A communication method, device and storage medium

Abstract

A communication method, device and storage medium, relating to the technical field of communication. The method comprises: sending uplink assistance information (UAI), wherein the UAI comprises first indication information, the first indication information indicates a mapping relationship between a quality of service flow identifier (QFI) and a multi-modal service, and the first indication information comprises one or more bitmaps (bitmaps), each bitmap indicates the mapping relationship through the position of a bit with a first set value. The method can make the network device clear the data streams of multiple modes belonging to the same service, so as to facilitate the coordinated management and control of the data streams, for example, when performing cell switching, the data streams of multiple modes belonging to the same multi-modal service can be simultaneously switched to a target cell or released, thereby avoiding the loss of part of the multi-modal data streams after switching, causing the multi-modal service to be abnormal or even interrupted, and thus the user experience is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the development of mobile communication technology, especially the continuous development of next-generation mobile communication technologies such as the fifth-generation mobile networks (5G), the functions of communication systems are constantly being enhanced. Specifically, 5G communication systems can provide enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), with faster connections, higher throughput, and greater capacity, as well as ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). This allows them to meet the ultra-high reliability and low latency requirements of wireless communication networks in mission-critical scenarios that require uninterrupted and stable data links, such as extended reality (XR) scenarios or cloud gaming scenarios.

[0003] The above scenarios can be implemented based on multi-modal services. Multi-modal services refer to services that need to transmit multiple modal data streams to the network side; these modalities can be any combination of audio, video, haptic, and other modalities. Taking XR scenarios as an example, XR services typically need to transmit audio data streams, video data streams, and haptic data streams.

[0004] Currently, when a service transmits multiple modal data streams to the network side, if the network equipment on the network side struggles to simultaneously switch or release multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service to the target cell during handover, it may result in the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, degrading the user experience. Therefore, how to enable the network side to determine which multimodal data streams each service includes, so that the network side can coordinate, manage, and control each data stream, is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a communication method, device, and storage medium that enables the network side to determine the mapping relationship between each service and the multimodal data stream, thereby facilitating the network side's coordinated management and control of each data stream and ensuring user experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to electronic devices, such as XR devices capable of directly communicating with access network devices; or, as a terminal device for realizing communication between XR devices and access network devices, such as a mobile phone. The method includes: sending uplink auxiliary information UAI, wherein the uplink auxiliary information UAI includes first indication information, the first indication information indicating the mapping relationship between a Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI) and a multimodal service (service), and the first indication information including one or more bitmaps, each bitmap indicating the mapping relationship through the position of a bit with a value of a first set value.

[0007] This method utilizes a bitmap to indicate the mapping relationship between QFI and multimodal services. Specifically, the position of bits with a value of a first preset value in the bitmap indicates the mapping relationship, that is, the position of bits with a value of the first preset value is associated with QFI or multimodal services. In this case, both the number of bits in the bitmap and the position of bits with the first preset value can be used to indicate the mapping relationship, achieving the goal of carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. By carrying the mapping relationship between QFI and multimodal services in the first indication information, network devices on the network side can clearly identify multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service, facilitating coordinated management and control of each data stream. For example, during cell handover, multiple modal data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or simultaneously released, avoiding the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could lead to anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thus ensuring a better user experience.

[0008] In one possible implementation, each bitmap corresponds to a multimodal service, and the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information serves as the index value of the multimodal service. In each bitmap, each bit with a value of a first set value has its index value in the bitmap as the index value of a QFI of the multimodal service, and the number of bits with values ​​of the first set value is the same as the number of QFIs included in the multimodal service.

[0009] In this implementation, the index value of the bitmap is associated with the multimodal service, and the index value of the bit with the first set value in each bitmap is associated with the index value of a QFI. This allows the first indication information to indicate a multimodal service and one or more QFIs corresponding to that multimodal service using only one bitmap, thus carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the total number of QFIs included in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session where the multimodal service resides.

[0011] In this implementation, even if all QoS flows correspond to the same multimodal service, a single bitmap is sufficient to represent the correspondence between QFI and multimodal service, eliminating the need for additional bits and thus reducing the amount of data.

[0012] In one possible implementation, each bitmap corresponds to a multimodal service, and the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information serves as the index value of the multimodal service. In each bitmap, each bit with a value of a first set value has an index value in the bitmap as an index value of a data radio bearer (DRB), and each DRB index value corresponds to one or more QFIs.

[0013] Since network devices perform DRB switching during handover, and a multimodal service corresponds to one PDU session, one PDU session can correspond to multiple DRBs, and one PDU session can have multiple data streams with different QoS requirements, the mapping relationship between QFIs and DRBs may be many-to-one or one-to-one. Therefore, this implementation uses a bitmap to carry the mapping relationship information between services and DRBs. Even with the network device knowing the mapping relationship between QFIs and DRBs, it still achieves the goal of carrying the mapping relationship information between services and QFIs. This implementation uses only one bitmap to indicate a multimodal service and all its corresponding DRBs, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. When multiple QFIs correspond to one DRB, it's equivalent to using one bit to indicate multiple QFIs corresponding to a multimodal service, significantly reducing the amount of data in the initial indication information.

[0014] In one possible implementation, among all the multimodal services established in UAI, the multimodal service with the most modalities has the first modality, and the number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the first modality.

[0015] In this implementation, the number of bits included in the bitmap may be dynamically adjusted as the multimodal service changes. Especially when the initial number is small, the number of bits included in the bitmap is relatively small, which can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, thereby shortening the service latency of the multimodal service.

[0016] In one possible implementation, each bitmap corresponds to one QFI; in each bitmap, each bit with a first set value has an index value in the bitmap that is the index value of a multimodal service of the QFI, and the number of bits with the first set value is the same as the number of multimodal services to which the QFI belongs.

[0017] In this implementation, the index value of the bit with the first set value in each bitmap is associated with the index value of a service. This allows the first indication information to indicate all services corresponding to a QFI using only one bitmap, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the number of multimodal services established in UAI.

[0019] Even if a QFI is a QFI shared by all multimodal services established in UAI, the bitmap can still indicate that the QFI belongs to all multimodal services by using bits with values ​​set to the first preset value. In this case, all bits in the bitmap have the first preset value.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the index value of the multimodal service is determined based on its establishment order in the UAI. The index value of the multimodal service is its establishment order in the UAI minus 1, or the index value and establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI can have other mapping rules. By establishing an association with the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI, it is not necessary to determine the index value of the multimodal service through additional rules. When the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information is used as the index value of the multimodal service, it is equivalent to establishing an association between the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information and the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI; when the bit value is a bit with a first set value, and its index value in the bitmap is the index value of a multimodal service to which the QFI belongs, it is equivalent to establishing an association between the QFI and the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first setting value is 1.

[0022] In one possible implementation, before sending the uplink auxiliary information (UAI), the method further includes: when it is determined, based on one or more of the number of multimodal services, the number of QFIs, and the number of data radio bearers (DRBs), to indicate the mapping relationship using the first indication information, carrying the first indication information in the UAI; otherwise, carrying the second indication information in the UAI, the second indication information including one or more mapping combination information, each mapping combination information corresponding to a multimodal service, the index value of each mapping combination information in the second indication information being associated with the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI, and each mapping combination information indicating the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the data radio bearer (DRB), or indicating the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the DRB.

[0023] At this point, the UE can choose to use bitmap or mapping combination information to indicate the mapping relationship between QFI and multimodal service, depending on the actual situation.

[0024] Secondly, this application also provides a communication method that can be applied to electronic devices, such as XR devices capable of directly communicating with access network devices; or, as a terminal device for realizing communication between XR devices and access network devices, such as a mobile phone. The method includes: sending uplink auxiliary information UAI, wherein the uplink auxiliary information UAI includes second indication information, wherein the second indication information includes one or more mapping combination information, and each mapping combination information and a mapping relationship for indicating the Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI) and the multimodal service service.

[0025] The method carries one or more mapping combinations in the second indication information to indicate the mapping relationship between QFI and multimodal service, which enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service, so as to coordinate, manage and control each data stream.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the index value of each mapping combination information in the second indication information is associated with the establishment order of the corresponding multimodal service in the UAI; each mapping combination information indicates the index value of all data radio bearers (DRBs) included in the corresponding multimodal service.

[0027] In this implementation, the index value of the mapping combination information is associated with the establishment order of the multimodal service. The mapping combination information is used to directly indicate the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the DRB, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the index value of each mapping combination information in the second indication information is associated with the establishment order of the corresponding multimodal service in the UAI; each mapping combination information indicates the index value of all QFIs included in the corresponding multimodal service.

[0029] In this implementation, the index value of the mapping combination information is associated with the establishment order of the multimodal service, which uses fewer bytes to carry more information and saves resources.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is carried in the Quality of Service (QoS) flow information; each mapping combination information corresponds to a QFI, and each mapping combination information includes the index values ​​of all multimodal services to which the corresponding QFI belongs, wherein the index values ​​of each multimodal service are determined according to the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI.

[0031] In this implementation, the index value of the mapping combination information is associated with the index value of the QFI. The mapping combination information is used to directly indicate the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the QFI. More information is carried with fewer bytes, saving resources.

[0032] Thirdly, this application also provides an electronic device, which includes a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store computer programs or computer instructions. The processor is used to execute the computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, causing the electronic device to perform the communication method provided by the first aspect and any implementation thereof, or the second aspect and any implementation thereof.

[0033] Fourthly, this application also provides a network device, which includes a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store computer programs or computer instructions. The processor is used to execute the computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the network device can obtain the correspondence between QFI and multimodal service by parsing UAI, and determine each DRB corresponding to the multimodal service according to the correspondence between QFI and DRB; or obtain the correspondence between DRB and multimodal service by parsing UAI; and then the network device simultaneously switches each DRB corresponding to the multimodal service to the target cell or releases them simultaneously.

[0034] Fifthly, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, is used to implement the communication method provided by the first aspect and any implementation thereof, or the second aspect and any implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 This is an example of a communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario applicable to this application is provided for this application;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating another application scenario applicable to this application;

[0038] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 6A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a mapping combination information provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another mapping combination information provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another mapping combination information provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of this application, the application scenario of the technical solution of this application will be described first below.

[0047] The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to also include expressions such as “one or more,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, “one or more” means one, two, or more; “and / or” describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character “ / ” generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0048] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0049] The "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0050] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, 5th Generation (5G) system or New Radio (NR) system, and future communication systems.

[0051] The next-generation mobile communication network architecture defined by the 3GPP standards group is called the 5G network architecture. This architecture not only supports wireless technologies defined by the 3GPP standards group, such as LTE, to access the 5G core network (5GC), but also supports non-3GPP access technologies through non-3GPP interworking functions (N3IWF), trusted non-3GPP gateway functions (TNGF), trusted WLAN interworking functions (TWIF), or next-generation packet data gateways (NG-PDG) to access the 5GC. The core network functions are divided into user plane functions (UPF) and control plane functions (CPF). UPF is mainly responsible for packet forwarding, quality of service (QoS) control, and billing information statistics. CPF is primarily responsible for user registration and authentication, mobility management, and issuing packet forwarding policies and QoS control policies to UPF. It can be further subdivided into access and mobility management function (AMF) and session management function (SMF).

[0052] Core network equipment includes, for example, the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and the Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BMSC), or it may include corresponding functional entities in the 5G system, such as the core network control plane (CP) or user plane (UP) network functions, such as the SMF and AMF. The core network control plane can also be understood as the core network control plane function (CPF) entity.

[0053] See Figure 1 The figure is an example of a communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application.

[0054] The functions of user equipment and various network entities are described below.

[0055] Terminal: can be referred to as terminal equipment, subscriber unit, terminal station, terminal agent, terminal device, access terminal, terminal in V2X communication, user unit, user equipment (UE), user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

[0056] The user equipment in the embodiments of this application can also be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, holographic projector, video player, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, extended reality (XR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, tactile terminal device, vehicle terminal device, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA). PDA (Power Assistant), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks or terminals in future evolved networks, etc.

[0057] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as XR glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. XR glasses can include AR glasses or VR glasses. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses. They also include devices focused on specific applications that require the use of other devices, such as smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring. It should be noted that wearable devices, such as XR glasses, can also integrate smartphone functions. For example, XR devices can integrate a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or an Embedded-SIM (eSIM) for cellular communication.

[0058] Radio Access Network (RAN): A network composed of multiple 5G-RAN nodes, implementing radio physical layer functions, resource scheduling and radio resource management, radio access control, and mobility management functions. The 5G-RAN connects to the User Plane Interface (N3) and the User Platform Filter (UPF) for transmitting data from terminal devices; it also establishes a control plane signaling connection with the AMF (Active Filter) via the Control Plane Interface (N2) for implementing radio access bearer control and other functions. The RAN can be any device with radio transceiver capabilities, including but not limited to 5G node base stations (gNBs), evolved NodeBs (eNBs), access points (APs), World Interoperability for Microwave Access Base Stations (WiMAX BSs), transmission receiving points (TRPs), radio relay nodes, and radio backhaul nodes.

[0059] The access network device in this application embodiment, i.e., the network device of the access network, can also be a device used to communicate with terminal devices. The access network device can be a base station (BTS) in a global system of mobile communication (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA), a node base (NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, an evolved node base (eNB) in an LTE system, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Alternatively, the access network device can be a relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, or access network device in a future 5G network or an access network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc. The embodiments of this application are not limited to these.

[0060] In NR, the base station's functionality is divided into two parts, known as centralized unit (CU) - distributed unit (DU) separation. From a protocol stack perspective, the CU includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer of the LTE base station, while the DU includes the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and Physical (PHY) layer of the LTE base station. In a typical 5G base station deployment, the CU and DU are physically connected via fiber optic cable, and logically share a specially defined F1 interface for communication between them. Functionally, the CU is primarily responsible for radio resource control and configuration, inter-cell mobility management, and bearer management. The DU is primarily responsible for scheduling, physical signal generation, and transmission.

[0061] Among them, the aforementioned base stations can be macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small stations, relay stations, balloon stations, etc.

[0062] Session Management Function (SMF): Primarily responsible for the control plane functions of terminal device session management, including the selection and control of user plane functions (UPF), Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, session QoS management, and obtaining policies and charging control (PCC) policies from the PCF.

[0063] User plane function (UPF): As the anchor point for protocol data unit (PDU) session connections, it is responsible for filtering data packets from terminal devices, transmitting / forwarding data, rate control, generating billing information, and providing connectivity to the data network (DN).

[0064] Policy control function (PCF): Provides configuration policy information for terminal devices, provides policy information for network control plane elements, such as SMF elements, to manage and control terminal devices; and generates access policies and QoS flow control policies for terminal devices.

[0065] Application function (AF): Interacts with core network elements to provide services. For example, it interacts with PCF to control service policies, interacts with NEF to obtain network capability information or provide application information to the network, and provides data network access point information to PCF to generate routing information for corresponding data services.

[0066] In this embodiment, the terminal device is wirelessly connected to the RAN device, and the RAN network element is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the 5GC device. The 5GC device and the RAN network element can be independent physical devices, or the functions of the 5GC device and the logical functions of the RAN network element can be integrated on the same physical device, or a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the 5GC device and some of the functions of the RAN network element. The terminal device can be fixed in location or mobile.

[0067] The 5GC equipment mainly includes the aforementioned PCF network element, SMF network element, and UPF network element.

[0068] It should be noted that the aforementioned "network element" can also be referred to as an entity, device, apparatus, or module, etc., and this application does not specifically limit it. Furthermore, in this application, for ease of understanding and explanation, the description of "network element" is omitted in some descriptions. For example, NEF network element is abbreviated as NEF. In this case, "NEF" should be understood as NEF network element or NEF entity. The following omits descriptions of the same or similar cases.

[0069] Figure 1 The names of the various network elements included are merely names and do not limit the function of the network element itself. In 5G networks and other future networks, the aforementioned network elements may also have other names, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this. For example, in 6G networks, some or all of the aforementioned network elements may use the terminology from 5G, or they may have other names, etc. This is uniformly explained here and will not be elaborated further below.

[0070] Figure 1 The various network elements in the network do not necessarily have to exist at the same time; the required network elements can be determined based on the needs. Figure 1 The connection relationships between the various network elements are not uniquely determined and can be adjusted according to requirements.

[0071] The aforementioned network elements or functions can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on platforms such as cloud platforms.

[0072] See Figure 2 This figure is a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to this application.

[0073] like Figure 2 As shown, the embodiments of this application can be applied to multimodal service scenarios. Multimodal service scenarios include AF network elements and multiple XR devices, such as XR device 1 and XR device 2.

[0074] In this example, the AF network element can be an XR server, and the XR device can be an XR head-mounted display (HMD) or XR glasses. The XR device can also include a controller, such as a gamepad. In this example, XR device 1 can be XR glasses, and XR device 2 can be a gamepad. Users can wear XR glasses and hold the gamepad to play cloud games.

[0075] The XR server can receive video frames, audio data, haptic data, or pose and control data from the XR device, such as video frames and audio data captured by the XR glasses, and haptic data and pose and control data captured by the controller. It then returns the processed video frames, audio data, haptic data, or pose and control data to the XR device. The XR server and XR device interact with each other through communication links in the network architecture, forming a global control loop. The video frames mentioned above can also be referred to as video data or video frame data.

[0076] In multimodal business applications, multiple data streams, such as QoS streams, are required to transmit different data types, including video, audio, haptic feedback, and gesture / control data. These data streams are spatially and temporally correlated. For example, the tactile sensation differs when a human touches objects with different surface textures and materials. Tactile data and object surface images have a certain correlation, which is a specific form of correlation. Utilizing this correlation between different data streams can assist in data reconstruction, also known as signal reconstruction.

[0077] For example, when haptic data is transmitted over a network, some data packets may be lost due to channel fluctuations or network congestion. In this case, the correlation information between data in multimodal services can be used to recover and reconstruct the damaged data. In this example, haptic data can be recovered using video frames, ensuring a good user experience for multimodal services.

[0078] exist Figure 2 In the example, data collected by the XR device, such as video frames, audio data, haptic data, gesture and control data, can be transmitted from the terminal device to the access network, for example, to an access network device, such as a gNB. The access network device can transmit the above data to the 5GC through QoS flow, and then the 5GC transmits the above data to the XR server.

[0079] It should be noted that XR devices can also communicate directly with access network devices. For example, if an XR device integrates an eSIM or UE functionality, it can directly connect to the access network device. Consequently, the XR device can directly transmit collected data to the access network device, for example, via QoS flow, without going through the UE. Alternatively, the terminal can be located inside the XR device. For example, terminal 1 can be located inside XR device 1, and terminal 2 can be located inside XR device 2. XR devices 1 and 2 can then directly interact with the access network device.

[0080] Correspondingly, the XR server can return multimodal data streams to the XR device. Specifically, the XR server can first return multimodal data streams to the 5GC, which then transmits the multimodal data streams to the access network device via QoS flow. The access network device then transmits the multimodal data streams to the corresponding UEs, and the UEs then transmit the received data streams to the XR device.

[0081] It should be noted that, Figure 2 This example illustrates a multimodal scenario where multiple XR devices connect to the network through different terminals, such as an inter-UE multimodal scenario. In other possible implementations of this application, the application scenario may also include a multimodal scenario where multiple XR devices connect to the network through the same terminal, such as an intra-UE multimodal scenario.

[0082] like Figure 3 As shown, multiple XR devices can connect to the network through the same terminal. This terminal can serve as a unified entry or exit point for the multiple XR devices, enabling interaction with the XR server. The multiple XR devices can include XR device 1, XR device 2, etc. Figure 3 In the example, XR device 1 can be XR glasses, which can collect video and audio data. XR device 2 can be a controller, which can collect tactile, posture, and control data. XR device 1 and XR device 2 are connected to the same terminal, and the data collected by XR device 1 and XR device 2 can be transmitted to the access network device through the terminal.

[0083] The above Figure 2 , Figure 3 This application uses only two XR devices as an example, but it can be applied to multiple XR devices, and is not limited to two. Furthermore, the aforementioned XR devices can be replaced with other sensing devices, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0084] Besides the application scenarios involving the architecture between the application server and terminal devices described above, the application scenarios of this application can also be constructed using multiple terminal devices. In a scenario constructed using multiple terminal devices, one side of the terminal device may include an XR HMD and a controller, while the other side of the terminal device may include a remote robot. Users can control the remote robot through the controller, combining the content presented by the XR HMD. The construction of the application scenarios of this application is not limited to the above scenarios; all application scenarios applicable to the technical solutions of this application are within the protection scope of this application.

[0085] In addition to the above scenarios, this application solution can also be applied to scenarios with multimodal services such as healthcare, road traffic, and distance education, which will not be elaborated on again.

[0086] Multimodal services, also known as multimodal business, can include multiple interconnected data streams that may originate from different data sources. Each data stream can be considered a type of data stream or a modal data stream associated with the same service, such as an audio data stream, a video data stream, a gesture and control data stream, or a haptic data stream. Each data stream in a multimodal business is also called a multimodal business stream. In some examples, multimodal businesses may include, but are not limited to, XR services and cloud gaming services. First modality and second modality refer to different business types within the same multimodal business. For example, the first modality could be video, and the second modality could be audio; similarly, in a cloud gaming scenario, the first modality could be video, and the second modality could be haptic.

[0087] When a communication system has multimodal service requirements, the SMF will establish a corresponding PDU session. Generally, one multimodal service corresponds to one PDU session. One PDU session can correspond to multiple radio bearers (RBs), and one PDU session can have multiple data streams with different QoS requirements.

[0088] The following explains the relationship between modal data flows and QoS flow identifiers (QFIs).

[0089] Let's assume a multimodal service includes two types of data streams: a first-mode data stream and a second-mode data stream. The first-mode and second-mode data streams can be transmitted in the form of QoS flows. Correspondingly, the identifiers of the first-mode and second-mode data streams can be the identifiers of their respective QFIs, such as QFI 1 and QFI 2.

[0090] Currently, when the network side receives multiple modal data streams transmitted by a multimodal service, and the network equipment on the network side needs to switch, it is difficult to determine the relationship between each QFI, that is, it is difficult to determine which QFIs are different modal data streams of the same service. Therefore, it is difficult to switch multiple modal data streams of the same service to the target cell at the same time or release them at the same time. This will result in the loss of some multimodal data streams after the switch, which will reduce the user experience.

[0091] To address the aforementioned technical issues, this application provides a communication method, device, and storage medium that can indicate the mapping relationship between the Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI) and the multimodal service in the Uplink Assist Information (UAI). This allows network devices to determine which multimodal data streams are included in each service during handover, enabling coordinated management and control of each data stream. For example, all modal data streams of the same service can be released simultaneously or simultaneously switched to the target cell, avoiding the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover and improving the user experience.

[0092] The following explanation details the specific implementation. In this application, the multimodal service is referred to simply as "service" and will not be emphasized individually. The index values ​​in the following explanation are the numerical values ​​required to find a unique target, indicating the target's position within the data structure.

[0093] In this application, the uplink assistance information (UAI) sent by the UE to the network device includes first indication information for indicating the mapping relationship between the QoS flow identifier (QFI) and the multimodal service. The first indication information includes one or more bitmaps, and each bitmap indicates the mapping relationship by the position of the bit with a value of a first set value.

[0094] The following section first explains how to use bitmap bits to associate a multimodal service with one or more corresponding QFIs.

[0095] See Figure 4 The figure is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0096] This method can be applied to a user equipment (UE), which can be an XR device capable of communicating directly with access network equipment; or, the UE can be a terminal device used to enable communication between the XR device and the access network equipment, such as a mobile phone.

[0097] The method includes the following steps:

[0098] S21: The UE sends a UAI, which includes one or more bitmaps.

[0099] Currently, in 3GPP protocol standard release 18, the definition of UAI is as follows.

[0100] (1) The top layer is a sequence, containing up to maxNrofPDU-Sessions-r17 protocol data unit sessions (PDU SESSIONs). Its data structure is defined as follows:

[0101] UL-TrafficInfo-r18::=SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofPDU-Sessions-r17))OFPDU-SessionUL-TrafficInfo-r18

[0102] (2) Each PDU SESSION corresponds to a PDU SESSION ID and up to a maximum of maxNrofQFIs of uplink QoS flow information. Its data structure is defined as follows:

[0103]

[0104]

[0105] (3) Each QoS flow information includes a QoS flow identifier (QFI), jitter, period, etc. Its data structure is defined as follows:

[0106]

[0107] In the scheme of this application embodiment, a bitmap for indicating the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and QFI is added to the first indication information of UAI. The first indication information can be the PDU SESSION-level indication information mentioned in (2) above. That is, at the PDU SESSION level, it carries the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and QFI.

[0108] A service list can be added to the PDU SESSION level data structure in (2). The service list includes all multimodal services created in UAI. The index of the multimodal service in the service list can be associated with the creation order of the multimodal service. The data structure in (2) is as follows.

[0109]

[0110] That is, one or more bitmaps are added to the first instruction information.

[0111] Each element in the service list can be defined as follows:

[0112] QFI-BITMAP-r19 BIT STRING(SIZE(1..maxNrofQFIs)).

[0113] Each element in the service list is also a bitmap, and each bitmap corresponds to a multimodal service. The index value of the bitmap in the first instruction information is used as the index value of the multimodal service.

[0114] In each bitmap, each bit with a value of a first set value has its index value in the bitmap as the index value of a QFI in a multimodal service, and the number of bits with the first set value is the same as the number of QFIs included in the multimodal service. In the embodiments of this application and the following description of the embodiments, the first set value is 1. It can be understood that each bitmap is equivalent to a binary number, so 0 can also be used as the first set value.

[0115] The number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the total number of QFIs included in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session where the multimodal service is located. Therefore, when all QFIs belong to the same multimodal service, the bitmap can still indicate that all QFIs belong to the multimodal service through bits with a value of 1.

[0116] The index value of a multimodal service is associated with its establishment order in the UAI. In one possible implementation, the index value of a multimodal service is its establishment order in the UAI minus 1.

[0117] The following examples illustrate this point; for details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 As shown.

[0118] In the current network architecture, each multimodal service can only belong to one PDU SESSION. Therefore, in this embodiment, we only need to consider the relationship between each multimodal service and multimodal data flow under one PDU SESSION, where the ID of the multimodal data flow is the QFI. There is a one-to-one correspondence between a QoS flow and a QFI.

[0119] Suppose that in the UAI reported by the current UE to the network device, three multimodal services are established in a certain PDU SESSION, and the order of establishment is service1, service2, and service3 respectively.

[0120] If the establishment priority of service1 is 1, then the index value of the corresponding bitmap1 in the first instruction information is 0; if the establishment priority of service2 is 2, then the index value of the corresponding bitmap2 in the first instruction information is 1; if the establishment priority of service3 is 3, then the index value of the corresponding bitmap3 in the first instruction information is 2.

[0121] Furthermore, assuming that the number of QoS flows included in qos-FlowUL-TrafficInfoList-r18, i.e., in this PDU SESSION, is 8, then each bitmap includes 8 bits. In this case, even if all QoS flows correspond to the same multimodal service, the 8 bits of a single bitmap are sufficient to represent the correspondence between QFIs and multimodal services. Further, assuming the correspondence between the QFIs of the QoS flows included in qos-FlowUL-TrafficInfoList-r18 and their index values ​​in qos-FlowUL-TrafficInfoList-r18 is shown in Table 1 below.

[0122] Table 1: Correspondence between QFI and Index Value

[0123] QFI Index value QFI Index value QFI3 0 QFI7 4 QFI4 1 QFI10 5 QFI5 2 QFI11 6 QFI6 3 QFI12 7

[0124] When the QFI of the multimodal data stream included in service1 is QFI3, QFI4, or QFI5, the values ​​of positions 0, 1, and 2 of bitmap1 are 1.

[0125] When the QFI of the multimodal data stream included in service2 is QFI5, QFI6, QFI7, or QFI12, the values ​​of positions 3, 4, 5, and 8 of bitmap2 are 1.

[0126] When the QFI of the multimodal data streams included in service3 is QFI10, QFI11, or QFI12, the values ​​of positions 5, 6, and 7 of bitmap3 are 1.

[0127] In this way, a single 8-bit bitmap can indicate the correspondence between a multimodal service and all the multimodal data streams included in that service. This method carries a large amount of information with fewer bytes. In practical applications, it can reduce the amount of data transmitted between the UE and the network device and improve the real-time performance of the multimodal service.

[0128] It is understood that the above correspondence between QFI and index value is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of this application. Furthermore, other mapping rules can also be used between the establishment order of multimodal services and index values; these will not be illustrated separately in the embodiments of this application.

[0129] S22: When a network device switches over, it parses the UAI to obtain the QFIs corresponding to each multimodal service.

[0130] By parsing the first instruction information in the UAI, the network device can determine the QFI corresponding to each multimodal service based on one or more bitmaps carried in the first instruction information.

[0131] See also Figure 4 When a network device switches over, for bitmap1, since the index value of bitmap1 in the first indication information is 0, the corresponding multimodal service is service1, which has an establishment priority of 1. The bits with a value of 1 in bitmap1 have indices of 0, 1, and 2. At this time, the network device can determine that the indices of each QFI of the multimodal data stream included in service1 are 0, 1, and 2, respectively, and thus determine that the multimodal data streams that are switched over simultaneously should be QFI3, QFI4, and QFI5.

[0132] S23: The network device determines the corresponding DRB for each multimodal service based on the correspondence between QFI and DRB.

[0133] When a network device performs a handover, it is actually performing a handover of the data radio bearer (DRB). Before a handover occurs, because data transmission has already taken place for a period of time, the number of DRBs allocated to each multimodal service and the mapping relationship between QFIs and DRBs are transparent to the network device. In other words, the network device knows which QFI each DRB is used to carry during the handover.

[0134] Among them, QFI and DRB may have a many-to-one or one-to-one mapping relationship. For example, in Table 1, QFI3 corresponds to DRB1, and QFI4 and QFI5 both correspond to DRB2.

[0135] Therefore, once the network device determines the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and QFI, it can determine the corresponding DRBs for the multimodal service based on the mapping relationship between QFI and DRBs. (See also...) Figure 4 If service1 corresponds to QFI3, QFI4, and QFI5, and QFI3 corresponds to DRB1, while QFI4 and QFI5 both correspond to DRB2, then it can be determined that service1 corresponds to DRB1 and DRB2.

[0136] S24: The network device will simultaneously switch each DRB corresponding to the multimodal service to the target cell or release them simultaneously.

[0137] Network devices can simultaneously switch each DRB corresponding to a multimodal service to the target cell or release them simultaneously, thereby achieving coordinated management and control of all multimodal data streams of the multimodal service.

[0138] The technical solution provided in this application associates the index value of a bitmap with the establishment order of the multimodal service, and associates the index value of a bit with a value of 1 in each bitmap with the index value of a QFI. This allows the first indication information to indicate a multimodal service and one or more QFIs corresponding to that multimodal service using only one bitmap, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. Furthermore, it enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify data streams belonging to the same service across multiple modes, facilitating coordinated management and control of these data streams. For example, during cell handover, multiple data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or released simultaneously, preventing the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could lead to anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thus ensuring a better user experience.

[0139] In the above embodiments, the bitmap carrying the mapping relationship information between service and QFI is used as an example. In practical applications, when a network device such as a gNB performs a handover, it is actually performing a handover of the data radio bearer (DRB). Generally, one multimodal service corresponds to one PDU session. One PDU session can correspond to one or more DRBs, and one PDU session can have multiple data streams with different QoS requirements. The mapping relationship between QFI and DRB may be many-to-one or one-to-one. Therefore, the bitmap can also be used to carry the mapping relationship information between service and DRB. Under the premise that the network device knows the mapping relationship between QFI and DRB, the mapping relationship information between service and QFI is also carried out. The following is a detailed explanation with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0140] See Figure 5 The figure is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0141] This method can be applied to a user equipment (UE), which can be an XR device capable of communicating directly with access network equipment; or, the UE can be a terminal device used to enable communication between the XR device and the access network equipment, such as a mobile phone.

[0142] The method includes the following steps:

[0143] S31: The UE sends a UAI, which includes one or more bitmaps.

[0144] In the relevant scheme, after establishing a connection with the UE, the network device allocates a corresponding DRB to carry data transmission. Therefore, the network device knows the number and order of DRB establishment. The network device can determine the DRB index value based on the DRB establishment order. In one possible implementation, the DRB index value is the DRB establishment order minus 1. For example, if DRB1's establishment order is 1, meaning it is the first established DRB, the network device can set its index value to 0; similarly, if DRB2's establishment order is 2, the network device can set its index value to 1.

[0145] In one possible implementation, after the network device allocates DRBs to the UE, the network device can send indication information to the UE. The indication information indicates the index value of each DRB allocated to the UE, so that the UE also knows the index value of each DRB, that is, knows the number of DRBs allocated by the network device and the establishment order.

[0146] In the scheme of this application embodiment, a bitmap for indicating the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and QFI is added to the first indication information of UAI. The first indication information can be the PDU SESSION-level indication information mentioned in (2) above. That is, at the PDU SESSION level, it carries the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and QFI.

[0147] A service list can be added to the PDU SESSION-level data structure in (2). The service list includes all multimodal services created in UAI, and the index value of each multimodal service in the service list can be associated with the creation order of the multimodal services. At this time, the data structure in (2) changes to:

[0148]

[0149] That is, one or more bitmaps are added to the first instruction information.

[0150] Each element in the service list can be defined as follows:

[0151] DRB-BITMAP-r19 BIT STRING(SIZE(1..maxNrofDRBs)).

[0152] Each element in the service list corresponds to a bitmap, and each bitmap corresponds to a multimodal service. The index value of the bitmap in the first indication information is used as the index value of the multimodal service.

[0153] In each bitmap, each bit with a value of a first set value has its index value in the bitmap as an index value of a DRB, and each DRB corresponds to one or more QFIs. In the embodiments of this application and the following description of the embodiments, the first set value is taken as 1. It can be understood that each bitmap is equivalent to a binary sequence, so 0 can also be used as the first set value.

[0154] In one possible implementation, the number of bits in each bitmap can be set to a fixed value of 8. This is because, in practical applications, the number of modalities included in a multimodal service generally does not exceed 8, therefore the number of multimodal data streams generally does not exceed 8, meaning the number of QoS flows corresponding to the multimodal service does not exceed 8. Since each DRB can carry one or more QoS flows, and each QoS flow can only be transmitted based on one DRB, the number of DRBs corresponding to a multimodal service generally does not exceed 8. Setting the bitmap to a small fixed value can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, thereby shortening the service latency of the multimodal service.

[0155] In another possible implementation, among all multimodal services established in UAI, the multimodal service with the most modalities is designated as the first number. Therefore, the number of bits included in each bitmap can be set to this first number. For example, if all multimodal services established in UAI include service1 and service2, where service1's three QoS flows are carried by two DRBs and service2's three QoS flows are carried by three DRBs, and the maximum number of modalities is three, then the first number is determined to be three, and the number of bits included in each bitmap is set to three. In this implementation, the number of bits included in the bitmap may be dynamically adjusted as the number of multimodal services changes. Especially when the first number is small, the number of bits included in the bitmap is relatively small, which can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, thereby shortening the service latency of the multimodal service.

[0156] The following examples illustrate this point; for details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5 As shown.

[0157] Suppose that in the UAI reported by the current UE to the network device, three multimodal services were established in a certain PDU SESSION, namely service1, service2, and service3 in the order of establishment.

[0158] If the establishment priority of service1 is 1, then the index value of the corresponding bitmap1 in the first instruction information is 0; if the establishment priority of service2 is 2, then the index value of the corresponding bitmap2 in the first instruction information is 1; if the establishment priority of service3 is 3, then the index value of the corresponding bitmap3 in the first instruction information is 0.

[0159] Assuming that among the three services above, service2 has the most modalities, and taking service2 as having 8 modalities as an example, then the first quantity is 8, and the number of bits included in each bitmap is also 8.

[0160] Assume that the QFIs of the various multimodal data streams included in service1 are QFI1 and QFI2;

[0161] The QFIs for the various multimodal data streams included in service2 are QFI2, QFI3, QFI4, QFI5, QFI6, QFI7, QFI8, and QFI10.

[0162] The QFIs for the various multimodal data streams included in service3 are QFI10 and QFI11;

[0163] The DRBs available for transmitting the above three multimodal services on the UE side are sorted by index value as follows: DRB1, DRB2, DRB6, DRB7, DRB10, and DRB12. When the UE side transmits QoS flow through each available DRB, the correspondence between each DRB and the QoS flow QFI is shown in Table 2 below.

[0164] Table 2: Correspondence between DRB, DRB index values ​​and QFI

[0165]

[0166]

[0167] For service1, QFI1 is carried by DRB1, and QFI2 is carried by DRB2. The index value of a DRB is associated with its establishment order; that is, the DRB index value is obtained by subtracting 1 from the DRB establishment order. At this time, the establishment order of DRB1 is 1, and its index value is 0, so bit 0 in bitmap1 takes the value 1; the establishment order of DRB2 is 2, and its index value is 1, so bit 1 in bitmap1 takes the value 1, and the remaining bits in bitmap1 take the value 0.

[0168] For service2, QFI2 is carried by DRB2; QFI3, QFI4, and QFI5 are carried by DRB6; QFI6, QFI7, and QFI8 are carried by DRB7; and QFI10 is carried by DRB12. At this point, DRB2's establishment order is 2, and its index value is 1, so bit1 in bitmap2 has a value of 1; DRB6's establishment order is 3, and its index value is 2, so bit2 in bitmap2 has a value of 1; DRB7's establishment order is 4, and its index value is 3, so bit3 in bitmap2 has a value of 1; DRB10's establishment order is 5, and its index value is 4, so bit4 in bitmap2 has a value of 0; the remaining bits in bitmap2 have a value of 0.

[0169] For service3, QFI10 is carried by DRB10, and QFI1 is carried by DRB12. At this time, the establishment order of DRB10 is 5, the index value is 4, so the value of bit4 in bitmap3 is 1; the establishment order of DRB12 is 6, the index value is 5, so the value of bit5 in bitmap3 is 1, and the remaining bits in bitmap3 are 0.

[0170] At this point, the first indication information, including bitmap1, bitmap2, and bitmap3, is sent to the network device. Given that the network device knows the DRB establishment order and index value, this first indication information effectively indicates the mapping relationship between QFIs and multimodal services. Furthermore, this indication method is more direct for the network device. Since in practical applications, there may be multiple QFIs corresponding to one DRB, this means that one bit can indicate multiple QFIs corresponding to a multimodal service. Therefore, the method in this embodiment can also reduce the amount of data in the first indication information.

[0171] S32: When a network device performs a handover, it parses the UAI to obtain the DRBs corresponding to each multimodal service.

[0172] By parsing the first instruction information in the UAI, and based on one or more bitmaps carried in the first instruction information, as well as the establishment order and index value of each DRB stored locally, the network device can determine each DRB corresponding to each multimodal service.

[0173] See also Figure 5When a network device switches over, for bitmap1, since the index value of bitmap1 in the first indication information is 0, the corresponding multimodal service is service1 with an establishment priority of 1. The bits with a value of 1 in bitmap1 have indices of 0 and 1. At this time, the network device can determine that the index values ​​of the DRBs used to carry the multimodal data stream of service1 are 0 and 1, respectively, and thus determine that the DRBs switching over at the same time are DRB1 and DRB2.

[0174] S33: The network device will simultaneously switch each DRB corresponding to the multimodal service to the target cell or release them simultaneously.

[0175] Network devices can simultaneously switch each DRB corresponding to a multimodal service to the target cell or release them simultaneously, thereby achieving coordinated management and control of all multimodal data streams of the multimodal service.

[0176] The technical solution provided in this application associates the index value of a bitmap with the establishment order of the multimodal service, and associates the index value of a bit with a value of 1 in each bitmap with the index value of a DRB. This allows the first indication information to indicate a multimodal service and all DRBs corresponding to that multimodal service using only one bitmap, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. Furthermore, it enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify data streams belonging to the same service across multiple modes, facilitating coordinated management and control of these data streams. For example, during cell handover, multiple data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or released simultaneously, preventing the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could lead to anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thus ensuring a better user experience.

[0177] In the above embodiments, the first indication information is PDU SESSION level indication information. The implementation method when the first indication information is QoS flow information level indication information is described below.

[0178] See Figure 6 This figure is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0179] S41: The UE sends a UAI, which includes one or more bitmaps.

[0180] Please refer to section S21 for the specific definition of UAI in 3GPP protocol standard release 18. Combining with part (3), it can be found that the current UAI already carries QoS flow information, and the QoS flow information includes information dimensions such as QFI, jitter, and period. The idea of ​​this application embodiment is to add an information dimension to the QoS flow information to indicate the mapping relationship between QFI and service.

[0181] At the QoS flow level, that is, in the existing UAI's QOS-FlowUL-TrafficInfo-r18, a first indication information carrying one or more bitmaps is added. At this time, the data structure in (3) changes to:

[0182]

[0183] Each QFI corresponds to a bitmap, and each bitmap is used to indicate the multimodal service to which the QoS flow corresponding to the QFI belongs.

[0184] In each bitmap, each bit with a value of a first preset value has an index value in the bitmap that corresponds to the index value of a multimodal service of QFI, and the number of bits with the first preset value is the same as the number of multimodal services to which QFI belongs. In the embodiments of this application and the following description of the embodiments, the first preset value is 1. It can be understood that each bitmap is equivalent to a binary number, so 0 can also be used as the first preset value.

[0185] The number of bits in each bitmap is equal to the number of multimodal services established in UAI. Even if a QFI is a QFI shared by all multimodal services established in UAI, the bitmap can still indicate that the QFI belongs to all multimodal services by using a bit with a value of 1. In this case, all bits in the bitmap have a value of 1.

[0186] The index value of a multimodal service is determined based on its creation order in the User Application Environment (UAI). In one possible implementation, the index value is the creation order of the multimodal service in the UAI minus 1. In another possible implementation, the index value and creation order of the multimodal service in the UAI may have other mapping rules, which will not be illustrated here. The following explanation uses the example of the index value of the multimodal service in the UAI minus 1.

[0187] For more details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6 As shown.

[0188] Suppose that in the UAI reported by the current UE to the network device, eight multimodal services were established in a certain PDU session, and arranged in the order of establishment as service1, service3, service5, service7, service8, service9, service10, and service11. The index values ​​corresponding to these services are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively.

[0189] Further assume that service1 corresponds to QFI1, service3 corresponds to QFI1 and QFI2, service5 corresponds to QFI3, service7 corresponds to QFI2, service8 corresponds to QFI4, service9 corresponds to QFI3, service10 corresponds to QFI2 and QFI4, and service11 corresponds to QFI1.

[0190] At this point, for QFI1, it belongs to service1, service3, and service11 simultaneously, so bit0, bit2, and bit7 of bitmap1 are all 1; for QFI2, it belongs to service3, service7, and service10 simultaneously, so bit2, bit4, and bit7 of bitmap2 are all 1; for QFI3, it belongs to service5 and service9 simultaneously, so bit2 and bit6 of bitmap3 are all 1; for QFI4, it belongs to service8 and service10 simultaneously, so bit4 and bit4 of bitmap4 are all 1.

[0191] It is understood that the above correspondence between QFI and service is only for illustrative purposes and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of this application.

[0192] Using the above method, a single bitmap can indicate all the multimodal services to which a QFI belongs. This method carries a large amount of information with fewer bytes. In practical applications, it can reduce the amount of data transmitted between the UE and the network device and improve the real-time performance of multimodal services.

[0193] S42: When a network device switches over, it parses the UAI to obtain the multimodal service to which each QFI belongs.

[0194] By parsing the first indication information in the UAI, the network device can determine the multimodal service to which each QFI belongs based on one or more bitmaps carried in the first indication information, that is, determine the mapping relationship between the service and the QFI.

[0195] See also Figure 6 When a network device switches, for bitmap1, since its index value in the first indication information is 0, it corresponds to QFI1. The bits with a value of 1 in bitmap1 have indices of 0, 1, and 7. At this time, the network device can determine that QFI1 belongs to service1, service3, and service11 simultaneously. Similarly, the multimodal services described in QFI2, QFI3, and QFI4 can be determined.

[0196] S43: The network device determines the corresponding DRB for each multimodal service based on the correspondence between QFI and DRB.

[0197] When a network device performs a handover, it is actually performing a DRB handover. Before a handover occurs, the number of DRBs allocated to each multimodal service and the mapping relationship between QFIs and DRBs are transparent to the network device. In other words, the network device knows which QFI each DRB is used to carry during the handover.

[0198] Therefore, once the network device determines the mapping relationship between multimodal services and QFIs, it can determine the corresponding DRBs for each multimodal service based on the mapping relationship between QFIs and DRBs. For example, in Figure 6 In the corresponding scenario, service3 corresponds to QFI1 and QFI2. QFI1 transmits based on DRB1, and QFI2 transmits based on DRB2. Therefore, it can be determined that service1 corresponds to DRB1 and DRB2.

[0199] S44: The network device will simultaneously switch each DRB corresponding to the multimodal service to the target cell or release them simultaneously.

[0200] Network devices can simultaneously switch each DRB corresponding to a multimodal service to the target cell or release them simultaneously, thereby achieving coordinated management and control of all multimodal data streams of the multimodal service.

[0201] The technical solution provided in this application associates the index value of a bitmap with the index value of a QFI, and associates the index value of a bit with a value of 1 in each bitmap with the index value of a service. The index value of a service can be associated with the establishment order of the service, so that the first indication information can indicate all services corresponding to a QFI using only one bitmap, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. In addition, it also enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service, so as to coordinate and manage the data streams. For example, during cell handover, multiple modal data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or released simultaneously, avoiding the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could cause anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0202] Furthermore, the solution in this application embodiment is equivalent to adding a dimension of QoS flow information, that is, the first indication information is carried in the QoS flow information. In some practical application scenarios, when the UE's application layer sends QoS flow information related to multimodal services, it may encrypt all or part of the UAI information due to data security requirements, for example, encrypting some QoS flow information in the UAI information. At this time, the UE's modem cannot decrypt the UAI, which may result in the PDU identification of the encrypted QoS flow information failing. In the current data structure of QoS flow information, the PDU identification identifier is used to indicate whether the PDU identification has passed. Specifically, it is the data structure of part (3) in the above definition standard of UAI:

[0203] pduSetIdentification-r18 BOOLEAN OPTIONAL.

[0204] When the PDU identification identifier is set to the first identifier, such as T, it indicates that the PDU identification has passed; when the PDU identification identifier is set to the second identifier, such as F, it indicates that the PDU identification has failed.

[0205] Specifically, when the PDU identifier is the second identifier, the mapping relationship indicated by the QoS flow information is invalid. That is, after the network device parses the UAI, if the PDU identifier of a QoS flow corresponding to a certain PDU SESSION is the second identifier, the first indication information carried in that QoS flow information is invalid. In this case, the network device will not use the first indication information in the QoS flow information to determine the mapping relationship between QFI and service.

[0206] In the above embodiments, the position of the bit with a value of 1 in the bitmap indicates the mapping relationship between QFI and service. Alternatively, the UAI can directly report the index value of the DRB associated with each service or the index value of the QFI associated with each service, using service as the dimension.

[0207] The following section explains the implementation method when directly reporting the index values ​​of the QFI associated with each service.

[0208] See Figure 7 This figure is a schematic diagram of a mapping combination information provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0209] Different from Figure 4 The implementation shown in this application embodiment directly carries the mapping combination information between the multimodal service and the QFI at the PDU SESSION level. This application embodiment can be understood as directly carrying explicit mapping relationship information between the service and the QFI, without indicating it through a bitmap.

[0210] In this implementation, the UAI sent by the UE to the network device includes one or more mapping combination information, each mapping combination information and a mapping relationship used to indicate QFI and multimodal service.

[0211] Specifically, in the PDU SESSION level data structure in (2), a service list is added, and the data structure in (2) becomes as follows:

[0212]

[0213]

[0214] Each element in the Service list is as follows:

[0215] SERVICE-QFI-r19 SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofServiceQFI))OF QFI

[0216] The service list includes all multimodal services created in UAI. The index value of a multimodal service in the service list is associated with its creation order. In one possible implementation, the index value of a multimodal service is its creation order minus 1. For example, if the creation order of service1 is 1, then the index value of service1 is 0.

[0217] In this implementation, the UAI includes second indication information, which includes one or more mapping combination information. The number of mapping combination information is equal to the number of multimodal services, and the index value of the mapping combination information in the second indication information is determined according to the establishment order of the multimodal service corresponding to the mapping combination information in the UAI.

[0218] Based on Table 1 and Figure 4 In the example, specifically, the index value of the mapping combination information SERVICE-QFI-r19[0] in the second indication information is 0, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates the establishment sequence of service1 with an index value of 0. At this time, service1 includes QFI3, QFI4 and QFI5, and the index values ​​of QFI3, QFI4 and QFI5 are indicated in the mapping combination information.

[0219] The mapping combination information SERVICE-QFI-r19[1] has an index value of 1 in the second indication information, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates the establishment order of service2 with an index value of 1. At this time, service2 includes QFI5, QFI6, QFI7 and QFI12, and the mapping combination information indicates the index values ​​of QFI5, QFI6, QFI7 and QFI12.

[0220] The mapping combination information SERVICE-QFI-r19[2] has an index value of 2 in the second indication information, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates the establishment order of service3 with an index value of 2. At this time, service3 includes QFI10, QFI11 and QFI12, and the mapping combination information indicates the index values ​​of QFI10, QFI11 and QFI12.

[0221] Typically, 6 bits are needed to indicate the index value of a QFI in the mapping combination information.

[0222] Subsequently, when the network device performs a handover, by parsing the second instruction information in the UAI and based on one or more mapping combination information carried in the second instruction information, each QFI corresponding to each multimodal service can be determined.

[0223] The technical solution provided in this application associates the index value of the mapping combination information with the establishment order of the multimodal service, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. Furthermore, it enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service, facilitating coordinated management and control of these data streams. For example, during cell handover, multiple modal data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or released simultaneously, preventing the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could lead to anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thus ensuring a positive user experience.

[0224] The following explains the implementation method when directly reporting the index values ​​of the DRB associated with each service.

[0225] See Figure 8 This figure is a schematic diagram of another mapping combination information provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0226] Different from Figure 5 The implementation shown in this application embodiment directly carries the mapping combination information between the multimodal service and the DRB at the PDU SESSION level. This application embodiment can be understood as directly carrying explicit mapping relationship information between the service and the DRB, without indicating it through a bitmap.

[0227] In this implementation, the UAI sent by the UE to the network device includes one or more mapping combination information, each mapping combination information and a mapping relationship used to indicate the DRB and the multimodal service.

[0228] Specifically, in the PDU SESSION level data structure in (2), a service list is added, and the data structure in (2) becomes as follows:

[0229]

[0230] Each element in the Service list is as follows:

[0231] SERVICE-DRB-r19 SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofServiceDRB))OF DRB

[0232] The service list includes all multimodal services created in UAI. The index value of a multimodal service in the service list is associated with its creation order. In one possible implementation, the index value of a multimodal service is its creation order minus 1. For example, if the creation order of service1 is 1, then the index value of service1 is 0.

[0233] In this implementation, the UAI includes second indication information, which includes one or more mapping combination information. The number of mapping combination information is equal to the number of multimodal services, and the index value of the mapping combination information in the second indication information is determined according to the establishment order of the multimodal service corresponding to the mapping combination information in the UAI.

[0234] Based on Table 2 and Figure 5 In the example, specifically, the index value of the mapping combination information SERVICE-DRB-r19[0] in the second indication information is 0, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates the establishment order of service1 with an index value of 0. At this time, service1 includes DRB1 and DRB2, and the index values ​​of DRB1 and DRB2 are indicated in the mapping combination information.

[0235] The mapping combination information SERVICE-DRB-r19[1] has an index value of 1 in the second indication information, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates service2 with an establishment order of 2 and an index value of 1. At this time, service2 includes DRB2, DRB6, DRB7 and DRB10, and the mapping combination information indicates the index values ​​of DRB2, DRB6, DRB7 and DRB10.

[0236] The mapping combination information SERVICE-DRB-r19[2] has an index value of 2 in the second indication information, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates service3 with an establishment order of 3 and an index value of 2. At this time, service3 includes DRB10 and DRB12, and the index values ​​of DRB10 and DRB12 are indicated in the mapping combination information.

[0237] Typically, it takes 5 bits to indicate the index value of a DRB in the mapping combination information.

[0238] In practical applications, there may be multiple QFIs corresponding to one DRB. In this case, a smaller number of bits can be used to indicate multiple QFIs corresponding to a multimodal service. Therefore, the method in this embodiment can also reduce the amount of data in the second indication information.

[0239] Subsequently, when the network device performs a handover, by parsing the second indication information in the UAI and based on one or more mapping combination information carried in the second indication information, each DRB corresponding to each multimodal service can be determined.

[0240] The technical solution provided in this application associates the index value of the mapping combination information with the establishment order of the multimodal service. It directly indicates the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the DRB using the mapping combination information, carrying more information with fewer bytes and saving resources. Furthermore, it enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service, facilitating coordinated management and control of these data streams. For example, during cell handover, multiple modal data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or released simultaneously, preventing the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could lead to anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thus ensuring a better user experience.

[0241] The above embodiments illustrate the implementation method of reporting the index values ​​of DRBs associated with each service or the index values ​​of QFIs associated with each service directly in UAI, using the service as the dimension. Alternatively, the mapping relationship between QFIs and services can be directly indicated in the QoS flow information using mapping combination information, as detailed below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0242] See Figure 9 This figure is a schematic diagram of another mapping combination information provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0243] Different from Figure 6 In the implementation shown, this application adds an information dimension to the QoS flow information and directly carries the mapping relationship between QFI and service through one or more mapping combination information, without indicating it through bitmap.

[0244] In this implementation, the UAI sent by the UE to the network device includes one or more mapping combination information, each mapping combination information and a mapping relationship used to indicate QFI and multimodal service.

[0245] Specifically, in the existing UAI's QOS-FlowUL-TrafficInfo-r18, a second indication information of one or more mapping combination information is added. At this time, the data structure in (3) becomes as follows:

[0246]

[0247] The SERVICE ID can be an integer or a string type; this application does not impose specific limitations on this embodiment.

[0248] Each mapping combination corresponds to a QFI, and each mapping combination includes the index values ​​of all multimodal services to which the corresponding QFI belongs. The index values ​​of each multimodal service can be determined based on the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI. Alternatively, there can be other mapping rules between the index values ​​of each multimodal service and the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI, which will not be elaborated upon in this embodiment.

[0249] In one possible implementation, the index value of the multimodal service is the creation order of the multimodal service minus 1. For example, if the creation order of service1 is 1, then the index value of service1 is 0.

[0250] Each mapping combination information index value in the second indication information can be associated with a corresponding QFI index value.

[0251] In one possible implementation, the index value of the mapped composite information is equal to the index value of the corresponding QFI.

[0252] based on Figure 6 In the example, specifically, the index value of the mapping combination information serviceID-r19[0] in the second indication information is 0, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates QFI1 with an index value of 0. Since QFI1 belongs to service1, service3 and service11 at the same time, the mapping combination information carries the index values ​​of service1, service3 and service11 respectively.

[0253] The index value of the mapping combination information serviceID-r19[1] in the second indication information is 1, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates QFI2 with an index value of 1. Since QFI2 belongs to service3, service7 and service10 at the same time, the mapping combination information carries the index values ​​of service3, service7 and service10 respectively.

[0254] The index value of the mapping combination information serviceID-r19[2] in the second indication information is 2, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates QFI3 with an index value of 2. Since QFI3 belongs to both service5 and service9, the mapping combination information carries the index values ​​of service5 and service9 respectively.

[0255] The index value of the mapping combination information serviceID-r19[3] in the second indication information is 3, indicating that the mapping combination information indicates QFI4 with an index value of 3. Since QFI4 belongs to both service8 and service10, the mapping combination information carries the index values ​​of service8 and service10 respectively.

[0256] Subsequently, when network devices perform handover, by parsing the second indication information in the UAI and based on one or more mapping combinations carried in the second indication information, the corresponding QFIs for each multimodal service can be determined. Then, based on the correspondence between QFIs and DRBs, the corresponding DRB for each multimodal service is determined. By simultaneously handing over or releasing the DRBs corresponding to each multimodal service to the target cell, coordinated management and control of all multimodal data flows of the multimodal service can be achieved.

[0257] In this implementation, the second indication information is carried within the QoS flow information. In some practical application scenarios, when the UE's application layer sends QoS flow information related to multimodal services, it may encrypt all or part of the UAI information due to data security requirements. For example, it may encrypt some QoS flow information within the UAI information. In this case, if the UE's modem fails to recognize the PDU of the UAI, it sets the second identifier to indicate that the mapping combination information in the QoS flow information is invalid.

[0258] The technical solution provided in this application associates the index value of the mapping combination information with the index value of the QFI, directly indicating the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the QFI using the mapping combination information. This carries more information with fewer bytes, saving resources. Furthermore, it enables network devices on the network side to clearly identify multiple modal data streams belonging to the same service, facilitating coordinated management and control of these data streams. For example, during cell handover, multiple modal data streams belonging to the same multimodal service can be simultaneously switched to the target cell or released simultaneously, preventing the loss of some multimodal data streams after handover, which could lead to anomalies or even interruptions in the multimodal service, thus ensuring a positive user experience.

[0259] The methods provided in the above embodiments can also serve as backup options. When the UE reports the UAI, the final selection method is determined based on one or more reference conditions, including the number of modal services, the number of QFIs, and the data radio bearer DRB. It is understood that the reference conditions may also include others, such as the maximum number of modalities among all services, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the UE can dynamically select the reporting method as needed based on a choice structure. This choice structure supports... Figure 4 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 8 Taking the selection method shown as an example, the format of the elements in serviceList is as follows:

[0261]

[0262] At this time, when the UE determines to use the first indication information to indicate the mapping relationship based on one or more of the number of multimodal services, the number of QFIs, and the number of data radio bearers (DRBs), it carries the first indication information in the UAI. Otherwise, it carries the second indication information in the UAI.

[0263] In one possible implementation, when the number of multimodal services exceeds a first threshold, a bitmap-based indication method is preferred. Figure 4 , 5 The approach corresponding to 6 is because when the number of multimodal services is large, more DRBs are generally used, and the same QFI can easily correspond to multiple multimodal services at the same time, which makes the amount of data to be transmitted relatively large for the scheme based on mapping combination information.

[0264] Furthermore, when the number of QFIs is less than the number of multimodal services, it is preferable to use [the appropriate QFI]. Figure 6 The corresponding approach is to prioritize using the following method when the number of QFIs exceeds the number of multimodal services. Figure 4 or Figure 5 The corresponding approach is to carry the same information using fewer bytes.

[0265] In addition, the indication method selected by the UE can also be specified by the multimodal service on the UE, and different multimodal services can specify different methods.

[0266] It is understood that, for the above embodiments provided in this application, when the number of multimodal services on the UE side changes, such as when a multimodal service is deleted or several multimodal services are added, the UE side can report the updated UAI to the network device side to indicate the current correspondence between each multimodal service and QFI.

[0267] Based on the communication method provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides an electronic device, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0268] See Figure 10 This figure is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0269] Electronic device 100 may include processor 110, external memory interface 120, internal memory 121, universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, charging management module 140, power management module 141, battery 142, antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, sensor module 180, button 190, motor 191, indicator 192, camera 193, display screen 194, etc.

[0270] The sensor module 180 may include a gyroscope sensor 180A, a barometric pressure sensor 180B, an accelerometer sensor 180C, etc.

[0271] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention do not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device 100 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0272] Processor 110 may include one or more processing units, such as application processors (APs), modem processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), image signal processors (ISPs), controllers, video codecs, digital signal processors (DSPs), baseband processors, and / or neural network processing units (NPUs). These different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors. For example, a controller may generate operation control signals based on instruction opcodes and timing signals to control instruction fetching and execution.

[0273] The processor 110 may also include a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can retrieve it directly from the memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0274] The wireless communication function of electronic device 100 can be realized through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, modem processor and baseband processor, etc.

[0275] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in electronic device 100 can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be multiplexed to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with tuning switches.

[0276] Mobile communication module 150 can provide wireless communication solutions including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G for use in electronic device 100. Wireless communication module 160 can provide wireless communication solutions including wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as Wi-Fi network), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), and infrared (IR) technology for use in electronic device 100.

[0277] The processor 110 of the electronic device can be used to execute computer programs and / or instructions stored in the memory to cause the electronic device to perform the communication methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0278] This application also provides a communication device, which will be described below using a base station as an example.

[0279] See Figure 11 The figure is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0280] The communication device 1100 shown in the figure includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120, and a transceiver 1130.

[0281] The processor 1110 is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the communication device 1100. The processor 1110 is usually the control center of the communication device 1100, used to control the communication device 1100 to perform the handover-related steps in the above method embodiments, such as parsing the UAI to obtain each QFI corresponding to each multimodal service, or parsing the UAI to obtain each DRB corresponding to each multimodal service, etc.

[0282] The memory 1120 is mainly used to store computer program code and data.

[0283] The transceiver 1130 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and for converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals. The transceiver 1130 can also be called a transceiver or a transceiver circuit.

[0284] The transceiver module of transceiver 1130 may include antenna 1133 and radio frequency circuitry (not shown in the figure), wherein the radio frequency circuitry is mainly used for radio frequency processing.

[0285] Optionally, the device in transceiver 1130 used to implement the receiving function can be regarded as receiver 1032, and the device used to implement the transmitting function can be regarded as transmitter 1031. Receiver 1032 can also be called receiving module, receiver, or receiving circuit, etc., and transmitter 1031 can be called transmitting module, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0286] The processor 1110 and memory 1120 may include one or more boards, and each board may include one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0287] Processor 1110 is used to read and execute programs in memory 1120 to control the communication device. If multiple boards exist, they can be interconnected to enhance processing capabilities. As an optional implementation, multiple boards may share one or more processors, multiple boards may share one or more memories, or multiple boards may simultaneously share one or more processors.

[0288] It should be understood that Figure 11 This is merely an example and not a limitation; the communication device described above, including the processor, memory, and transceiver, may be independent of... Figure 11 The structure shown.

[0289] This application also provides a storage medium, which can be any available medium capable of being stored by a computing device or a data storage device such as a data center containing one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive). The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that instruct an electronic device or communication device to perform the aforementioned communication method. This application also provides another computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that instruct an electronic device or communication device to perform the aforementioned communication method.

[0290] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. The computer program product may be software or program products containing instructions, capable of running on a terminal device or communication device, or stored on any usable medium. When the computer program product runs on an electronic device or communication device, it causes the electronic device or communication device to perform the aforementioned communication method. This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. When the computer program product runs on an electronic device or communication device, it causes the electronic device or communication device to perform the aforementioned communication-based method.

[0291] The bitmap in the above embodiments of this application can also be directly understood as a binary string.

[0292] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send uplink auxiliary information UAI, the uplink auxiliary information UAI includes first indication information, the first indication information indicates the mapping relationship between the Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI) and the multimodal service (service), the first indication information includes one or more bitmaps, each bitmap indicates the mapping relationship by the position of the bit with a value of a first set value; Each bitmap corresponds to a multimodal service, and the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information is used as the index value of the multimodal service; or, each bitmap corresponds to a QFI.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In each bitmap corresponding to a multimodal service, where the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information serves as the index value of the multimodal service, in each bitmap, each bit with a value of the first set value has its index value in the bitmap serving as the index value of a QFI of the multimodal service, and the number of bits with values ​​of the first set value is the same as the number of QFIs included in the multimodal service.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the total number of QFIs included in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session where the multimodal service is located.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In each bitmap corresponding to a multimodal service, where the index value of the bitmap in the first indication information serves as the index value of the multimodal service, in each bitmap, each bit with a value of the first set value serves as the index value of a data radio bearer (DRB), and each DRB index value corresponds to one or more QFIs.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Among all the multimodal services established in the UAI, the multimodal service with the most modalities has the first number of modalities, and the number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the first number.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the case where each bitmap corresponds to one QFI, in each bitmap, each bit with a value of the first set value has an index value in the bitmap that is the index value of a multimodal service to which the QFI belongs, and the number of bits with a value of the first set value is the same as the number of multimodal services to which the QFI belongs.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The number of bits included in each bitmap is equal to the number of multimodal services established in the UAI.

8. The method according to claim 2 or 6, characterized in that, The index value of the multimodal service is determined according to the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first setting value is 1.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before sending the uplink auxiliary information UAI, the method further includes: When it is determined that the mapping relationship is indicated by the first indication information based on one or more of the number of multimodal services, the number of QFIs, and the number of data radio bearers (DRBs), the first indication information is carried in the UAI. Otherwise, the UAI carries second indication information, which includes one or more mapping combination information. Each mapping combination information corresponds to a multimodal service. The index value of each mapping combination information in the second indication information is associated with the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI. Each mapping combination information indicates the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the data radio bearer (DRB), or indicates the mapping relationship between the multimodal service and the DRB.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send uplink auxiliary information UAI, the uplink auxiliary information UAI includes second indication information, the second indication information includes one or more mapping combination information, each of the mapping combination information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI) and the multimodal service (service); The index value of each mapping combination information in the second indication information is associated with the establishment order of the multimodal service corresponding to the mapping combination information in the UAI.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Each of the mapping combination information indicates the index value of all Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) included in the corresponding multimodal service.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Each of the mapping combination information indicates the index value of all the QFIs included in the corresponding multimodal service.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The second indication information is carried in the Quality of Service (QoS) flow information; each mapping combination information corresponds to a QFI, and each mapping combination information includes the index value of all the multimodal services to which the corresponding QFI belongs, wherein the index value of each multimodal service is determined according to the establishment order of the multimodal service in the UAI.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: a memory and a processor; The memory is used to store computer programs or computer instructions; The processor is configured to execute a computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, causing the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed, performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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