Communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication method, device, storage medium and program product, relates to the technical field of communication, and can solve the problem of low communication processing efficiency in the data transmission process in the related art. The method comprises the following steps: determining to send first information, the first information being used for indicating that a second network element reserves a storage position for data sent by a first network element; and sending the first information to the second network element. The present disclosure can improve the communication processing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] Data transmission is a core function of communication systems. Whether it's file transfer, real-time video calls, or online gaming, efficient data transmission is a key factor in ensuring a good user experience.

[0003] However, in actual data transmission, there is often an information asymmetry between the sending end and the receiving end. This means that the receiving end cannot know the data to be sent in advance, making it difficult to perform effective optimization processing when receiving data, resulting in poor communication processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product that can solve the problem of low communication processing efficiency during data transmission in related technologies.

[0005] On the one hand, a communication method is provided, applied to a first network element, comprising: determining to send first information, the first information being used to instruct a second network element to reserve a storage location for data sent by the first network element; and sending the first information to the second network element.

[0006] On the other hand, another communication method is provided for application to the second network element, including: receiving first information from the first network element; and reserving storage space for the data sent by the first network element based on the first information.

[0007] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit;

[0008] The processing unit is used to determine the transmission of first information, which instructs the second network element to reserve a storage location for the data transmitted by the first network element;

[0009] The communication unit is used to send the first information to the second network element.

[0010] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit;

[0011] The communication unit is used to receive first information from the first network element; the processing unit is used to reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element based on the first information.

[0012] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor, when executing the computer program, implements the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0013] In another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0014] In another aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0015] In this embodiment, a first network element can send the first information to a second network element after determining that it will send the first information. The first information is used to instruct the second network element to reserve a storage location for the data sent by the first network element. Due to the data transmission process in related technologies, the receiving end cannot know the details of the data sent by the sending end, which makes it difficult for the receiving end to effectively optimize the data reception. Therefore, in this disclosure, the first network element can send the first information to the second network element before sending data to instruct the second network element to reserve a storage location for the data sent by the first network element, thereby improving communication processing efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in some embodiments of this disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of data sorting during data transmission in some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 2 An architecture diagram of a communication system provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0020] Figure 4 This disclosure provides a structural diagram of data sorting during data transmission, based on some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of data sorting during another data transmission process in some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram illustrating another data sorting process during data transmission, provided by some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of data sorting during another data transmission process in some embodiments;

[0025] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram illustrating another data sorting process during data transmission, provided by some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of data sorting during another data transmission process in some embodiments;

[0027] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram illustrating another data sorting process during data transmission, provided by some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of data sorting during another data transmission process in some embodiments;

[0029] Figure 13 This is a structural diagram illustrating another data sorting process during data transmission, provided by some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of data sorting during another data transmission process in some embodiments;

[0031] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram illustrating another data sorting process during data transmission, provided by some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 18 A structural diagram of a first network element provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 19 A structural diagram of a second network element provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 20 This is a structural diagram of a communication device provided for some embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solutions of this disclosure will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0038] It should be noted that, in this disclosure, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this disclosure should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0039] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0040] In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document 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. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more.

[0041] Data transmission is a core function of communication systems. Whether it's file transfer, real-time video calls, or online gaming, efficient data transmission is a key factor in ensuring a good user experience.

[0042] However, in actual data transmission, there is often an information asymmetry between the sending end and the receiving end. This means that the receiving end cannot know the data to be sent in advance, making it difficult to perform effective optimization processing when receiving data, resulting in poor communication processing efficiency.

[0043] For example, in communication networks, due to multipath effects, channel fading, and interference in the wireless environment, the data transmitted by the sender may not be received in the same order as the data received by the receiver. For instance, data transmitted sequentially by the sender may not be received sequentially by the receiver, or data transmitted sequentially by the sender may not be received completely by the receiver.

[0044] In current data transmission scenarios, the sending end sends data packets to the receiving end. The receiving end places the received data packets into its buffer space in the order they are received. The receiving end stores each data packet as it is received, with later received data packets stored in the buffer space following the earlier received data packets. If the received data is out of order, buffering cannot be performed in the order the data packets were sent, making it difficult for the receiving end to store data in contiguous storage space in the order it was sent.

[0045] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the sending end transmits five data packets P1-P5 in sequence. However, due to the complexity of the wireless environment, the receiving end may receive P1, P3, and P5 first, followed by P2 and P4. Since the receiving end cannot determine the details of the data transmitted by the sending end beforehand, it cannot reserve storage space for P2 / P4. If too much storage space is reserved, gaps in data storage will occur. If too little storage space is reserved, a single data packet will be stored in fragmented form. Although the sending end transmits data in the order P1-P2-P3-P4-P5, the receiving end stores the data in the order P1-P3-P5-P2-P4.

[0046] Taking data transmission at the radio link control (RLC) layer as an example, although each data packet carries a serial number (SN), such as the RLC protocol data unit sequence number (PDU SN), the data arrives out of order and is stored out of order in storage space, rather than according to the SN order. When data processing needs to be performed according to the SN order, only one data packet can be addressed at a time. Due to the discontinuous data storage, each data processing operation can only perform read and write operations on a single data packet, resulting in frequent interaction between memory and the central processing unit (CPU), creating a processing burden and leading to low overall communication processing efficiency. If the received out-of-order data is reordered, it will cause additional data copying and additional memory usage, similarly leading to low overall communication processing efficiency.

[0047] Therefore, the first network element can send the first information to the second network element after determining that it will send the first information. The first information is used to instruct the second network element to reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element. Due to the data transmission process in related technologies, the receiving end cannot know the details of the data sent by the sending end, which makes it difficult for the receiving end to effectively optimize the data reception. Therefore, in this disclosure, the first network element can send the first information to the second network element before sending data to instruct the second network element to reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element, thereby improving communication processing efficiency.

[0048] The network architecture of the mobile communication network (including but not limited to 3G, 4G, 5G, and future mobile communication networks) in this disclosure embodiment may include at least a first network element and a second network element. It should be understood that, in this example, in the downlink, the first network element may be a network-side device (e.g., including but not limited to a base station), and the second network element may be a terminal-side device (e.g., including but not limited to a terminal). Of course, in the uplink, the first network element may also be a terminal-side device, and the second network element may also be a network-side device. Furthermore, the first and second network elements may also be modules of a device in the communication system, or protocol layers in the communication system (e.g., including but not limited to the RLC layer). This module may be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0049] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, a communication system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure includes a base station 201 and a terminal 202. There may be one or more base stations 201 and terminals 202, and the number is not limited.

[0050] Base station 201 is a device located on the access network side of the aforementioned communication system, possessing wireless transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system that can be installed on such device. Base station 201 includes, but is not limited to: access points (APs) in WiFi systems, such as home gateways, routers, servers, switches, bridges, etc.; evolved NodeBs (eNBs), radio network controllers (RNCs), NodeBs (NBs), basestation controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved NodeBs, or home NodeBs, HNBs), base band units (BBUs), wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes (e.g., integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes), transmission and reception points (TRPs or transmission points, TPs), etc., and can also be 5G base stations, such as new radio (NR) stations. In a 5G radio (NR) system, a gNB, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), is an antenna panel (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system. Alternatively, it can be a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), a distributed unit (DU), a roadside unit (RSU) with base station functionality, NG radio access network (NG-Ran) equipment, or a 6G base station. Base station 201 also includes base stations in different networking modes, such as a master evolved NodeB (MeNB) and a secondary eNB (SeNB, or secondary gNB, SgNB). Base station 201 also includes different types, such as terrestrial base stations, airborne base stations, and satellite base stations.

[0051] Terminal 202 is a device with wireless communication capabilities that can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted. It can also be deployed on water (such as on ships) and in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal 202 is also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), and terminal equipment, and is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal 202 includes handheld devices and vehicle-mounted devices with wireless connectivity. Currently, terminal 202 can be: mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile internet device (MID), wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, smart bracelet, pedometer, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (e.g., car, bicycle, electric vehicle, airplane, ship, train, high-speed rail, etc.), virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless terminal in industrial control, smart home device (e.g., refrigerator, television, air conditioner, electricity meter, etc.), smart robot, workshop equipment, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, or wireless terminal in smart home, flying equipment (e.g., smart robot, hot air balloon, drone, airplane), etc. In one possible application scenario disclosed in this disclosure, the terminal is a terminal that frequently operates on the ground, such as in-vehicle equipment. In this disclosure, for ease of description, the chip deployed in the above-mentioned device, such as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), a baseband chip, or other chip with communication functions, may also be referred to as a terminal.

[0052] In some embodiments, for downlink transmission, base station 201 can act as the data transmitter, and terminal 202 can act as the data receiver. Before transmitting data, base station 201 can send a first message to terminal 202, instructing terminal 202 to reserve storage space for the data to be transmitted subsequently. Then, base station 201 transmits data to terminal 202. Correspondingly, after receiving the first message, terminal 202 can reserve storage space for subsequent data based on the first message. Then, terminal 202 can store the data transmitted by base station 201 in the reserved storage space. Thus, by sending the first message to terminal 202 in advance, base station 201 enables terminal 202 to know the status of the data transmitted by the transmitter before receiving data, reserving appropriate storage space for subsequent data, thereby improving communication processing efficiency in data transmission scenarios.

[0053] In some embodiments, for uplink transmission, terminal 202 can act as the data sender, and base station 201 can act as the data receiver. Terminal 202 can send a first message to base station 201 before sending data, instructing base station 201 to reserve storage space for the data to be sent subsequently. Then, terminal 202 sends data to base station 201. Correspondingly, after receiving the first message, base station 201 can reserve storage space for subsequent data based on the first message. Then, base station 201 can store the data sent by terminal 202 in the reserved storage space. Thus, by sending the first message to base station 201 in advance, terminal 202 enables base station 201 to know the status of the data sent by the sender before receiving data, reserving appropriate storage space for subsequent data, thereby improving communication processing efficiency in data transmission scenarios.

[0054] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this disclosure can be referenced or learned from each other. For example, the same or similar steps, method embodiments, system embodiments and device embodiments can be referenced from each other without limitation.

[0055] The following is combined Figure 2The communication system shown here, taking the interaction between a first network element and a second network element as an example, describes the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this disclosure, the first network element is the data transmitter, and the second network element is the data receiver. The first and second network elements can be devices, modules of the devices, or protocol layers in the communication system. For example, the first network element, as the data transmitter, can be base station 201, and the corresponding second network element, as the data receiver, can be terminal 202. Another example: the first network element, as the data transmitter, can be terminal 202, and the corresponding second network element, as the data receiver, can be base station 201. Yet another example: the first network element is an RLC layer transmitter, and the second network element is an RLC layer receiver. Yet another example: the first network element is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer transmitter, and the second network element is a PDCP layer receiver. Yet another example: the first network element is a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer transmitter, and the second network element is a MAC layer receiver. This disclosure uses the first network element and the second network element as examples to illustrate the interaction, but this disclosure does not limit the entities that can be used to illustrate the interaction.

[0056] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0057] Step 301: Confirm sending the first message.

[0058] The first information is used to instruct the second network element to reserve a storage location for the data sent by the first network element.

[0059] It should be understood that there are multiple ways for the first network element to determine whether to send the first information. For example, the sending of the first information can be triggered by other information, by other messages, or by configuring the sending conditions of the first information through pre-configuration or pre-definition. In addition, the first network element can determine whether to send the first information on its own, by requesting or instructing the second network element to send it, or by negotiating between the first and second network elements.

[0060] Step 302: Send the first information to the second network element.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first information is transmitted on a Control PDU. Taking the RLC layer as an example, the first information can be transmitted on an RLC layer Control PDU. The first information can be a buffer status report from the RLC layer transmitter. This buffer status report from the RLC layer transmitter can be used to indicate how the data at the RLC transmitter should be reserved at the RLC receiver.

[0062] Based on the above technical solution, the first network element can send the first information to the second network element after determining that it is to send the first information. The first information is used to instruct the second network element to reserve a data storage location for the data sent by the first network element. Because in the data transmission process of related technologies, the receiving end cannot know the details of the data sent by the sending end, which makes it difficult for the receiving end to effectively optimize the data reception. Therefore, in this disclosure, the first network element can send the first information to the second network element to instruct the second network element to reserve a data storage location for the data sent by the first network element, so that the received data is stored sequentially and continuously, thereby improving communication processing efficiency.

[0063] Furthermore, the data sent by the first network element can be divided according to different granularities based on the actual situation, so that the second network element can store it in sequence.

[0064] In some embodiments, the storage location reserved by the second network element is a contiguous buffer space. This contiguous buffer space is used to store data in the order in which the data is sent.

[0065] For example, after receiving the first information, the second network element reserves corresponding data storage space for the data sent by the first network element based on the first information. This data storage space can be called a data storage reservation location. This data storage space is a contiguous cache space, which may include one or more contiguous storage units. For ease of understanding, this storage unit can be likened to a slot.

[0066] In the second network element, there are multiple storage units (slots) arranged sequentially and with contiguous addresses. If the cache addresses are contiguous and the data is stored sequentially, all the data in these slots can be read out at once and processed in batches. This batch processing of data can also be considered a kind of data vectorization operation.

[0067] Based on the above technical solution, this disclosure can achieve the technical effect of sequential continuous data storage by the second network element. Since the data is stored sequentially and continuously, the second network element can process the cached continuous data in batches, thereby reducing the number of interactions between memory and CPU, improving data processing speed, and also facilitating hardware-based pipeline operation.

[0068] In some embodiments, a storage unit in the contiguous cache space corresponds to a data packet, a segment of a data packet, a group of data packets, or a group of segments.

[0069] In some embodiments, a data packet group includes multiple data packets. A segment group includes multiple segments of one or more data packets. That is, the data sent by the first network element can be divided according to the granularity of data packets and segments, or according to the granularity of data packet groups and segment groups, or it can be divided into any combination of data packets, segments, data packet groups, and segment groups as needed.

[0070] In one example, a packet group is a collection of packets concatenated together, and a segment group is a collection of segments of one or more packets concatenated together.

[0071] In one example, the data sent by the first network element corresponds to one or more data packets, which are at least one of the following:

[0072] Data under the same data radio bearer (DRB);

[0073] Data under the same business;

[0074] Data is required to guarantee the target quality of service (QoS).

[0075] The data corresponding to the data unit; or,

[0076] The data in the segment corresponding to the data unit.

[0077] In some embodiments, this disclosure can perform sequential and continuous storage of received data for specific services. For example, the function of reserving data locations can be enabled for extended reality (XR) services, that is, sending first information enables the data of XR services to be stored sequentially and continuously at the receiving end, thereby improving the processing efficiency of XR services.

[0078] In some embodiments, this disclosure can enable sequential and continuous storage of data at the receiving end for small data packet services. For example, for small data packet services, sending a first message allows multiple small data packets to be stored sequentially and continuously at the receiving end, thereby reducing the number of data addressing operations.

[0079] In some embodiments, this disclosure can guarantee sequential and continuous storage of data at the receiving end for specific QoS requirements. For example, deterministic communication tasks have ultra-low latency QoS requirements. For such tasks, sending a first message enables data to be sequentially and continuously stored and processed in batches at the receiving end, thereby accelerating data processing speed and reducing processing latency.

[0080] Furthermore, since the data sent by the first network element in this disclosure can be divided in different ways, the storage location reserved by the second network element can also be divided in the corresponding way.

[0081] In one example, the data sent by the first network element includes at least one data packet, and one storage unit in the buffer space corresponds to one data packet. The second network element allocates a buffer space for the data sent by the first network element, so that the second network element can store each received data packet in a contiguous buffer space of the second network element in the order of transmission.

[0082] In one example, the data sent by the first network element is a group of data packets, and a storage unit in the buffer space corresponds to this group of data packets. The second network element allocates a buffer space for the data sent by the first network element, so that the second network element can store the received group of data packets in a contiguous section of its buffer space. That is to say, a storage unit in the buffer space can be used to store multiple data packets in a group of data packets.

[0083] In one example, the data sent by the first network element includes multiple data packet groups, and one storage unit in the buffer space corresponds to one data packet group. The second network element allocates a buffer space for the data sent by the first network element, so that the second network element can store each received data packet group in a contiguous section of its buffer space in the order of transmission. That is to say, the storage unit addresses in the buffer space are contiguous, and each slot corresponds to multiple data packets.

[0084] In one example, the data transmitted by the first network element includes at least one data packet and at least one group of data packets, meaning that the at least one data packet does not belong to any of the aforementioned at least one group of data packets. Each data packet in the at least one data packet corresponds to one storage unit, and each group of data packets in the at least one group of data packets corresponds to one storage unit. Based on this first information, the second network element can store the data packets and group of data packets sequentially and continuously according to the transmission order.

[0085] For example, in combination Figure 1In the example shown, the first network element sends five data packets P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 in sequence. Due to various factors, the second network element receives data packets P1, P3, and P5 first, followed by data packets P2 and P4. In current related technologies, the second network element cannot obtain information about the data sent by the first network element beforehand, and therefore cannot reserve storage space for the five data packets to allocate slots appropriately. Consequently, they can only be stored in the order of reception. This results in the data being stored in the buffer in an out-of-order order: P1-P3-P5-P2-P4.

[0086] Currently, related technologies typically only allow for retrieving and processing data packets one by one, or reordering the out-of-order data. Reading data packet by packet significantly increases the number of interactions between memory and CPU, severely impacting data processing speed. Reordering requires additional storage space for caching and conversion, and this operation also increases data processing time.

[0087] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, in the embodiments provided in this disclosure, the second network element obtains the first information in advance and uses the first information to know the status of the data sent by the first network element, and allocates five suitable slots for these five data packets. For example, based on the first information, the second network element stores the first received data packets P1, P3, and P5 in slots 1, 3, and 5 respectively, and places the later received data packets P2 and P4 in slots 2 and 4 respectively. In this way, the second network element can store the five received data packets consecutively in the order of P1-P2-P3-P4-P5. During data processing, a continuous cache of these five data packets can be retrieved at once for batch processing, without needing to retrieve and process or reorder each data packet individually. It can be seen that what originally required five data read operations now only requires one data read operation, significantly reducing the number of interactions between memory and CPU. Furthermore, vectorized batch processing of the five data packets can be performed to improve data processing speed and facilitate hardware pipeline operations.

[0088] As one embodiment of this disclosure, combined with Figure 3 The illustrated embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, before sending the first message, the method further includes step 501, receiving the first message, or step 502, sending the second message.

[0089] The first message is used to instruct the first network element to send the first information, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to receive the first information.

[0090] It should be understood that steps 501 and 502 are optional steps and can be performed or not depending on the actual situation. For example, only step 501 can be performed, only step 502 can be performed, or both steps 501 and 502 can be performed. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following:

[0092] The message that triggers the first information transmission includes the request message, the DRB configuration message, and the radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0093] In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following:

[0094] The first information configuration message, DRB configuration message, and RRC message.

[0095] In one example, the first network element can receive the first message first and then send the first information, enabling the second network element to reserve a location. Taking uplink transmission as an example, the first network element is the terminal, and the second network element is the base station. The terminal first receives the first message (such as a DRB configuration message) sent by the base station, determines the first information to be sent based on the first message, and then sends the first information to the base station.

[0096] In one example, the second network element can send a request message to the first network element. The first network element receives the request message from the second network element and sends first information based on the request message. Taking downlink transmission as an example, the first network element is the base station, and the second network element is the terminal. The terminal sends a request message, and after receiving the request message from the terminal, the base station sends the first information and corresponding data. Taking uplink transmission as an example, the first network element is the terminal, and the second network element is the base station. The base station sends a request message, and after receiving the request message from the base station, the terminal sends the first information and corresponding data.

[0097] In one example, the first network element can send the second message first, and then send the first information. Taking downlink transmission as an example, the first network element is the base station, and the second network element is the terminal. The base station can first send the second message (such as a DRB configuration message) to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine how to receive the first information and how to reserve data location based on the first information, and then the base station sends the first information to the terminal.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following:

[0099] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first network element to send the first information;

[0100] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the first network element to send the first information.

[0101] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0102] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0103] In some embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following:

[0104] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the second network element to receive the first information;

[0105] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the second network element to receive the first information.

[0106] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0107] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0108] In other words, the first message and the second message may include parameters that trigger the sending of the first information, as well as parameters on how to send or receive the first information. For example, the configuration parameters of the first information may include parameters such as the sending period, the sending method, the receiving method, and the generation method of the first information. Information that corresponds to the first information may include parameters such as the sending priority of the first information, the size and number of reserved positions corresponding to the first information, etc.

[0109] In one example, the request message includes an activation instruction, and the first network element sends the first information based on the activation instruction. As another example, the request message includes an enable request, and the first network element sends the first information based on the enable request.

[0110] In one example, the first network element can obtain the above information based on the configuration parameters corresponding to the DRB of the transmitted data. For instance, the DRB configuration message includes an activation indication, which indicates that data transmitted under this DRB needs to have its data location reserved at the receiving end. Therefore, the first network element can determine to send the first information to achieve the above objective.

[0111] In some embodiments, the data transmitted by DRB is used to reserve a data storage location in the second network element based on the first information.

[0112] In one example, the first network element can determine whether to send the first information based on the DRB configuration message. This DRB configuration message is used to configure the DRB used by the first network element to transmit data to the second network element. The DRB configuration message includes an activation indicator, which the second network element uses to determine whether to send the first information. For example, if the activation indicator is active, it means that the data under this DRB is intended to be sent via the first information, prompting the second network element to reserve a data storage location.

[0113] In one example, the DRB configuration message includes first information. In this case, the first network element can directly obtain the first information from the DRB configuration message, thereby determining that the first information needs to be sent.

[0114] In one example, the first network element can obtain the above information from the RRC message. For instance, if the RRC message includes an activation indication, the first network element can determine from the RRC message that it needs to send the first information. Or, if the RRC message includes an enable request, the first network element will send the first information based on that enable request.

[0115] In one example, the first network element obtains the first information directly or indirectly from the RRC message. For instance, if the RRC message includes the first information, the first network element directly obtains this first information and determines that it needs to send it. Alternatively, if the RRC message includes configuration parameters for the first information or information corresponding to the first information, the first network element can determine the first information and whether it needs to send it based on the RRC message.

[0116] The first network element can respond to the first message and determine to send the first information; or, the first network element can determine to send the first information on its own; or, the first network element can also negotiate with the second network element to determine to send the first information.

[0117] In one example, when the first network element decides to send the first information, the second network element may respond to the first information or may not respond to the first information.

[0118] As one embodiment of this disclosure, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0119] The initial value of the storage location of the first data packet sent by the first network element;

[0120] The offset of the storage location of all data packets other than the starting data packet relative to the starting data packet;

[0121] The starting value of the storage location of the reference data packet in this data;

[0122] The offset of the storage location of other data packets in this data relative to the reference data packet, excluding the reference data packet;

[0123] The number of each data packet in this data;

[0124] The group number of each data packet group in this data;

[0125] This data contains information about the correspondence between each data packet and its storage location;

[0126] The length of each data packet in this data;

[0127] The length of each data packet group in this data;

[0128] The data transmission status.

[0129] The initial value of the storage location of the starting data packet can be the initial value of the cache address of the starting data packet (e.g., in bytes). This storage location is the storage location of the storage unit corresponding to the starting data packet. The reference data packet is a data packet used to determine the relative position of other data packets. For example, the reference data packet can be the starting data packet, the ending data packet, or other specified data packets. By using the storage location of the reference data packet and the offsets of other data packets relative to the storage location of the reference data packet (e.g., in bytes), the second network element can determine the storage location of each data packet.

[0130] A packet's number is used to identify the packet; for example, the packet's ID and packet's SN are both packet numbering systems. Similarly, a packet group's group number is used to identify the packet group; for example, the packet group ID and packet group SN are both packet group numbering systems.

[0131] In one example, the correspondence information between data packets and storage locations in this data is used to characterize the correspondence between the data packet number and the number of the storage location reserved at the second network element.

[0132] The mapping information between data packets and their storage locations indicates which storage unit in the cache space of the second network element each data packet should be stored in. For example, a data packet numbered P1 is placed in storage unit numbered B1, and a data packet numbered P2 is placed in storage unit numbered B2, where P1, P2, B1, and B2 are all integers greater than 1. Alternatively, the mapping between the data packet number and the cache address (such as cache start address, cache length, and cache end address) of the second network element's storage unit can be used to indicate the data storage location.

[0133] The mapping information between data packets and storage locations may include the mapping rules between data packets and their storage locations. For example, the mapping rule may be that one data packet corresponds to one storage unit. Or, for another example, the mapping rule may be that one group of data packets corresponds to one storage unit.

[0134] The length of each data packet is used to indicate the size of the storage unit that the second network element needs to reserve for each data packet, and the length of each data packet group is used to indicate the size of the storage unit that the second network element needs to reserve for each data packet group.

[0135] In some embodiments, the data transmission status includes at least one of the following:

[0136] Already in the cache but not yet scheduled, already in the cache and already scheduled, sent but not yet received by the second network element, sent and received by the second network element.

[0137] It should be understood that the data sent by the first network element may have multiple transmission states. The first network element can inform the second network element of the transmission state in advance through the first information, so that the second network element can receive and process the data accordingly. Based on the data transmission state, the second network element can reserve storage space accordingly. For example, if the data packet's transmission state is "sent" but the second network element has not yet received it, then the second network element needs to reserve storage space in advance.

[0138] In one example, the first message may only indicate the data packet that the first network element will send. If the first network element has already received an indication that a data packet was successfully received by the second network element (such as an ACK indication), the first message may not include the location reservation indication for that data packet.

[0139] For example, in combination Figure 1 As shown in the example, in related technologies, the RLC receiver places received data packets into its buffer in the order they are received, with later received packets stored in the buffer space following the earlier ones. Although each data packet carries a serial number (such as the RLC PDU SN), due to out-of-order arrival, they are stored out of order in the storage space, rather than according to the SN order. When data processing is required according to the SN order, only one data packet can be addressed at a time.

[0140] Combination Figure 4 As illustrated in the example provided in this disclosure, based on the first information, the second network element can place the received data packets into the receiving end buffer according to the order in which the first network element sent the data. For example, in this disclosure, the second network element can store data packets based on the SN order. When data addressing is required, multiple data packets stored in the order of transmission in a contiguous storage space can be addressed at once. For example, if five data packets are stored sequentially, all five data packets can be addressed at once.

[0141] In one example, the first network element sends first information to the second network element. The second network element obtains the starting address and offset (e.g., in bytes) of the storage location from the first information. This allows the second network element to calculate the storage location of each data packet, enabling it to accurately reserve a location for each packet (i.e., determine the position and size of the storage slot). For example, if P1 is the reference data packet, the storage location of P3 (which can also be the corresponding memory address) can be determined using the absolute starting position of P1 and the offset of P3 relative to P1. When P3 arrives at the receiving end, it is placed in its corresponding storage unit (slot). As can be seen, the technical solution provided in this disclosure allows for the sequential storage of data in a continuous buffer space at the receiving end. During data processing, multiple data packets can be addressed and processed in batches at once based on the starting address and offset of the storage location.

[0142] In some embodiments, for DRBs with order requirements, if all data under the DRB can be stored sequentially and continuously, the data processing efficiency will be improved.

[0143] In one example, the first information can be indicated through semi-static RRC configuration, thereby enabling the configuration of the DRB. For instance, an RLC entity can be configured by sending an RRCReconfiguration or RRCSetup message, and the configuration of the first information can be included in the RLC entity configuration.

[0144] For example, the RRCReconfiguration message includes an optional field "radioBearerConfig" for configuring or rebuilding the radio bearer. The "radioBearerConfig" information element contains a field named "rlc-Config" for configuring the RLC entity. Parameters related to the first message are added to "rlc-Config," which can be parameters enabling the first message transmission, configuration parameters corresponding to the first message transmission, etc. For example, in the RLC configuration under DRB configuration (such as radioBearerConfig), a field / parameter enabling the first message transmission is added. If the first message transmission is enabled, the first network element transmits the first message, and the second network element receives the first message and reserves storage space for the data transmitted by the first network element based on the first message. For example, in the RLC configuration under DRB configuration (such as radioBearerConfig), configuration parameters for the first message transmission (such as the specific content of the first message) are added. Based on the configuration parameters for the first message transmission, the first network element transmits the first message. The configuration parameters for sending the first message can be: the initial value of the storage location of the starting data packet (or the initial value of the cache address of the starting data packet), the offset of the storage location of other data packets relative to the starting data packet, the initial value of the storage location of the reference data packet, the offset of the storage location of other data packets relative to the reference data packet, the number of the data packet, the correspondence information between the data packets and their storage locations, the length of each data packet, the length of the data packet group, and the sending status of the data being sent, etc.

[0145] The following sections describe the data storage methods used in this disclosure in different scenarios.

[0146] Taking the data sent as an example, which includes an RLC service data unit (SDU), the first piece of information includes the absolute starting position of the RLC SDU.

[0147] In one example, when multiple RLC SDUs exist, the first network element sends data packets RLCSDU1, RLC SDU2, RLC SDU3, RLC SDU4, and RLC SDU5 in data order, and the second network element receives them in the same order. The first network element can ensure that each RLC SDU is stored sequentially in the second network element by indicating the absolute start position of each RLC SDU. For example... Figure 6As shown, in related technologies, data packets can only be stored out of order according to the received order; that is, the stored data packets are ordered as RLC SDU1, RLC SDU3, RLC SDU5, RLC SDU2, and RLC SDU4. Figure 7 As shown, since storage space has been reserved in this disclosure, each RLC SDU can be stored in the corresponding storage unit to achieve sequential and continuous storage, that is, the stored data packets are ordered as RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, RLC SDU3, RLC SDU4, and RLC SDU5.

[0148] In one example, when a complete RLC SDU exists, and this RLC SDU includes multiple segments, the first information can be used to achieve sequential and continuous storage of multiple segments of this SDU, facilitating the processing of the entire SDU. For example, during RLC segmentation, when large blocks of data need to be transmitted, in order to adapt to changes in the wireless channel and improve transmission efficiency, the RLC layer will divide these large blocks of data into smaller data units for transmission. Using the technical solution provided in this disclosure, these small data units can be stored sequentially and continuously, facilitating subsequent processing of the entire SDU. This sequential storage capability can effectively guarantee the use of applications that rely on data integrity and order (such as voice calls, video streaming, etc.).

[0149] For example, the first network element sends the RLC SDU segments (segment1, segment2, segment3, segment4) in data order, and the second network element receives them in the order of segment2, segment4, segment1, segment3. Figure 8 As shown, in related technologies, data can only be stored out of order according to the receiving order; that is, the stored segments are ordered as segment2, segment4, segment1, and segment3. Figure 9 As shown, since storage space has been reserved in this disclosure, each segment of the RLC SDU can be stored in the corresponding storage unit to achieve sequential continuous storage, that is, the stored segments are ordered as segment1, segment2, segment3, and segment4.

[0150] In one example, when multiple RLC SDUs exist, and each RLC SDU includes multiple segments, the first information can be used to achieve sequential and contiguous storage of multiple SDUs, facilitating the processing of the entire SDU. For example, the first information may include the absolute position of the first RLC SDU and the offsets of other RLC SDUs relative to the first RLC SDU, allowing the receiving end to calculate the buffer space reserved for each RLC SDU. Alternatively, the first information may include the absolute position of each RLC SDU and the offset positions of each segment, allowing the receiving end to calculate the buffer space reserved for each RLC SDU and its segments.

[0151] For example, the first network element sends the RLC SDU segments RLC SDU1 segment1, RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment1, and RLC SDU2 segment2 in data order, and the second network element receives them in the following order: RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment2, RLC SDU1 segment1, and RLC SDU2 segment1. Figure 10 As shown, in related technologies, the data can only be stored out of order according to the receiving order, that is, the stored segments are ordered as RLCSDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment2, RLC SDU1 segment1, and RLC SDU2 segment1. Figure 11 As shown, since storage space has been reserved in this disclosure, each segment of multiple RLC SDUs can be stored in the corresponding storage unit to achieve sequential and continuous storage. That is, the stored segments are ordered as RLC SDU1 segment1, RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment1, and RLC SDU2 segment2.

[0152] In one example, multiple data packets or segments concatenated together also need to be stored sequentially and continuously. For instance, at the MAC layer, to improve transmission efficiency, multiple data units need to be concatenated (e.g., concatenating multiple different RLC SDUs together, or concatenating multiple segments of different RLC SDUs together). If the data is not stored sequentially in the contiguous buffer space of the RLC layer, multiple addressings will occur. Using the technical solution provided in this disclosure, even in the case of MAC concatenation, sequential and continuous data storage can be achieved by using absolute positions to indicate the starting position of the concatenated data packets and using offsets to indicate other data packets.

[0153] For example, RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, and RLC SDU3 are concatenated at the MAC layer, and RLC SDU4 and RLC SDU5 are concatenated at the MAC layer. The first network element sends data packets RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, RLC SDU3, RLC SDU4, RLC SDU5, and RLC SDU6 in data order. The second network element receives them in the following order: RLC SDU6, RLC SDU4, RLC SDU5, RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, and RLC SDU3. Figure 12 As shown, in related technologies, data packets can only be stored out of order according to the received order; that is, the stored data packets are ordered as RLC SDU6, RLC SDU4, RLC SDU5, RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, and RLC SDU3. Figure 13 As shown, in this disclosure, storage space has been reserved, including three storage units (slots). The first storage unit corresponds to the set of data packets cascaded together by RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, and RLC SDU3. The second storage unit corresponds to the set of data packets cascaded together by RLC SDU4 and RLC SDU5. The third storage unit corresponds to the data packet RLC SDU6. Therefore, the above RLC SDUs can be stored in the corresponding storage units to achieve sequential and continuous storage. That is, the order of the stored data packets is RLC SDU1, RLC SDU2, RLC SDU3, RLC SDU4, RLC SDU5, and RLC SDU6.

[0154] For example, such as Figure 14As shown, RLC SDU1 includes segments RLC SDU1 segment1 and RLC SDU1 segment2; RLC SDU2 includes segments RLC SDU2 segment1, RLC SDU2 segment2, and RLC SDU2 segment3; and RLC SDU3 includes segments RLC SDU3 segment1 and RLC SDU3 segment2. RLC SDU1 segment2 and RLC SDU2 segment1 are concatenated at the MAC layer, and RLC SDU2 segment3 and RLC SDU3 segment1 are concatenated at the MAC layer. The first network element transmits the segments RLC SDU1 segment1, RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment1, RLC SDU2 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment3, RLC SDU3 segment1, and RLC SDU3 segment2 of the data packet in data order. The receiving order of the second network element is RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment1, RLC SDU1 segment1, RLC SDU2 segment3, RLC SDU3 segment1, RLC SDU3 segment2, and RLC SDU2 segment2. Related technologies can only store the segments out of order according to the receiving order; that is, the stored segments are ordered as RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment1, RLC SDU1 segment1, RLC SDU2 segment3, RLC SDU3 segment1, RLC SDU3 segment2, and RLC SDU2 segment2.

[0155] For example, such as Figure 15As shown, RLC SDU1 includes segments RLC SDU1 segment1, RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU1 segment3, and RLC SDU1 segment4; RLC SDU2 includes segments RLC SDU2 segment1, RLC SDU2 segment2, and RLC SDU2 segment3. In this disclosure, storage space is reserved, including six storage units (slots). The first storage unit corresponds to segment RLC SDU1 segment1; the second storage unit corresponds to segment RLC SDU1 segment2; the third storage unit corresponds to segment RLC SDU1 segment3; the fourth storage unit corresponds to the concatenated set of segments RLC SDU1 segment4 and RLC SDU2 segment1; the fifth storage unit corresponds to segment RLC SDU2 segment2; and the sixth storage unit corresponds to segment RLC SDU2 segment3. Therefore, the segments of the aforementioned RLC SDU can be stored in their corresponding storage units, achieving sequential and continuous storage, i.e., the stored segments are ordered as RLC SDU1. segment1, RLC SDU1 segment2, RLC SDU1segment3, RLC SDU1segment4, RLC SDU2 segment1, RLC SDU2 segment2, RLC SDU2 segment3.

[0156] As the above example illustrates, out-of-order storage at the receiving end leads to numerous storage fragments, significantly increasing the complexity of data reading, writing, and processing, and causing processing latency. Using the technical solution provided in this disclosure, the receiving end can perform sequential storage on contiguous cache space, which reduces the number of address seeks and indexing overhead, thereby lowering processing latency.

[0157] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 16 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0158] Step 1601: Receive the first information from the first network element.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first information is received on a Control Protocol Data Unit (Control PDU).

[0160] Step 1602: Based on the first information, reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element.

[0161] In some embodiments, the storage location reserved by the second network element is a contiguous cache space; the contiguous cache space is used to store data in the order in which the data is sent.

[0162] In some embodiments, a storage unit in a contiguous cache space corresponds to a data packet, a segment of a data packet, a group of data packets, or a group of segments.

[0163] In some embodiments, a packet group is a collection of packets concatenated together, and a segment group is a collection of segments of one or more packets concatenated together.

[0164] In some embodiments, the data transmitted by the first network element is at least one of the following:

[0165] Data under the same data wireless carrier DRB;

[0166] Data under the same business;

[0167] Data on the target Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee needs to be provided;

[0168] The data corresponding to the data unit; or,

[0169] The data segmented according to the corresponding data unit.

[0170] In some embodiments, the data transmitted by DRB is used to reserve a data storage location in the second network element based on the first information.

[0171] Based on the above technical solution, the second network element can receive first information from the first network element and reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element based on the first information. Due to the data transmission process in related technologies, the receiving end cannot know the details of the data sent by the sending end, which makes it difficult for the receiving end to effectively optimize the data reception. Therefore, in this disclosure, the first network element can send first information to the second network element before sending data to instruct the second network element to reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element, thereby improving communication processing efficiency.

[0172] As one embodiment of this disclosure, combined with Figure 16 The illustrated embodiments, such as Figure 17 As shown, the method further includes the following steps: 1701, sending a first message, or 1702, receiving a second message.

[0173] The first message is used to instruct the first network element to send the first information, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to receive the first information.

[0174] It should be understood that steps 1701 and 1702 above are optional steps, and can be performed or not depending on the actual situation. For example, only step 1701 can be performed, only step 1702 can be performed, or both steps 1701 and 1702 can be performed. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following:

[0176] The first message to be sent includes the request message, DRB configuration message, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0177] In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following:

[0178] The first information configuration message, DRB configuration message, and RRC message.

[0179] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following:

[0180] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first network element to send the first information;

[0181] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the first network element to send the first information.

[0182] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0183] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0184] In some embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following:

[0185] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the second network element to receive the first information;

[0186] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the second network element to receive the first information.

[0187] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0188] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0189] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0190] The initial value of the storage location of the first data packet sent by the first network element;

[0191] The offset of the storage location of all data packets other than the starting data packet relative to the starting data packet;

[0192] The starting value of the storage location of the reference data packet in this data;

[0193] The offset of the storage location of other data packets in this data relative to the reference data packet, excluding the reference data packet;

[0194] The number of each data packet in this data;

[0195] The group number of each data packet group in this data;

[0196] This data contains information about the correspondence between each data packet and its storage location;

[0197] The length of each data packet in this data;

[0198] The length of each data packet group in this data;

[0199] The data transmission status.

[0200] In some embodiments, the data transmission status includes at least one of the following:

[0201] Already in the cache but not yet scheduled, already in the cache and already scheduled, sent but not yet received by the second network element, sent and received by the second network element.

[0202] In some embodiments, the correspondence information between data packets and storage locations in the data is used to characterize the correspondence between the number of the data packet and the number of the storage location reserved at the second network element.

[0203] For related explanations, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0204] It is understood that, in order to achieve the above-mentioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithmic steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments of this disclosure, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware 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 disclosure.

[0205] This disclosure embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the module division in this disclosure embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0206] For example, taking a communication device as the first network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 18 This is a structural diagram of a first network element 180 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The first network element 180 can execute the communication method provided in the above-described method embodiment. Figure 18 As shown, the first network element 180 includes a processing unit 1801 and a communication unit 1802.

[0207] Processing unit 1801 is used to determine the transmission of first information, the first information being used to instruct the second network element to reserve a storage location for the data transmitted by the first network element;

[0208] The communication unit 1802 is used to send the first information to the second network element.

[0209] In some embodiments, the storage location reserved by the second network element is a contiguous cache space; the contiguous cache space is used to store data in the order in which the data is sent.

[0210] In some embodiments, a storage unit in a contiguous cache space corresponds to a data packet, a segment of a data packet, a group of data packets, or a group of segments.

[0211] In some embodiments, a packet group is a collection of packets concatenated together, and a segment group is a collection of segments of one or more packets concatenated together.

[0212] In some embodiments, the data corresponds to one or more data packets, and the data is at least one of the following:

[0213] Data under the same data wireless carrier DRB;

[0214] Data under the same business;

[0215] Data on the target Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee needs to be provided;

[0216] The data corresponding to the data unit; or,

[0217] The data segmented according to the corresponding data unit.

[0218] In some embodiments, the data transmitted by DRB is used to reserve a data storage location in the second network element based on the first information.

[0219] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1801 is used to receive a first message or send a second message. The first message is used to instruct the first network element to send first information; the second message is used to instruct the second network element to receive the first information.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following:

[0221] The first message to be sent includes the request message, DRB configuration message, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0222] In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following:

[0223] The first information configuration message, DRB configuration message, and RRC message.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following:

[0225] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first network element to send the first information;

[0226] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the first network element to send the first information.

[0227] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0228] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0229] In some embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following:

[0230] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the second network element to receive the first information;

[0231] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the second network element to receive the first information.

[0232] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0233] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0235] The initial value of the storage location of the first data packet in the data;

[0236] The storage location offset of all data packets in the data other than the starting data packet relative to the starting data packet;

[0237] The starting value of the storage location of the baseline data packet in the data;

[0238] The offset of the storage location of other data packets in the data relative to the reference data packet, excluding the reference data packet;

[0239] The number of each data packet in the data;

[0240] The group number of each data packet group in the data;

[0241] The correspondence between each data packet and its storage location;

[0242] The length of each data packet in the data;

[0243] The length of each data packet group in the data;

[0244] Data transmission status.

[0245] In some embodiments, the data transmission status includes at least one of the following:

[0246] Already in the cache but not yet scheduled, already in the cache and already scheduled, sent but not yet received by the second network element, sent and received by the second network element.

[0247] In some embodiments, the correspondence information between data packets and storage locations in the data is used to characterize the correspondence between the number of the data packet and the number of the storage location reserved at the second network element.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first information is transmitted on a Control Protocol Data Unit (Control PDU).

[0249] For example, taking a communication device as the second network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 19 This is a structural diagram of a second network element 190 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The second network element 190 can execute the communication method provided in the above-described method embodiment. Figure 19 As shown, the second network element 190 includes a processing unit 1901 and a communication unit 1902.

[0250] Communication unit 1902 is used to receive first information from the first network element;

[0251] The processing unit 1901 is used to reserve storage space for the data sent by the first network element based on the first information.

[0252] In some embodiments, the storage location reserved by the second network element is a contiguous cache space; the contiguous cache space is used to store data in the order in which the data is sent.

[0253] In some embodiments, a storage unit in a contiguous cache space corresponds to a data packet, a segment of a data packet, a group of data packets, or a group of segments.

[0254] In some embodiments, a packet group is a collection of packets concatenated together, and a segment group is a collection of segments of one or more packets concatenated together.

[0255] In some embodiments, the data consists of at least one of the following:

[0256] Data under the same data wireless carrier DRB;

[0257] Data under the same business;

[0258] Data on the target Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee needs to be provided;

[0259] The data corresponding to the data unit; or,

[0260] The data segmented according to the corresponding data unit.

[0261] In some embodiments, the data transmitted by DRB is used to reserve a data storage location in the second network element based on the first information.

[0262] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1902 is used to send a first message or receive a second message; the first message is used to instruct a first network element to send first information; the second message is used to instruct a second network element to receive the first information.

[0263] In some embodiments, the first message is one of the following:

[0264] The first message to be sent includes the request message, DRB configuration message, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0265] In some embodiments, the second message is one of the following:

[0266] The first information configuration message, DRB configuration message, and RRC message.

[0267] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following:

[0268] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the first network element to send the first information;

[0269] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the first network element to send the first information.

[0270] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0271] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0272] In some embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following:

[0273] Activation indicator, used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the second network element to receive the first information;

[0274] Enable request: The enable request is used to enable the second network element to receive the first information.

[0275] Configuration parameters for the first information;

[0276] Information that corresponds to the first piece of information.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0278] The initial value of the storage location of the first data packet in the data;

[0279] The storage location offset of all data packets in the data other than the starting data packet relative to the starting data packet;

[0280] The starting value of the storage location of the baseline data packet in the data;

[0281] The offset of the storage location of other data packets in the data relative to the reference data packet, excluding the reference data packet;

[0282] The number of each data packet in the data;

[0283] The group number of each data packet group in the data;

[0284] The correspondence between each data packet and its storage location;

[0285] The length of each data packet in the data;

[0286] The length of each data packet group in the data;

[0287] Data transmission status.

[0288] In some embodiments, the data transmission status includes at least one of the following:

[0289] Already in the cache but not yet scheduled, already in the cache and already scheduled, sent but not yet received by the second network element, sent and received by the second network element.

[0290] In some embodiments, the correspondence information between data packets and storage locations in the data is used to characterize the correspondence between the number of the data packet and the number of the storage location reserved at the second network element.

[0291] In some embodiments, the first information is received on a Control Protocol Data Unit (Control PDU).

[0292] In implementing the functionality of the integrated modules described above using hardware, this disclosure provides another possible structure for the communication device involved in the above embodiments. For example... Figure 20 As shown, the communication device 200 includes a processor 2002 and a bus 2004. Optionally, the communication device 200 may also include a memory 2001; alternatively, the communication device 200 may also include a communication interface 2003.

[0293] Processor 2002 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 2002 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 2002 may also be a combination of functions implementing computing capabilities, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0294] The communication interface 2003 is used to connect with other devices via a communication network. This communication network can be Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0295] The memory 2001 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0296] As one possible implementation, the memory 2001 can exist independently of the processor 2002. The memory 2001 can be connected to the processor 2002 via the bus 2004 and is used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 2002 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 2001, it can implement the method described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0297] In another possible implementation, the memory 2001 can also be integrated with the processor 2002.

[0298] Bus 2004 can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 2004 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 20 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0299] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) storing computer program instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0300] For example, the computer-readable storage media described above may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). The various computer-readable storage media described in this disclosure may represent one or more devices for storing information and / or other machine-readable storage media. The term "machine-readable storage media" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0301] This disclosure provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0302] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first network element, the method includes: Determine to send first information, the first information being used to instruct the second network element to reserve a storage location for the data sent by the first network element; The first information is sent to the second network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second network element reserves a continuous cache space for storage; the continuous cache space is used to store the data in the order in which the data is sent.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, One storage unit in the continuous cache space corresponds to a data packet, a segment of a data packet, a group of data packets, or a group of segments.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The data packet group is a collection of data packets concatenated together, and the segment group is a collection of segments of one or more data packets concatenated together.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data corresponds to one or more data packets, and the data is at least one of the following: Data under the same data wireless carrier DRB; Data under the same business; Data on the target Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee needs to be provided; Data corresponding to the data unit; or, The data segmented according to the corresponding data unit.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The data transmitted by the DRB is stored in the second network element based on the first information.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before sending the first information, it also includes: Receive a first message, which instructs the first network element to send the first information; or... A second message is sent, which instructs the second network element to receive the first information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first message is one of the following: The request message, DRB configuration message, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that trigger the sending of the first information are sent.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second message is one of the following: The first information configuration message, DRB configuration message, and RRC message.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: The initial value of the storage location of the starting data packet in the data; The offset of the storage location of the data packets other than the starting data packet relative to the starting data packet; The starting value of the storage location of the reference data packet in the data; The offset of the storage location of other data packets in the data besides the reference data packet relative to the reference data packet; The number of each data packet in the data; The group number of each data packet group in the data; The data contains information about the correspondence between each data packet and its storage location; The length of each data packet in the data; The length of each data packet group in the data; The data transmission status.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The data transmission status includes at least one of the following: Already in the cache but not yet scheduled, already in the cache and already scheduled, already sent but not yet received by the second network element, already sent and already received by the second network element.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The correspondence information between data packets and storage locations in the data is used to characterize the correspondence between the number of the data packet and the number of the storage location reserved at the second network element.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is transmitted on a Control Protocol Data Unit (ControlPDU).

14. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second network element, the method includes: Receive the first information from the first network element; Based on the first information, a storage location is reserved for the data sent by the first network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The second network element reserves a continuous cache space for storage; the continuous cache space is used to store the data in the order in which the data is sent.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, One storage unit in the continuous cache space corresponds to a data packet, a segment of a data packet, a group of data packets, or a group of segments.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The data packet group is a collection of data packets concatenated together, and the segment group is a collection of segments of one or more data packets concatenated together.

18. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The data is at least one of the following: Data under the same data wireless carrier DRB; Data under the same business; Data on the target Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee needs to be provided; Data corresponding to the data unit; or, The data segmented according to the corresponding data unit.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The data transmitted by the DRB is stored in the second network element based on the first information.

20. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information, it also includes: Send a first message, which instructs the first network element to send the first information; or... Receive a second message, which instructs the second network element to receive the first information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first message is one of the following: The request message, DRB configuration message, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that trigger the sending of the first information are sent.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second message is one of the following: The first information configuration message, DRB configuration message, and RRC message.

23. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: The initial value of the storage location of the starting data packet in the data; The offset of the storage location of the data packets other than the starting data packet relative to the starting data packet; The starting value of the storage location of the reference data packet in the data; The offset of the storage location of other data packets in the data besides the reference data packet relative to the reference data packet; The number of each data packet in the data; The group number of each data packet group in the data; The data contains information about the correspondence between each data packet and its storage location; The length of each data packet in the data; The length of each data packet group in the data; The data transmission status.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The data transmission status includes at least one of the following: Already in the cache but not yet scheduled, already in the cache and already scheduled, already sent but not yet received by the second network element, already sent and already received by the second network element.

25. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The correspondence information between data packets and storage locations in the data is used to characterize the correspondence between the number of the data packet and the number of the storage location reserved at the second network element.

26. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first information is received on the Control Protocol Data Unit (ControlPDU).

27. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Memory and processor; Memory and processor are coupled; The memory is used to store instructions that can be executed by the processor; When the processor executes the instructions, it performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 26.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 26.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, or perform the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 26.

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