate, etc. These parameters can be adjusted and optimized according to different service requirements. The monitoring targets include network devices, links, or applications that need to be monitored. According to different monitoring targets, the configuration of QoS monitoring will also be different. The monitoring period refers to the time interval for QoS monitoring, such as real-time monitoring or periodic monitoring. Real-time monitoring can provide more timely data, while periodic monitoring can evaluate network performance over a longer time range. The alarm threshold is used to trigger an alarm when the QoS parameter exceeds or is lower than a predetermined threshold. The setting of the alarm threshold needs to be adjusted according to service requirements and network performance requirements. Data storage and analysis are used to process the data generated by QoS monitoring in order to evaluate and optimize network performance. Access control is used to specify which users or devices can access QoS monitoring data.

[0040] Optionally, the parameter information of QoS monitoring may include one or more of the following: network traffic parameters, latency parameters, packet loss rate parameters, jitter parameters, error rate parameters, connectivity parameters, reliability parameters, load parameters, etc.

[0041] Among them, the network traffic parameters include the number of input / output bytes, the number of input / output packets, bandwidth utilization, etc., which can reflect the overall situation of network traffic. The latency parameters mainly include end-to-end latency, transmission latency, processing latency, etc., and are used to measure the latency of network services at various levels (including the physical layer, data link layer, transport layer, etc.). The packet loss rate parameters include input / output packet loss rate, retransmission rate, etc., and are used to measure the packet loss situation during network transmission. The jitter parameters mainly include input / output jitter, maximum / minimum jitter, etc., and are used to measure the jitter of network services at various levels. The error rate parameters include input / output error rate, etc., and are used to measure the error situation during network transmission. The connectivity parameters mainly include connection establishment success rate, connection interruption rate, etc., and are used to measure the connectivity of the network. The reliability parameters include error retransmission rate, error recovery time, etc., and are used to measure the reliability of network services. The load parameters mainly include network load situation, server load situation, etc., and are used to measure the load situation of the network.

[0042] In some alternative embodiments, the first message is for the first network element to synchronize its own QoS monitoring-related information to other network elements. The first message can be an existing message in the multiplexing communication standard or a newly added message.

[0043] In S220, the first message is sent to the second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring-related information of the first network element with the second network element.

[0044] In some alternative embodiments, the second network element is a network element capable of communicating with the first network element. For example, when the first network element is an access network element, the second network element may be a core network element; when the first network element is a core network element, the second network element may be an access network element or another core network element.

[0045] Optionally, if the first network element is an access network element, then the first message may be an NG interface establishment request message (i.e., NG setup request). In this case, the access network element may send the NG interface establishment request message containing the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element itself to the AMF, so that the AMF can obtain the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element, and the AMF can synchronize the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element to other core network elements in subsequent interactions with other core network elements, such as synchronizing to the SMF, PCF, UPF, etc. Among them, the NG interface refers to the interface between the radio access network and the 5G core network. In other embodiments of the present application, the access network element may also send its own QoS monitoring related information to the AMF through other types of messages.

[0046] Optionally, if the first network element is an access network element, then the access network element may also send the first message to the UPF through the user plane. In this case, the UPF can obtain the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element, and the UPF can transfer the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element to the PMF (Performance Measurement Function).

[0047] Optionally, if the first network element is the AMF, then the first message may be one of a create session management context request message (i.e., CreateSMContext Request), an N1N2 information transfer message (i.e., N1N2MessageTransfer), and an update session management context request message (i.e., UpdateSMContext Request). In this case, the second network element may be the SMF. In this embodiment, the signaling messages in the PDU session establishment process or modification process may be used to transfer the QoS monitoring related information of the AMF to the SMF. Of course, in other embodiments, the AMF may also send its own QoS monitoring related information to the SMF through other types of messages.

[0048] Optionally, if the first network element is the AMF, then the first message may be a PDU session request message (i.e., PDUSession Request), and the second network element may be an access network element. Of course, in other embodiments, the AMF may also send its own QoS monitoring related information to the access network element through other types of messages.

[0049] Optionally, if the first network element is an SMF, the first message may be one of a Create Session Management Context Response message (i.e., CreateSMContext Response), an N1N2 Information Transfer message (i.e., N1N2MessageTransfer), an Update Session Management Context Response message, or an SM Context Status Notify message. In this case, the second network element may be an AMF. In this embodiment, signaling messages in the PDU session establishment process or modification process may be used to transfer QoS monitoring-related information of the SMF to the AMF. Of course, in other embodiments, the SMF may also send its own QoS monitoring-related information to the AMF through other types of messages.

[0050] Optionally, if the first network element is an SMF, the first message may be a message in the SM Policy Association Establishment process or the SM Policy Association Modification process (specifically, a modification process initiated by the SMF). In this case, the second network element may be a PCF. Of course, in other embodiments, the SMF may also send its own QoS monitoring-related information to the PCF through other types of messages.

[0051] Optionally, if the first network element is an SMF, the first message may be an N4 Session Establishment Request message or an N4 Session Modification Request message. In this case, the second network element may be a UPF. Of course, in other embodiments, the SMF may also send its own QoS monitoring-related information to the UPF through other types of messages.

[0052] Optionally, if the first network element is a PCF, the first message may be a message in the SM Policy Association Establishment process or the SM Policy Association Modification process (specifically, a modification process initiated by the SMF). In this case, the second network element may be an SMF. Of course, in other embodiments, the PCF may also send its own QoS monitoring-related information to the SMF through other types of messages.

[0053] Optionally, if the first network element is a UPF, then the first message may be a session establishment response message (i.e., N4Session Establishment Response) or a session modification response message (i.e., N4Session Modification Response). In this case, the second network element may be an SMF. Of course, in other embodiments, the UPF may also send its QoS monitoring related information to the SMF through other types of messages.

[0054] In some alternative embodiments, the first message sent by the first network element to the second network element may further include QoS monitoring related information of other network elements that interact with the first network element. For example, if the first network element is an AMF, then when the AMF sends its QoS monitoring related information to the SMF through the first message, it may also add the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element, so as to realize the transmission of the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element among the core network elements.

[0055] In some alternative embodiments, in addition to sending the first message to the second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring related information of the first network element, the second network element may also send a second message to the first network element. The second message may include the QoS monitoring related information of the second network element, or the QoS monitoring related information of other network elements that interact with the second network element, or the QoS monitoring related information of the second network element and other network elements that interact with the second network element. For example, if the first network element is an access network element and the second network element is an AMF, then the second message sent by the AMF to the access network element may include the QoS monitoring related information of the AMF, or may include the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF, or may also include the QoS monitoring related information of the AMF, the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF, and the QoS monitoring related information of the UPF.

[0056] Based on the technical solution of the above embodiments of the present application, if the AMF obtains the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF, then the AMF may select the SMF used to establish the PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF during the PDU session establishment process. For example, it may select an SMF that supports QoS monitoring capability information or supports more QoS monitoring capability items.

[0057] If the SMF obtains the QoS monitoring related information of the PCF, then the SMF may select the PCF used to establish the PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the PCF during the PDU session establishment process. For example, it may select a PCF that supports QoS monitoring capability information or supports more QoS monitoring capability items.

[0058] If the SMF obtains the QoS monitoring related information of the UPF, then the SMF can select the UPF for establishing the PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the UPF during the PDU session establishment process. For example, it can select a UPF that supports the QoS monitoring capability information or supports more QoS monitoring capability items.

[0059] The following takes the first network element as an access network element (such as a base station) and the second network element as the AMF as a specific example to illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application:

[0060] Figure 3 The flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, and this communication method can be executed by an access network element. Refer to Figure 3 As shown, this communication method at least includes S310 to S330, which are introduced in detail as follows:

[0061] In S310, an NG interface establishment request message is generated, and the NG interface establishment request message contains the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element itself.

[0062] That is, in Figure 3 the embodiment shown, the access network element can reuse the NG interface establishment request message to send the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element itself to the AMF.

[0063] In some alternative embodiments, an information element (Information Element, abbreviated as IE), that is, a first information element, can be added to the NG interface establishment request message, and this first information element is used to indicate the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element. Optionally, this first information element can be represented as QoS Monitoring Capability.

[0064] In some alternative embodiments, if the QoS monitoring related information includes QoS monitoring capability information, then the element value corresponding to this first information element can include at least one flag bit, and each flag bit corresponds to a QoS monitoring capability item, and the value of this flag bit is used to indicate whether the access network element supports the corresponding QoS monitoring capability item.

[0065] For example, if the QoS monitoring capability items included in the QoS monitoring capability information are: link delay, round-trip time, network congestion information, network transmission rate, and network delay jitter information in sequence, then the element value corresponding to this first element information can include 5 flag bits. Assuming that 1 represents support and 0 represents non-support, then "10110" is used to indicate that the access network element supports link delay monitoring, does not support round-trip time monitoring, supports network congestion information monitoring, supports network transmission rate monitoring, and does not support network delay jitter information monitoring.

[0066] In S320, send an NG interface establishment request message to the Access and Mobility Management Function network element (AMF).

[0067] In some optional embodiments, after the access network network element sends an NG interface establishment request message to the AMF, the AMF can obtain QoS monitoring related information of the access network network element. In this case, the AMF can choose whether to transfer the QoS monitoring related information of the access network network element to other core network network elements (such as SMF, UPF, etc.).

[0068] In S330, receive the NG interface establishment response message feedback by the AMF for the NG interface establishment request message, and the NG interface establishment response message contains QoS monitoring related information of the core network network element.

[0069] In some optional embodiments, the AMF can reuse the NG interface establishment response message to send the QoS monitoring related information of the core network network element to the access network network element. Optionally, the QoS monitoring related information of the core network network element included in the NG interface establishment response message can be one or more of the QoS monitoring related information of the AMF, the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF, the QoS monitoring related information of the PCF, and the QoS monitoring related information of the UPF.

[0070] In some optional embodiments, a new information element IE, that is, the second information element, can be added to the NG interface establishment response message, and the second information element is used to indicate the QoS monitoring related information of a certain core network network element (such as the AMF). Optionally, the second information element can be represented as QoS Monitoring Capability CN (Core Network).

[0071] In some optional embodiments, if the QoS monitoring related information includes QoS monitoring capability information, then the element value corresponding to the second information element can include at least one flag bit, and each flag bit corresponds to a QoS monitoring capability item, and the value of the flag bit is used to indicate whether the core network network element supports the corresponding QoS monitoring capability item.

[0072] For example, if the QoS monitoring capability items included in the QoS monitoring capability information are: link delay, round-trip time, network congestion information, network transmission rate, and network delay jitter information in sequence, then the element value corresponding to the second element information can include 5 flag bits. Assuming that 1 represents support and 0 represents non-support, then "10110" is used to indicate that the core network network element supports link delay monitoring, does not support round-trip time monitoring, supports network congestion information monitoring, supports network transmission rate monitoring, and does not support network delay jitter information monitoring.

[0073] In summary, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application proposes an active synchronization solution for QoS monitoring-related information, which allows network element devices to synchronize QoS monitoring-related information, such as synchronizing QoS monitoring-related information during the process of interface establishment, network element discovery, and PDU session establishment / modification. Furthermore, it can ensure that each network element in the network can work collaboratively, thus avoiding the problem that it is impossible to predict whether QoS monitoring can be performed when the 5G network carries QoS-sensitive services such as XRM, industrial control, and remote driving control.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present application, the negotiation of QoS monitoring-related information can be carried out during the interface establishment phase or the network element discovery phase. Specifically, as Figure 4 shown is the 5G network key network element architecture defined by the 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project). Among them, AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF, NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), AUSF (Authentication Server Function), UDM (Unified Data Management) and other are the core network elements of the 5G network. UE (User Equipment) can be 5G terminals such as mobile phones and tablets; (R)AN ((Radio) Access Network) can be 5G base stations; DN (Data Network) is the data network, that is, the service server accessed by the UE.

[0075] Among them, AMF is responsible for terminating the N2 interface of the base station control plane and implementing the encoding and decoding of NGAP (Next Generation Application Protocol) based on the SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol). The base station and AMF transmit the application layer NGAP protocol through the SCTP transport layer protocol and carry the NAS signaling data of the UE in NGAP. AMF is also responsible for terminating the N1 interface of the UE, implementing NAS (Non-Access Stratum) encryption and integrity protection, and is responsible for functions such as UE access verification, authorization management, registration, connection, reachability, and mobility management, as well as the transparent transmission of session management messages between the UE and SMF.

[0076] In addition, (R)AN and UPF interact through the N3 interface; UPFs can interact through the N9 interface; UPF and SMF interact through the N4 interface; UPF and DN interact through the N6 interface; SMF and AMF interact through the N11 interface; SMF and PCF interact through the N7 interface; SMF and UDM interact through the N10 interface; PCF and AF interact through the N5 interface; AMFs can interact through the N14 interface; AMF and PCF interact through the N15 interface; AMF and UDM interact through the N8 interface; AMF and NSSF interact through the N22 interface; AMF and AUSF interact through the N12 interface; AUSF and UDM interact through the N13 interface.

[0077] Based on Figure 4 In the system architecture shown, during the network element discovery process or the connection establishment process among core network network elements, relevant information on QoS monitoring can be synchronized based on the corresponding interaction interfaces. The access network network element (i.e., the base station) and the core network network element can negotiate relevant information on QoS monitoring when establishing the N2 / N3 RAN-CN interface.

[0078] Optionally, the relevant information on QoS monitoring may include at least one of the following: configuration information on QoS monitoring, parameter information on QoS monitoring, and QoS monitoring capability information. Taking the relevant information on QoS monitoring as the QoS monitoring capability information as an example, the implementation details of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application will be elaborated in detail:

[0079] In a specific example, as Figure 5 shown, in the NG setup request and NG setup response between the gNB and the N2 interface of the 5GC (5G Core), relevant capability information on QoS Monitoring can be added. The basic process of this embodiment includes:

[0080] S501, the gNB sends an NG setup request message or other messages to the AMF, which contains the QoS monitoring capability information on the RAN side.

[0081] In S501, the QoS monitoring capability information is synchronized from the gNB to the core network direction. For example, an IE (such as QoS Monitoring Capability) for indicating the QoS monitoring capability can be added to the message sent by the gNB to the AMF (such as NG setup request or other messages), indicating the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB, which can include monitoring of network congestion, monitoring of delay, and monitoring of RTT, etc., and can also include other monitoring items. In order to flexibly reflect different aspects of the QoS monitoring capability, different bitmaps can be used for this capability IE to indicate different QoS monitoring capability items of the gNB. For example, if the QoS monitoring capability items included in the QoS monitoring capability information are, in sequence: link delay, round-trip time, network congestion information, network transmission rate, and network delay jitter information, then the bitmap can include 5 flag bits. Assuming 1 represents support and 0 represents non-support, then "10110" is used to indicate that the gNB supports link delay monitoring, does not support round-trip time monitoring, supports network congestion information monitoring, supports network transmission rate monitoring, and does not support network delay jitter information monitoring.

[0082] In some optional embodiments, in order to notify the possible core network elements of the QoS monitoring capability information in advance, the gNB can provide its own QoS monitoring capability information to multiple AMFs or UPFs. Optionally, in addition to through the control plane, the gNB can also provide its own QoS monitoring capability information to the UPF through the user plane without going through the AMF. For example, the gNB can provide its own QoS monitoring capability information to the AMF through the N3 interface shown in Figure 4 .

[0083] In S502, after the AMF obtains the QoS monitoring capability information on the RAN side, it can transfer the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB among the 5GC internal network elements.

[0084] Optionally, after obtaining the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB, the AMF may use the QoS monitoring capability information in subsequent PDU session establishment processes, PDU session modification processes, or handover processes, and can synchronously enable the SMF for PDU session management, the PCF for policy control, and the UPF for implementing the user plane function to all obtain the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB.

[0085] In S503, the AMF sends an NG setup response message or other messages to the gNB, which includes the QoS monitoring capability information of one or more network elements on the core network side.

[0086] In S503, the QoS monitoring capability information is synchronized from the core network to the gNB. For example, an IE (such as QoS Monitoring Capability CN) for indicating the QoS monitoring capability can be added to the message sent from the AMF to the gNB (such as NG setup response or other messages), indicating the QoS monitoring capability information of the core network element, which may include monitoring of network congestion, monitoring of delay, and monitoring of RTT, etc., and may also include other monitoring items. To flexibly reflect different aspects of the QoS monitoring capability, different bitmaps can be used for this capability IE to indicate different QoS monitoring capability items of the core network element. For example, if the QoS monitoring capability items included in the QoS monitoring capability information are, in sequence: link delay, round-trip time, network congestion information, network transmission rate, and network delay jitter information, then the bitmap can include 5 flag bits. Assuming 1 represents support and 0 represents non-support, then "10110" is used to indicate that the core network element supports link delay monitoring, does not support round-trip time monitoring, supports network congestion information monitoring, supports network transmission rate monitoring, and does not support network delay jitter information monitoring.

[0087] It should be noted that the QoS monitoring capability information interacted between the AMF and the gNB can be that of one or more network elements in the core network. For example, the QoS monitoring capability information interacted between the AMF and the gNB can be that of the AMF itself, or it can also be that of the PCF, SMF, or UPF. In this case, the AMF only acts as a node directly connected to the gNB to indicate the QoS monitoring capability information of other core network elements.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, the negotiation of QoS monitoring-related information can be carried out during the PDU session establishment process or modification process. Taking the PDU session establishment process as an example, this solution assumes that the gNB and 5GC network elements do not know the QoS monitoring-related information in advance, but follow the normal process of PDU session establishment to select network elements such as the PCF, SMF, and UPF for a PDU session and execute the PDU session establishment process. During the PDU session establishment process, the relevant gNB and 5GC network elements reach an agreement on the QoS monitoring-related information. Therefore, the QoS monitoring-related information can be interacted during the PDU session establishment process. The following continues to take the QoS monitoring-related information as the QoS monitoring capability information for illustration:

[0089] Specifically, as Figure 6 shown in the PDU session establishment process, the following introduces the use and interaction process of the QoS monitoring capability information in the PDU session establishment process.

[0090] Specifically, in Figure 6 In S602 shown, when the AMF selects an SMF, it can consider the QoS monitoring capability information of the SMF, and the AMF can obtain the QoS monitoring capability information of multiple candidate SMFs through the methods of the previous embodiments or other methods. For example, the AMF can obtain the QoS monitoring capability information of multiple candidate SMFs from the NRF (Network Repository Function).

[0091] In Figure 6 In S603 shown, if the SMF selected by the AMF does not know the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB in advance, then the AMF can add indication information in the create session management uplink request to indicate the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB. Optionally, the AMF can also indicate its own QoS monitoring capability information to the selected SMF through the create session management uplink request.

[0092] In Figure 6 In S605 shown, the SMF can indicate whether it has QoS monitoring capability information in the create session management context response message sent to the AMF, and this part of the information can be saved in the AMF. The AMF regards this QoS monitoring capability information as the QoS monitoring capability information per SMF. Optionally, whether the QoS monitoring capability information is enabled can depend on per PDUsession or per user subscription.

[0093] In Figure 6 In S607a shown, when the SMF selects a PCF, it can consider the QoS monitoring capability information of the candidate PCF. Further, in Figure 6 In S607b shown, the SMF can interact with the PCF on the QoS monitoring capability information (which can be one or more of the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB, the SMF, and the AMF).

[0094] In Figure 6 In S608 shown, when the SMF selects a UPF, it may consider the QoS monitoring capability information of the candidate UPF. Further, in Figure 6 In S610a and S610b shown, there is an interaction with the UPF on the QoS monitoring capability information (which can be one or more of the QoS monitoring capability information of the gNB, the SMF, the AMF, and the PCF).

[0095] In Figure 6In S611 and S612 as shown, the core network element can provide the QoS monitoring capability information of one or more network elements in the core network (such as one or more of AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF) to the gNB.

[0096] In summary, the AMF can transfer the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the SMF through one of the Create Session Management Context Request message (i.e., CreateSMContext Request) in S603, the N1N2 Message Transfer message (i.e., N1N2MessageTransfer) in S613, and the Update Session Management Context Request message (i.e., UpdateSMContext Request) in S615.

[0097] The AMF can also send the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the gNB through the PDU Session Request message (i.e., PDU Session Request) in S612.

[0098] The SMF can send the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the AMF through one of the Create Session Management Context Response message (i.e., CreateSMContextResponse) in S605, the N1N2 Message Transfer message (i.e., N1N2MessageTransfer) in S611, the Update Session Management Context Response message (UpdateSM Context Response) in S617, and the SM Context Status Notify message (i.e., SMContextStatus Notify) in S618.

[0099] The SMF can also send the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the PCF through the messages in the SM Policy Association Establishment process (i.e., SM PolicyAssociation Establishment) or the SM Policy Association Modification process (SM Policy AssociationModification, which can also be the modification process initiated by the SMF in S609 and S620) in S607b.

[0100] The SMF can also send the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the UPF through the N4 Session Establishment Request message (i.e., N4 Session EstablishmentRequest) or the N4 Session Modification Request message (i.e., N4 Session Modification Request) in S610a.

[0101] The PCF can send the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the SMF through the messages in the session management policy association establishment process (i.e., SM Policy Association Establishment) in S607b or the session management policy association modification process (SM Policy Association Modification, which can also be the modification process initiated by the SMF in S609 and S620).

[0102] The UPF can send the QoS monitoring capability information of itself and / or other network elements to the SMF through the session establishment response message (i.e., N4 Session Establishment Response) or the session modification response message (i.e., N4 Session Modification Response) in S610b.

[0103] In an embodiment of the present application, the QoS monitoring capability negotiation can be implemented through the PDU session modification process (the messages used for QoS monitoring capability information interaction in the PDU session modification process are similar to some signaling in the Figure 6 shown process) after the PDU session is established, or through separate signaling interaction to achieve the negotiation and interaction of the QoS monitoring capability. During the negotiation and interaction process, network elements such as gNB, AMF, SMF, PCF, and UPF reach an agreement on QoS monitoring capability items such as uplink delay (UL delay), downlink delay (DL delay), round-trip time delay (RTT delay), network congestion information (which can be uplink network congestion information, downlink network congestion information, or uplink and downlink network congestion information), network transmission rate (which can be uplink network transmission rate, downlink network transmission rate, or uplink and downlink network transmission rate), and network delay jitter information (which can be uplink network delay jitter information, downlink network delay jitter information, or uplink and downlink network delay jitter information).

[0104] The technical solution of the above embodiment of the present application can allow network elements to synchronize QoS monitoring-related information, and thus can ensure that each network element in the network can work together to provide consistent QoS monitoring capabilities, which will help to guarantee the service quality and reliability of key applications such as industrial control and remote driving, so as to better meet the requirements of real-time control and data transmission.

[0105] The following introduces the device embodiments of the present application, which can be used to execute the communication method in the above embodiments of the present application. For the details not disclosed in the device embodiments of the present application, please refer to the embodiments of the communication method above of the present application.

[0106] Figure 7The block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication device is applied to a first network element, and the first network element may be an access network element, such as a base station; the first network element may also be a core network element, such as other network elements like AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF, etc.

[0107] Referring to Figure 7 As shown, a communication device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application includes: a generating unit 702 and a transmitting unit 704.

[0108] Among them, the generating unit 702 is configured to generate a first message, and the first message contains service quality of service (QoS) monitoring related information of the first network element itself; the transmitting unit 704 is configured to send the first message to a second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring related information of the first network element with the second network element.

[0109] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the communication device 700 further includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive a second message sent by the second network element, where the second message contains QoS monitoring related information of the second network element, or the second message contains QoS monitoring related information of other network elements interacting with the second network element, or the second message contains QoS monitoring related information of the second network element and other network elements interacting with the second network element.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the first network element includes an access network element, and the first message includes an NG interface establishment request message; the transmitting unit 704 is configured to: send the NG interface establishment request message to the access and mobility management function network element (AMF) so that the AMF determines the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element or transfers the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element to other core network elements.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the NG interface establishment request message contains a first information element, and the first information element is used to indicate the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element.

[0112] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the QoS monitoring related information includes QoS monitoring capability information, and the element value corresponding to the first information element contains at least one flag bit, and each flag bit corresponds to a QoS monitoring capability item, and the value of the flag bit is used to indicate whether the access network element supports the corresponding QoS monitoring capability item.

[0113] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the communication device 700 further includes: a receiving unit configured to receive an NG interface establishment response message fed back by the AMF for the NG interface establishment request message, where the NG interface establishment response message includes QoS monitoring related information of a core network element; wherein, the QoS monitoring related information of the core network element includes at least one of the following: QoS monitoring related information of the AMF, QoS monitoring related information of a session management function network element SMF, QoS monitoring related information of a policy control function network element PCF, and QoS monitoring related information of a user plane function network element UPF.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the NG interface establishment response message includes a second information element, and the second information element is used to indicate the QoS monitoring related information of the core network element.

[0115] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the QoS monitoring related information includes QoS monitoring capability information, and the element value corresponding to the second information element includes at least one flag bit, and each flag bit corresponds to a QoS monitoring capability item, and the value of the flag bit is used to indicate whether the core network element supports the corresponding QoS monitoring capability item.

[0116] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the first network element includes an access network element; the sending unit 704 is configured to: send the first message to the UPF through the user plane, so that the UPF determines the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element or transmits the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element to a performance measurement function network element PMF.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the first network element includes the AMF; if the first message is one of a create session management context request message, an N1N2 information transmission message, and an update session management context request message, then the second network element is the SMF; if the first message is a protocol data unit PDU session request message, then the second network element is the access network element.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the first network element includes the SMF; if the first message is one of a create session management context response message, an N1N2 information transmission message, an update session management context response message, and a session management context status notification message, then the second network element is the AMF; if the first message is a message in a session management policy association establishment process or a session management policy association modification process, then the second network element is the PCF; if the first message is a session establishment request message or a session modification request message, then the second network element is the UPF.

[0119] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, if the first network element is a PCF, the first message is a message in the session management policy association establishment process or the session management policy association modification process, and the second network element is an SMF; if the first network element is a UPF, the first message is a session establishment response message or a session modification response message, and the second network element is an SMF.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the communication device 700 further includes a selection unit, and the selection unit is configured to perform at least one of the following processes:

[0121] If the first network element is an AMF, select an SMF for establishing a PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF during the PDU session establishment process;

[0122] If the first network element is an SMF, select a PCF for establishing a PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the PCF during the PDU session establishment process;

[0123] If the first network element is an SMF, select a UPF for establishing a PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the UPF during the PDU session establishment process.

[0124] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the first message further includes QoS monitoring related information of other network elements that interact with the first network element.

[0125] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the foregoing solution, the QoS monitoring related information includes at least one of the following information: QoS monitoring configuration information, QoS monitoring parameter information, QoS monitoring capability information.

[0126] Figure 8 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a computer system of an electronic device suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present application, and the electronic device may be a network element in the foregoing embodiments.

[0127] It should be noted that Figure 8 The computer system 800 of the electronic device shown is only an example and should not impose any limitations on the functions and usage scopes of the embodiments of the present application.

[0128] Such as Figure 8As shown, the computer system 800 may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 801, which may perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a Read-Only Memory (ROM) 802 or a program loaded from a storage section 808 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 803, such as executing the method described in the above embodiments. In the RAM 803, various programs and data required for system operations are also stored. The CPU 801, ROM 802, and RAM 803 are connected to each other via a bus 804. An Input / Output (I / O) interface 805 is also connected to the bus 804.

[0129] The following components may be connected to the I / O interface 805: an input section 806 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 807 including, for example, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), etc. and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 808 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 809 including a network interface card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a modem, etc. The communication section 809 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 810 is also connected to the I / O interface 805 as needed. A removable medium 811, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 810 as needed so that a computer program read from it can be installed into the storage section 808 as needed.

[0130] Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present application, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present application includes a computer program product that includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program is used to execute the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via the communication section 809, and / or installed from the removable medium 811. When the computer program is executed by a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 801, various functions defined in the system of the present application are executed.

[0131] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the embodiments of the present application can be a computer-readable signal medium, a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination of the two. The computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium can include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present application, the computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a computer program, and this computer program can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In the present application, the computer-readable signal medium can include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, in which a computer-readable computer program is carried. Such a propagated data signal can take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable signal medium can also be any computer-readable medium other than the computer-readable storage medium, and this computer-readable medium can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer program contained on the computer-readable medium can be transmitted by any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wired, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0132] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. Among them, each block in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, and the above module, program segment, or part of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram or flowchart, and the combination of blocks in the block diagram or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and a computer program.

[0133] The units involved in the embodiments described in this application can be implemented in software or in hardware, and the described units can also be provided in a processor. Among them, the names of these units do not, in some cases, constitute a limitation on the unit itself.

[0134] As another aspect, this application also provides a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the electronic device described in the above embodiments; or can exist alone without being assembled into the electronic device. The above computer-readable medium carries one or more computer programs, and when the above one or more computer programs are executed by an electronic device, the electronic device implements the method described in the above embodiments.

[0135] It should be noted that although several modules or units of a device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of this application, the features and functions of the two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0136] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can easily understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by a combination of software and necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable an electronic device to execute the method according to the embodiments of this application.

[0137] For example, if the electronic device is a network element device, then the network element device can execute Figure 3 the communication method shown.

[0138] After considering the specification and practicing the disclosed embodiments herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of this application. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application, which follow the general principles of this application and include known common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed in this application.

[0139] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the exact structures described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is only limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, the communication method is executed by a first network element, and the communication method includes: generating a first message, where the first message contains service quality of service (QoS) monitoring related information of the first network element itself; sending the first message to a second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring related information of the first network element with the second network element.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, it further includes: receiving a second message sent by the second network element, where the second message contains QoS monitoring related information of the second network element, or the second message contains QoS monitoring related information of other network elements interacting with the second network element, or the second message contains QoS monitoring related information of the second network element and other network elements interacting with the second network element.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first network element includes an access network element, and the first message includes an NG interface establishment request message; sending the first message to a second network element includes: sending the NG interface establishment request message to an access and mobility management function network element (AMF) so that the AMF determines the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element or transfers the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element to other core network elements.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, the NG interface establishment request message contains a first information element, and the first information element is used to indicate the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that, the QoS monitoring related information includes QoS monitoring capability information, and the element value corresponding to the first information element contains at least one flag bit, and each flag bit corresponds to a QoS monitoring capability item, and the value of the flag bit is used to indicate whether the access network element supports the corresponding QoS monitoring capability item.

6. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, it further includes: receiving an NG interface establishment response message fed back by the AMF for the NG interface establishment request message, where the NG interface establishment response message contains QoS monitoring related information of a core network element; wherein, the QoS monitoring related information of the core network element includes at least one of the following: QoS monitoring related information of the AMF, QoS monitoring related information of a session management function network element (SMF), QoS monitoring related information of a policy control function network element (PCF), QoS monitoring related information of a user plane function network element (UPF).

7. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that, the NG interface establishment response message contains a second information element, and the second information element is used to indicate the QoS monitoring related information of the core network element.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The QoS monitoring related information includes QoS monitoring capability information. The element value corresponding to the second information element includes at least one flag bit, and each flag bit corresponds to a QoS monitoring capability item. The value of the flag bit is used to indicate whether the core network element supports the corresponding QoS monitoring capability item.

9. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, the first network element includes an access network element; Sending the first message to a second network element includes: sending the first message to a UPF through a user plane, so that the UPF determines the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element or transmits the QoS monitoring related information of the access network element to a performance measurement function network element PMF.

10. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, the first network element includes an AMF; If the first message is one of a create session management context request message, an N1N2 information transmission message, and an update session management context request message, the second network element is an SMF; If the first message is a protocol data unit PDU session request message, the second network element is an access network element.

11. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, the first network element includes an SMF; If the first message is one of a create session management context response message, an N1N2 information transmission message, an update session management context response message, and a session management context status notification message, the second network element is an AMF; If the first message is a message in a session management policy association establishment process or a session management policy association modification process, the second network element is a PCF; If the first message is a session establishment request message or a session modification request message, the second network element is a UPF.

12. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, If the first network element is a PCF, the first message is a message in a session management policy association establishment process or a session management policy association modification process, and the second network element is an SMF; If the first network element is a UPF, the first message is a session establishment response message or a session modification response message, and the second network element is an SMF.

13. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The communication method further includes at least one of the following processes: If the first network element is an AMF, select an SMF for establishing a PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the SMF during the PDU session establishment process; If the first network element is an SMF, select a PCF for establishing a PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the PCF during the PDU session establishment process; If the first network element is an SMF, select a UPF for establishing a PDU session according to the QoS monitoring related information of the UPF during the PDU session establishment process.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, The first message further includes QoS monitoring related information of other network elements that interact with the first network element.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, the QoS monitoring related information includes at least one of the following information: configuration information of QoS monitoring, parameter information of QoS monitoring, QoS monitoring capability information.

16. A communication device, wherein, the communication device is applied to a first network element, and the communication device includes: a generating unit configured to generate a first message, where the first message contains QoS monitoring related information of the first network element itself; a sending unit configured to send the first message to a second network element to synchronize the QoS monitoring related information of the first network element with the second network element.

17. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein, the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. An electronic device, wherein, comprising: one or more processors; a memory for storing one or more computer programs, and when the one or more computer programs are executed by the one or more processors, the electronic device implements the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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