A communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The application relates to the communication technical field, and discloses a communication method, device and system. The method comprises the following steps: an access network device sends first information to a first core network device, the first information is used for indicating that the data of a first terminal device and the data of a second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time of the access network device; the access network device receives the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device, and sends the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device at the first scheduling time. By using the above method, the first core network device can instruct a second core network device and / or a server to arrange the data of the first terminal device and / or the data of the second terminal device according to the received first information, so that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device reach the access network device before the first scheduling time. In this way, the resource utilization rate can be effectively improved by using the mode of "pairing first and then sending data".

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Currently, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology has been introduced into communication systems. MIMO technology refers to the use of multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas by access network equipment and terminal equipment respectively, meaning that there are multiple independent channels between access network equipment and terminal equipment. Furthermore, multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) refers to access network equipment using multiple antennas to simultaneously transmit data to multiple different terminal devices, with these multiple terminal devices occupying the same time-frequency resources but different spatial resources.

[0003] For MU-MIMO, one approach is for the access network device to select suitable terminal devices for pairing based on the data from the currently arriving terminal devices, and then send data to the paired terminal devices via MU-MIMO. However, this approach can lead to insufficient resource utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system for improving resource utilization, such as increasing the utilization of spectrum resources, in order to maximize cell capacity.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first communication device" in this application can refer to a first communication equipment (e.g., an access network device), a component within the first communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. For example, in the method provided in the first aspect, the access network device sends first information to a first core network device, the first information indicating a first scheduling time of the access network device corresponding to data from a first terminal device and data from a second terminal device; receives data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device from a second core network device; and transmits the data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device during the first scheduling time.

[0006] Using the above method, the access network device can send first information to the first core network device to indicate that the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time. Then, the first core network device can, based on the first information, instruct the second core network device and / or the server to orchestrate the data from the first terminal device and / or the data from the second terminal device, so that the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time. Thus, the access network device can send the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device within the first scheduling time. In this way, by using a "pairing first, then water" approach, resource utilization can be effectively improved.

[0007] In one possible design, the first information includes identification information of the first scheduling time. Optionally, the first information also includes the identification information of the first terminal device and the identification information of the second terminal device.

[0008] In one possible design, the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device are carried on the same frequency domain resources and different spatial domain resources.

[0009] In one possible design, the first scheduling time is the scheduling time for a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

[0010] In this way, the access network equipment can effectively improve resource utilization by scheduling data from multiple terminal devices through MU-MIMO in the first scheduling time.

[0011] In one possible design, the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device are carried on different frequency domain resources.

[0012] In this way, the access network equipment can effectively improve resource utilization by scheduling data from multiple terminal devices through frequency division multiplexing during the first scheduling time.

[0013] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving channel information of the first terminal device and channel information of the second terminal device; and determining, based on the channel information of the first terminal device and the channel information of the second terminal device, that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to the first scheduling time.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second communication device" in this application can refer to a second communication equipment (e.g., a first core network device), a component within the second communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. For example, in the method provided in the second aspect, the first core network device receives first information from an access network device, the first information indicating that data from a first terminal device and data from a second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time of the access network device; based on the first information, second information is sent, the second information being used to schedule the arrival of data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0015] In one possible design, the first information includes identification information of the first scheduling time. Optionally, the first information also includes the identification information of the first terminal device and the identification information of the second terminal device.

[0016] In one possible design, the second information includes service orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or service orchestration information of the second terminal device; wherein the service orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: service inflow; server computing resources; data queuing time in the server; data distribution nodes.

[0017] In one possible design, the service orchestration information includes the identification information of the first scheduling time.

[0018] In one possible design, sending the second information includes sending the service orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the service orchestration information of the second terminal device to the server.

[0019] In one possible design, the second information includes network orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or network orchestration information of the second terminal device; wherein the network orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: the queuing time of data in the second core network device; and the gating cycle of the second core network device.

[0020] In one possible design, the network orchestration information includes the identification information of the first scheduling time.

[0021] In one possible design, sending the second information includes sending the network orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the network orchestration information of the second terminal device to the second core network device.

[0022] In one possible design, the method further includes: acquiring service information and network latency information of the first terminal device, and service information and network latency information of the second terminal device;

[0023] The second information is determined based on the service information and network latency information of the first terminal device and the service information and network latency information of the second terminal device.

[0024] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be executed by a third communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "third communication device" in this application can refer to a third communication equipment (e.g., a second core network device), a component within the third communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the third communication device. For example, in the method provided in the third aspect, the second core network device receives third information from a first core network device. This third information includes network orchestration information of a first terminal device and / or network orchestration information of a second terminal device. The data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time of the access network device. Based on the third information, the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device are orchestrated to arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0025] In one possible design, the network orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: the queuing time of data in the second core network device; and the gating cycle of the second core network device.

[0026] In one possible design, the network orchestration information includes the identification information of the first scheduling time.

[0027] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a fourth communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "fourth communication device" in this application can refer to a fourth communication equipment (e.g., a server), a component within the fourth communication equipment (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the fourth communication equipment. For example, in the method provided in the fourth aspect, a fourth core network device receives fourth information from a first core network device. The fourth information includes service orchestration information of a first terminal device and / or service orchestration information of a second terminal device. The data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time of the access network device. Based on the fourth information, the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device are orchestrated to arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0028] In one possible design, the service orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: service inflow; server computing resources; data queuing time in the server; and data distribution nodes.

[0029] In one possible design, the service orchestration information includes the identification information of the first scheduling time.

[0030] The communication methods provided in the second to fourth aspects correspond to the communication methods provided in the first aspect, and the beneficial effects of the relevant technical features in the second to fourth aspects can be referred to the description in the first aspect.

[0031] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device that has the functions involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above. The functions, units, or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software.

[0032] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit. The communication unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices. The processing unit can be used to perform some internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the communication unit can correspond to the operations involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0033] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor that can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the methods in any of the possible designs or implementations of the first to fourth aspects described above when the computer programs or instructions are executed.

[0034] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory of which may store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above. The processor may execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any of the possible designs or implementations of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0035] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and to execute the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0036] Understandably, in the fifth aspect above, the processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. Furthermore, there can be one or more processors, and one or more memories. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and processor can be separate. In specific implementations, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or it can be set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the arrangement of the memory and processor.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication system, which may include a first communication device and a second communication device; wherein the first communication device is used to perform the method described in the first aspect, and the second communication device is used to perform the method described in the second aspect.

[0038] Optionally, the communication system further includes a third communication device for performing the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0039] Optionally, the communication device further includes a fourth communication device for performing the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (or computer-readable instructions) in which, when a computer reads and executes some or all of the computer-readable instructions, the method in any of the possible designs in the first to fourth aspects described above is executed.

[0041] For example, a computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. This includes, but is not limited to, non-transient computer-readable media, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic 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.

[0042] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes any of the possible designs in the first to fourth aspects to be performed.

[0043] Ninthly, this application provides a chip (or chip system) including a processor coupled to a memory storing a computer program; the processor is configured to invoke part or all of the computer program in the memory, such that any of the possible designs in the first to fourth aspects described above are executed. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of a CU-DU separation architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 2B A schematic diagram of yet another CU-DU separation architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of channel correlation of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0049] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0050] Figure 6 The following are possible exemplary block diagrams of the apparatus involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0052] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This application will focus on various aspects, embodiments, or features of a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these solutions may also be used.

[0053] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0054] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various wireless communication systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), short-range wireless communication systems (such as sidelink, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, etc.), wired networks, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, integrated communication and sensing systems, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as New Radio (NR) systems), Future Communications systems, or other similar communication systems, and are not limited thereto. The embodiments of this application use... Figure 1 The communication system shown is used as an example for description. When the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are applied to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc. in the embodiments can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems without limitation.

[0055] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1As shown, the communication system includes an access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system also includes a data network 300.

[0056] (1) Access Network

[0057] The access network can be a radio access network (RAN), which can be an access network in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G, or future networks. RAN can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network combining two or more of the above.

[0058] Access network 100 may include at least one access network device, such as Figure 1 110a and 110b may also include at least one terminal device, such as Figure 1 The series consists of 120a-120j. Specifically, 110a is a base station, 110b is a micro-site, 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j are mobile phones, 120b is a car, 120c is a fuel dispenser, 120d is a home access point (HAP) deployed indoors or outdoors, 120g is a laptop, 120h is a printer, and 120i is a drone. The same terminal device or access network device can provide different functions in different application scenarios. For example... Figure 1 The mobile phones included are 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j. Mobile phone 120a can access base station 110a, connect to car 120b, communicate directly with mobile phone 120e, and access HAP. Car 120b can access HAP and communicate directly with mobile phone 120a. Mobile phone 120f can connect to micro-station 110b, connect to laptop 120g, and connect to printer 120h. Mobile phone 120j can control drone 120i.

[0059] (1.1) Access network equipment

[0060] Access network equipment is a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Access network equipment can be a device within the RAN (Radio Access Network) that provides wireless communication functionality to terminal devices, and can be referred to as RAN equipment. For example, access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node, transmission node, transceiver node, relay equipment in a WiFi system, or a small cell or micro cell with base station functionality, etc.

[0061] Access network equipment can also be modules or units that perform some of the functions of a base station. For example, it can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU).

[0062] For example, see Figure 2A As shown, the CU and DU can communicate via the F1 interface. The CU performs the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers of the base station, and can also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the radio link control (RLC) and media access control (MAC) layers of the base station, and can also perform some (such as higher-level physical layer functions) or all physical layer functions. Higher-level physical layer functions include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation. See also Figure 2B As shown, the CU can be further divided into the CU control panel (CP) (i.e., CU-CP) and the CU user panel (UP) (i.e., CU-UP). The CU-CP and CU-UP can communicate with each other through the E1 interface. Figure 2B In this context, PDCP-C represents the PDCP control plane function, PDCP-U represents the PDCP user plane function, F1-C represents the F1 control plane interface, and F1-U represents the F1 user plane interface.

[0063] In addition, the RU is used to implement low-level (near radio frequency) functions of the physical layer and radio frequency functions. These low-level physical layer functions include one or more of the following: fast Fourier transform (FFT) / inverse fast Fourier transform (iFFT), digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH). The RU is similar to a transmission reception point (TRP) or remote radiohead (RRH) in 3GPP, but it includes low-level PHY functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction. For detailed descriptions of the various protocol layers mentioned above, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications.

[0064] CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0065] In different systems, CU, DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU, i.e., O-RAN central unit or O-RAN control unit; DU can also be called O-DU; and RU can also be called O-RU. Furthermore, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, i.e., O-RAN central unit control plane or O-RAN control unit control plane; and CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, i.e., O-RAN central unit user plane or O-RAN control unit user plane. Any of the units CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0066] (1.2) Terminal equipment

[0067] A terminal device is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Terminal devices can also be called terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), the Industrial Internet, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. In the embodiments of this application, the device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be a device that supports the terminal device in implementing that function, such as a chip system or a combination of devices or components that can implement the functions of the terminal device. This device can be installed in the terminal device. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the terminal device.

[0068] Furthermore, access network equipment and terminal equipment can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0069] The roles of access network equipment and terminal equipment can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The helicopter or drone 120i can be configured as a mobile access network device. For terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal device 120i is an access network device; however, for access network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Alternatively, 110a and 120i can also communicate via an interface protocol between access network devices; in this case, 120i is also an access network device relative to 110a. Therefore, both access network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 110a and 110b can be referred to as communication devices with access network equipment functions. Figure 1 The 120a-120j in the text can be referred to as communication devices with terminal equipment functions.

[0070] (2) Core Network

[0071] The core network is responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network, managing the network elements of the mobile network, and providing terminal devices with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication.

[0072] Core network equipment refers to the equipment in the core network that provides service support for terminal equipment. Examples of core network equipment include: access and mobility management function (AMF) entities, session management function (SMF) entities, user plane function (UPF) entities, etc., which will not be listed here. Among them, the AMF entity is responsible for terminal access management and mobility management; the SMF entity is responsible for session management, such as user session establishment; and the UPF entity can be a user plane functional entity, mainly responsible for connecting to external networks. It should be noted that in this application, entities can also be referred to as network elements or functional entities. For example, an AMF entity can also be called an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and similarly, an SMF entity can also be called an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity.

[0073] The aforementioned network elements / functional entities can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the aforementioned network elements or functional entities can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or different functional modules within a single device; this application embodiment does not specifically limit this. In actual deployment, the aforementioned network elements can be co-located. When two network elements are co-located, the interaction between these two network elements provided in this application embodiment becomes the internal operation of the co-located network element or can be omitted.

[0074] (3) Data Network

[0075] A data network, also known as a packet data network (PDN), is a network located outside of the operator's network. An operator's network can connect to multiple data networks. These data networks can deploy application servers for various services (such as application servers for XR services), providing a variety of possible services to terminal devices. Data networks can be private networks, such as local area networks (LANs), external networks not controlled by the operator, such as the Internet, or dedicated networks jointly deployed by operators; the specific type is not limited.

[0076] The network architecture and business scenarios described in this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0077] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated communication system, access network equipment and terminal equipment can communicate using MIMO technology. MIMO technology refers to the use of multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas by the transmitting end (such as access network equipment) and the receiving end (such as terminal equipment), meaning there are multiple independent channels between the access network equipment and the terminal equipment. MIMO technology includes point-to-point single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) and point-to-multipoint multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO).

[0078] SU-MIMO refers to the simultaneous transmission of data from multiple antennas by an access network device to multiple antennas of a single terminal device. Its primary purpose is to improve the data transmission rate and communication quality of a single terminal device. Specifically, the access network device decomposes the high-speed data signal to be transmitted into multiple low-speed sub-data streams. Each sub-data stream is transmitted simultaneously through different transmit antennas, acting as a spatial stream. The terminal device's multiple antennas simultaneously receive these signals and use signal processing algorithms to separate and decode them, recovering the original data. Thus, by utilizing spatial multiplexing technology, the data transmission rate can be increased by transmitting multiple spatial streams in parallel without increasing the spectral bandwidth. For example, a 4x4 single-user MIMO system (i.e., the access network device and the terminal device each have 4 antennas) can theoretically transmit up to 4 spatial streams simultaneously, thereby multiplying the data transmission rate.

[0079] MU-MIMO refers to the simultaneous transmission of data from multiple antennas to multiple different terminal devices by an access network device. Its primary purpose is to improve the overall system's spectral efficiency and capacity, allowing multiple terminal devices to share the same spectrum resources simultaneously. This means multiple terminal devices occupy the same time-frequency resources but different spatial resources (such as spatial streams). Specifically, the access network device determines which terminal devices can be paired based on their channel information. For example, the access network device can prioritize pairing terminal devices with low channel correlation (e.g., mutually orthogonal or nearly orthogonal channels). When the channels of different terminal devices are mutually orthogonal, their signals are spatially independent and will not cause severe interference. Then, the access network device processes the data to be sent to different terminal devices using precoding techniques. Correspondingly, the terminal devices only receive and decode the data sent to themselves. Thus, by simultaneously serving multiple terminal devices, spatial resources are fully utilized, improving the overall system's spectral efficiency and capacity, making it particularly suitable for scenarios with high user density.

[0080] In this application, the specific implementation of the access network device determining the pairing of multiple terminal devices is not limited. Generally, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 As shown, assuming terminal devices are distributed and clustered within the coverage area of ​​multiple beams of the access network equipment, the greater the beam distance, the lower the channel correlation between different terminal devices (the reason being: as the beam distance increases, the spatial differences between different terminal devices increase, leading to more different multipath propagation paths experienced by different terminal devices, thus resulting in lower channel correlation between different terminal devices). For example, in Figure 3 In the above, UE 1 and UE 2 have low channel correlation and can be paired, meaning that the access network equipment can send data to UE 1 and UE 2 via MU-MIMO; UE 3 and UE 4 have relatively high channel correlation and cannot be paired.

[0081] To implement MU-MIMO, the current approach involves the access network device selecting suitable terminal devices for pairing based on the data arriving at each terminal device, and then sending data to the paired terminal devices via MU-MIMO (i.e., "first come, first served"). However, this method leads to insufficient resource utilization, resulting in low cell capacity. For example, if the access network device has 24 spatial streams, and each spatial stream can send data independently, assuming one terminal device corresponds to 8 spatial streams, the access network device can send data to 3 terminal devices via MU-MIMO. If data from two terminal devices (e.g., terminal device 1 and terminal device 2) arrives at the access network device, and these two terminal devices can be paired, the access network device will send data to terminal device 1 via spatial streams 1-8 and to terminal device 2 via spatial streams 9-16, while the remaining spatial streams 17-24 remain unused, resulting in insufficient resource utilization and low cell capacity.

[0082] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that improves resource utilization through a "pairing first, then water" approach. In this application embodiment, "water" can be understood as data generation and its entry into the communication system or network.

[0083] The communication method provided in this application is described below with reference to specific embodiments. The communication method provided in this application involves at least one communication device, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. Optionally, it may also include a third communication device and a fourth communication device. For example, the first communication device may be an access network device or a component of an access network device, such as a chip or chip system disposed in the access network device; the second communication device may be a first core network device or a component of a first core network device, such as a chip or chip system disposed in the first core network device; the third communication device may be a second core network device or a component of a second core network device, such as a chip or chip system disposed in the second core network device; the fourth communication device may be a server or a component of a server, such as a chip or chip system disposed in the server; the specific method is not limited thereto. In this application embodiment, the example of "the first communication device being an access network device, the second communication device being a first core network device, the third communication device being a second core network device, and the fourth communication device being a server" is used for description.

[0084] Example 1

[0085] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in Embodiment 1 of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the process may include:

[0086] S401, the access network device sends first information to the first core device, the first information being used to indicate the first scheduling time of the access network device corresponding to the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device; accordingly, the first core network device receives the first information.

[0087] The first core network device can be a core network device of the control plane, such as an AMF network element. Access network devices can communicate directly with the first core network device, or they can communicate with the first core network device through other devices; there are no specific limitations.

[0088] (1) The implementation of sending the first information from the access network device to the first core network device is introduced.

[0089] For example, after determining that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time, the access network device sends first information to the first core device. The serving cell of the first terminal device and the second terminal device is the same cell managed by the access network device. There are multiple specific implementations of "the access network device determining that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time".

[0090] In one possible implementation, the access network device receives channel information from a first terminal device and channel information from a second terminal device. Then, based on the channel information of the first and second terminal devices, it determines that the data of the first and second terminal devices correspond to a first scheduling time. For example, the access network device obtains the channel correlation value between the first and second terminal devices based on their respective channel information. If the channel correlation value is low (below a preset threshold), the access network device can determine that the first and second terminal devices belong to the same group (i.e., the first and second terminal devices can be paired), and terminal devices within the same group correspond to the same scheduling time (such as the first scheduling time), meaning that the data of terminal devices within the same group are carried on the same time-domain resources.

[0091] The first scheduling time can be a scheduling time allocated by the access network device to the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on its own resources, or it can be a scheduling time predicted by the access network device based on the services of the first terminal device and the second terminal device; the specific time is not limited. The first scheduling time can refer to the time-domain resources occupied by the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device, and its duration can be at least one time unit (such as a time slot); or, the first scheduling time can also refer to the start time of the time-domain resources; the specific time is not limited. The "scheduling time" in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced with other possible descriptions, such as scheduling timing, scheduling opportunity, etc.

[0092] Furthermore, since the channel correlation values ​​of the first terminal device and the second terminal device are low, the data of the terminal devices within the same packet can be carried on the same frequency domain resources and different spatial domain resources. That is, the packet is a MU-MIMO paired packet. For example, the first terminal device and the second terminal device can be terminal devices covered by different beams in the same cell. In this case, the first scheduling time is the MU-MIMO scheduling time.

[0093] As another possible implementation, the access network device determines, based on other possible information, that the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to the same group, and the terminal devices in the same group correspond to the same scheduling time (such as the first scheduling time). The first scheduling time can be referred to the description in the previous implementation.

[0094] Furthermore, the access network device obtains the channel correlation value of the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the channel information of the first terminal device and the channel information of the second terminal device. If the channel correlation value of the first terminal device and the second terminal device is high (higher than a preset threshold), the data of the terminal devices in the same group can be carried on different frequency domain resources. That is, the terminal devices in the group are scheduled through different frequency domain resources. For example, the first terminal device and the second terminal device are terminal devices scheduled through different frequency domain resources in the same cell.

[0095] For example, the channel information of the terminal device mentioned above may include at least one of the following: channel quality indicator (CQI), pre-coding matrix indicator (PMI), or channel state information (CSI), and may also include other possible information, without being specifically limited.

[0096] (2) Introduce the first piece of information.

[0097] For example, the first information includes identification information of the first scheduling time, and also includes identification information of the first terminal device and identification information of the second terminal device.

[0098] The identification information for the first scheduling time is used to indicate the first scheduling time. For example, the identification information for the first scheduling time is the timestamp corresponding to the first scheduling time, which can be a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) timestamp. Alternatively, the identification information for the first scheduling time can be the identification information of the time unit corresponding to the first scheduling time. This time unit can be a system frame, subframe, time slot, or symbol, etc. Taking a time slot as an example, the identification information for the time unit can be the time slot number or index. For instance, if the first scheduling time includes 3 time slots (i.e., the first scheduling time corresponds to these 3 time slots), then the identification information for the first scheduling time can include the numbers or indices of these 3 time slots, or it can include the duration (i.e., the number of time slots) and the number or index of the starting time slot.

[0099] Furthermore, the first information used to indicate the first scheduling time of the access network device corresponding to the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device can be replaced with other possible descriptions. For example, it can be replaced by the first information used to indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device correspond to the same group. In this case, the first information may include the identification information of the group to which the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong, and the identification information of the group may include (or may be associated with) the identification information of the first scheduling time.

[0100] S402, the first core network device sends second information based on the first information. The second information is used to arrange (arrange or assign) the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device to arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0101] Alternatively, it can be described as follows: the second information is used to indicate that the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0102] For example, the second information includes third and / or fourth information; therefore, S402 may include S4021 and / or S4022. Specifically, S4021: the first core network device sends the third information to the second core network device, and the second core network device receives the third information; S4022: the first core network device sends the fourth information to the server, and the server receives the fourth information. The second core network device can be a user plane core network device, such as a UPF network element. The first core network device can communicate directly with the second core network device / server, or it can communicate with the first core network device / server through other devices; the specific communication is not limited.

[0103] (1) Introduce the third information.

[0104] The third information includes network orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the network orchestration information of the second terminal device. For example, the network orchestration information includes the identifier information of the first scheduling time, and optionally, it also includes other possible information, which is not specifically limited.

[0105] Network orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: ① the queue time of data in the second core network device, that is, the time required for data to wait for processing and forwarding in the queue of the second core network device; ② the gating period of the second core network device, for example, the gating period of the second core network device is the length of the time interval when the second core network device forwards data at a certain time interval.

[0106] Specifically, the network orchestration information of the first terminal device is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: the queuing time of the first terminal device's data in the second core network device; and the gating period of the second core network device. In other words, the second core network device orchestrates at least one of these two items to ensure that the data of the first terminal device arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time. The network orchestration information of the second terminal device is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: the queuing time of the second terminal device's data in the second core network device; and the gating period of the second core network device. In other words, the second core network device orchestrates at least one of these two items to ensure that the data of the second terminal device arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0107] Understandably, if the third information includes the network orchestration information of the first terminal device but not the network orchestration information of the second terminal device, then the second core network device orchestrates the data of the first terminal device but not the data of the second terminal device. Conversely, if the third information includes the network orchestration information of the second terminal device but not the network orchestration information of the first terminal device, then the second core network device can orchestrate the data of the second terminal device but not the data of the first terminal device. If the third information includes both the network orchestration information of the first and second terminal devices, then the second core network device can orchestrate the data of both the first and second terminal devices. In other words, the second core network device can orchestrate the data of one terminal device (such as the first or second terminal device), or it can orchestrate the data of two terminal devices (such as the first and second terminal devices).

[0108] (2) Introduce the fourth piece of information.

[0109] The fourth type of information includes the service orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the service orchestration information of the second terminal device. For example, the service orchestration information includes the identifier information of the first scheduling time, and optionally, it may also include other possible information, without any specific limitation.

[0110] Business orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: ① Business inflow, such as the generation time of business data; ② Server computing resources, such as the server's central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), memory, storage, network, etc. Orchestrating server computing resources can refer to the overall planning of server computing resources, such as selecting an appropriate size of computing resources or scheduling computing between different terminal devices; ③ Data queuing time in the server, i.e., the length of time data waits for processing in the server's queue; ④ Data distribution nodes. Orchestrating data distribution nodes can refer to determining data distribution nodes based on data distribution needs. By reasonably orchestrating data distribution nodes, data transmission latency can be reduced. For example, because edge servers are close to the user end, data does not need to be transmitted through a long-distance backbone network, which can shorten the data transmission path and thus reduce transmission latency. Therefore, when the latency requirements of the terminal device are high, the edge server can be used as a data distribution node, that is, data is sent to the terminal device through the edge server.

[0111] Specifically, the service orchestration information of the first terminal device is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: ① the service incoming data of the first terminal device; ② the server's computing resources; ③ the data queuing time of the first terminal device in the server; ④ the data distribution node of the first terminal device. In other words, the server orchestrates at least one of these four items to ensure that the data of the first terminal device arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time. The service orchestration information of the second terminal device is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: ① the service incoming data of the second terminal device; ② the server's computing resources; ③ the data queuing time of the second terminal device in the server; ④ the data distribution node of the second terminal device. In other words, the server orchestrates at least one of these four items to ensure that the data of the second terminal device arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0112] Understandably, a server can orchestrate data from one terminal device (such as a first terminal device or a second terminal device), or it can orchestrate data from two terminal devices (such as a first terminal device and a second terminal device).

[0113] Furthermore, taking the first terminal device as an example (the second terminal device can be referenced), both the second core network device and the server can orchestrate the data of the first terminal device (for example, the second information includes the network orchestration information and the service orchestration information of the first terminal device); or the second core network device or the server can orchestrate the data of the first terminal device, for example, the second information includes the network orchestration information of the first terminal device but does not include the service orchestration information of the first terminal device, then the second core network device orchestrates the data of the first terminal device according to the network orchestration information of the first terminal device, while the server does not orchestrate the data of the first terminal device.

[0114] (3) The specific implementation of determining the second information is introduced.

[0115] For example, the first core network device obtains the service information and network latency information of the first terminal device and the service information and network latency information of the second terminal device based on the first information; then, it determines the second information based on the service information and network latency information of the first terminal device and the service information and network latency information of the second terminal device.

[0116] For example, if the first core network device predicts, based on the service information and network latency information of the first terminal device and the service information and network latency information of the second terminal device, that the data of the first terminal device will arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time, and the data of the second terminal device will arrive at the access network device after the first scheduling time, then the first core network device can determine that the second information includes the network orchestration information and / or the service orchestration information of the second terminal device.

[0117] Alternatively, if the first core network device predicts that the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device will arrive at the access network device after the first scheduling time, then the first core network device can determine that the second information includes the network orchestration information and / or service orchestration information of the first terminal device, and also includes the network orchestration information and / or service orchestration information of the second terminal device.

[0118] Taking the first terminal device as an example (the second terminal device can be referenced accordingly), the service information of the first terminal device may include at least one of the following: service type, service traffic characteristics (such as the amount of traffic generated by the service, the time distribution pattern of the traffic, etc.), and may also include other possible information, which is not limited. The network latency information of the first terminal device may include at least one of the following: the historical transmission latency of the data of the first terminal device, latency jitter (i.e., the degree of change in transmission latency), and may also include other possible information, which is not limited.

[0119] S403, the access network device receives data from the first terminal device and the second terminal device from the second core network device. The data from the first terminal device and / or the second terminal device is orchestrated, and the access network device receives the data from the first terminal device and the second terminal device from the second core network device before the first scheduling time.

[0120] For example, the server can orchestrate the data of the first terminal device and / or the second terminal device according to the service orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the service orchestration information of the second terminal device, and send the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device, and orchestrates the data according to the network orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the network orchestration information of the second terminal device, and then sends the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device to the access network device. This application embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of server orchestration and second core network device orchestration.

[0121] For example, the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device may belong to the same protocol data unit (PDU) set. The second core network device transmits the data of the first terminal device and the second terminal device according to the quality of service (QoS) requirements (e.g., integrity requirements) of the same PDU set.

[0122] Optionally, the second core network device can also send indication information to the access network device. The indication information is used to indicate that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device belong to the same PDU set. For example, the sequence number (SN) of the PDU set can be used to indicate that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device belong to the same PDU set.

[0123] S404, the access network device sends data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device during the first scheduling time.

[0124] For example, the access network device transmits data from the first terminal device and the second terminal device via MU-MIMO during the first scheduling time; that is, the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device are carried on the same time-frequency resources but different spatial resources.

[0125] For example, during the first scheduling time, the access network equipment transmits data from the first terminal device and the second terminal device using frequency division multiplexing; that is, the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device are carried on the same time domain resources and different frequency domain resources.

[0126] It is understood that the above description uses two terminal devices as an example. In specific implementations, the access network device can also determine that the data of two or more terminal devices correspond to the first scheduling time. For specific implementation details, refer to the description of "data of two terminal devices corresponding to the first scheduling time". Further, optionally, assuming the access network device indicates that the data of five terminal devices corresponds to the first scheduling time, if the first core network device predicts that all five terminal devices will arrive at the access network device after the first scheduling time, the first core network device can instruct the second core network device and / or the server to orchestrate the data of these five terminal devices so that the data of all five terminal devices arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time. Alternatively, the first core network device can instruct the second core network device and / or the server to orchestrate some of the five terminal devices so that the data of some of the five terminal devices arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0127] Using the above method, the access network device can send first information to the first core network device to indicate that the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time. Then, the first core network device can, based on the first information, instruct the second core network device and / or the server to orchestrate the data from the first terminal device and / or the data from the second terminal device, so that the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time. Thus, the access network device can send the data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device during the first scheduling time. In this way, by using a "pairing first, then water" approach, resource utilization can be effectively improved, such as increasing the utilization rate of spectrum resources, thereby reducing the operator's operating costs.

[0128] For example, if an access network device has 24 spatial streams, and each spatial stream can transmit data independently, assuming one terminal device corresponds to 8 spatial streams, the access network device can transmit data to 3 terminal devices via MU-MIMO. In this scenario, the access network device can determine the first scheduling time corresponding to M terminal devices (M is greater than or equal to 3, taking M equal to 3 as an example) and send a first message to the first core network device. This first message indicates that the 3 terminal devices correspond to the first scheduling time. After receiving the first message, the first core network device can instruct the second core network device and / or the server to orchestrate the data of these 3 terminal devices so that the data arrives at the access network device before the first scheduling time. Then, the access network device receives the data from this terminal device before the first scheduling time and transmits the data of these 3 terminal devices using 24 spatial streams via MU-MIMO. This fully utilizes the spatial streams of the access network device, improving resource utilization, i.e., improving spectrum resource utilization, in order to maximize MU-MIMO gain and maximize cell capacity.

[0129] The above embodiment one describes the access network device as a whole. In other examples, the access network device may include a DU and a CU that manages the DU. The following describes a possible process flow in conjunction with embodiment two.

[0130] Example 2

[0131] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in Embodiment 2 of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the process may include:

[0132] S501, after the DU determines that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to the first scheduling time, it sends first information to the CU. The first information is used to indicate that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to the first scheduling time of the access network device. Accordingly, the CU receives the first information.

[0133] For example, the implementation of DU determining the correspondence between the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device and the first scheduling time can be referred to the description of "access network device determining the correspondence between the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device and the first scheduling time", and will not be repeated here.

[0134] S502, the CU sends the first information to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives the first information.

[0135] S503, the first core network device sends second information based on the first information. The second information is used to arrange the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device to arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0136] S504, CU receives data from the first terminal device and the second terminal device from the second core network equipment.

[0137] S505, CU sends data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device to DU.

[0138] S506, DU transmits data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device at the first scheduling time.

[0139] For example, the DU sends data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device at the first scheduling time. This can be referred to in the description of "the access network device sending data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device at the first scheduling time", and will not be repeated here.

[0140] The difference between Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 1 is that in Embodiment 2, the access network device is divided into DU and CU. Apart from this difference, all other contents can be referred to the description in Embodiment 1.

[0141] Regarding the above embodiments, it is understood that:

[0142] (1) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships. In addition, different implementations or different examples in the same embodiment can also be referenced or referenced by each other.

[0143] (2) The various numerical designations used in this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The step numbers in the above flowcharts are only examples of the execution process and do not constitute a restriction on the order of execution of the steps. That is, the size of each step number does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each step should be determined by its function and internal logic. Furthermore, not all steps shown in the flowcharts are mandatory steps; some steps may be added or deleted based on actual needs.

[0144] The foregoing mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of interaction among multiple communication devices. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the multiple communication devices may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of this application 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 application.

[0145] This application embodiment can divide multiple communication devices (such as a first communication device and a second communication device) into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0146] When using integrated units, Figure 6 A possible exemplary block diagram of the apparatus involved in an embodiment of this application is shown. For example... Figure 6 As shown, device 600 may include a processing unit 602 and a communication unit 603. The processing unit 602 is used to control and manage the operation of device 600. The communication unit 603 is used to support communication between device 600 and other devices. Optionally, the communication unit 603, also called a transceiver unit, may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, respectively used to perform receiving and sending operations. Device 600 may also include a storage unit 601 for storing the program code and / or data of device 600.

[0147] (1) The device 600 can be the first communication device in the above embodiments. The processing unit 602 can support the device 600 in performing the actions of the first communication device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 mainly performs the internal actions of the first communication device in the method embodiments, and the communication unit 603 can support communication between the device 600 and other devices.

[0148] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is configured to: send first information to a first core network device, the first information being used to indicate a first scheduling time for the access network device corresponding to the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device; receive the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device from a second core network device; and send the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device during the first scheduling time.

[0149] Other further technical features can be found in the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0150] (2) The device 600 can be the second communication device in the above embodiments. The processing unit 602 can support the device 600 in performing the actions of the second communication device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 mainly performs the internal actions of the second communication device in the method embodiments, and the communication unit 603 can support communication between the device 600 and other devices.

[0151] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is configured to: receive first information from the access network device, the first information being configured to indicate that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to a first scheduling time of the access network device; and, based on the first information, send second information, the second information being configured to schedule the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device to arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

[0152] Other further technical features can be found in the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0153] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, all units in the device can be implemented entirely through software calls from processing elements; all units can be implemented entirely in hardware; or some units can be implemented through software calls from processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, each unit can be a separate processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip within the device. Alternatively, it can be stored as a program in memory, called and executed by a processing element of the device. Moreover, these units can be fully or partially integrated together, or implemented independently. The processing element here can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the operations or units described above can be implemented through integrated logic circuits in the processor element or through software calls from processing elements.

[0154] In one example, a unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods described above, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these forms of integrated circuits. As another example, when a unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), or other processor capable of calling programs. Furthermore, these units can be integrated together to implement a system-on-chip (SoC).

[0155] The receiving unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices. The transmitting unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to transmit signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transmitting unit is an interface circuit for the chip to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

[0156] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, see below. Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 may include one or more processors 701. Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a memory 702, which may be located inside or outside the communication device 700. It is understood that... Figure 7 Only the main components of the communication device are shown; the communication device may further include a transceiver (not shown in the figure).

[0157] Specifically, processor 701 can be a CPU, a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. Processor 701 may further include a hardware chip. The aforementioned hardware chip can be an ASIC, a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an FPGA, a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

[0158] The processor 701 and memory 702 are interconnected. Optionally, the processor 701 and memory 702 are interconnected via bus 703; bus 703 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 7 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.

[0159] In one alternative implementation, memory 702 is used to store programs, etc. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 702 may include RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices. Processor 701 executes the application program stored in memory 702 to implement the above-mentioned functions, thereby realizing the functions of communication device 700.

[0160] For example, the communication device 700 may be the first communication device or the second communication device in the above embodiments.

[0161] In one embodiment, when the communication device 700 implements the functions of the first communication device in the above method embodiment, the transceiver can perform the transmit and receive operations executed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment; the processor 701 can perform other operations besides the transmit and receive operations executed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0162] In one embodiment, when the communication device 700 implements the functions of the second communication device in the above method embodiment, the transceiver can perform the transmit and receive operations executed by the second communication device in the above method embodiment; the processor 701 can perform other operations besides the transmit and receive operations executed by the second communication device in the above method embodiment. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0163] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes 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, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0164] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0165] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0166] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0167] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first information to the first core network device, the first information being used to indicate the first scheduling time of the access network device corresponding to the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device; Receive data from the first terminal device and the second terminal device from the second core network device; Data from the first terminal device and data from the second terminal device are sent during the first scheduling time.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes the identification information of the first scheduling time.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device are carried on the same frequency domain resources and different spatial domain resources.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first scheduling time is the scheduling time for multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The data from the first terminal device and the data from the second terminal device are carried on different frequency domain resources.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive channel information from the first terminal device and channel information from the second terminal device; Based on the channel information of the first terminal device and the channel information of the second terminal device, the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device are determined to correspond to the first scheduling time.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information from the access network device, the first information being used to indicate that the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device correspond to the first scheduling time of the access network device; Based on the first information, a second information is sent, which is used to arrange the data of the first terminal device and the data of the second terminal device to arrive at the access network device before the first scheduling time.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first information includes the identification information of the first scheduling time.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The second information includes the service orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the service orchestration information of the second terminal device; The service orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: Business inflow; The server's computing resources; The queue time of the data in the server; Data distribution node.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The service orchestration information includes the identifier information of the first scheduling time.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The second information includes the network orchestration information of the first terminal device and / or the network orchestration information of the second terminal device; The network orchestration information is used to orchestrate at least one of the following: Data queuing time in the second core network equipment; The gating cycle of the second core network equipment.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The network orchestration information includes the identifier information of the first scheduling time.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the service information and network latency information of the first terminal device, and the service information and network latency information of the second terminal device; The second information is determined based on the service information and network latency information of the first terminal device and the service information and network latency information of the second terminal device.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory in which a computer program is stored; the processor is configured to invoke part or all of the computer program in the memory such that the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed.

15. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the second communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 13.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program that, when some or all of the computer program is executed by a computer, causes the method described in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 13 is performed.

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