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 that related technologies cannot independently guarantee control information transmission quality. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a first message from a second network element; based on the first message, configuring a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer for user plane transmission; and based on the first message, associating the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with a same packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity. The present disclosure can enable one PDCP entity to transmit user plane service data and control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving the effect of independently guaranteeing user plane control information transmission quality.

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] A protocol data unit (PDU) is the basic unit used to transmit data packets in a communication network. At the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a PDCP entity transmits PDUs over the same radio bearer, such as user plane PDUs.

[0003] However, different data processed by a PDCP entity may correspond to different levels of importance. Currently, it is difficult to achieve differentiated transmission of PDUs under a single PDCP entity, making it difficult to guarantee the quality of data transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product that can solve the problem of communication quality that is difficult to guarantee in related technologies.

[0005] On the one hand, a communication method is provided, applied to a first network element, comprising: receiving a first message from a second network element; configuring a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer based on the first message; and associating the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity based on the first message.

[0006] On the other hand, another communication method is provided, applied to a second network element, including: sending a first message to a first network element, causing the first network element to configure a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer based on the first message and associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity; receiving a second message from the first network element; the second message is used to indicate whether the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer have been successfully configured.

[0007] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit; the communication unit is configured to receive a first message from a second network element; the processing unit is configured to configure a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer based on the first message; and the processing unit is configured to associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity based on the first message.

[0008] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit; the communication unit is configured to send a first message to a first network element, such that the first network element configures a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer based on the first message and associates the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity; the communication unit is configured to receive a second message from the first network element; the second message is configured to indicate whether the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer have been successfully configured.

[0009] In another aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor being coupled; the memory being used to store a computer program; and the processor executing the computer program to implement the method of any of the above embodiments.

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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.

[0012] In this embodiment, the first network element can receive a first message from the second network element and configure two different radio bearers for the first network element based on the first message. Then, the first network element can associate the two radio bearers with the same PDCP entity based on the first message. In this way, the PDCP entity can perform differentiated transmission of user plane service data and user plane control information through different radio bearers to ensure the corresponding transmission quality of user plane service data and user plane control information. Attached Figure Description

[0013] 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.

[0014] Figure 1 A flowchart of user plane data transmission is provided for some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 2 An architecture diagram of a communication system provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a user plane transport provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating yet another user plane transport provided in some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating yet another user plane transport provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0020] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating yet another user plane transport provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating yet another user plane transport provided in some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating yet another user plane transport provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating yet another user plane transport provided for some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 13 A structural diagram of a first network element provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 14 A structural diagram of a second network element provided in some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram of a communication device provided for some embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] A PDU is the basic unit used to transmit data packets in a communication network. At each protocol layer of the communication protocol stack, when an upper layer passes data to a lower layer, this data unit is called a service data unit (SDU). When data is passed from one layer to another, the lower layer receives the SDU from the upper layer and encapsulates it into a PDU.

[0034] In current communication networks, radio bearers (RBs) are typically used as data transmission channels. A mapping relationship can be established between radio bearers and Quality of Service (QoS) flows to achieve QoS management of transmitted data. The control plane transmits control signaling and messages, such as radio resource control (RRC) related control signaling messages, through signaling radio bearers (SRBs). The user plane transmits user plane data through data radio bearers (DRBs). The user plane includes not only user plane service data but also its own control information. That is, in current communication networks, user plane service data and user plane control information are transmitted through the same DRB. At the PDCP layer, there are two types of PDUs: PDCP data PDUs and PDCP control PDUs. PDCP data PDUs can use DRBs to carry user plane service data or SRBs to carry control plane data / control plane information. The PDCP control PDU carries control information between the PDCP receiver and transmitter. Except in broadcast / multicast scenarios where the PDCP control PDU uses a multicast radio bearer (MRB) for transmission, it generally uses a DRB for transmission. That is, the PDCP control PDU also belongs to the user plane PDU. In 5G, there are several types of PDCP control PDUs, such as a PDCP status report, an interspersed robust header compression (ROHC) feedback, an explicit congestion notification (ECN) handling control (EHC) feedback, a user data compression (UDC) feedback, and a PDCP sequence number (SN) gap report. In current 5G networks, one radio bearer is associated with only one PDCP entity.A PDCP entity is a logical entity in a communication device used to execute the PDCP protocol. For example, consider a DRB (Device Buffer). Figure 1 As shown, each DRB is configured with an independent PDCP entity, but DRBs do not share PDCP entities. Under the same PDCP entity associated with the same DRB, there are user plane PDCP control PDUs and user plane PDCP data PDUs. Although the control plane can use independent SRBs for transmission, the PDCP control PDUs and PDCP data PDUs under a single PDCP entity in the user plane are still transmitted through the same DRB. Although user plane control information is relatively more important than user plane service data, in related technologies, the PDCP entity performs the same processing on user plane control information and user plane service data using the same DRB. The lower layers of PDCP cannot distinguish between PDCP control PDUs and data PDUs. That is, PDCP control PDUs and PDCP data PDUs cannot be transmitted differentiated at the lower layers, and priority guarantees for PDCP control PDU transmission are not possible.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first network element can receive a first message from the second network element, which is used to configure a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer for the first network element. Subsequently, the first network element can associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity based on the first message. In this way, the PDCP entity can perform differentiated transmission of service data and control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving the effect of independently ensuring the transmission quality of the PDCP-controlled PDU.

[0036] In this disclosure, the mobile communication network includes, but is not limited to, wireless local area network (WiFi), third-generation mobile communication technology (3G), fourth-generation mobile communication technology (4G), fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G), and future mobile communication networks. The network architecture of the mobile communication network may include at least a first network element and a second network element.

[0037] It should be understood that in this example, the first network element can be a terminal-side device (e.g., including but not limited to a terminal), and the second network element can be a network-side device (e.g., including but not limited to a base station). Furthermore, the first and second network elements can also be modules of devices in a communication system, or protocol layers in a communication system (e.g., including but not limited to the PDCP layer). This module can be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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), can be a gNB or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) in a base station, or 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, or 5G radio access network (NG-Ran) equipment. 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] In some embodiments, communication devices (such as base station 201 and terminal 202 described above) can communicate based on a communication protocol stack. The communication protocol stack includes multiple protocol layers, such as the PDCP layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, and physical layer. Each protocol layer entity encapsulates or decapsulates data according to its corresponding protocol layer. When the communication device acts as a data transmitter, data is transmitted layer by layer from upper to lower layers. During transmission, each protocol layer entity performs encapsulation operations and ultimately sends the data to the data receiver. When the communication device acts as a data receiver, data is transmitted layer by layer from lower to upper layers. During transmission, each protocol layer entity performs decapsulation operations.

[0042] 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.

[0043] The following is combined with Figure 2 The communication system shown takes the interaction between the first network element and the second network element as an example to describe the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0044] Taking the first network element as an example, 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:

[0045] Step 301: Receive the first message from the second network element.

[0046] The first message is used to configure the first wireless bearer and the second wireless bearer for the first network element.

[0047] For example, the first message can be an RRC message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message). Another example is a radio bearer configuration message (e.g., a RadioBearerConfig message).

[0048] In one example, the first message includes configuration information for both the first and second radio bearers. This could include identification information for both the first and second radio bearers. The radio bearer identification information could be a DRB ID (DRB-Identity).

[0049] In some embodiments, the first message includes configuration information of the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer associated with a PDCP entity. The configuration information instructs the first network element to establish a PDCP entity, which is simultaneously associated with the PDCP entities of the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first message includes configuration information for unassociating the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with a PDCP entity. The configuration information indicates that the first network element will unassociate the PDCP entity with the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer and release the PDCP entity.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first and second wireless bearers can be mapped to the same or different QoS flows. The QoS configuration corresponding to the QoS flow is used to configure data transmission requirements, such as priority, bit rate, and packet loss rate. Thus, QoS management of transmitted data can be achieved by configuring the first and second wireless bearers.

[0052] For example, the first network element can be a terminal, and the second network element can be a base station.

[0053] Step 302: Based on the first message, configure the first wireless bearer and the second wireless bearer.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer is used for service data transmission, and the second radio bearer is used for control information transmission. Thus, the first network element can transmit service data and control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving separation of service data and control information.

[0055] For example, the control information is user plane control information. For instance, at the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, the control information corresponds to SDAP control information or SDAP control PDUs. For instance, at the PDCP layer, the control information corresponds to PDCP control PDUs. For instance, at the RLC layer, the control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs.

[0056] Step 303: Based on the first message, associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity.

[0057] The PDCP entity is used to transmit different data through the associated first and second radio bearers. This data can be user plane data, such as user plane service data and user plane control information.

[0058] For example, the first message may also include identification information of the PDCP entity. In this way, the first network element can associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer configured in the first message with the PDCP entity corresponding to the identification information.

[0059] In some embodiments, step 301 above may also be represented as the first network element establishing a common PDCP entity for the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer based on the first message.

[0060] Based on the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the first network element can receive a first message from the second network element, which is used to configure a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer for the first network element. Then, based on the first message, the first network element can associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity. In this way, the PDCP entity can perform differentiated transmission of service data and control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving the effect of independently ensuring the transmission quality of the PDCP-controlled PDU. In one example, the PDCP entity is used to transmit user plane service data through the first radio bearer and to transmit user plane control information through the second radio bearer.

[0061] For example, user plane service data and user plane control information can be user plane data. For instance, in the PDCP layer, service data corresponds to PDCP data PDU, and control information corresponds to PDCP control PDU.

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown in the embodiment of this disclosure, after the radio bearer between the first network element and the second network element is established, the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are associated with the same PDCP entity. The first radio bearer can transmit user plane PDCP data PDU, and the second radio bearer can transmit user plane PDCP control PDU, thus realizing the distinction between user plane control information and user plane service data at the lower layer.

[0063] In some embodiments, the second radio bearer has a higher priority than the first radio bearer, so that the PDCP control PDU on the second radio bearer can achieve high-priority transmission.

[0064] In wireless communication networks, user plane control information is typically of higher importance. Prioritizing user plane control information and ensuring its reliable and timely transmission is crucial for improving system performance. However, in related technologies, a single PDCP entity is associated with only one radio bearer. Furthermore, user plane data includes both user plane service data and user plane control information. Associating only one radio bearer makes it difficult to distinguish between service data and user plane control information. Therefore, this disclosure proposes a method that associates multiple radio bearers with a single PDCP entity, enabling the transmission of user plane service data and user plane control information through different radio bearers, thereby facilitating the priority protection of user plane control information.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a first radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, configuration information of the first radio bearer, an identifier of a second radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the second radio bearer, configuration information of the second radio bearer, and an identifier of a PDCP entity.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are different data radio bearers; or, the first radio bearer is a data radio bearer and the second radio bearer is a control radio bearer (CRB). This control radio bearer is a radio bearer dedicated to transmitting user plane control information.

[0067] For example, the first radio bearer can be DRB1 and the second radio bearer can be DRB2. Alternatively, the first radio bearer can be DRB1 and the second radio bearer can be CRB1.

[0068] In one example, the first message includes a DRB ID for transmitting user plane PDCP data PDUs and a DRB ID for transmitting user plane PDCP control PDUs, so that user plane PDCP data PDUs and user plane PDCP control PDUs can be transmitted through different DRBs.

[0069] In another example, the first message includes a DRB ID for transmitting user plane PDCP data PDUs and a CRB ID for transmitting user plane PDCP control PDUs, such that user plane PDCP data PDUs are transmitted via the DRB and user plane PDCP control PDUs are transmitted via the CRB.

[0070] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the first radio bearer further includes identification information of the logical channel associated with the first radio bearer. The configuration information of the second radio bearer further includes identification information of the logical channel associated with the second radio bearer. Thus, user plane service data transmitted via the first radio bearer can be transmitted through the logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, and user plane control information transmitted via the second radio bearer can be transmitted through the logical channel associated with the second radio bearer; that is, user plane service data and user plane control information on the user plane can be transmitted through different logical channels.

[0071] As one embodiment of this disclosure, the first network element can be configured with a second wireless bearer on the basis of the first wireless bearer, or it can be configured with both the first and second wireless bearers simultaneously.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first network element may create a PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer. Alternatively,

[0073] The first network element can create a PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer and associate the second radio bearer with the PDCP entity.

[0074] In some embodiments, the first network element may release the PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer. For example, the first network element may release the PDCP entity first, and then release the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer.

[0075] For example, a first network element can simultaneously establish a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer. When a PDCP entity is established, the PDCP entity is associated with both the first and second radio bearers. For instance, a first message may include configuration information for both the first and second radio bearers; the configuration information for the first radio bearer may include its identification information, and the configuration information for the second radio bearer may include its identification information. Alternatively, a first message may include configuration information for the first and second radio bearers, as well as configuration information for the PDCP entity.

[0076] For example, the first network element can first establish a first radio bearer, and then establish a second radio bearer for the first radio bearer. For instance, the configuration information of the second radio bearer can be located within the configuration information of the first radio bearer; that is, the configuration information of the first radio bearer includes the identification information of the first radio bearer and the identification information of the second radio bearer. Alternatively, the configuration information of the first radio bearer can also include the identification information of the first radio bearer, the identification information of the second radio bearer, and the identification information of the PDCP entity.

[0077] In one example, the first radio bearer can be DRB1 and the second radio bearer can be DRB2, both of which are associated with PDCP entity 1.

[0078] In another example, the first radio bearer can be DRB1 and the second radio bearer can be CRB1, both of which are associated with PDCP entity 1.

[0079] Furthermore, in related technologies, it is also difficult to separate user plane data into different data types during subsequent transmission. For example, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the PDCP entity transmits user plane PDCP data PDUs and user plane PDCP control PDUs through the same DRB. The user plane PDCP data PDUs and user plane PDCP control PDUs are transmitted as RLC data PDUs at the RLC layer, meaning that the PDCP control PDUs and PDCP data PDUs are transmitted through the same logical channel.

[0080] As one embodiment of this disclosure, data transmitted through different wireless bearers can be further transmitted through different logical channels.

[0081] In some embodiments, at the RLC layer, service data corresponds to RLC data PDUs, and control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs. For example, PDCP data PDUs correspond to RLC data PDUs, and PDCP control PDUs correspond to RLC control PDUs.

[0082] For example, service data is transmitted through a first logical channel, and control information is transmitted through a second logical channel. For instance, a PDCP entity is associated with an RLC entity. The RLC entity is used to transmit user plane service data through the first logical channel and to transmit user plane control information through the second logical channel.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0084] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the PDCP control PDU and PDCP data PDU of the user plane can use different bearers, thereby enabling the PDCP control PDU and PDCP data PDU of the user plane to be transmitted through different logical channels.

[0085] In some embodiments, PDCP data PDUs are mapped to RLC data PDUs at the RLC layer, and PDCP control PDUs are mapped to RLC control PDUs at the RLC layer.

[0086] For example, such as Figure 6As shown, the user plane PDCP data PDU is transmitted through DRB1 and mapped to the RLC data PDU. The RLC data PDU then continues transmission through logical channel 1. The user plane PDCP control PDU is transmitted through DRB2 and mapped to the RLC control PDU. The RLC control PDU then continues transmission through logical channel 2.

[0087] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the user plane PDCP data PDU is transmitted via DRB1 and mapped to the RLC data PDU. The RLC data PDU then continues transmission via logical channel 1. The user plane PDCP control PDU is transmitted via CRB1 and mapped to the RLC control PDU. The RLC control PDU then continues transmission via logical channel 2.

[0088] As can be seen from the above examples, in the embodiments of this disclosure, user plane control information and data information at the PDCP layer can be separated at the RLC layer and can be transmitted to the lower layer through different logical channels.

[0089] In some embodiments, a PDCP entity is associated with two RLC entities. User plane service data and user plane control information of the PDCP entity are transmitted through different RLC entities.

[0090] For example, the two RLC entities include a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity. The first RLC entity is used to transmit user plane service data, and the second RLC entity is used to transmit user plane control information.

[0091] In one example, the radio bearer of the user plane PDCP data PDU corresponds to a first RLC entity, which is responsible for processing the user plane PDCP data PDU. The radio bearer of the user plane PDCP control PDU corresponds to a second RLC entity, which is also responsible for processing the user plane PDCP data PDU.

[0092] For example, the first message may include identification information of the radio bearer and identification information of the associated logical channel. In this way, by associating the identification information of the radio bearer and the identification information of the logical channel, the radio bearer of the user plane PDCP data PDU and the radio bearer of the user plane PDCP control PDU are mapped to different logical channels.

[0093] In related technologies, it is also difficult to separate user plane service data and control information into distinct data types at the MAC layer and physical layer. For example, ... Figure 8As shown, the PDCP entity transmits user plane PDCP data PDUs and user plane PDCP control PDUs through the same DRB. User plane PDCP data PDUs and user plane PDCP control PDUs are transmitted as RLC data PDUs at the RLC layer; that is, the PDCP control PDU and PDCP data PDU are mapped to a single RLC data PDU. Simultaneously, the RLC layer also generates user plane control information (e.g., RLC control PDUs, also called RLC status PDUs). The RLC entity transmits RLC data PDUs and RLC control PDUs through the same logical channel. The data of an RLC data PDU or RLC control PDU may correspond to a MAC PDU at the MAC layer and a transport block (TB) at the physical layer. In other words, a PDCP control PDU and PDCP data PDU within a DRB may use the same TB for transmission at the physical layer. Therefore, user plane control information and user plane service data cannot be distinguished at the MAC and physical layers, and physical layer optimization measures cannot be used to improve the transmission priority of user plane control information.

[0094] In some embodiments, at the MAC layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a second MAC PDU; or, at the MAC layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a first MAC control element (CE).

[0095] In one example, RLC data PDUs are mapped to MAC PDUs at the MAC layer. RLC control PDUs are mapped to MAC CEs at the MAC layer. In this way, MAC entities can transmit user plane service data through MAC PDUs and user plane control information through MAC CEs, thereby transmitting on different TBs at the physical layer and achieving the distinction between user plane service data and user plane control information.

[0096] In another example, the RLC data PDU is mapped to a first MAC PDU at the MAC layer. The RLC control PDU is mapped to a second MAC PDU at the MAC layer. In this way, the MAC entity can transmit user plane service data and user plane control information through different MAC PDUs, thereby transmitting them on different TBs at the physical layer and realizing the distinction between user plane service data and user plane control information.

[0097] In some embodiments, at the physical layer, service data is transmitted via a first type of transport block (TB), and control information is transmitted via a second type of transport block (TB). The first type of TB is used to transmit service data, and the second type of TB is used to transmit control information.

[0098] For example, the PDCP control PDU and PDCP data PDU in the user plane can use different bearers, so that the PDCP control PDU and PDCP data PDU in the user plane are ultimately mapped to different TBs.

[0099] In one example, such as Figure 9 As shown, the user plane PDCP data PDU is transmitted through DRB1 and mapped to the RLC data PDU. Then, the RLC data PDU is transmitted through logical channel 1 and mapped to MAC PDU1, and finally mapped to TB1. The user plane PDCP control PDU is transmitted through DRB2 and mapped to the RLC control PDU. Then, the RLC control PDU is transmitted through logical channel 2 and mapped to MAC PDU2, and finally mapped to TB2.

[0100] In another example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the user plane PDCP data PDU is transmitted through DRB1 and mapped to the RLC data PDU. Then, the RLC data PDU is transmitted through logical channel 1 and mapped to MAC PDU1, and finally mapped to TB1. The user plane PDCP control PDU is transmitted through CRB1 and mapped to the RLC control PDU. Then, the RLC control PDU is transmitted through logical channel 2 and mapped to MAC PDU2, and finally mapped to TB2.

[0101] As can be seen from the above examples, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, user plane control information and data information at the PDCP layer can be distinguished at the MAC layer and the physical layer. In this way, the MAC layer can take measures such as prioritizing scheduling, allocating better time-frequency domain resources, and increasing transmission power to ensure the reliability of user plane control information. Since service data and control information are mapped to different data blocks (TBs) at the physical layer, the TB corresponding to the control information can be repeatedly transmitted multiple times to improve the transmission success rate of the control information.

[0102] As one embodiment of this disclosure, combined with Figure 3 The illustrated embodiments, such as Figure 11 As shown, the method further includes the following step 1101.

[0103] Step 1101: Send the second message to the second network element.

[0104] The second message is used to indicate whether the first and second wireless bearers have been successfully configured.

[0105] For example, the second message can be an RRC message, and the first message can be an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message. Alternatively, the first message can be a Radio Bearer Configuration Complete message.

[0106] The first network element informs the second network element that the first and second wireless bearers have been configured by sending a second message, so that the first network element and the second network element can communicate through the first and second wireless bearers in the future.

[0107] Taking the second network element as an example, Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 12 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0108] Step 1201: Send a first message to the first network element, so that the first network element configures the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer based on the first message and associates the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity.

[0109] The first message is used to configure the first wireless bearer and the second wireless bearer for the first network element.

[0110] In one example, the first message includes configuration information for both the first and second radio bearers. This could include identification information for both the first and second radio bearers. The radio bearer identification information could be a DRB ID (DRB-Identity).

[0111] In some embodiments, the first message is an RRC message.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer is used for service data transmission, and the second radio bearer is used for control information transmission. Thus, the first network element can transmit service data and control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving separation of service data and control information.

[0113] For example, the control information is user-plane control information.

[0114] In some embodiments, the PDCP entity is used to transmit different data via an associated first radio bearer and a second radio bearer. This data can be user plane data, such as user plane service data or user plane control information.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first message includes configuration information of the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer associated with a PDCP entity. The configuration information instructs the first network element to establish a PDCP entity, which is simultaneously associated with the PDCP entities of the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first message includes configuration information for deassociating the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with a PDCP entity. The configuration information instructs the first network element to deassociate the PDCP entity with the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer and release the PDCP entity.

[0117] Step 1202: Receive the second message from the first network element.

[0118] The second message is used to indicate whether the first and second wireless bearers have been successfully configured.

[0119] For example, the second message can be an RRC message. The second network element determines that the first and second radio bearers have been configured by receiving the second message from the first network element, so that the first and second network elements can communicate through the first and second radio bearers in the future.

[0120] Based on the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the disclosure, the second network element can send a first message to the first network element, enabling the first network element to configure a first radio bearer and a second radio bearer based on the first message, and to associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same PDCP entity. In this way, the PDCP entity can perform differentiated transmission of service data and control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving the effect of independently ensuring the transmission quality of PDCP-controlled PDUs.

[0121] As one embodiment of this disclosure, the PDCP entity can transmit user plane service data and user plane control information through different radio bearers, thereby achieving separation of user plane service data and user plane control information on the user plane.

[0122] In one example, the PDCP entity is used to transmit user plane service data via a first radio bearer and to transmit user plane control information via a second radio bearer.

[0123] In some embodiments, at the PDCP layer, service data corresponds to PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU), and control information corresponds to PDCP control PDU.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second radio bearer has a higher priority than the first radio bearer.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a first radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, configuration information of the first radio bearer, an identifier of a second radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the second radio bearer, configuration information of the second radio bearer, and an identifier of a PDCP entity.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are different data radio bearers; or, the first radio bearer is a data radio bearer and the second radio bearer is a CRB.

[0127] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the first radio bearer further includes identification information of the logical channel associated with the first radio bearer. The configuration information of the second radio bearer further includes identification information of the logical channel associated with the second radio bearer.

[0128] In some embodiments, at the RLC layer, service data corresponds to RLC data PDUs, and control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs.

[0129] For example, service data is transmitted through a first logical channel, and control information is transmitted through a second logical channel. For instance, a PDCP entity is associated with an RLC entity. The RLC entity is used to transmit user plane service data through the first logical channel and to transmit user plane control information through the second logical channel.

[0130] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0131] In some embodiments, user plane PDCP data PDUs are mapped to RLC data PDUs at the RLC layer, and user plane PDCP control PDUs are mapped to RLC control PDUs at the RLC layer.

[0132] In some embodiments, a PDCP entity is associated with two RLC entities. User plane service data and user plane control information of the PDCP entity are transmitted through different RLC entities.

[0133] In some embodiments, at the MAC layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a second MAC PDU; or, at the MAC layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a first MAC CE.

[0134] In some embodiments, RLC data PDUs are mapped to MAC PDUs at the MAC layer. RLC control PDUs are mapped to MAC CEs at the MAC layer.

[0135] In some embodiments, at the physical layer, service data is transmitted via a first type of transport block (TB), and control information is transmitted via a second type of transport block (TB). The first type of TB is used to transmit service data, and the second type of TB is used to transmit control information.

[0136] For related explanations, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0137] 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.

[0138] 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.

[0139] For example, taking a communication device as the first network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 13 This is a structural diagram of a first network element 130 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The first network element 130 can execute the communication method provided in the above-described method embodiment. Figure 13 As shown, the first network element 130 includes a processing unit 1301 and a communication unit 1302.

[0140] The communication unit 1302 is used to receive the first message from the second network element.

[0141] The processing unit 1301 is used to configure the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer based on the first message.

[0142] The processing unit 1301 is used to associate the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity based on the first message.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer is used for service data transmission, and the second radio bearer is used for control information transmission.

[0144] In some embodiments, the control information is user-plane control information.

[0145] In some embodiments, at the PDCP layer, service data corresponds to PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU), and control information corresponds to PDCP control PDU.

[0146] In some embodiments, at the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, service data corresponds to RLC data PDUs, and control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs.

[0147] In some embodiments, service data is transmitted through a first logical channel, and control information is transmitted through a second logical channel.

[0148] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0149] In some embodiments, at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a second MAC PDU; or, at the MAC layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a first MAC control unit (CE).

[0150] In some embodiments, at the physical layer, service data is transmitted via a first type of transport block (TB), and control information is transmitted via a second type of transport block (TB); the first type of transport block is the TB for transmitting service data, and the second type of transport block is the TB for transmitting control information.

[0151] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a first radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, configuration information of the first radio bearer, an identifier of a second radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the second radio bearer, configuration information of the second radio bearer, and an identifier of a PDCP entity.

[0152] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1301 is configured to create a PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer; or, to create a PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer and associate the second radio bearer with the PDCP entity.

[0153] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are different data radio bearers; or, the first radio bearer is a data radio bearer and the second radio bearer is a control radio bearer.

[0154] In some embodiments, the communication unit 1302 is used to send a second message to the second network element; the second message is used to indicate whether the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer have been successfully configured.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first message is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0156] For example, taking a communication device as the second network element in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of a second network element 140 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The second network element 140 can execute the communication method provided in the above-described method embodiment. Figure 14As shown, the second network element 140 includes a processing unit 1401 and a communication unit 1402.

[0157] The communication unit 1402 is used to send a first message to the first network element, so that the first network element configures the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer based on the first message and associates the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity.

[0158] The communication unit 1402 is used to receive a second message from the first network element; the second message is used to indicate whether the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer have been successfully configured.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer is used for service data transmission; the second radio bearer is used for control information transmission.

[0160] In some embodiments, the control information is user-plane control information.

[0161] In some embodiments, at the PDCP layer, service data corresponds to PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU), and control information corresponds to PDCP control PDU.

[0162] In some embodiments, at the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, service data corresponds to RLC data PDUs, and control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs.

[0163] In some embodiments, service data is transmitted through a first logical channel, and control information is transmitted through a second logical channel.

[0164] In some embodiments, the second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

[0165] In some embodiments, at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and RLC control PDU corresponds to a second MAC PDU; or, at the MAC layer, service data corresponds to a first MAC PDU and control information corresponds to a first MAC control unit (CE).

[0166] In some embodiments, at the physical layer, user plane service data is transmitted via a first type of transport block (TB), and control information is transmitted via a second type of transport block (TB); the first type of transport block is the TB for transmitting user plane service data, and the second type of transport block is the TB for transmitting user plane control information.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a first radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, configuration information of the first radio bearer, an identifier of a second radio bearer, an identifier of a logical channel associated with the second radio bearer, configuration information of the second radio bearer, and an identifier of a PDCP entity.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are different data radio bearers; or, the first radio bearer is a data radio bearer and the second radio bearer is a control radio bearer.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first message is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0170] 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 15 As shown, the communication device 150 includes a processor 1502 and a bus 1504. Optionally, the communication device 150 may also include a memory 1501; alternatively, the communication device 150 may also include a communication interface 1503.

[0171] Processor 1502 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with embodiments of this disclosure. Processor 1502 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 1502 may also be a combination of functions implementing computation, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0172] The communication interface 1503 is used to connect to other devices via a communication network. This communication network can be Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0173] The memory 1501 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 medium or other magnetic storage device, 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.

[0174] As one possible implementation, the memory 1501 can exist independently of the processor 1502. The memory 1501 can be connected to the processor 1502 via a bus 1504 and is used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 1502 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 1501, it can implement the method described in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0175] In another possible implementation, the memory 1501 can also be integrated with the processor 1502.

[0176] The 1504 bus can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The 1504 bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 15 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.

[0177] 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.

[0178] 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.

[0179] 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.

[0180] 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: Receive the first message from the second network element; Based on the first message, configure the first and second wireless bearers; Based on the first message, the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are associated with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first wireless bearer is used for service data transmission, and the second wireless bearer is used for control information transmission.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control information is user plane control information.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, At the PDCP layer, the service data corresponds to the PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU), and the control information corresponds to the PDCP control PDU.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the service data corresponds to RLC data PDUs, and the control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The service data is transmitted through the first logical channel, and the control information is transmitted through the second logical channel.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, At the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, the service data corresponds to the first MAC PDU and the control information corresponds to the second MAC PDU; or, At the MAC layer, the service data corresponds to the first MAC PDU and the control information corresponds to the first MAC control unit CE.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, At the physical layer, the service data is transmitted via a first type of transport block (TB), and the control information is transmitted via a second type of transport block (TB); the first type of transport block is the TB for transmitting service data, and the second type of transport block is the TB for transmitting control information.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first message includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first radio bearer, the identifier of the logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, the configuration information of the first radio bearer, the identifier of the second radio bearer, the identifier of the logical channel associated with the second radio bearer, the configuration information of the second radio bearer, and the identifier of the PDCP entity.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Associating the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity based on the first message includes: Create a PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer; or, Create a PDCP entity associated with the first radio bearer, and associate the second radio bearer with the PDCP entity.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are different data radio bearers; or, The first wireless bearer is a data wireless bearer, and the second wireless bearer is a control wireless bearer.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message to the second network element; the second message is used to indicate whether the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer have been successfully configured.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first message is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second network element, the method includes: Send a first message to the first network element, so that the first network element configures the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer based on the first message and associates the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer with the same Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity; Receive a second message from the first network element; the second message is used to indicate whether the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer have been successfully configured.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first wireless bearer is used for service data transmission; the second wireless bearer is used for control information transmission.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The control information is user plane control information.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, At the PDCP layer, the service data corresponds to the PDCP data protocol data unit (PDU), and the control information corresponds to the PDCP control PDU.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, In the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the service data corresponds to RLC data PDUs, and the control information corresponds to RLC control PDUs.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The service data is transmitted through the first logical channel, and the control information is transmitted through the second logical channel.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second logical channel has a higher priority than the first logical channel.

22. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, At the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, the service data corresponds to the first MAC PDU and the control information corresponds to the second MAC PDU; or, At the MAC layer, the service data corresponds to the first MAC PDU and the control information corresponds to the first MAC control unit CE.

23. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, At the physical layer, the service data is transmitted via a first type of transport block (TB), and the control information is transmitted via a second type of transport block (TB); the first type of transport block is the TB for transmitting service data, and the second type of transport block is the TB for transmitting control information.

24. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first message includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first radio bearer, the identifier of the logical channel associated with the first radio bearer, the configuration information of the first radio bearer, the identifier of the second radio bearer, the identifier of the logical channel associated with the second radio bearer, the configuration information of the second radio bearer, and the identifier of the PDCP entity.

25. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first radio bearer and the second radio bearer are different data radio bearers; or, The first wireless bearer is a data wireless bearer, and the second wireless bearer is a control wireless bearer.

26. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first message is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

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 14, or the method as described in any one of claims 15 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 14, or the method as described in any one of claims 15 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 14, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 26.

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