Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method, and the method comprises the steps: a first device obtains the service perception capability of a second device, and determines whether to send corresponding configurations to a first access network device and the second device or not based on the service perception capability of the second device, so as to achieve the perception of service features and the adjustment of QoS of the first access network device and the second device. Based on the technical scheme, each network element node can perform capability negotiation in a dynamic QoS adjustment process, so that normal operation of a dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] In scenarios with fluctuating network demands, such as video surveillance and real-time media services (e.g., emerging virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), cloud gaming, and cloud photography), sudden surges in traffic can occur. To address these surges, the industry has proposed a dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) adjustment mechanism. This mechanism triggers radio access network (RAN) devices to adjust QoS based on dynamic service traffic characteristics detected and provided by user equipment (UE), radio access network (RAN), and user plane function (UPF) nodes. However, this dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism relies on various network element nodes (e.g., user equipment (UE), radio access network (RAN), and user plane function (UPF)) to detect dynamic changes in service characteristics, and the RAN also needs to possess the capability for dynamic QoS adjustment.

[0003] Based on this, this application aims to provide a communication method that enables each network element node to negotiate capabilities during dynamic QoS adjustment, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method that enables each network element node to negotiate capabilities during dynamic QoS adjustment, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first device, or by a component of the first device (e.g., a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following explanation uses execution by the first device as an example. The method includes: obtaining the service awareness capability of a second device, wherein the service awareness capability is the ability of the second device to perceive service characteristics; and determining whether to send a configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device, wherein the configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration being used to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection.

[0006] It should be understood that in this application, business feature detection can also be replaced by business feature monitoring, and this application does not limit this.

[0007] For example, the first device may be a session management function (SMF) network element.

[0008] In one implementation, the second device can be a user equipment, such as a UE.

[0009] In one implementation, the second device can be a User Plane Function (UPF) network element.

[0010] For example, if the second device is a user equipment (e.g., UE), the service awareness capability can be carried in a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment message or a PDU session modification message. That is, the user equipment sends the service awareness capability to the first device through the PDU session establishment message or the PDU session modification message.

[0011] Among these, service awareness capability refers to the user equipment's ability to perceive dynamic changes in service characteristics. In other words, the user equipment can detect and determine when service characteristics have changed dynamically and provide the detected service characteristic information to the access network equipment, assisting the access network equipment in adjusting QoS based on these service characteristics. Specifically, this service characteristic information can be sent to the first access network equipment through the uplink packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer or the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer.

[0012] For example, if the second device is a UPF network element, the service awareness capability can be carried in the N4 connection establishment message, the N4 session modification feedback message, or the N4 session reporting message. That is to say, the UPF network element sends the service awareness capability to the first device through the N4 connection establishment message, the N4 session modification feedback message, or the N4 session reporting message.

[0013] Among these, service awareness capability refers to the ability of user plane functional network elements to perceive dynamic changes in service characteristics. In other words, the UPF network element can detect and determine when service characteristics have changed dynamically, and can provide the detected service characteristic information to the access network equipment, assisting the access network equipment in making QoS adjustments based on the service characteristics. Specifically, this service characteristic information can be sent to the first device side through the user plane GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP-U) layer of downlink data packets.

[0014] Among them, business characteristics can be understood as the dynamic traffic characteristics of the business. The dynamic traffic characteristics of the business can be at least one of the following: the size of the burst traffic of the business, the arrival time of the burst traffic of the business, the cycle of the burst traffic of the business, and the duration of the burst traffic of the business.

[0015] It should be noted that the service feature perception capability of the second device mentioned above can also be understood as the second device's ability to perceive the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service, or the second device's ability to detect the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service, or the second device's ability to detect and label the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service. The relevant descriptions of the second device's service feature perception capability in the following text can be found above and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0016] It should also be noted that business awareness capability can also be called business feature detection capability, or business feature perception capability, or traffic feature perception capability, or dynamic traffic feature perception capability, or business feature information detection and labeling capability, etc. It should be understood that this application does not limit it in this way.

[0017] In the technical solution of this application, the first device obtains the service awareness capability of the second device and determines whether to send corresponding configurations to the first access network device and the second device based on the service awareness capability of the second device. Alternatively, the first device can determine whether to enable dynamic QoS adjustment features based on the service awareness capability of the second device, thereby enabling the first access network device and the second device to perceive service characteristics and adjust QoS. Based on the above technical solution, the first device can negotiate capabilities with the first access network device and the second device so that the first device can make a decision on whether to enable dynamic QoS adjustment features, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining whether to send the configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device includes: determining to send the configuration if the second device supports service awareness; or determining not to send the configuration if the second device does not support service awareness.

[0019] In this context, "the second device supports service awareness" can be understood as meaning that the second device can detect service characteristics and provide service characteristic information to the first access network device. Conversely, "the second device does not support service awareness" can be understood as meaning that the second device cannot detect service characteristics and / or cannot provide service characteristic information to the first access network device.

[0020] It should be understood that "the second device supports business awareness" can also be replaced with "the second device has business awareness capability". Correspondingly, "the second device does not support business awareness" can also be replaced with "the second device does not have business awareness capability". This will not be elaborated further below.

[0021] Based on the above technical solution, when the second device supports service awareness and the first access network device supports QoS adjustment, it can ensure that the first device sends the correct configuration to the second device and the first access network device, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism; however, when the second device does not support service awareness and / or the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment, the first device does not send the corresponding configuration, which can avoid the waste of resources.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: obtaining the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, wherein the QoS adjustment capability is the ability of the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service characteristic information provided by the second device; the step of determining whether to send configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device further includes: determining whether to send the configuration based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0023] It should be understood that QoS adjustment capability can be called QoS adjustment capability or dynamic QoS adjustment capability, and this application does not limit it in this way. Specifically, QoS adjustment capability can be the ability of the first access network device to dynamically adjust QoS parameters, or it can be the ability of the first access network device to optimize and enhance scheduling based on service characteristic information provided by the second device. For example, it can reserve radio resources based on information such as the size of burst traffic to ensure that the burst traffic can be successfully transmitted within a specified time.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining whether to send the configuration based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device includes: determining to send the configuration when the first access network device supports QoS adjustment and the second device supports the service awareness, or determining not to send the configuration when the first access network device does not support the dynamic QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support the service awareness.

[0025] The statement that the first access network device supports QoS adjustment can be understood as meaning that the first access network device can dynamically adjust the target QoS based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device; the statement that the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment can be understood as meaning that the first access network device cannot dynamically adjust the target QoS based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

[0026] It should be understood that "the first access network device supports QoS adjustment" can also be replaced with "the first access network device has QoS adjustment capability". Correspondingly, "the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment" can also be replaced with "the first access network device does not have QoS adjustment capability", which will not be elaborated further below.

[0027] It should be noted that the configuration includes dynamic QoS adjustment configuration information sent to the first access network device and service feature detection configuration information sent to the second device. The dynamic QoS adjustment configuration information is used by the first access network device to perform dynamic QoS adjustment based on the service feature information provided by the second device. For example, this dynamic QoS adjustment configuration information may include the range of dynamically adjusted QoS parameters. The service feature detection configuration information is used to assist the second device in detecting and / or marking service feature information. For example, this service feature detection configuration information may include information such as the transport protocol or protocol extension header of the service flow to assist the second device in determining the service feature information.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method may further include: sending a first message to a third device, the first message being used to indicate whether the configuration is enabled or disabled. Enabling or disabling the configuration can be understood as whether the dynamic QoS adjustment feature is enabled, that is, whether the first access network device performs dynamic QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

[0029] For example, the third device can be an application function (AF) network element.

[0030] Based on the above technical solution, the first device can also notify the application side of the current activation status of dynamic QoS adjustment, thereby triggering the application layer to make corresponding application layer adjustments according to the activation status, such as adjusting the packet sending logic such as the sending frequency of burst traffic, to ensure the successful transmission of burst traffic.

[0031] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device or by a component of the first device (such as a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description will take execution by the first device as an example.

[0032] The method includes: sending a third configuration and a fourth configuration, wherein the third configuration is used to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service characteristics provided by a second device, and the fourth configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection; obtaining the service awareness capability of the second device, wherein the service awareness capability is the ability of the second device to perceive service characteristics; and determining whether to send first indication information based on the service awareness capability of the second device, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct updating or deleting configuration, and the configuration includes the third configuration and / or the fourth configuration.

[0033] In the technical solution of this application, the first device obtains the service awareness capability of the second device and determines, based on the service awareness capability, whether to send an instruction to delete or update the configuration to the first access network device and / or the second device. Based on the above technical solution, the first device can make a decision on whether to enable the dynamic QoS adjustment feature, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, determining whether to send the first indication information based on the service awareness capability of the second device includes: determining not to send the first indication information if the second device supports the service awareness; or determining to send the first indication information if the second device does not support the service awareness. Based on the above technical solution, when the second device does not support service awareness, the first device sends an indication information to delete or update the configuration, which can promptly adjust or update the configuration on the first access network device side and the second device side, so as to ensure the subsequent detection of service characteristics and QoS adjustment, and further ensure the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, after sending the third configuration and the fourth configuration, the method further includes: obtaining the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, wherein the QoS adjustment capability is the ability of the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device; the step of determining whether to send the first indication information based on the service awareness capability of the second device further includes: determining whether to send the first indication information based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, determining whether to send the first indication information based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device includes: determining not to send the first indication information when the first access network device supports QoS adjustment and the second device supports the service awareness; or determining to send the first indication information when the first access network device does not support the dynamic QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support the service awareness.

[0037] For example, in one possible implementation, if the second device does not support the detection of service feature information (i.e., the second device does not support service awareness), the first device sends a first indication message to the first access network device. This first indication message is used to delete or update a third configuration. Specifically, the first indication message instructs the first access network device to delete or update its QoS adjustment configuration based on the service feature information provided by the second device. Optionally, the first device may also send a first indication message to the second device, instructing the deletion or update of a fourth configuration, i.e., the first indication message instructs the deletion or update of the second device's configuration for service feature detection.

[0038] For example, in one possible implementation, if the first access network device cannot perform QoS adjustment based on the service feature information provided by the second device (i.e., the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment), the first device sends a first indication message to the second device. This first indication message is used to instruct the updating or deletion of a fourth configuration. Specifically, the first indication message is used to instruct the updating or deletion of the configuration for service feature detection. Optionally, the first device may also send a first indication message to the first access network device, which is used to instruct the updating or deletion of a third configuration. That is, the first indication message is used to instruct the deletion or updating of the configuration used by the first access network device for QoS adjustment based on the service feature information provided by the second device.

[0039] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method may further include: sending a first message to a third device, the first message being used to indicate whether the configuration is enabled or disabled. Enabling or disabling the configuration can be understood as whether the dynamic QoS adjustment feature is enabled, that is, the first device will decide whether to continue enabling or disabling the dynamic QoS feature based on the service awareness capability of the second device, i.e., whether the first access network device performs dynamic QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

[0040] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device, or by a component of the first device (such as a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description will take execution by the first device as an example.

[0041] The method includes: sending a fifth configuration and a sixth configuration, wherein the fifth configuration is used to instruct QoS adjustment based on service characteristics provided by a second device, and the sixth configuration is used to instruct service characteristic detection; receiving first information, wherein the first information is used to determine the current QoS adjustment capability of a first access network device; and determining, based on the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, whether to send second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to instruct updating or deleting a configuration, the configuration including the fifth configuration and / or the sixth configuration.

[0042] In the technical solution of this application, the first device determines the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device based on first information. Further, based on the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, it determines whether to send an instruction to the second device and / or the first access network device to delete or update its configuration. Based on the above technical solution, the first device can promptly learn about changes in the capabilities of the first access network device, and thus make timely and correct decisions based on these changes, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0043] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, determining whether to send the second indication information based on the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device includes: determining not to send the second indication information if the first access network device supports the QoS adjustment; or determining to send the second indication information if the first access network device does not support the QoS adjustment.

[0044] For example, in one possible implementation, when the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment, the first device sends a second indication message to the second device. This second indication message is used to delete or update the sixth configuration, specifically the configuration used by the second device for service feature detection. Optionally, the first device may also send a second indication message to the first access network device, which instructs for updating or deleting the fifth configuration; specifically, the second indication message instructs for updating or deleting the configuration used for QoS adjustment based on service feature information provided by the second device.

[0045] Based on the above technical solution, the first device can promptly learn that the first access network device does not currently support QoS adjustment, and then send an instruction to delete or update the configuration, so that the first device can promptly adjust the configuration of the first access network device and the second device side, so as to ensure the subsequent detection of service characteristics and QoS adjustment, and further ensure the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0046] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first information is the identification information of the first access network device. In this implementation, the first device can determine its QoS adjustment capabilities based on its local configuration and the identification information of the first access network device. It is understood that the first device's local configuration stores identification information and corresponding QoS adjustment capabilities for multiple access network devices, where the identification information of the multiple access network devices includes the identification information of the first access network device.

[0047] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first information is used to indicate whether the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed.

[0048] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first information is used to indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0049] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the fifth configuration is characterized in that the fifth configuration is used to instruct the second access network device to perform QoS adjustment according to the service characteristics provided by the second device, wherein the first access network device is the target access network device after the terminal device has been switched, and the second access network device is the source access network device before the switch.

[0050] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending a first message to a third device, the first message indicating whether the configuration is enabled or disabled. Enabling or disabling the configuration can be understood as whether the dynamic QoS adjustment feature is enabled, i.e., whether the first access network device performs dynamic QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information detected and provided by the second device. Based on the above technical solution, the capability negotiation problem of each network element node in the dynamic QoS adjustment process can be solved, ensuring that the first device can decide whether to send corresponding configuration information and whether to enable the dynamic QoS adjustment feature based on the capabilities of each network element node. Furthermore, the first device can also notify the application side whether the current dynamic QoS adjustment is enabled, thereby triggering the application layer to perform corresponding application layer adjustments, such as adjusting the packet transmission logic, such as the sending frequency of burst traffic.

[0051] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second device, or by a component of the second device (such as a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description will take execution by a second device as an example.

[0052] The method includes: sending a service-aware capability to a first device, wherein the service-aware capability is either the capability of the second device to perceive service characteristics, or the capability of the second device to detect and provide service characteristic information to a first access network device. The service-aware capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send a configuration, wherein the configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration being used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection.

[0053] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the configuration, including: if the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines to send the configuration; or, if the second device does not support service awareness, the first device determines not to send the configuration.

[0054] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, some implementations of the fourth aspect include: the second device can be a terminal device or a user plane function network element.

[0055] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, if the second device is the terminal device, the service awareness capability is carried in the PDU session establishment message or the PDU session modification message; or, if the second device is the user plane function network element, the service awareness capability is carried in the N4 connection establishment message or the N4 session modification feedback message or the N4 session reporting message.

[0056] Fifthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second device, or by a component of the second device (e.g., a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description will take execution by a second device as an example.

[0057] The method includes: receiving a fourth configuration, the fourth configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection; acquiring service data, and sending the service awareness capability of the second device to a first device based on the service data, the service awareness capability being the ability of the second device to perform service feature detection. The service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct updating or deleting a configuration, the configuration including a third configuration and / or the fourth configuration, wherein the third configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service feature information provided by the second device.

[0058] It should be understood that the fourth configuration can also be used to instruct the second device to perform service feature marking, wherein service feature marking can be understood as the second device performing service feature information detection and marking the detected service feature information into the data packet and sending it to the first access network device together.

[0059] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, sending the service perception capability of the second device to the first device based on the service data includes: determining the service perception capability of the second device based on the service data; and sending the service perception capability of the second device to the first device. Specifically, after obtaining the service data, the second device determines whether it can obtain the service characteristic information of the service, thereby determining the service perception capability of the second device.

[0060] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the second device may be a terminal device or a user plane function network element.

[0061] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, if the second device is the terminal device, the service awareness capability is carried in the PDU session modification message; or, if the second device is the user plane function network element, the service awareness capability is carried in the N4 session modification message or the N4 session reporting message.

[0062] For example, if the second device is a terminal device, it can be understood that the terminal device determines its service awareness capability and triggers the PDU session modification process based on its service feature awareness capability, and sends a PDU session modification request message to the first device. At this time, the PDU session modification request message carries the terminal device's service awareness capability.

[0063] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the first indication information, including: if the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines not to send the first indication information; or, if the second device does not support the service awareness, the first device determines to send the first indication information.

[0064] For example, in one possible implementation, when the second device does not support service feature information detection (i.e., the second device does not support service awareness), the first device sends a first indication message to the first access network device. This first indication message is used to delete or update a third configuration, specifically the configuration used by the first access network device to adjust QoS based on the service feature information provided by the second device. Optionally, the first device may also send a first indication message to the second device, which is used to delete or update a fourth configuration, specifically the configuration used by the second device to perform service feature detection.

[0065] Sixthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first access network device, or by a component of the first access network device (e.g., a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description takes execution by the first access network device as an example.

[0066] The method includes: sending a QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device to a first device, wherein the QoS adjustment capability is the ability of the first access network device to adjust QoS based on service characteristic information provided by a second device; the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send a configuration, wherein the configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic monitoring.

[0067] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send configuration, including: if the first access network device supports the QoS adjustment capability, the first device determines to send the configuration; or, if the first access network device does not support the QoS adjustment capability, the first device determines not to send the configuration.

[0068] Based on the above technical solution, the capability negotiation problem of each network element node in the dynamic QoS adjustment process can be solved, ensuring that the first device can decide whether to send the corresponding configuration information and whether to enable the dynamic QoS adjustment feature according to the capabilities of each network element node.

[0069] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first access network device, or by a component of the first access network device (e.g., a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description takes execution by the first access network device as an example.

[0070] The method includes: receiving a fifth configuration, the fifth configuration being used to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service characteristic information provided by a second device; sending first information to the first device, the first information being used by the first device to determine the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device or to indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, i.e., the capability to perform QoS adjustment based on service characteristic information provided by the second device, wherein the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate updating or deleting configuration, the configuration including the fifth configuration and / or a sixth configuration, the sixth configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic monitoring.

[0071] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the second indication information, including: if the first access network device supports QoS adjustment, the first device determines not to send the second indication information; or, if the first access network device does not support the QoS adjustment, the first device determines to send the second indication information.

[0072] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first information is the identification information of the first access network device. In this implementation, the first device can determine its QoS adjustment capabilities based on its local configuration and the identification information of the first access network device. It is understood that the first device's local configuration stores identification information and corresponding QoS adjustment capabilities for multiple access network devices, including the identification information of the first access network device.

[0073] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first information is used to indicate whether the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed.

[0074] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first information is used to indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0075] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the fifth configuration is characterized in that the fifth configuration is used to instruct the second access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristics provided by the second device, wherein the first access network device is the target access network device after the terminal device has been switched, and the second access network device is the source access network device before the switch.

[0076] In conjunction with aspect seven, in some implementations of aspect seven, when the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment, the first device sends a first indication message to the second access network device. The second indication message is used to delete or update the fifth configuration, that is, the second indication message is used to delete or update the configuration of the first access network device for QoS adjustment based on service feature information provided by the second device. Optionally, the first device may also send a second indication message to the second device, the second indication message being used to delete or update the sixth configuration, that is, the second indication message being used to delete or update the configuration of the second device for service feature detection.

[0077] Eighthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a third device, or by a component of the third device (e.g., a chip or circuit), without limitation. For ease of description, the following description will take execution by a third device as an example.

[0078] The method includes:

[0079] A first message is received, indicating whether the configuration is enabled or disabled; adjustments are made based on the first message. Enabling or disabling the configuration can be understood as whether the dynamic QoS adjustment feature is enabled, i.e., whether the first access network device performs dynamic QoS adjustment based on service characteristic information detected and provided by the second device.

[0080] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the adjustment includes at least one of the following: adjusting the coding configuration and application logic, reducing traffic characteristic fluctuations, and stopping the on-path addition of dynamic business characteristics.

[0081] A ninth aspect provides an apparatus comprising: a transceiver unit configured to obtain a service awareness capability of a second device, the service awareness capability being the ability of the second device to perceive service features; and a processing unit configured to determine, based on the service awareness capability of the second device, whether to send a configuration, wherein the configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration being configured to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration being configured to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection.

[0082] In conjunction with the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine to send the configuration if the second device supports the service awareness; or determine not to send the configuration if the second device does not support the service awareness.

[0083] In conjunction with aspect nine, in some implementations of aspect nine, the transceiver unit is further configured to: obtain the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, the QoS adjustment capability being the ability of the first access network device to adjust QoS based on service characteristic information provided by the second device; the processing unit is further configured to: determine whether to send the configuration based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0084] In conjunction with the ninth aspect, in some implementations of the ninth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine to send the configuration when the first access network device supports the QoS adjustment and the second device supports the service awareness; or determine not to send the configuration when the first access network device does not support the dynamic QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support the service awareness.

[0085] In conjunction with aspect nine, in certain implementations of aspect nine, the configuration includes dynamic QoS adjustment configuration information sent to the first access network device and service feature detection configuration information sent to the second device. The dynamic QoS adjustment configuration information is used by the first access network device to perform dynamic QoS adjustment based on service feature information provided by the second device, and the service feature detection configuration information is used to assist the second device in detecting and / or marking service feature information.

[0086] In conjunction with the ninth aspect, in certain implementations of the ninth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first message to a third device, the first message being used to indicate whether the configuration is enabled or disabled.

[0087] A tenth aspect provides an apparatus comprising: a transceiver unit configured to transmit a third configuration and a fourth configuration, the third configuration being configured to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service characteristics provided by a second device, the fourth configuration being configured to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection; the transceiver unit being configured to obtain the service awareness capability of the second device, the service awareness capability being the ability of the second device to perceive service characteristics; and a processing unit configured to determine, based on the service awareness capability of the second device, whether to send first indication information, the first indication information being configured to instruct updating or deleting a configuration, the configuration including the third configuration and / or the fourth configuration.

[0088] In conjunction with the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine not to send the first indication information when the second device supports service awareness; or determine to send the first indication information when the second device does not support the service awareness.

[0089] In conjunction with the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, after sending the third configuration and the fourth configuration, the transceiver unit is further configured to: obtain the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, the QoS adjustment capability being the ability of the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device; the processing unit is further configured to: determine whether to send the first indication information based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0090] In conjunction with the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine not to send the first indication information when the first access network device supports the QoS adjustment and the second device supports the service awareness; or determine to send the first indication information when the first access network device does not support the dynamic QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support the service awareness.

[0091] In conjunction with the tenth aspect, in some implementations of the tenth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first message to a third device, the first message being used to indicate whether the configuration is enabled or disabled.

[0092] Eleventhly, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to transmit a fifth configuration and a sixth configuration, the fifth configuration being configured to instruct QoS adjustment based on service characteristics provided by a second device, and the sixth configuration being configured to instruct service characteristic detection; the transceiver unit configured to receive first information, the first information being configured to determine the current QoS adjustment capability of a first access network device; and a processing unit configured to determine, based on the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, whether to send second indication information, the second indication information being configured to instruct updating or deleting a configuration, the configuration including the fifth configuration and / or the sixth configuration.

[0093] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine not to send the second indication information when the first access network device supports QoS adjustment; or determine to send the second indication information when the first access network device does not support the QoS adjustment.

[0094] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the first information is the identification information of the first access network device.

[0095] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the first information is used to indicate whether the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed.

[0096] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the first information is used to indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0097] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the fifth configuration is characterized in that the fifth configuration is used to instruct the second access network device to perform QoS adjustment according to the service characteristics provided by the second device, wherein the first access network device is the target access network device after the terminal device has been switched, and the second access network device is the source access network device before the switch.

[0098] In conjunction with the eleventh aspect, in some implementations of the eleventh aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a first message to a third device, the first message being used to indicate whether the configuration is enabled or disabled.

[0099] In a twelfth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to transmit a service-aware capability to a first device, wherein the service-aware capability is the capability of a second device to perceive service characteristics, or the capability of the second device to detect and provide service characteristic information to a first access network device. The service-aware capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send a configuration, wherein the configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration being used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection.

[0100] In conjunction with the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, the service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the configuration, including: if the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines to send the configuration; or, if the second device does not support service awareness, the first device determines not to send the configuration.

[0101] In conjunction with the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, the service awareness capability is the ability of the second device to perceive dynamic changes in service characteristics, that is, the ability of the second device to perceive and determine that the service characteristics have changed dynamically, and to provide dynamic service characteristic information to the access network device.

[0102] In conjunction with the twelfth aspect, some implementations of the twelfth aspect include: the second device may be a terminal device or a user plane function network element.

[0103] In conjunction with the twelfth aspect, in some implementations of the twelfth aspect, if the second device is the terminal device, the service awareness capability is carried in a PDU session establishment message or a PDU session modification message; or, if the second device is the user plane function network element, the service awareness capability is carried in an N4 connection establishment message or an N4 session modification feedback message or an N4 session reporting message.

[0104] In a thirteenth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to receive a fourth configuration, the fourth configuration being configured to instruct a second device to perform service feature detection; the transceiver unit configured to acquire service data and, based on the service data, send a service awareness capability of the second device to a first device, the service awareness capability being the capability of the second device to perform service feature detection, the service awareness capability of the second device being used by the first device to determine whether to send first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct an update or deletion of a configuration, the configuration including a third configuration and / or the fourth configuration, wherein the third configuration is used to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service feature information provided by the second device, and the fourth configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection.

[0105] It should be understood that the fourth configuration can also be used to instruct the second device to perform service feature marking, wherein service feature marking can be understood as the second device performing service feature information detection and marking the detected service feature information into the data packet and sending it to the first access network device together.

[0106] In conjunction with aspect thirteen, in some implementations of aspect thirteen, the transceiver unit is specifically used to: determine the service awareness capability of the second device based on the service data; and send the service awareness capability of the second device to the first device.

[0107] In conjunction with aspect thirteen, in some implementations of aspect thirteen, the second device may be a terminal device or a user plane function network element.

[0108] In conjunction with aspect thirteen, in some implementations of aspect thirteen, if the second device is the terminal device, the service awareness capability is carried in the PDU session modification message; or, if the second device is the user plane function network element, the service awareness capability is carried in the N4 session modification message or the N4 session reporting message.

[0109] In conjunction with aspect thirteen, in some implementations of aspect thirteen, the service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the first indication information, including: if the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines not to send the first indication information; or, if the second device does not support the service awareness, the first device determines to send the first indication information.

[0110] In a fourteenth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to transmit to a first device a QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, the QoS adjustment capability being the ability of the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service characteristic information provided by a second device; the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send a configuration, wherein the configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the first configuration being used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic monitoring.

[0111] In conjunction with the fourteenth aspect, in some implementations of the fourteenth aspect, the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send a configuration, including: if the first access network device supports QoS adjustment, the first device determines to send the configuration; or, if the first access network device does not support the QoS adjustment, the first device determines not to send the configuration.

[0112] In a fifteenth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit configured to receive a fifth configuration, the fifth configuration being configured to instruct a first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on service information provided by a second device; the transceiver unit configured to send first information to the first device, the first information being used by the first device to determine the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device or to instruct the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device. The current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send second indication information, the second indication information being used to instruct an update or deletion of a configuration, the configuration including the fifth configuration and / or a sixth configuration, the sixth configuration being used to instruct the device to perform service feature detection.

[0113] In conjunction with the fifteenth aspect, in some implementations of the fifteenth aspect, the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the second indication information, including: if the first access network device supports QoS adjustment, the first device determines not to send the second indication information; or, if the first access network device does not support the QoS adjustment, the first device determines to send the second indication information.

[0114] In conjunction with aspect 15, in some implementations of aspect 15, the first information is the identification information of the first access network device.

[0115] In conjunction with the fifteenth aspect, in some implementations of the fifteenth aspect, the first information is used to indicate whether the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed.

[0116] In conjunction with the fifteenth aspect, in some implementations of the fifteenth aspect, the first information is used to indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0117] In conjunction with the fifteenth aspect, in some implementations of the fifteenth aspect, the fifth configuration is characterized in that the fifth configuration is used to instruct the second access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device, wherein the first access network device is the target access network device after the terminal device has been switched, and the second access network device is the source access network device before the switch.

[0118] In a sixteenth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a transceiver unit for receiving a first message, the first message indicating whether the configuration is enabled or disabled; and a processing unit for making adjustments based on the first message.

[0119] In conjunction with the sixteenth aspect, in some implementations of the sixteenth aspect, the adjustment includes at least one of the following: adjusting the coding configuration and application logic, reducing fluctuations in traffic characteristics, and stopping the on-path addition of dynamic service characteristics.

[0120] In a seventeenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or to implement the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or to implement the methods of the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further includes a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device also includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0121] In one implementation, the communication device is a first device. When the communication device is a first device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0122] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in the first device. When the communication device is a chip configured in the first device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0123] For example, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. For example, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0124] Eighteenthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or to implement the methods of the fifth aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further includes a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0125] In one implementation, the communication device is a second device. When the communication device is a second device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0126] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in the second device. When the communication device is a chip configured in the second device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0127] For example, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. For example, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0128] In a nineteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the sixth aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or to implement the methods of the seventh aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further includes a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device also includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0129] In one implementation, the communication device is a first access network device. When the communication device is a first access network device, the communication interface can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0130] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in the first access network device. When the communication device is a chip configured in the first access network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0131] For example, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. For example, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0132] In a twentieth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods of the eighth aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further includes a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device also includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0133] In one implementation, the communication device is a third device. When the communication device is a third device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0134] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a third device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a third device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0135] For example, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. For example, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0136] In a twenty-first aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute a method in any of the possible implementations of the first to eighth aspects.

[0137] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0138] In a twenty-second aspect, a processing apparatus is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory and to receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute a method in any of the possible implementations of the first to eighth aspects.

[0139] For example, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0140] For example, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be disposed separately from the processor.

[0141] In specific implementation, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. The embodiments of this application do not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0142] It should be understood that related data interaction processes, such as sending indication information, can be the process of the processor outputting indication information, and receiving uplink data packets can be the process of the processor receiving uplink data packets. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be sent to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. The transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0143] The processing device in aspect 22 above can be one or more chips. The processor in the processing device can be implemented in hardware or in software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0144] In a twenty-third aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform the method in any of the possible implementations of the first to eighth aspects described above.

[0145] In a twentieth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) which, when executed on a computer, causes the method in any of the possible implementations of the first to eighth aspects to be performed.

[0146] In a twenty-fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, and first access network device.

[0147] Optionally, the communication system also includes the aforementioned second access network equipment.

[0148] The relevant descriptions and beneficial effects of aspects four through twenty-five can be found in the relevant descriptions and beneficial effects of aspects one through three above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0149] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 applicable to the methods provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0150] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0151] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0152] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0153] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0154] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0155] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0156] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0157] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0158] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0159] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the chip system 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0160] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0161] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, 6th Generation (6G) systems, or future communication systems. The 5G mobile communication system described in this application includes non-standalone (NSA) 5G mobile communication systems or standalone (SA) 5G mobile communication systems. The communication system can also be a public land mobile network (PLMN), a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, an unrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) communication system, or other communication systems.

[0162] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" are not necessarily different. Meanwhile, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

[0163] Furthermore, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0164] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, firstly, in conjunction with Figure 1 This application describes in detail one application scenario of the embodiments of this application.

[0165] 1. User equipment (UE): This can be referred to as terminal equipment, terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. Terminal equipment can also be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, drone, wearable device, terminal equipment in a 5G network, or terminal equipment in an evolved PLMN, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0166] 2. Access Network (AN): Provides network access for authorized users in a specific area and can use transmission tunnels of different qualities depending on the user's level and service requirements. Access networks can employ different access technologies. Current access network technologies include: radio access network technologies used in 3G systems, radio access network technologies used in 4G systems, or next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) technologies (such as those used in 5G systems).

[0167] An access network that implements access network functions based on wireless communication technology can be called a radio access network (RAN). A RAN manages radio resources, provides access services to terminals, and facilitates the forwarding of control signals and user data between terminals and the core network.

[0168] Wireless access network equipment can be, for example, a base station (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB), a next-generation Node Base station (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi hotspot system. It can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or it can be a relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted equipment, drone, wearable device, or network equipment in a 5G network or an evolved PLMN. This application does not limit the specific technology or equipment form used in the wireless access network equipment.

[0169] 3. Access Management Network Element: Primarily used for mobility management and access management, responsible for transmitting user policies between user equipment and policy control function (PCF) network elements. It can be used to implement functions of the mobile management entity (MME) other than session management, such as access authorization (authentication).

[0170] In 5G communication systems, the access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the access management network element can still be an AMF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0171] 4. Session Management Network Element: Primarily used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for user equipment, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control and billing function interfaces, and downlink data communication.

[0172] In 5G communication systems, the session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element can still be an SMF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0173] 5. User plane network elements: used for packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data, completion of user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, bandwidth limiting functions, etc.

[0174] In 5G communication systems, user plane network elements can be user plane function (UPF) network elements. In future communication systems, user plane network elements can still be UPF network elements, or they can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0175] 6. Data network element: A network used to provide data transmission.

[0176] In 5G communication systems, data network elements can be data network (DN) elements. In future communication systems, data network elements can still be DN elements, or they can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0177] 7. Policy control network element: A unified policy framework used to guide network behavior, providing policy rule information to control plane functional network elements (such as AMF, SMF, etc.).

[0178] In 4G communication systems, this policy control network element can be a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element. In 5G communication systems, this policy control network element can be a policy control function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, this policy control network element can still be a PCF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit its scope.

[0179] 8. Data management network element: used to handle user equipment identification, access authentication, registration, and mobility management, etc.

[0180] In 5G communication systems, this data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element; in 4G communication systems, this data management network element can be a home subscriber server (HSS) network element. In future communication systems, the data management network element can still be a UDM network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0181] 9. Network Exposure Function (NEF) element: Used to securely expose services and capabilities provided by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network functions to the outside world.

[0182] 10. Application Function (AF) Network Element: Provides a specific application layer service to the UE. When providing services to the UE, the AF has requirements for QoS and charging policies and needs to notify the network. Simultaneously, the AF also needs to obtain application-related information from the core network. The AF can possess all the functions defined in the technical specification (TS) version 23.501R-15, as well as related functions for application services. That is, in the user plane architecture, the application server and the UE communicate in the user plane via the UE-RAN-UPF-AF path. The AF can also communicate with other network functions (NFs) in the 5G core network (5GC) in the control plane architecture via the NEF. For example, it can communicate with the PCF via the NEF. If the AF is deployed by the 5GC operator, it can also communicate directly with other NFs in the 5GC in the control plane architecture, i.e., within the trusted domain, without using the NEF, such as directly communicating with the PCF.

[0183] 11. Network Data Analysis Function (NWDAF) Network Element: It can be used to collect data from network elements, AF and operation administration and maintenance (OAM) management system, and analyze the data through machine learning, artificial intelligence and other solutions, and feed it back to network elements, AF, etc. to optimize network or service configuration, thereby providing better network quality and service experience.

[0184] 12. Network Repository Function (NRF) Network Element: This element provides network element discovery functionality, offering network element information corresponding to the network element type based on requests from other network elements. NRF network elements also provide network element management services, such as network element registration, updates, deregistration, and network element status subscription and push notifications.

[0185] 13. Authentication server function (AUSF) network element: mainly responsible for authenticating users to determine whether to allow users or devices to access the network.

[0186] 14. Service Communication Proxy (SCP) element: It can be used for indirect communication between NFs. Service requests from NFs can be proxied by the SCP element.

[0187] Figure 1 N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, N9, Nnwdaf, Nnef, Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Nausf, Namf, and Nsmf are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definition of 3GPP technical standards (TS) 23.501.

[0188] It should be understood that the network architecture described above for the embodiments of this application is merely an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any network architecture capable of realizing the functions of the above-described network elements is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0189] It should also be understood that Figure 1 The AMF, SMF, UPF, NEF, PCF, UDM, NWDAF, NRF, AUSF, SCP, etc. shown can be understood as network elements in the core network used to implement different functions, such as network slices that can be combined as needed. These core network elements can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the above network elements.

[0190] It should also be understood that the above naming is defined solely for the purpose of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of using other naming conventions in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in 6G networks, some or all of the aforementioned network terminology may be retained from 5G, or other names may be used. Figure 1 The interface names between the various network elements are merely examples; in actual implementations, the interface names may differ, and this application does not impose any specific limitations on them. Furthermore, the names of the messages (or signaling) transmitted between the aforementioned network elements are also merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the function of the messages themselves.

[0191] To facilitate understanding of this application, the technical terms involved in this application will be described in detail below.

[0192] 1. Quality of Service (QoS)

[0193] QoS (Quality of Service) is a technology used to address network latency and congestion. When network congestion occurs, data may be dropped. To meet users' different QoS requirements for various applications, the network needs to allocate and schedule resources according to user requests, providing different QoS levels for different data. In 5G systems, a flow-based QoS model is adopted. Data mapped to the same QoS flow will receive the same forwarding processing.

[0194] A PDU session is established between the UE and the UPF, a radio bearer between the UE and the NB, and a core network tunnel between the NB and the UPF. The PDU session includes multiple QoS flows, such as a first QoS flow and a second QoS flow. These multiple QoS flows can be used to transmit data streams for different services, or they can be used to transmit data streams for the same service. For example, the first QoS flow can be used to transmit data streams for the first service, and the second QoS flow can be used to transmit data streams for the second service; or the first QoS flow can be used to transmit the first data stream of the first service, and the second QoS flow can be used to transmit the second data stream of the first service.

[0195] 2. QoS parameters

[0196] QoS parameters refer to QoS requirements associated with QoS, including but not limited to QoS parameters and QoS characteristics. QoS parameters can also be called QoS flow-level QoS parameters, QoS references, QoS flow descriptions, or QoS information. In other words, QoS parameters can quantify and represent QoS requirements.

[0197] 3. User plane GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP-U tunnel)

[0198] During the PDU session establishment process, the connection between the RAN and UPF uses a GTP-U tunnel, which adds data from / to the UE side to the tunnel for transmission. This GTP-U tunnel is at the PDU session granularity, meaning that a GTP-U tunnel between the RAN and UPF is established for each PDU session.

[0199] As described in the background section, the industry has proposed a (dynamic) QoS adjustment mechanism to address scenarios involving sudden surges in traffic. However, this dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism relies on various network element nodes (UE, RAN, UPF, etc.) to detect dynamic changes in service characteristics, and the RAN side also needs to have the capability to perform dynamic QoS adjustments.

[0200] Based on this, this application aims to provide a communication method that enables each network element node to negotiate capabilities during dynamic QoS adjustment, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0201] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0202] Figure 2A schematic flowchart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the method may include at least the following steps.

[0203] S210, the first device acquires the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0204] The service perception capability of the second device refers to its ability to perceive service characteristics. Service characteristics can be understood as the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service, which may include at least one of the following: the size of a sudden traffic surge, the arrival time of the sudden traffic surge, the period of the sudden traffic surge, and the duration of the sudden traffic surge.

[0205] The ability of the second device to perceive service characteristics can be understood as the ability of the second device to perceive the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service, or the ability of the second device to detect the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service, or the ability of the second device to detect and mark the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service. Marking the dynamic traffic characteristics of a service can be understood as the second device marking the detected dynamic traffic characteristics of the service into the data packet. It should be noted that the relevant descriptions of the second device's perception of service characteristics in the following text can refer to the above content, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0206] It should be understood that, in one example, the second device can determine its service awareness capability through its own configuration; that is, the second device can determine whether it supports service awareness through its own configuration.

[0207] Alternatively, in another example, the second device can determine its service awareness capability based on the received service data. Specifically, after the service is initiated, the second device acquires the service data and determines whether it supports service awareness, that is, whether it can detect the service's characteristic information. For example, the second device can determine whether it supports service awareness based on the protocol or protocol extension header information in the service data.

[0208] It should also be understood that business awareness capability can also be called business feature detection capability, or business feature perception capability, or traffic feature perception capability, or dynamic traffic feature perception capability, or business feature information detection and labeling capability, etc., and this application does not limit it in this way.

[0209] It should also be understood that the aforementioned dynamic traffic characteristics may also be referred to as business characteristic information, or business traffic information, or business characteristic traffic information, or dynamic business characteristic information, or dynamic business characteristic traffic information, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0210] Optionally, before step S210, the method may further include: the second device sending its service awareness capabilities to the first device, and correspondingly, the first device receiving the second device's service awareness capabilities, that is, the first device acquiring the second device's service awareness capabilities.

[0211] For example, if the second device is a terminal device (e.g., a UE), the service-aware capability can be carried in a PDU session establishment message or a PDU session modification message. That is, the terminal device sends its service-aware capability to the first device through a PDU session establishment message or a PDU session modification message. For instance, the terminal device determines its service-aware capability and triggers a PDU session modification process based on its service-feature awareness capability, sending a PDU session modification request message to the first device. In this case, the PDU session modification request message carries the terminal device's service-aware capability.

[0212] For example, if the second device is a UPF network element, the service awareness capability can be carried in the N4 connection establishment message, the N4 session modification feedback message, or the N4 session reporting message. That is to say, the UPF network element sends its service awareness capability to the first device through the N4 connection establishment message, the N4 session modification feedback message, or the N4 session reporting message.

[0213] S220, the first device determines whether to send configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0214] Specifically, the configuration can be a first configuration and / or a second configuration. The first configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment. The second configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection and marking, that is, the second device detects service feature information and marks the service feature information into the data packet and sends it to the first access network device together.

[0215] In this context, the QoS adjustment performed by the first access network device can be understood as the first access network device adjusting the QoS based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device. For example, the first access network device determines the service characteristic information provided by the second device and adjusts the QoS based on the determined service characteristic information.

[0216] For example, the first access network device adjusts QoS based on the determined burst traffic size.

[0217] For example, the first access network device adjusts QoS based on the arrival time of a determined burst of traffic.

[0218] For example, the first access network device adjusts QoS according to the period of determined burst traffic.

[0219] The second device performing service feature detection and marking can be understood as the second device detecting certain service features and marking the detected service feature information into the data packet.

[0220] For example, the second device detects the size of the burst traffic and marks the detected burst traffic size in the service data packet and sends it to the first access network side.

[0221] For example, the second device detects the arrival time of burst traffic and marks the arrival time of the detected burst traffic in the service data packet and sends it to the first access network side.

[0222] For example, the second device detects the period of burst traffic and marks the detected period of burst traffic (e.g., period value) in the service data packet and sends it to the first access network side.

[0223] It should be understood that the above are merely examples and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0224] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines the transmission configuration. Here, "the second device supports service awareness" can be understood as the second device being able to detect service characteristics and provide service characteristic information to the first access network device.

[0225] It should be understood that "the second device supports business awareness" can also be replaced with "the second device has business awareness capabilities".

[0226] Specifically, if the second device supports service awareness, the method may further include: S231, the first device determines to send a first configuration to the first access network device, and S232, the first device determines to send a second configuration to the second device.

[0227] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the second device does not support service awareness, the first device determines not to send configuration. Here, "the second device does not support service awareness" can be understood as the second device being unable to detect service characteristics and / or the second device being unable to provide service characteristic information to the first access network device.

[0228] It should be understood that the second device not supporting service awareness can also be replaced by the second device not having service awareness capability; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0229] It should be noted that when the first device determines whether to send configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device, the first device assumes that the first access network device supports QoS adjustment. This support for QoS adjustment can be understood as the first access network device being able to adjust the target QoS based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device. It should also be understood that "the first access network device supports QoS adjustment" can be replaced with "the first access network device has QoS adjustment capability."

[0230] Specifically, QoS adjustment capability can be the ability of the first access network device to dynamically adjust QoS parameters, or it can be the ability to optimize and enhance scheduling based on service characteristic information provided by the second device. For example, it can reserve radio resources based on information such as the size of burst traffic to ensure that the burst traffic can be successfully transmitted within a specified time.

[0231] It should also be understood that QoS adjustment capability can be called QoS adjustment capability or dynamic QoS adjustment capability, and this application does not limit it.

[0232] Optionally, in one possible implementation, before step S220, the method may further include: the first device obtaining the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0233] For a description of the QoS adjustment capabilities of the first access network device, please refer to the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0234] It should be noted that the first device can obtain the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device in the following two ways:

[0235] In one approach, the first device can obtain the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device through pre-configuration, meaning that the first device locally configures the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0236] Alternatively, the first access network device can report its QoS adjustment capabilities to the first device. That is, before the first device receives the QoS adjustment capabilities of the first access network device, the method further includes: the first access network device sending its QoS adjustment capabilities to the first device. Correspondingly, the first device receives the QoS adjustment capabilities of the first access network device.

[0237] Optionally, after the first device obtains the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, the method may further include: determining whether to send configuration based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device. A description of the configuration is provided above and will not be repeated here.

[0238] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the first access network device supports QoS adjustment and the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines the transmission configuration.

[0239] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support service awareness, it is determined not to send the configuration. That is, if at least one of the first access network device and the second device does not have its own QoS adjustment capability or service awareness capability, the first device determines not to send the configuration.

[0240] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the first device determines that the configuration has been sent, the method may further include: the first device sending a first message to the third device, the first message being used to inform that the configuration has been enabled.

[0241] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the first device determines not to send configuration, the method may further include: the first device sending a first message to the third device, the first message being used to inform that configuration is not enabled.

[0242] For example, the third device can be an AF network element.

[0243] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the AF network element makes corresponding adjustments based on the first message after receiving it. For details regarding the AF network element receiving the first message and making corresponding adjustments based on it, please refer to the following description.

[0244] Based on the above technical solution, the first device can negotiate capabilities with the first access network device and the second device, enabling the first device to decide whether to enable the dynamic QoS adjustment feature, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, the first device can also notify the application side of the current activation status of dynamic QoS adjustment, thereby triggering the application layer to perform corresponding application layer adjustments based on the activation status, ensuring the successful transmission of burst traffic.

[0245] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application. It should be noted that communication method 300 corresponds to the aforementioned communication method 200. Figure 3 As shown, the method may include the following steps. For ease of understanding, in the following embodiments, SMF is uniformly used as the first device, RAN as the first access network device, and UE and UPF as the second devices.

[0246] S310, the RAN sends a next generation (NG) connection establishment request message to the AMF, and the AMF receives the NG connection establishment request message accordingly.

[0247] The NG connection establishment request message includes the RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities. Specifically, during the node-level process of establishing a connection on the NG interface (i.e., the connection interface between the RAN and AMF), the RAN will send its own QoS adjustment capabilities to the AMF through the NG connection establishment request message. This NG connection establishment process is a node-level connection establishment process between the RAN device and the AMF device at the node granularity.

[0248] Optionally, the QoS adjustment capability may also include uplink information and / or downlink information; that is, the QoS adjustment capability may additionally include uplink QoS adjustment capability and / or downlink QoS adjustment capability.

[0249] For example, the NG connection establishment request message may include indication information #1, which can be used to indicate that the RAN supports QoS adjustment. As another example, the indication information #1 can also be used to indicate that the RAN does not support QoS adjustment.

[0250] It should be noted that the relevant description of the RAN's QoS adjustment capability can be found in the previous description of the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0251] It should be noted that step S310 is an optional step.

[0252] S320, UPF sends an N4 connection request message to SMF, and SMF receives the N4 connection request message accordingly.

[0253] The N4 connection request message includes the UPF's service awareness capabilities. Specifically, when establishing an N4 node-level connection, the UPF sends its service awareness capabilities to the SMF during the N4 connection establishment process. The UPF's service awareness capabilities can refer to its ability to detect dynamic service characteristic information within a service and its ability to mark this service characteristic information at the GTP-U layer in downlink data packets. For details on the UPF's service awareness capabilities, please refer to the previous description of the second device's service awareness capabilities; this will not be repeated here.

[0254] It should be noted that step S320 is an optional step.

[0255] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the SMF can also determine whether the UPF supports the aforementioned service awareness capabilities based on the operation administration and maintenance (OAM) configuration. For example, the SMF's local configuration may include the UPF's service awareness capabilities. It should be noted that in this case, step S320 may not be performed; that is, in this application, step S320 can also be an optional step.

[0256] S330, PCF generates PCC rules.

[0257] Step S330 is an optional step.

[0258] Specifically, the PCF generates policy and charging control (PCC) rules based on dynamic QoS requests provided by the AF or local configuration. These PCC rules are generally at the service data flow (SDF) granularity.

[0259] The PCC rule is used to indicate the QoS policy for a specified service flow. In this application, the PCC rule may include at least one of the following:

[0260] Flow description information used to indicate specific business flows, such as triples, quintuples, etc.

[0261] Auxiliary information used to detect business traffic characteristics, such as protocol description information, that is, business characteristic information is determined through specific protocols or protocol extension headers.

[0262] QoS parameters corresponding to specific traffic characteristics, or in other words, QoS processing strategies corresponding to specific service traffic characteristics.

[0263] S331, PCF sends PCC rules to SMF.

[0264] It should be noted that step S331 can also be executed before step S360, or step S331 can be executed before step S3120.

[0265] S340, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request message to the AMF, and the AMF receives the PDU session establishment request message accordingly.

[0266] The PDU session establishment request message includes the UE's service awareness capability. The UE's service awareness capability refers to its ability to detect dynamic service characteristic information in a service and to mark that service characteristic information into data packets. For more information on the UE's service awareness capability, please refer to the previous description of the service awareness capability of the second device; it will not be repeated here.

[0267] Optionally, the PDU session establishment request message may also include QoS determination capability, whereby the QoS determination capability refers to the UE's ability to determine the target QoS requirements based on service characteristic information.

[0268] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the SMF can also determine whether the UE supports service awareness based on the OAM configuration. It should be noted that in this case, step S340 may not be performed; that is, in this application, step S340 is also an optional step.

[0269] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the RAN does not report its QoS adjustment capabilities to the AMF in step S310—that is, if step S310 is not executed or the NG connection establishment request message does not carry the RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities—then the RAN can add its own QoS adjustment capabilities to the PDU session establishment request message during the process of the UE sending the PDU session establishment request message to the AMF.

[0270] S350, AMF sends an Nsmf session context establishment request message to SMF, and SMF receives the Nsmf session context establishment request message accordingly.

[0271] The Nsmf session context establishment request message includes the UE's service awareness capabilities.

[0272] Optionally, the Nsmf session context establishment request message may also include the RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities. That is, the AMF will send the UE's service awareness capabilities and the RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities to the SMF together.

[0273] S360, SMF determines whether to send configuration.

[0274] First, the SMF determines whether dynamic QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled based on the PCC rules received from the PCF or the local configuration. If the SMF determines that dynamic QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled, further, if the uplink direction of the service requires dynamic QoS adjustment, the SMF also needs to further determine whether to send configuration based on the UE's service awareness capability and the RAN's QoS adjustment capability. This configuration includes a first configuration and / or a second configuration. It should be noted that the relevant descriptions of the configurations can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0275] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the RAN supports QoS adjustment and the UE supports service awareness, the SMF determines the transmission configuration. That is, the SMF performs the following steps S370 and S380.

[0276] S370: SMF sends the first configuration to RAN, and RAN completes the corresponding QoS adjustment configuration based on the received first configuration.

[0277] S380, SMF sends the second configuration to UE, and UE completes the corresponding service awareness configuration according to the received second configuration.

[0278] S390, the UE completes the remaining PDU session establishment process.

[0279] S3100, SMF determines whether to send configuration.

[0280] Steps S3100 and S360 can be executed simultaneously, or only one of them can be executed.

[0281] First, the SMF determines whether dynamic QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled based on the PCC rules received from the PCF or the local configuration. If the SMF determines that dynamic QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled, further, if the downlink direction of the service requires dynamic QoS adjustment, the SMF also needs to determine whether to send configuration based on the UPF's service awareness capability and the RAN's QoS adjustment capability. The configuration includes a first configuration and / or a second configuration.

[0282] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the RAN supports QoS adjustment and the UE supports service awareness, the SMF determines the transmission configuration. That is, the SMF performs the following steps S3110 and S3120.

[0283] S3110, SMF sends the second configuration to UPF, and UPF completes the corresponding service awareness configuration based on the received second configuration.

[0284] S3120: SMF sends the first configuration to RAN, and RAN completes the corresponding QoS adjustment configuration based on the received first configuration.

[0285] It should be understood that the service-aware configuration described above can also be called service detection configuration or service feature detection configuration, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. It should also be understood that the information content in the second configuration sent by the SMF to the UE and the second configuration sent by the SMF to the UPF may not be exactly the same.

[0286] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the UPF does not report its service awareness capability to the SMF in step S320, or in other words, step S320 is not executed, then after determining the transmission configuration, the SMF sends indication information #A to the UPF. This indication information #A is used to instruct the UPF to detect and mark service characteristics.

[0287] Optionally, the method may further include: S3130, the UPF sends service characteristic information to the SMF, and correspondingly, the SMF receives the service characteristic information.

[0288] Specifically, after receiving the indication information #A, the UPF detects and marks the service characteristics, and marks the detected service characteristic information at the GTP-U layer of the downlink data packet and sends it to the RAN, thereby triggering the RAN to adjust QoS according to the service characteristics.

[0289] Furthermore, after receiving the first configuration or service characteristic information, the RAN performs QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information. The QoS adjustment may refer to the adjustment of QoS parameters, or it may be the adjustment of resource scheduling optimization by the RAN based on the service characteristic information. It should be understood that this application does not limit this.

[0290] Optionally, the indication information #A can be carried in the N4 session establishment / modification request message. That is, the SMF sends an N4 session establishment / modification request message to the UPF, and the N4 session establishment / modification request message carries the indication information #A.

[0291] S3140, the UE completes the remaining PDU session establishment or modification process.

[0292] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the method may further include the following steps:

[0293] S3150, SMF sends the first message to AF, and AF receives the first message accordingly.

[0294] Specifically, the first message is used to inform AF whether configuration is enabled. That is to say, the first message is used to inform that configuration is enabled, or the first message can also be used to inform that configuration is not enabled.

[0295] For example, when the UE supports service awareness and the RAN supports QoS adjustment, the SMF sends a configuration, and further, the SMF informs the AF side that the configuration has been enabled.

[0296] For example, when the UPF supports service awareness and the RAN supports QoS adjustment, the SMF sends the configuration, and further, the SMF informs the AF side that the configuration has been enabled.

[0297] For example, if the UE does not support service awareness and / or the RAN supports QoS adjustment, the SMF sends a configuration, and further, the SMF informs the AF side not to enable the configuration.

[0298] For example, if the UPF does not support service awareness and / or the RAN supports QoS adjustment, the SMF sends a configuration, and further, the SMF informs the AF side not to enable the configuration.

[0299] It should be understood that the above-mentioned enabling or disabling configuration can also be understood as enabling or disabling the dynamic QoS adjustment feature, that is, whether SMF performs dynamic QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

[0300] It should also be understood that, in this application, the SMF sending the first message to the AF can be interpreted in the following two ways:

[0301] In one scenario, the SMF sends the first message directly to the AF.

[0302] In another scenario, the SMF first sends the first message to the PCF, and after receiving the first message, the PCF forwards it to the AF.

[0303] S3160, AF made corresponding adjustments.

[0304] Specifically, based on the first received message, the AF determines whether the SMF configuration has been enabled, and then makes corresponding adjustments. For example, the AF adjusts the encoding configuration and application logic, or reduces the fluctuation of traffic characteristics, or stops the dynamic addition of service characteristics along the path, etc.

[0305] According to the above technical solution, the SMF can negotiate capabilities with the RAN and UE / UPF to enable the SMF to decide whether to enable the dynamic QoS adjustment feature, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, the SMF can also notify the AF side of the current activation status of dynamic QoS adjustment, triggering the AF side to perform corresponding application layer adjustments based on the activation status to ensure successful transmission of burst traffic.

[0306] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of a communication method 400 provided in another embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the method includes at least the following steps.

[0307] S411, the first device sends the third configuration to the first access network device.

[0308] S412, the first device sends the fourth configuration to the second device.

[0309] The third configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device, and the fourth configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection. It should be understood that the fourth configuration can also be used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic marking, whereby service characteristic marking can be understood as the second device detecting service characteristic information and marking the detected service characteristic information into data packets before sending them to the first access network device.

[0310] For example, the third configuration may include parameter #1, and the fourth configuration may include parameter #2. Parameter #1 is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and parameter #2 is used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection and / or service feature marking.

[0311] S420, the first device acquires the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0312] The second device determines its own service awareness capabilities and sends them to the first device.

[0313] Specifically, in one scenario, after a service is initiated, the second device acquires service data and determines whether it supports service awareness, i.e., whether it can detect the service's characteristic information, based on the service data. For example, the second device can determine its service awareness capability based on the protocol or protocol extension header information in the service data packet.

[0314] In another scenario, after receiving the fourth configuration, for example, the fourth configuration carries protocol description information for detecting service feature information. In this case, the second device determines whether it has service awareness capability based on the fourth configuration or the protocol description information in the fourth configuration.

[0315] Additionally, after the second device determines its service awareness capabilities, it sends these capabilities to the first device. For example, the second device can initiate a PDU session modification process to send its service awareness capabilities to the first device.

[0316] If the second device is a terminal device, the second device can send its service awareness capabilities to the first device through a PDU session modification request message, or the second device can send its service awareness capabilities to the access network device, which will then send them to the first device.

[0317] If the second device is a user plane network element, it can send its service awareness capabilities to the first device via an N4 session reporting message. These service awareness capabilities are used to indicate whether the user plane network element can detect and / or mark service characteristic information within a service.

[0318] S430, the first device determines whether to send the first instruction information based on the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0319] The first instruction information is used to indicate whether to update or delete the configuration, which includes the third configuration and / or the fourth configuration. The first instruction information is described below for different implementation methods.

[0320] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the second device does not support service awareness, it is determined to send a first indication message to the first access network device.

[0321] In this implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate the update or deletion of the third configuration. That is, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device does not need to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device, or in other words, the first indication information is used to indicate the QoS adjustment configuration performed on the first access network device side is stopped or deleted.

[0322] For example, updating the third configuration can be understood as updating some parameters in the third configuration. For instance, updating parameter 1 to a new parameter so that the updated configuration is different from the third configuration. Deleting the third configuration can be understood as deleting all configuration information related to the third configuration, meaning that the first access network device no longer needs to perform QoS adjustments based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

[0323] Optionally, if the second device does not support service awareness, the method may also include: the first device sending a first indication message to the second device.

[0324] In this implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate the update or deletion of the fourth configuration. That is, the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device should no longer detect and / or identify service feature information, or in other words, the first indication information is used to indicate the stopping or deletion of the configuration for detecting service feature information on the second device side.

[0325] For example, updating the fourth configuration can be understood as updating some parameters in the fourth configuration, such as updating parameter #2 to a new parameter, so that the updated configuration is different from the fourth configuration. Deleting the fourth configuration can be understood as deleting all configuration information related to the fourth configuration, that is, the second device no longer needs to detect and / or mark service feature information.

[0326] Optionally, after step S410, the method may further include: the first device obtaining the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device. A description of the first device obtaining the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0327] Optionally, after the first device obtains the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, the method may further include: the first device determining whether to send first indication information based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device.

[0328] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the first access network device supports QoS adjustment and the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines not to send the first indication information.

[0329] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first indication information is determined to be sent if the first access network device does not support QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support service awareness. That is, if at least one of the first access network device and the second device does not have its own QoS adjustment capability or service awareness capability, the first device determines to send the first indication information.

[0330] For example, the first device may send first indication information to a first access network device and / or a second device. It should be noted that descriptions of the first device sending first indication information to the first access network device and to the second device are provided above and will not be repeated here.

[0331] According to the above technical solution, the first device obtains the service awareness capability of the second device and determines whether to send an instruction to delete or update the configuration to the first access network device and / or the second device based on the service awareness capability. This enables the first device to make a decision on whether to enable the dynamic QoS adjustment feature, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0332] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method 500 according to another embodiment of this application. It should be noted that communication method 500 corresponds to the communication method 400 described above. For ease of understanding, in the following embodiments, SMF is uniformly used as the first device, RAN as the first access network device, and UE and UPF as the second devices.

[0333] like Figure 5 As shown, the method may include at least the following steps.

[0334] S510, the RAN sends an NG connection establishment request message to the AMF, and the AMF receives the NG connection establishment request message accordingly.

[0335] Step S510 is similar to step S310, and will not be described in detail here for the sake of simplicity.

[0336] S520, the UE completes the PDU session establishment / modification establishment process.

[0337] After step S520, if the uplink direction of the service requires QoS adjustment, the method may further include the following steps S521 and S522:

[0338] S521, SMF sends the fourth configuration to UE.

[0339] S522, SMF sends third configuration to RAN.

[0340] Specifically, the SMF determines whether QoS configuration needs to be enabled based on the PCC rules from the PCF or local configuration, and sends a fourth configuration to the UE and a third configuration to the RAN, so that the UE can complete the service-aware configuration and the RAN can complete the QoS adjustment configuration. It should be noted that the relevant descriptions of the third and fourth configurations can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0341] S530, the UE sends an RRC message or uplink data packet to the RAN, and the RAN receives the RRC message or uplink data packet accordingly.

[0342] The PDCP layer of the RRC message or uplink data packet includes the UE's service awareness capabilities.

[0343] For example, when a service is started, the UE receives a data packet and determines its own service awareness capability based on the data packet. Subsequently, the UE sends its own service awareness capability to the RAN. For example, the UE can send its own service awareness capability to the RAN through an uplink RRC message or the PDCP layer header extension of the uplink data packet.

[0344] It should be noted that step S530 is an optional step.

[0345] S540, the RAN sends an N2 SM message to the SMF, and the SMF receives the N2 SM message accordingly.

[0346] The N2SM message includes the UE's service awareness capabilities. Specifically, the RAN sends the service awareness capabilities from the UE to the AMF via the N2SM message, and the AMF then forwards them to the SMF.

[0347] Optionally, if the RAN does not send its own QoS adjustment capability to the AMF in step S510, that is, if step S510 is not executed or the N2 connection establishment request message does not carry the RAN's QoS adjustment capability, then the RAN can add its own QoS adjustment capability to the N2 SM message during the process of the RAN sending the N2 SM message to the SMF.

[0348] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the method may further include: S550, the UE sends a NAS SM message to the SMF, and correspondingly, the SMF receives the NAS SM message.

[0349] The NAS SM message may include the UE's service awareness capabilities.

[0350] Specifically, when a service is started, the UE receives data packets and determines its own service awareness capabilities based on the data packets. Subsequently, the UE sends its own service awareness capabilities to the SMF.

[0351] Optionally, the UE can also send its service awareness capabilities to the SMF through the PDU session release / modification request message. That is to say, the UE's service awareness capabilities can also be carried in the PDU session release / modification request message.

[0352] Optionally, if the RAN does not send its own QoS adjustment capability to the AMF in step S510, that is, if step S510 is not executed or the N2 connection establishment request message does not carry the RAN's QoS adjustment capability, then the RAN can also add its own QoS adjustment capability to the NAS SM message during the process of the UE sending the NAS SM message to the SMF.

[0353] S560, SMF determines whether to send the first instruction message.

[0354] First, the SMF determines whether QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled based on the PCC rules received from the PCF or the local configuration. If the SMF determines that QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled, it further needs to determine whether to send the first indication information based on the UPF's service awareness capability and the RAN's QoS adjustment capability.

[0355] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the UE does not support service awareness, the method may further include step S570.

[0356] S570, the SMF sends the first indication information to the RAN, and the RAN receives the first indication information accordingly.

[0357] In this implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to update or delete the third configuration. For a description of updating or deleting the third configuration, please refer to the previous description of updating or deleting the third configuration, which will not be repeated here.

[0358] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the RAN does not support QoS adjustment, the method may further include: the SMF sending first indication information to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receiving the first indication information. In this implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate updating or deleting the fourth configuration. For a description of updating or deleting the fourth configuration, please refer to the preceding description; it will not be repeated here.

[0359] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the UE supports service awareness and the RAN supports QoS adjustment, the SMF determines not to send the first indication information.

[0360] It should be noted that if the SMF determines to send the first indication message, it means that the SMF has decided to disable or not enable the QoS adjustment configuration. Conversely, if the SMF determines not to send the first indication message, it means that the SMF has decided to continue to enable the QoS adjustment configuration. This will not be elaborated further below.

[0361] If the downlink direction of the service requires this dynamic QoS adjustment, then:

[0362] S580, the UE completes the PDU session establishment / modification process.

[0363] Specifically, the SMF determines whether to enable QoS adjustment configuration based on the PCC rules from the PCF or the local configuration, and sends a fourth configuration to the UPF and a third configuration to the RAN so that the UPF can complete the service awareness configuration and the RAN can complete the QoS adjustment configuration.

[0364] S590, UPF reports its service awareness capabilities to SMF through the N4 interface.

[0365] Once the service is started, the UPF reports its service awareness capabilities to the SMF through the N4 interface.

[0366] S5100, SMF determines whether to send the first instruction message.

[0367] First, the SMF determines whether QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled based on the PCC rules received from the PCF or the local configuration. If the SMF determines that QoS adjustment configuration needs to be enabled, it further needs to determine whether to send the first indication information based on the UPF's service awareness capability and the RAN's QoS adjustment capability.

[0368] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, where UPF does not support business awareness, the method may further include steps

[0369] S5110, the SMF sends the first indication information to the RAN, and the RAN receives the first indication information accordingly.

[0370] In this implementation, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to update or delete the third configuration. That is, the first indication information is used to indicate that the RAN does not need to perform QoS adjustments based on the service characteristic information provided by the UPF, or in other words, the first indication information is used to indicate whether to stop or delete the configuration for QoS adjustments on the RAN side.

[0371] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the RAN does not support QoS adjustment, the method may further include: the SMF sending a first indication message to the UPF, and the UPF receiving the first indication message accordingly.

[0372] In this implementation, the first indication information is used to instruct the updating or deletion of the fourth configuration. That is, the first indication information is used to instruct the UPF to no longer detect and / or identify service characteristic information, or in other words, the first indication information is used to instruct the UPF to stop or delete the configuration for detecting service characteristic information.

[0373] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the UPF supports service awareness and the RAN supports QoS adjustment, the SMF determines not to send the first indication information.

[0374] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the method may further include steps S5120 and S5130:

[0375] In S5120, the UPF sends its own service awareness capabilities to the RAN, and the RAN receives the UPF's service awareness capabilities accordingly.

[0376] Specifically, the UPF can add its own service awareness capabilities to the GTP-U layer of downlink data packets and send them to the RAN side.

[0377] In S5130, the RAN determines whether to disable the third configuration based on the service awareness capability of the received UPF.

[0378] For example, if the UPF does not support service awareness, the RAN will decide to disable the third configuration.

[0379] It should be noted that if steps S5120 and S5130 are executed, step S5110 may not be executed; conversely, if step S5110 is executed, steps S5120 and S5130 may not be executed.

[0380] S5140, SMF sends the first message to AF, and AF receives the first message accordingly.

[0381] S5150, AF made corresponding adjustments.

[0382] It should be noted that steps S5140 and S5150 are similar to steps S3150 and S3160 described above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of simplicity.

[0383] Based on the above technical solution, when the UE / UPF does not support service awareness, the SMF sends an indication to delete or update the configuration, which can promptly adjust or update the configurations on the RAN side and the UE / UPF side to ensure subsequent detection of service characteristics and QoS adjustment, further guaranteeing the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, the SMF can also notify the AF side of the current activation status of dynamic QoS adjustment, thereby triggering the AF side to perform corresponding application layer adjustments based on the activation status to ensure successful transmission of burst traffic.

[0384] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided in another embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the method may include at least the following steps.

[0385] S611, the first device sends the fifth configuration.

[0386] S612, the first device sends the sixth configuration to the second device.

[0387] The fifth configuration is used to instruct QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device, and the sixth configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection and / or service characteristic marking.

[0388] It should be noted that the first device sending configuration can be applied to the following two scenarios:

[0389] Scenario 1: No UE handover occurs.

[0390] Specifically, the UE communicates with the first access network device, and the first device sends the fifth configuration to the first access network device.

[0391] Scenario 2: UE handover occurs.

[0392] Specifically, the first device sends the fifth configuration to the second access network device, at which point the terminal device switches from the second access network device to the first access network device.

[0393] S620, the first access network device sends the first information to the first device, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first information.

[0394] The first information is used by the first device to determine the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0395] Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first information may be the identification information of the first access network device. In this case, the first device locally configures multiple access network device identification information and corresponding dynamic QoS adjustment capability information. Furthermore, the first device can determine the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device based on the identification information of the first access network device.

[0396] For example, the first device can locally store the identification information of multiple access network devices and the correspondence between multiple QoS adjustment capabilities in a predefined manner according to the protocol. After receiving the identification information of the first access network device, the first device can determine the QoS adjustment capability corresponding to the identification information of the first access network device based on the identification information of the first access network device and the correspondence. That is to say, the first device determines the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0397] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate whether the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed.

[0398] For example, the first information may indicate that the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed. At this time, after receiving the first information, the SMF can further determine the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device obtained in advance.

[0399] For example, if the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network obtained in advance by the first device is that the first access network supports QoS adjustment, then after receiving the first information, the first device determines that the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed, that is, the first access network device currently does not support QoS adjustment.

[0400] For example, if the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network obtained in advance by the first device is that the first access network does not support QoS adjustment, then after receiving the first information, the first device determines that the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device has changed, that is, the first access network device currently supports QoS adjustment.

[0401] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the first information can also be used to indicate changes in the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device, wherein the change can be from support to non-support, or from non-support to support.

[0402] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0403] For example, the first information can directly indicate the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0404] For example, if the first information value is "0", it indicates that the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is supported, that is, the first access network device currently supports QoS adjustment.

[0405] For example, if the first information value is "1", it indicates that the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is not supported, that is, the first access network device does not currently support QoS adjustment.

[0406] It should be understood that the above are merely illustrative examples and this application does not impose any limitations on them.

[0407] S630, the first device determines whether to send the second indication information based on the current QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device.

[0408] The second instruction information is used to indicate whether to update or delete the configuration, which includes the fifth configuration and / or the sixth configuration. The second instruction information is described below for different implementation methods.

[0409] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the first access network device does not currently support QoS adjustment, it is determined to send a second indication message to the second device.

[0410] In this implementation, the second indication information is used to indicate the update or deletion of the sixth configuration. That is, the second indication information is used to indicate that the second device no longer detects and / or marks service feature information, or in other words, the second indication information is used to indicate the cessation or deletion of the configuration for detecting service feature information on the second device side.

[0411] Updating the sixth configuration can be understood as updating a portion of the configuration within the sixth configuration, such as certain parameters, so that the updated configuration differs from the sixth configuration. Deleting the sixth configuration can be understood as deleting all configuration information related to the sixth configuration. That is, the second device no longer needs to detect and / or mark service characteristic information.

[0412] For a description of the second instruction information indicating the update or deletion of the sixth configuration, please refer to the above content, and it will not be repeated below.

[0413] Optionally, if the second indication information indicates the deletion of the sixth configuration, the method may further include: the first device sending configuration #3 to the second device, which is used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection and / or service feature marking. It should be understood that configuration #3 is different from the sixth configuration described above.

[0414] Optionally, if the first access network device does not currently support QoS adjustment, the method may also include: the first device sending a second indication message to the first access network device.

[0415] In this implementation, the second indication information is used to indicate the update or deletion of the fifth configuration. That is, the second indication information is used to indicate that the first access network device does not need to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device, or in other words, the second indication information is used to indicate the QoS adjustment configuration performed by the first access network device.

[0416] Updating the fifth configuration can be understood as updating some configurations within the fifth configuration, such as certain parameters, so that the updated configuration differs from the fifth configuration. Deleting the fifth configuration can be understood as deleting all configuration information related to the fifth configuration. That is, the first access network device no longer needs to perform QoS adjustments based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

[0417] For a description of the second instruction information indicating the update or deletion of the fifth configuration, please refer to the above content, and it will not be repeated below.

[0418] Optionally, if the second indication information indicates the deletion of the fifth configuration, the method may further include: the first device sending configuration #4 to the first access network device, the configuration #4 being used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and it should be understood that the configuration #4 is different from the fifth configuration described above.

[0419] Based on the above technical solution, the first device can promptly learn about the changes in the capabilities of the first access network device, and thus make timely and correct decisions based on the changes in the capabilities of the first access network device, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism.

[0420] The following is combined Figure 7 and Figure 8 The above-mentioned communication method 600 will be described in detail.

[0421] Figure 7 A schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 provided in another embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 7 As shown, the method may include at least the following steps. For ease of understanding, in the following embodiments, SMF is uniformly used as the first device, RAN as the first access network device, and UE and UPF as the second devices.

[0422] S701, the UE completes the PDU session establishment and modification process.

[0423] S710, PCF generates PCC rules.

[0424] For a detailed description of the PCC rules, please refer to the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0425] S711, SMF sends the fifth configuration to RAN.

[0426] S712, SMF sends the sixth configuration to UE.

[0427] S713, SMF sends sixth configuration to UPF.

[0428] The descriptions of the fifth and sixth configurations can be found above and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the information in the sixth configuration sent by the SMF to the UE and the sixth configuration sent to the UPF will not be exactly the same.

[0429] Additionally, it should be noted that at least one of steps S712 and S713 will be executed. That is, if QoS adjustment is required for the uplink direction of the service, steps S711 and S712 will be executed, and subsequent steps S770, S790, and S780 will also be executed. However, if QoS adjustment is required for the downlink direction of the service, steps S711 and S713 will be executed, and subsequent steps S750, S760, and S7100 will be executed. If dynamic QoS adjustment is required for both the uplink and downlink directions of the service, all of the above steps will be executed.

[0430] S720, the RAN determines that its QoS adjustment capabilities have changed.

[0431] The RAN's QoS adjustment capability may change due to changes in network resources or other reasons. For example, the RAN may change from supporting QoS adjustment to not supporting QoS adjustment, or vice versa.

[0432] S730, the RAN sends an N2 SM message to the SMF, and the SMF receives the N2 SM message accordingly.

[0433] The N2 SM message includes first information, which is used by the SMF to determine the RAN's current QoS adjustment capabilities. For a description of the first information, please refer to the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0434] S740, SMF determines the RAN's current QoS adjustment capability and, based on the RAN's current QoS adjustment capability, determines whether to send a second indication message.

[0435] The second instruction information is used to indicate the updating or deletion of configurations, which include the fifth configuration and / or the sixth configuration. The second instruction information is described below for different implementation methods.

[0436] Optionally, in one possible implementation, if the RAN does not currently support QoS adjustment, steps S750 to S790 are performed.

[0437] S750, SMF sends second instruction information to UPF, and UPF receives the second instruction information accordingly.

[0438] S760, UPF determines whether to update or delete the sixth configuration based on the second instruction information.

[0439] Specifically, the second instruction information is used to instruct the updating or deletion of the sixth configuration. After receiving the second instruction information, the UPF updates or deletes the sixth configuration. Updating or deleting the sixth configuration can also be understood as the UPF disabling the sixth configuration.

[0440] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the RAN currently supports QoS adjustment, the SMF determines not to send a second indication message to the UPF.

[0441] S770, the SMF sends a second indication message to the UE, and the UE receives the second indication message accordingly.

[0442] S790, UE confirms that the sixth configuration is disabled.

[0443] Specifically, the second indication information is used to instruct the UE to update or delete the sixth configuration. After receiving the second indication information, the UE updates or deletes the sixth configuration. In this context, UPF updating or deleting the sixth configuration can also be understood as the UE disabling the sixth configuration.

[0444] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the RAN currently supports QoS adjustment, the SMF determines not to send a second indication message to the UE.

[0445] Optionally, before step S790, the method may further include:

[0446] S780, the RAN sends indication information #2 to the UE, and the UE receives indication information #2 accordingly.

[0447] The instruction message #2 is used to instruct the UE to enable or disable the sixth configuration. Specifically, after the RAN determines its own QoS adjustment capabilities, it will promptly inform the UE to continue enabling or disabling the sixth configuration through instruction message #2.

[0448] For example, in one possible implementation, if the RAN determines that it currently does not support QoS adjustment, then indication information #2 instructs the UE to disable the sixth configuration; that is, indication information #2 instructs the UE to disable the service-aware configuration. It should be understood that disabling the sixth configuration can be interpreted as deleting or updating the sixth configuration. The service-aware configuration can also be called the service detection configuration or the service feature detection configuration, which will not be discussed further below.

[0449] For example, in one possible implementation, if the RAN determines that it currently supports QoS adjustment, then the indication message #2 instructs the UE to continue to enable the sixth configuration, that is, the indication message #2 instructs the UE to continue to enable the service-aware configuration.

[0450] Optionally, this indication information #2 can be carried in the PDCP layer extension header of an RRC signaling message or a downlink data packet.

[0451] It should be noted that steps S770 and S780 are two parallel steps, meaning that only one of steps S770 and S780 needs to be executed.

[0452] S7100, RAN sends indication information #3 to UPF, and UPF receives indication information #3 accordingly.

[0453] Instruction message #3 is used to instruct the UPF to enable or disable the sixth configuration. Specifically, after the RAN determines its own QoS adjustment capabilities, it will promptly inform the UPF through instruction message #2 to continue enabling or disabling the sixth configuration.

[0454] For example, in one possible implementation, if the RAN determines that it currently does not support QoS adjustment, then indication message #3 instructs the UPF to disable the sixth configuration; that is, indication message #2 instructs the UPF to disable the service-aware configuration. It should be understood that disabling the sixth configuration can be interpreted as deleting or updating the sixth configuration.

[0455] For example, in one possible implementation, if the RAN determines that it currently supports QoS adjustment, then indication message #3 instructs the UPF to continue enabling the sixth configuration, that is, indication message #3 instructs the UPF to continue enabling the service-aware configuration.

[0456] Optionally, this indication information #3 can be sent to the UPF side via the GTP-U layer header message of the downlink data packet.

[0457] S7110, SMF sends the first message to AF, and AF receives the first message accordingly.

[0458] S7120, AF made corresponding adjustments.

[0459] It should be noted that steps S7110 and S7120 are similar to steps S3150 and S3160 described above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of simplicity.

[0460] Based on the above technical solution, the SMF can promptly learn about changes in RAN capabilities, and thus make timely and correct decisions based on these changes, ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, the SMF can also notify the AF side of the current activation status of dynamic QoS adjustment, triggering the AF side to perform corresponding application layer adjustments based on the activation status to ensure successful transmission of burst traffic.

[0461] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method 800 provided in another embodiment of this application. The communication method 800 corresponds to the second scenario described above. Figure 8 As shown, the method may include at least the following steps. For ease of understanding, in the following embodiments, SMF is uniformly used as the first device, the target base station (i.e., the target RAN) as the first access network device, and UE and UPF as the second devices.

[0462] S810, the source access network device (source RAN) sends NG connection establishment request message #1 to the AMF, and the AMF receives NG connection establishment request message #1 accordingly.

[0463] The NG connection establishment request message #1 includes the QoS adjustment capabilities of the source RAN. Specifically, during the node-level process of establishing the NG interface (i.e., the connection interface between the source RAN and the AMF), the source RAN will carry its own QoS adjustment capabilities in the NG connection establishment request message #1. For a description of the source RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities, please refer to the description of the QoS adjustment capabilities of the first access network device; it will not be repeated here.

[0464] For example, the NG connection establishment request message #1 includes indication information #a, which indicates that the source RAN supports QoS adjustment. In another example, the indication information #a indicates that the source RAN does not support QoS adjustment.

[0465] S820, the target RAN sends NG connection establishment request message #2, and correspondingly, the AMF receives NG connection establishment request message #2.

[0466] The NG connection establishment request message #2 includes the target RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities. Specifically, during the node-level process of establishing the NG interface (i.e., the connection interface between the target RAN and the AMF), the target RAN will carry its own QoS adjustment capabilities in the NG connection establishment request message #2. For a description of the target RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities, please refer to the description of the QoS adjustment capabilities of the first access network device; it will not be repeated here.

[0467] For example, the NG connection establishment request message #2 includes indication information #b, which indicates that the target RAN supports QoS adjustment. In another example, the indication information #b indicates that the target RAN does not support QoS adjustment.

[0468] It should be noted that steps S810 and S820 are optional. When steps S810 and S820 are optional, the SMF can also obtain the QoS adjustment capabilities of the source and target RANs through a predefined protocol.

[0469] S821, the UE completes the PDU session establishment and modification process.

[0470] S830, PCF generates PCC rules.

[0471] Step S830 is similar to step S710, and will not be described in detail here for the sake of simplicity.

[0472] S831, SMF sends the fifth configuration to the source RAN.

[0473] S832, SMF sends the sixth configuration to UE.

[0474] S833, SMF sends the sixth configuration to UPF.

[0475] The descriptions of the fifth and sixth configurations can be found above and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the information in the sixth configuration sent by the SMF to the UE and the sixth configuration sent to the UPF will not be exactly the same.

[0476] Additionally, it should be noted that at least one of steps S832 and S833 will be executed. That is, if QoS adjustment is required for the uplink direction of the service, steps S831 and S832 will be executed, and subsequent steps S880 and S890 will also be executed; if QoS adjustment is required for the downlink direction of the service, steps S831 and S833 will be executed, and subsequent steps S860 and S870 will also be executed; if QoS adjustment is required for both the uplink and downlink directions of the service, then all of the above steps will be executed.

[0477] S834, the UE undergoes a mobility handover procedure, for example, the UE switches from the source RAN to the target RAN.

[0478] It should be noted that during the process of the UE switching from the source RAN to the target RAN, the source RAN can send the relevant parameters of the fifth configuration to the target RAN. After receiving the relevant parameters of the fifth configuration, the target RAN completes the fifth configuration.

[0479] S840, the target RAN sends the first information to the SMF, and the SMF receives the first information accordingly.

[0480] This first piece of information is used by the SMF to determine the QoS adjustment capabilities of the target RAN.

[0481] Optionally, this first information can be carried in the N2 path switching message.

[0482] For a description of the first piece of information, please refer to the previous text; it will not be repeated here.

[0483] S850, SMF determines the current QoS adjustment capability of the target RAN, and based on the current QoS adjustment capability of the target RAN, determines whether to send the second indication information.

[0484] The second instruction information is used to indicate the updating or deletion of configurations, which include the fifth configuration and / or the sixth configuration. The second instruction information is described below for different implementation methods.

[0485] Optionally, in one possible implementation, steps S860 to S890 are performed if the target RAN does not currently support QoS adjustment.

[0486] S860, SMF sends second instruction information to UPF, and UPF receives the second instruction information accordingly.

[0487] S870, UPF determines to disable the sixth configuration based on the second instruction information.

[0488] Specifically, the second instruction information is used to instruct the updating or deletion of the sixth configuration. After receiving the second instruction information, the UPF updates or deletes the sixth configuration. Updating or deleting the sixth configuration can also be understood as the UPF disabling the sixth configuration.

[0489] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the RAN currently supports QoS adjustment, the SMF determines not to send a second indication message to the UPF.

[0490] S880, SMF sends a second indication message to UE, and UE receives the second indication message accordingly.

[0491] S890, UE determines whether to disable the sixth configuration.

[0492] Specifically, the second indication information is used to instruct the UE to update or delete the sixth configuration. After receiving the second indication information, the UE updates or deletes the sixth configuration. In this context, UPF updating or deleting the sixth configuration can also be understood as the UE disabling the sixth configuration.

[0493] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, if the RAN currently supports QoS adjustment, the SMF determines not to send a second indication message to the UE.

[0494] In S8100, the SMF sends a first message to the AF, and the AF receives the first message accordingly.

[0495] S8110, AF made corresponding adjustments.

[0496] It should be noted that steps S8100 and S8110 are similar to steps S3150 and S3160 described above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of simplicity.

[0497] Based on the above technical solution, the SMF can promptly obtain the QoS adjustment capabilities of the target RAN after handover during the UE handover process. This allows the SMF to make timely and correct decisions based on the target RAN's QoS adjustment capabilities, thus ensuring the normal operation of the dynamic QoS adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, the SMF can also notify the AF side of the current activation status of dynamic QoS adjustment, triggering the AF side to perform corresponding application layer adjustments based on the activation status to ensure successful transmission of bursty traffic.

[0498] The above text combined Figures 2 to 8 The present application provides a detailed description of the method embodiments, which will be discussed below in conjunction with... Figures 9 to 11 This describes an embodiment of the apparatus described in this application.

[0499] It is understandable that, in order to achieve the functions described in the above embodiments, Figures 9 to 11 The apparatus includes hardware structures and / or software modules that perform various functions. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software.

[0500] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 900 provided in the embodiments of this application. It should be noted that the communication device 900 can be used to implement the functions of the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0501] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include a transceiver unit 910 and a processing unit 920.

[0502] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the above method embodiments, the transceiver unit 910 is used to execute the transceiver steps of the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element), and the processing unit 920 is used to execute the processing steps of the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element).

[0503] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 910 and the processing unit 920, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0504] Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage unit 930 for storing instructions.

[0505] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in the embodiments of this application. It should be noted that the communication device 1000 can be used to implement the functions of the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0506] like Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 includes at least one processor 1010 and a transceiver 1020. The processor 1010 is coupled to a memory and is used to execute instructions stored in the memory to control the transceiver 1020 to transmit and / or receive signals. Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes a memory 1030 for storing instructions.

[0507] It should be understood that the processor 1010 and memory 1030 described above can be combined into a single processing device, with the processor 1010 executing the program code stored in the memory 1030 to achieve the aforementioned functions. In specific implementations, the memory 1030 can be integrated into the processor 1010 or independent of the processor 1010.

[0508] It should also be understood that transceiver 1020 may include a receiver (or receiver unit) and a transmitter (or transmitter unit). Transceiver 1020 may further include antennas, and the number of antennas may be one or more. Transceiver 1020 may also be an antenna interface or an interface circuit.

[0509] When the communication device 1000 is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit can be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip.

[0510] Optionally, the communication device 1000 can be a first device, a first access network device, a second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), or a third device (application function network element), and correspondingly, the transceiver 1020 can be a transceiver circuit.

[0511] Optionally, the communication device 1000 can be a chip applied to the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element), and correspondingly, the transceiver 1020 can be an input / output interface.

[0512] For example, when the communication device 1000 is a chip for a first device, a first access network device, a second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), or a third device (application function network element), the chip implements the functions of the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the above method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element), which is information sent by other devices to the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element); or, the chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element), which is information sent by the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) to other devices.

[0513] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1100 according to an embodiment of this application. The chip system 1100 here can also be a system composed of circuits. Figure 11 The chip system 1100 shown includes: logic circuitry 1110 and input / output interface 1120. The logic circuitry is coupled to the input interface to transmit data and perform operations. Figures 2 to 8 The method described.

[0514] The logic circuit 1110 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 1100. The logic circuit 1110 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 1100 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 1120 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 1100, outputting processed information from the chip system 1100, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 1100 for processing.

[0515] As one approach, the chip system 1100 is used to implement the operations performed by the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0516] For example, logic circuit 1110 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the above method embodiment; input / output interface 1120 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first device, the first access network device, the second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and the third device (application function network element) in the above method embodiment.

[0517] This application also provides a processing apparatus, including a processor and an interface. The processor can be used to execute the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0518] It should be understood that the aforementioned processing device can be a chip. For example, the processing device can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0519] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be executed by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access registers, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. Since the storage medium is located in memory, the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method; to avoid repetition, these will not be described in detail here.

[0520] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0521] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

[0522] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute... Figures 2 to 8 The method of any one of the embodiments shown.

[0523] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform... Figures 2 to 8The method of any one of the embodiments shown.

[0524] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a system, which includes the aforementioned first device, first access network device, second device (user equipment, user plane function network element), and third device (application function network element). Optionally, the system further includes the aforementioned second access network device, etc.

[0525] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates 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., high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0526] In the embodiments mentioned in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0527] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0528] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0529] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0530] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0531] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0532] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0533] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, the method includes: Obtain the service awareness capability of the second device, wherein the service awareness capability is the ability of the second device to perceive service characteristics; Based on the service awareness capability of the second device, determine whether to send configuration. The configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration. The first configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform Quality of Service (QoS) adjustment, and the second configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to send configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device includes: If the second device supports service awareness, determine to send the configuration; or, If the second device does not support the service awareness, it is determined not to send the configuration.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first access network device obtains the QoS adjustment capability, which is the ability of the first access network device to adjust the QoS based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device. The step of determining whether to send configuration based on the service awareness capability of the second device further includes: Based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device, it is determined whether to send the configuration.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to send the configuration based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device includes: If the first access network device supports QoS adjustment and the second device supports the service awareness, then the configuration is determined to be sent; or... If the first access network device does not support the dynamic QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support the service awareness, it is determined not to send the configuration.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, the method includes: Send a third configuration and a fourth configuration, wherein the third configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device, and the fourth configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service characteristic detection; Obtain the service awareness capability of the second device, wherein the service awareness capability is the ability of the second device to perceive service characteristics; Based on the service awareness capability of the second device, it is determined whether to send a first indication message. The first indication message is used to indicate updating or deleting the configuration, and the configuration includes the third configuration and / or the fourth configuration.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to send the first indication information based on the service awareness capability of the second device includes: If the second device supports service awareness, it is determined not to send the first indication information; or, If the second device does not support the service awareness, the first instruction information is sent.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, After sending the third and fourth configurations, the method further includes: The QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device is obtained, wherein the QoS adjustment capability is the ability of the first access network device to adjust the QoS based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device. The step of determining whether to send the first indication information based on the service awareness capability of the second device further includes: Based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device, it is determined whether to send the first indication information.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to send the first indication information based on the QoS adjustment capability of the first access network device and the service awareness capability of the second device includes: If the first access network device supports QoS adjustment and the second device supports the service awareness, then it is determined not to send the first indication information; or... If the first access network device does not support the dynamic QoS adjustment and / or the second device does not support the service awareness, the first indication information is sent.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, the method includes: The second device sends a service-aware capability to the first device. This service-aware capability is the second device's ability to perceive service characteristics. The second device's service-aware capability is used by the first device to determine whether to send a configuration. The configuration includes a first configuration and a second configuration. The first configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment, and the second configuration is used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send configuration, including: If the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines to send the configuration; or... If the second device does not support the service awareness, the first device determines not to send the configuration.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, include: The second device can be a terminal device or a user plane function network element.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, If the second device is the terminal device, the service awareness capability is carried in the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment message or the PDU session modification message; or... If the second device is the user plane function network element, the service awareness capability is carried in the N4 connection establishment message, the N4 session modification feedback message, or the N4 session reporting message.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, the method includes: Receive a fourth configuration, the fourth configuration being used to instruct the second device to perform service feature detection; The system acquires business data and, based on this data, sends the second device's business awareness capability to the first device. This business awareness capability refers to the second device's ability to perceive business characteristics. The service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send a first indication message, the first indication message being used to indicate updating or deleting a configuration, the configuration including a third configuration and / or the fourth configuration. The third configuration is used to instruct the first access network device to perform QoS adjustment based on the service characteristic information provided by the second device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The step of sending the service awareness capabilities of the second device to the first device based on the service data includes: The service perception capability of the second device is determined based on the aforementioned service data; Send the service awareness capabilities of the second device to the first device.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, include: The second device can be a terminal device or a user plane function network element.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, If the second device is the terminal device, the service awareness capability is carried in the PDU session modification message; or... If the second device is the user plane function network element, the service awareness capability is carried in the N4 connection establishment message, the N4 session modification feedback message, or the N4 session reporting message.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The service awareness capability of the second device is used by the first device to determine whether to send the first indication information, including: If the second device supports service awareness, the first device determines not to send the first indication information; or... If the second device does not support the service awareness, the first device determines to send the first indication information.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

22. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is coupled to a memory for reading and executing program instructions stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

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