Communication method, device, communication device, and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a communication method, an apparatus, a communication device, and a storage medium, the method including: a first network function receiving first information from a first function, the first information being information related to network congestion control; and the first network function generating policy information based on at least the first information, and transmitting the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This disclosure is based on and claims priority from a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202210957823.8 and filing date August 10, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present disclosure relates to the field of communications technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, communication equipment, and storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] The core idea of ​​currently proposed congestion control measures is to set a fixed bit position bit in the IP header of the message at the congestion point. Setting the bit to 11 indicates that congestion is occurring at this node and transmits this information to the next processing node. The processing node generates a Layer 4 notification according to a certain algorithm and sends it to the server, informing the server to adjust the message sending rate or encoding method. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, an apparatus, a communication device, and a storage medium.

[0004] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure are realized as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising: a first network function receiving first information from a first function, the first information being information related to network congestion control; The first network function generates policy information based on at least the first information, and transmits the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals.

[0006] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information is: Business information, Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for business information; congestion information, The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The notification information includes at least one of the corresponding QoS requirements.

[0007] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, transmitting the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals includes: the first network function sending policy information to a Session Management Function (SMF); the first network function sending policy information to a User Plane Function (UPF) via an SMF; the first network function sending policy information to an access network device via an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); The first network function includes at least one of: AMF and sending policy information to the terminal via access network equipment.

[0008] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the terminal and / or the UPF to recognize and provide QoS guarantee to the data.

[0009] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the congestion information in the first information indicates that the access network equipment adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the UPF adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the access network equipment notifies the UPF to add congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs.

[0010] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for the access network equipment or UPF to add congestion information into data packets.

[0011] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the QoS requirement corresponding to the signaling information is at least used to provide a corresponding QoS guarantee to the signaling information.

[0012] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, generating policy information based on the first information from the first network function comprises: In a session establishment process or a session modification process, the first network function generates policy information based on the first information.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: The first function includes sending first information to a first network function, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the first information being used to generate corresponding policy information.

[0014] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information is: Business information, QoS requirements corresponding to business information, congestion information, The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The notification information includes at least one of the corresponding QoS requirements.

[0015] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: The method includes transmitting first notification information when the communication device receives the congestion information, the first notification information being used to notify that the network is currently in a congestion state.

[0016] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the communication device receiving policy information from a first network function, the policy information being generated based on at least first information, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the communication device including a network device and / or a terminal.

[0017] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information is: Business information, QoS requirements corresponding to business information, congestion information, The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The notification information includes at least one of the corresponding QoS requirements.

[0018] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, transmitting the first notification information includes: The communication device adds the first notification information to an associated message, and the associated message is used to provide QoS guarantee based on a QoS request corresponding to the first notification information; or The communication device constructs a message and transmits the first notification information within the constructed message, and the constructed message is used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the first notification information.

[0019] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication device includes a terminal, and the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the terminal to recognize and guarantee QoS for data.

[0020] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information in the first information is at least used to provide a corresponding QoS guarantee to the notification information.

[0021] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, when the communication device includes a terminal, the method further includes the terminal sending capability indication information, the capability indication information indicating that the terminal supports network congestion control.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: The network function includes, upon detecting network congestion, adding congestion information in the data packet and transmitting the data packet with the added congestion information.

[0023] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the network function receiving policy information from a first network function, the policy information being generated based on at least first information, and the first information being information related to network congestion control.

[0024] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information is: Business information, QoS requirements corresponding to business operations, congestion information, The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The notification information includes at least one of the corresponding QoS requirements.

[0025] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the network device includes at least one of an SMF, an UPF, and an access network device; The network function receiving policy information from a first network function, The SMF directly receives policy information sent from a first network function; The UPF receives policy information sent from a first network function via an SMF; The access network device receives policy information sent from the first network function via the AMF.

[0026] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the UPF to recognize and guarantee QoS for the data.

[0027] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the congestion information in the first information indicates that the access network equipment adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the UPF adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the access network equipment notifies the UPF to add congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs.

[0028] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for the access network equipment or UPF to add congestion information into data packets.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: The terminal or the second network function includes receiving first indication information sent from the access network equipment, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0030] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the terminal or a second network function sending second notification information, the second notification information being used to notify recovery from a network congestion state and / or adjustment of a data transmission method.

[0031] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, before the terminal receives the first indication information sent from the access network device, the method further includes: the terminal switching from access to the first access network device to access to the second access network device through a cell switching procedure; The terminal receiving first indication information sent from an access network device includes the terminal receiving first indication information sent from the second access network device.

[0032] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the terminal receiving a first message via the access network equipment, the first message not including congestion information.

[0033] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal or the second network function sending the second notification information includes: The terminal or the second network function adds the second notification information into an associated message, and the associated message is used to provide QoS guarantee based on a QoS requirement corresponding to the second notification information; or The terminal or the second network function transmits the second notification information within a message to be constructed, and the constructed message is used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the second notification information.

[0034] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the terminal sending capability indication information, the capability indication information indicating that the terminal supports network congestion control.

[0035] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: A second access network device receives first indication information sent from the first access network device or the AMF, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state; The second access network device includes transmitting second indication information to the terminal when the congestion state is recovered, the second indication information being used to instruct recovery from the network congestion state.

[0036] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, when the congestion state is resolved, the second access network device, the method further comprises: The second access network sends a first message to the terminal, the first message not including congestion information.

[0037] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: receiving first indication information by a first access network device, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state; The first access network device transmits the first indication information to a second access network device.

[0038] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, receiving first indication information by the first access network device includes: The session establishment process includes the first access network device receiving the first indication information via one or more network functions.

[0039] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first access network device sending the first indication information to the second access network device may include the first access network device directly sending the first indication information to the second access network device; or The first access network device sends the first indication information to the second access network device via a first AMF, and the first AMF is an AMF jointly accessed by the first access network device and the second access network device; or The first access network device sends the first indication information to the second access network device via a third AMF and a second AMF, wherein the third AMF is an AMF accessed by the first access network device and the second AMF is an AMF accessed by the second access network device.

[0040] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: receiving second information from the AF by the PCF, the second information including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state; The PCF sends the first indication information to a first access network device.

[0041] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the PCF sending the first indication information to the first access network device includes: The session establishment process includes the PCF sending the first indication information to a first access network device via one or more network functions.

[0042] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the PCF receiving the second information from the AF includes: The PCF receives the second information from the AF via a capability disclosure function NEF.

[0043] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method, the method comprising: The method includes the AF sending second information to the PCF, the second information including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0044] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the AF sending the second information to the PCF includes: The AF transmits the second information to the PCF via the NEF.

[0045] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device adapted in a first network function, the device including a first communication unit and a first processing unit; the first communication unit is configured to receive first information from a first function, the first information being information related to network congestion control; the first processing unit is configured to generate policy information based on at least the first information; The first communication unit is further configured to transmit the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals.

[0046] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applied within a first function, the device including a second communication unit, the second communication unit configured to send first information to a first network function, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the first information being used to generate corresponding policy information.

[0047] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applied within a communication device, the device including a third communication unit, the third communication unit configured to transmit first notification information upon receiving congestion information, the first notification information being used to notify that a network is currently in a state of congestion.

[0048] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device adapted in a network function, the device including a second processing unit and a fourth communication unit; the second processing unit is configured to add congestion information in a data packet upon detecting network congestion; The fourth communication unit is configured to transmit data packets to which congestion information has been added.

[0049] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to a terminal or a second network function, the device including a fifth communication unit, the fifth communication unit configured to receive first indication information transmitted from an access network device, the first indication information being used to instruct support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0050] In a 15th aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to a second access network device, the device including a sixth communication unit, the sixth communication unit configured to receive first indication information transmitted from a first access network device or an AMF, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state, the sixth communication unit further configured to transmit the second indication information to a terminal when the congestion state is recovered, the second indication information being used to indicate recovery from the network congestion state.

[0051] In a sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to a first access network device, the device including a seventh communication unit configured to receive first indication information sent from a PCF and send the first indication information to a second access network device, the first indication information being used to instruct supporting rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0052] In a seventeenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applied to a PCF, the device including: an eighth communication unit; the eighth communication unit configured to receive second information from an AF and send the first indication information to a first access network device, the second information including the first indication information, and the first indication information used to instruct supporting rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0053] In an eighteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to an AF, the device including: a ninth communication unit; the ninth communication unit configured to send second information to a PCF; the second information including first indication information; and the first indication information used to instruct supporting rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0054] In a nineteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the program, when executed by a processor, implementing the steps of the communication method described in any one of the first to ninth aspects of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] In a twentieth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein when the processor executes the program, the device implements the steps of the communication method described in any one of the first to ninth aspects of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] According to the communication method, device, communication device, and storage medium of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first network function generates corresponding policy information based on the first information and sends it to other network functions and / or terminals, so that the other network functions and / or terminals can process and / or transmit data based on the policy information and / or provide corresponding QoS guarantees. Meanwhile, with regard to congestion control, in a mobility state, due to RAN switching, the network congestion state may change quickly. For example, when switching from a RAN with network congestion to a RAN with a light network load, the first access network device sends first indication information to the second access network device. When the second access network device determines that the network congestion has recovered, the second access network device sends the first indication information. In this way, it is easy for the terminal or the second network function to immediately send second notification information, notify the other party of the recovery of the network congestion state, and adjust the data transmission method, for example, increase the number of data packets sent and improve the data transmission rate, thereby avoiding the other party being in a low-rate transmission state for a long period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0057] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a second schematic flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 3 is a flow diagram 3 of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic flow diagram 4 of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 6] 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 6 is a flow diagram 6 of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 8 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 9 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 3 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 5 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 6 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 7 is a schematic diagram of the configuration structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0058] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and specific examples.

[0059] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems, such as a Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a 5G system. Optionally, a 5G system or a 5G network is also called a New Radio (NR) system or a NR network.

[0060] For example, a communication system to which an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied may include network equipment and terminal equipment (also referred to as a terminal or a communication terminal). The network equipment may be equipment that communicates with the terminal equipment. Here, the network equipment may provide a communication overlay within a certain area and communicate with terminals within the area. Optionally, the network equipment may be a base station in each communication system, such as an evolved base station (eNB, Evolutional Node B) in an LTE system, or a base station (gNB) in a 5G system or an NR system.

[0061] In the network / system of the present disclosure, a device having a communication function is referred to as a communication device. The communication device may include a network device and a terminal having a communication function. The network device and the terminal device may be the specific devices described above, and further description thereof will be omitted. The communication device may also include other devices in the communication system, such as a network controller, a mobility management entity, or other network entities, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0062] It should be noted that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" used herein is merely a relationship describing related objects and means that three relationships can exist; for example, A and / or B can represent that A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in the text generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0063] The terms "first," "second," etc. in the specification and claims of this disclosure are intended to distinguish between similar objects without necessarily being used to describe a particular order or priority. It should be understood that terms used in this manner may be interchanged where appropriate, such that the embodiments of the present application described herein may, for example, be practiced in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprise" and "have" and variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the explicitly listed steps or units, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0064] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method. Figure 1 is a schematic flow diagram of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the method includes the following steps 101-102.

[0065] In step 101, a first network function receives first information from a first function, the first information being information related to network congestion control.

[0066] In step 102, the first network function generates policy information based on at least the first information, and transmits the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals.

[0067] In this embodiment, the first network function is a network element with policy provisioning capability. Exemplarily, the first network function may be a Policy Control Function (PCF) in a 5G system or other network elements with policy provisioning capability in 6G and subsequent systems, and is not specifically limited herein. The first function may be, for example, an Application Function (AF) or an Application Server (AS) in a 5G system.

[0068] In some examples, when the first function is an AF, the first network function may receive the first information from the AF via a Network Exposure Function (NEF).

[0069] In some alternative embodiments, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0070] Here, the business information may specifically be characteristic information of a business or a message or a data packet, and for example, the business information specifically includes at least one of IP 5-tuple information, IP flow information, application information, etc.

[0071] Here, the QoS requirements are specifically QoS requirements corresponding to the business information, such as delay requirements and bandwidth requirements.

[0072] Here, the congestion information may specifically be mark information indicating congestion, and for example, the presence of congestion information in a message or data packet may mean that a mark indicating congestion is attached to the message or data packet.

[0073] Here, the congestion information mark frequency, duration, or time interval represents the frequency, duration, or time interval at which a mark (or congestion information) indicating congestion is added to a message or data packet in a current network congestion state. For example, a mark (or congestion information) indicating congestion may be added to each message or each data packet, or a mark (or congestion information) indicating congestion may be added to a message or data packet every few messages or at regular intervals.

[0074] Here, the notification information may specifically be characteristic information of the notification information, and for example, the notification information may specifically include at least one of IP 5-tuple information, IP flow information, application information, etc. The notification information may specifically be used to notify that a network is currently in a congestion state or that the network congestion state will be recovered from. In some alternative embodiments, the notification information may specifically be Layer 4 (L4) notification information.

[0075] In some alternative embodiments, transmitting the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals comprises: the first network function sending policy information to an SMF; The first network function sends policy information to a UPF via an SMF; and The first network function sends policy information to an access network device via an AMF; and The first network function includes at least one of: AMF and sending policy information to the terminal via access network equipment.

[0076] In this embodiment, the first network function may generate policy information based on at least the first information, and the policy information may include at least some content of the first information. In some embodiments, the policy information sent by the first network function to each network function and / or terminal may be the same or different. For example, if the terminal and the UPF mainly recognize messages or data (or data packets), the policy information sent to the terminal and the UPF may include policy information related to the recognition of the messages or data (or data packets). For example, if the UPF and the access network device detect that their node is in a network congestion state and need to add congestion information to messages or data (or data packets), the policy information sent to the UPF and the access network device may include policy information related to the addition of congestion information.

[0077] In some alternative embodiments, the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are used by at least the terminal and / or the UPF to recognize and provide QoS guarantees to the data.

[0078] In some alternative embodiments, the congestion information in the first information indicates that the access network equipment adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the UPF adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the access network equipment notifies the UPF to add congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs.

[0079] In some alternative embodiments, the marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for the access network equipment or the UPF to add congestion information in data packets.

[0080] In some alternative embodiments, the QoS requirement corresponding to the signaling information is used to at least provide a corresponding QoS guarantee to the signaling information.

[0081] In some alternative embodiments, the first network function generating policy information based on the first information includes the first network function generating policy information based on the first information during a session establishment process or a session modification process.

[0082] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes the following steps:

[0083] In step 201, a first function sends first information to a first network function, the first information being related information for network congestion control, and the first information is used to generate corresponding policy information.

[0084] In some alternative embodiments, the first function may be, for example, an AF or an Application Server (AS) in a 5G system.

[0085] In some examples, if the first function is an AF, the AF may send the first information to a first network function via a NEF.

[0086] In some examples, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0087] Here, the business information may specifically be characteristic information of a business or a message or a data packet, and for example, the business information specifically includes at least one of IP 5-tuple information, IP flow information, application information, etc.

[0088] Here, the QoS requirements are specifically QoS requirements corresponding to the business information.

[0089] Here, the congestion information may specifically be mark information indicating congestion, and for example, the presence of congestion information in a message or data packet may mean that a mark indicating congestion is attached to the message or data packet.

[0090] Here, the congestion information mark frequency, duration, or time interval represents the frequency, duration, or time interval for adding a mark (or congestion information) indicating congestion in a message or data packet in a current network congestion state. For example, the congestion mark (or congestion information) may be added in each message or each data packet, or the congestion mark (or congestion information) may be added in each message or data packet every few messages or every fixed period.

[0091] Here, the notification information may specifically be characteristic information of the notification information, and for example, the notification information may specifically include at least one of IP 5-tuple information, IP flow information, application information, etc. The notification information may specifically be used to notify that a network is currently in a congestion state or that the network congestion state will be recovered from. In some alternative embodiments, the notification information may specifically be Layer 4 (L4) notification information.

[0092] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 3 is a flow diagram of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the method includes the following steps:

[0093] In step 301, when a communication device receives congestion information, the communication device transmits first notification information, which is used to notify that the network is currently in a congestion state.

[0094] In this embodiment, the communication device may be a terminal or a network side device (for example, an AS).

[0095] In this embodiment, during the transmission process of a message or data (or data packet), if the message or data (or data packet) is transmitted to a network node and the network node is in a network congestion state, the network node adds congestion information to the message or data (or data packet). Furthermore, when a terminal receives the message or data (or data packet), i.e., receives the congestion information, the terminal generates first notification information indicating that the network is currently in a congestion state and transmits the first notification information, which can be received by an AS on the network side. Alternatively, when a network side device (e.g., an AS) receives a message or data (or data packet) with accompanying congestion information, i.e., receives the congestion information, the network side device (e.g., an AS) generates first notification information indicating that the network is currently in a congestion state and transmits the first notification information, which can be received by the terminal. The terminal or network side device that receives the first communication information can adjust the data transmission method, for example, reduce the number of transmitted data packets or reduce the data transmission rate.

[0096] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the communication device receiving policy information from a first network function, the policy information being generated based on at least first information, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the communication device including a network device and / or a terminal.

[0097] In some alternative embodiments, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0098] In this embodiment, the communication device can perform step 301 based on policy information transmitted from the first network function, i.e., upon receiving congestion information, generate and transmit first notification information. Here, the policy information may include at least a portion of the content of the first information. In this case, the communication device can recognize a message or data based on the notification information in the first information and recognize the message or data as notification information. Meanwhile, the communication device can provide QoS guarantee for the transmission of the notification information based on the QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information in the first information.

[0099] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, transmitting the first notification information includes the communication device adding the first notification information into an accompanying message, where the accompanying message is used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the first notification information, or the communication device constructing a message and transmitting the first notification information within the constructed message, where the constructed message is used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the first notification information.

[0100] In this embodiment, the first notification information may be transmitted via associated data or an associated message, or may be transmitted by constructing a temporary message, where both the associated data (or message) and the temporary message provide QoS guarantee based on the QoS requirement corresponding to the first notification information. For example, a corresponding 5G QoS Identifier (5QI) may be activated to carry the first notification information.

[0101] In some alternative embodiments, the communication device includes a terminal, and the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the terminal to recognize and guarantee QoS for data.

[0102] In some alternative embodiments, the QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information in the first information is used to at least provide a corresponding QoS guarantee to the notification information.

[0103] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, when the communication device includes a terminal, the method further includes the terminal sending capability indication information, the capability indication information indicating that the terminal supports the task of providing network congestion control.

[0104] In this embodiment, the terminal can send capability indication information indicating that the terminal supports the task of providing network congestion control during a session establishment process, for example, a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment flow, and the capability indication information can be sent to the AMF during session establishment and further sent to the SMF and other network functions. In this way, each network function can easily understand that the terminal has the capability to support network congestion control, and in a subsequent data transmission process, can add congestion information in a message or data when detecting network congestion based on the capability.

[0105] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 4 is a schematic flow diagram 4 of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes the following step 401:

[0106] In step 401, when a network function detects network congestion, it adds congestion information in a data packet and transmits the data packet with the added congestion information.

[0107] In this embodiment, the network function is specifically each network node or network element through which data may pass during the data transmission process, such as a UPF, an access network device (or a radio access network (RAN)), etc.

[0108] In this embodiment, during the transmission process of a message or data (or data packet), if the message or data (or data packet) is transmitted to a network function and the network function is in a state of network congestion, the network function will add congestion information to the message or data (or data packet) and then transmit the message or data (or data packet) with the congestion information added. In this way, when the terminal or network side equipment (AS) receives the message or data (or data packet) with the congestion information added, it can easily understand the network congestion state and thereby adjust the data transmission method in a timely manner, for example, by reducing the number of data packets sent and lowering the data transmission rate.

[0109] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the network function receiving policy information from a first network function, the policy information being generated based on at least first information, and the first information being information related to network congestion control.

[0110] In some alternative embodiments, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0111] In this embodiment, the network function can perform step 401 based on the policy information sent from the first network function, that is, upon detecting network congestion, can add congestion information to a data packet and transmit the data packet with the added congestion information. Here, the policy information can include at least a part of the content of the first information. In this case, the network function can recognize based on the congestion information in the first information, and can further use the mark frequency, duration, or time interval of the congestion information to add the congestion information to the message or data (or data packet).

[0112] In some alternative embodiments, the network function includes at least one of an SMF, an UPF, and an access network device, and the network function receiving the policy information from the first network function includes: The SMF directly receives policy information sent from a first network function; The UPF receives policy information sent from a first network function via an SMF; The access network device receives policy information sent from the first network function via the AMF.

[0113] In some alternative embodiments, the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the UPF to recognize and provide QoS guarantees to the data.

[0114] In some alternative embodiments, the congestion information in the first information indicates that the access network equipment adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the UPF adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the access network equipment notifies the UPF to add congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs.

[0115] In some alternative embodiments, the marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for the access network equipment or the UPF to add congestion information in data packets.

[0116] The communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to a specific example, in which the first network function is a PCF and the first function is an AF.

[0117] Example 1 5 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes the following steps 501 to 503:

[0118] In step 501, the AF sends first information to the PCF, where the first information is information related to network congestion control.

[0119] Here, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a mark frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0120] In step 502, during the PDU session establishment process, the UE reports capability indication information, which indicates that the terminal supports network congestion control.

[0121] Here, the capability indication information reported by the terminal is carried within the 5G session management capability (SM capability).

[0122] In step 503, during a PDU session establishment process or a PDU session establishment modification process, the PCF generates policy information and sends the policy information to the SMF, the UPF, the RAN, and the UE.

[0123] Here, in one example, the UE can send first notification information when receiving congestion information based on policy information, where the first notification information is used to notify that a network is currently congested, and the first notification information can provide QoS guarantees based on corresponding QoS requirements. In another example, the UE and / or UPF can recognize and provide QoS guarantees for uplink data and downlink data based on policy information. In yet another example, the UPF or RAN can add congestion information to data packets when network congestion occurs at its own node based on policy information, or the RAN can notify the UPF to add congestion information to data packets when network congestion occurs at the RAN.

[0124] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication method. Figure 6 is a schematic flow diagram 5 of the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes the following steps:

[0125] In step 601, the terminal or the second network function receives first indication information sent from an access network device, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0126] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes the terminal or a second network function sending second notification information, the second notification information being used to notify recovery from a network congestion state and / or adjustment of a data transmission method.

[0127] In this embodiment, the second notification information sent by the terminal is sent to a network side device (e.g., an AS), or the second notification information sent by the second network function is sent to the terminal, thus notifying the other party that the network congestion state has recovered, and adjusting the data transmission method, for example, increasing the number of data packets sent and improving the data transmission rate.

[0128] In some alternative embodiments, before the terminal receives the first indication information transmitted from the access network equipment, the method further includes the terminal switching from access to a first access network equipment to access to a second access network equipment by a cell switching procedure, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the first indication information transmitted from the access network equipment includes the terminal receiving the first indication information transmitted from the second access network equipment.

[0129] In this embodiment, the first access network device may be illustratively a source base station, and the second access network device may be a target base station.

[0130] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes the terminal receiving a first message via the second access network device, the first message not including congestion information.

[0131] In this embodiment, since the network congestion state has been recovered, each network function or network node does not add congestion information to the message or data (or data packet) during the data transmission process. Illustratively, when the terminal or the second network function receives the message or data (or data packet) to which no congestion information has been added and / or when the terminal or the second network function receives the first indication information, it transmits the second notification information.

[0132] In some alternative embodiments, the terminal or the second network function sending the second notification information includes: The method includes the terminal or the second network function adding the second notification information into an associated message, the associated message being used to provide QoS guarantees based on a QoS request corresponding to the second notification information, or the terminal or the second network function sending the second notification information into a message being constructed, the message being used to provide QoS guarantees based on a QoS request corresponding to the second notification information.

[0133] In this embodiment, the second notification information may be transmitted via associated data or an associated message, or may be transmitted by constructing a temporary message, where both the associated data (or message) and the temporary message provide QoS guarantee based on the QoS requirement corresponding to the second notification information. For example, a corresponding 5G QoS Identifier (5QI) may be activated to carry the second notification information.

[0134] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the terminal sending capability indication information, the capability indication information indicating that the terminal supports network congestion control.

[0135] In this embodiment, the terminal can send capability indication information during the session establishment process, for example, the terminal can send the capability indication information to the AMF during PDU session establishment, and further to the SMF and other network functions. In this way, each network function can easily understand that the terminal has the capability to support the task of providing network congestion control, and can receive first indication information and / or send second notification information based on the capability in the subsequent data transmission process.

[0136] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 7 is a schematic flow diagram 6 of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes the following steps 701 to 702:

[0137] In step 701, the second access network device receives first indication information sent from the first access network device or the AMF, and the first indication information is used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0138] In step 702, the second access network device sends second indication information to the terminal when the congestion state is recovered, and the second indication information is used to instruct the terminal to recover from the network congestion state.

[0139] This embodiment may be applied to a switching scenario. That is, this embodiment may be applied to a scenario in which a terminal switches access from a first access network device to a second access network device. For example, if the first access network device may be a source base station, the second access network device may be a target base station. In this scenario, in one embodiment, the first access network device may first obtain the first indication information from another network function or network node, and then transmit the first indication information to the second access network device. In another embodiment, the second access network device may obtain the first indication information from an access AMF.

[0140] In some alternative embodiments, the method further includes the second access network device transmitting the first indication information to the terminal.

[0141] In some alternative embodiments, when the second access network device recovers from the congestion state, the method further includes the second access network sending a first message to the terminal, the first message not including congestion information.

[0142] In this embodiment, the first message without congestion information can correspond to the second instruction information, that is, an instruction to recover from the network congestion state.

[0143] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 8 is a schematic flow diagram 7 of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the method includes the following steps 801 to 802:

[0144] In step 801, a first access network device receives first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0145] In step 802, the first access network device sends the first indication information to a second access network device.

[0146] This embodiment may be applied to a switching scenario. That is, this embodiment may be applied to a scenario in which a terminal switches access from a first access network device to a second access network device. For example, when the first access network device may be a source base station, the second access network device may be a target base station. In this scenario, as an embodiment, the first access network device may first obtain the first indication information from another network function, and then send the first indication information to the second access network device.

[0147] In some alternative embodiments, the first access network device receiving the first indication information includes the first access network device receiving the first indication information via one or more network functions during a session establishment process.

[0148] In some alternative embodiments, the first access network device sending the first indication information to the second access network device includes the first access network device sending the first indication information directly to the second access network device, or the first access network device sending the first indication information to the second access network device via a first AMF, wherein the first AMF is an AMF jointly accessed by the first access network device and the second access network device, or the first access network device sending the first indication information to the second access network device via a third AMF and a second AMF, wherein the third AMF is an AMF accessed by the first access network device and the second AMF is an AMF accessed by the second access network device.

[0149] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 9 is a schematic flow diagram of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes the following steps 901 to 902:

[0150] In step 901, the PCF receives second information from the AF, the second information including first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0151] In step 902, the PCF sends the first indication information to a first access network device.

[0152] In some alternative embodiments, the PCF sending the first indication information to the first access network device includes the PCF sending the first indication information to the first access network device via one or more network functions during a session establishment process.

[0153] In some alternative embodiments, the PCF receiving the second information from the AF includes the PCF receiving the second information from the AF via a NEF.

[0154] By adopting the technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure, in terms of congestion control, in a mobility state, due to RAN switching, the network congestion state may change rapidly. For example, when switching from a RAN with network congestion to a RAN with a light network load, the first access network device will send first indication information to the second access network device. When the second access network device decides to recover from the network congestion, the data sent by the second access network device will not be accompanied by congestion information, and will send the first indication information at the same time. In this way, it is easy for the terminal or the second network function to immediately send second notification information, notify the other party of the recovery of the network congestion state, and adjust the data transmission method, for example, increase the number of data packets sent and improve the data transmission rate, thereby avoiding the other party being in a low-rate transmission state for a long period of time.

[0155] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication method. Figure 10 is a schematic flow diagram 9 of the communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, the method includes the following step 1001:

[0156] In step 1001, the AF sends second information to the PCF, where the second information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that a rapid recovery from a network congestion state is supported.

[0157] In some alternative embodiments, the AF sending the second information to the PCF includes the AF sending the second information to the PCF via the NEF.

[0158] The communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to a specific example, in which the first network function is a PCF and the first function is an AF.

[0159] Example 2 This example is a switching based on the Xn interface. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 11, the method includes the following steps 1101 to 1112:

[0160] In step 1101, the AF sends first indication information to the PCF, where the first indication information is used to indicate that a fast recovery from a network congestion state is supported.

[0161] In step 1102, in a PDU session establishment process, the PCF sends the first indication information to an S-RAN (S-RAN may represent a source base station).

[0162] In step 1103, the S-RAN sends a handover request to the T-RAN (T-RAN can represent the target base station), and the handover request includes the first indication information.

[0163] In step 1104, the T-RAN performs admission control to verify and approve the UE's access.

[0164] In step 1105, the T-RAN sends a Handover request acknowledge to the S-RAN.

[0165] In step 1106, the S-RAN sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the UE.

[0166] In step 1107, the UE performs a switch to the new cell.

[0167] In step 1108, the UE sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the T-RAN.

[0168] In step 1109, the UE performs a switching procedure with each network device.

[0169] This step may specifically include the following steps: the UE performs handover preparation with the T-RAN, the UE performs handover execution with the T-RAN, the T-RAN sends an N2 path switch request to the AMF, the AMF sends a request to the SMF (the request may be, for example, an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request), the SMF sends an N4 Session Modification Request to the UPF, the UPF sends an N3End marker to the S-RAN, and the S-RAN sends an N3End marker to the T-RAN, so that the UE can transmit data to the UPF via the T-RAN. The SMF sends a response such as Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response to the AMF, the AMF sends an N2 Path Switch request Ack to the T-RAN, and the T-RAN sends a Release Resources message to the S-RAN.

[0170] In step 1110, a downstream message is transmitted, which indicates that the network congestion state has been resolved if no congestion information is attached to the downstream message.

[0171] In step 1111, the T-RAN sends the first indication information to the UE.

[0172] In step 1112, the UE transmits second notification information, where the second notification information is used to notify recovery from network congestion and / or adjustment of data transmission mode.

[0173] Example 3 This example is a switching based on the N2 interface. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 12, the method includes the following steps 1201 to 1210:

[0174] In step 1201, the AF sends first indication information to the PCF, where the first indication information is used to indicate that a rapid recovery from a network congestion state is supported.

[0175] In step 1202, a PDU session establishment process, in which the PCF sends the first indication information to an S-RAN (S-RAN may represent a source base station).

[0176] In step 1203, the S-RAN sends a handover request (Handover required) to the S-AMF (S-AMF may represent the source AMF), and the handover request includes the first indication information.

[0177] In step 1204, the UE performs a switching procedure with each network device.

[0178] This step may specifically include the following steps: the S-AMF selects a T-AMF (T-AMF Selection, T-AMF may represent the target AMF), the S-AMF sends a request to the T-AMF (the request is, for example, a Nsmf_Communication_CreateUEContext request), the T-AMF sends a request to the SMF (the request is, for example, a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request), the SMF selects a UPF (UPF Selection), the SMF sends an N4 Session Modification Request to the anchor UPF, the anchor UPF sends an N4 Session Modification Response to the SMF, the SMF sends an N4 Session Establishment Request to the T-UPF, the T-UPF sends an N4 Session Establishment Response to the SMF, and the SMF sends a response to the T-AMF (the response is, for example, a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response), the T-AMF performs PDU Handover Response Supervision.

[0179] Here, the S-AMF sends the first indication information to the T-AMF.

[0180] In step 1205, the T-AMF sends a handover request to the T-RAN, and the handover request includes the first indication information.

[0181] In step 1206, the T-RAN sends a handover request ACK to the T-AMF.

[0182] In step 1207, the UE performs a switching procedure with each network device.

[0183] This step may specifically include the following: T-AMF sends a request to SMF (the request is, for example, Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request), the SMF sends an N4 session modification request to T-UPF, the T-UPF sends an N4 session modification response to SMF, the SMF sends an N4 Session Modification Request to S-UPF, the S-UPF sends an N4 Session Modification Response to SMF, the SMF sends a response to T-AMF (the response is, for example, Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response), and the T-AMF sends a response to S-AMF (the response is, for example, Nsmf_Communication_CreateUEContext Response).

[0184] In step 1208, a downstream message is transmitted, and if the downstream message does not include congestion information, it indicates that the network congestion state has been resolved.

[0185] In step 1209, the T-RAN sends the first indication information to the UE.

[0186] In step 1210, the UE transmits second notification information, where the second notification information is used to notify recovery from network congestion and / or adjustment of data transmission mode.

[0187] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device adapted to a first network function. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 13, the device includes a first communication unit 11 and a first processing unit 12.

[0188] the first communication unit 11 is configured to receive first information from a first function, the first information being information related to network congestion control; the first processing unit 12 is configured to generate policy information based on at least the first information; The first communication unit 11 is further configured to transmit the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals.

[0189] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0190] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first communication unit 11 is configured such that transmitting the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals includes at least one of transmitting the policy information to an SMF, transmitting the policy information to a UPF via an SMF, transmitting the policy information to an access network device via an AMF, and transmitting the policy information to a terminal via an AMF and an access network device.

[0191] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the terminal and / or the UPF to recognize and provide QoS guarantee to the data.

[0192] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the congestion information in the first information indicates that the access network equipment adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the UPF adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the access network equipment notifies the UPF to add congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs.

[0193] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for the access network equipment or UPF to add congestion information into data packets.

[0194] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the QoS requirement corresponding to the signaling information is at least used to provide a corresponding QoS guarantee to the signaling information.

[0195] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first processing unit 12 is configured to cause the first network function to generate policy information based on the first information during a session establishment process or a session modification process.

[0196] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first processing unit 12 in the device can be realized by a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) in practical applications, and the first communication unit 11 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0197] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applied within a first function. Figure 14 is a second schematic diagram of the configuration structure of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 14, the device includes a second communication unit 21, which is configured to send first information to a first network function, where the first information is information related to network congestion control, and the first information is used to generate corresponding policy information.

[0198] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0199] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second communication unit 21 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0200] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device adapted for use in a communication device. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a third configuration of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 15, the device includes a third communication unit 31, which is configured to transmit first notification information upon receiving congestion information, where the first notification information is used to notify that the network is currently in a congestion state.

[0201] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the third communication unit 31 is further configured to receive policy information from a first network function, the policy information being generated based on at least first information, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the communication device including a network device and / or a terminal.

[0202] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business information, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0203] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the third communication unit 31 is configured to add the first notification information into an accompanying message, which is used to provide QoS guarantees based on the QoS requirements corresponding to the first notification information, or is configured to send the first notification information into a constructed message, which is used to provide QoS guarantees based on the QoS requirements corresponding to the first notification information.

[0204] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication device includes a terminal, and the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the terminal to recognize and guarantee QoS for uplink data and downlink data.

[0205] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information in the first information is at least used to provide a corresponding QoS guarantee to the notification information.

[0206] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, when the communication device includes a terminal, the third communication unit is further configured to send capability indication information, wherein the capability indication information indicates that the terminal supports the operation of providing network congestion control.

[0207] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the third communication unit 31 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0208] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device adapted for use in a network function. Figure 16 is a fourth schematic diagram of the configuration of the communication device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 16, the device includes a second processing unit 42 and a fourth communication unit 41.

[0209] the second processing unit 42 is configured to add congestion information in a data packet upon detecting network congestion; The fourth communication unit 41 is adapted to transmit data packets to which congestion information has been added.

[0210] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth communication unit 41 is further configured to receive policy information from a first network function, the policy information being generated based on at least first information, and the first information being information related to network congestion control.

[0211] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information includes at least one of business information, a QoS requirement corresponding to the business, congestion information, a marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information, notification information, and a QoS requirement corresponding to the notification information.

[0212] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the network device includes at least one of an SMF, a UPF, and an access network device, and the fourth communication unit 41 is configured such that receiving policy information from the first network function includes at least one of directly receiving policy information transmitted from the first network function, receiving policy information transmitted from the first network function via an SMF, and receiving policy information transmitted from the first network function via an AMF.

[0213] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by the UPF to recognize and guarantee QoS for the data.

[0214] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the congestion information in the first information indicates that the access network equipment adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the UPF adds congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that the access network equipment notifies the UPF to add congestion information to the data packet when network congestion occurs.

[0215] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the marking frequency or duration or time interval of the congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for the access network equipment or UPF to add congestion information into data packets.

[0216] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second processing unit 42 in the device can be realized by a CPU, a DSP, an MCU, or an FPGA in practical applications, and the fourth communication unit 41 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0217] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to a terminal or a second network function. Figure 17 is a fifth schematic diagram of the configuration structure of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 17, the device includes a fifth communication unit 51, which is configured to receive first indication information sent from an access network device, where the first indication information is used to instruct supporting rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0218] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth communication unit 51 is further configured to send second notification information, and the second notification information is used to notify recovery from network congestion and / or adjustment of data transmission method.

[0219] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth communication unit 51 is further configured to switch from access to a first access network device to access to a second access network device by a cell switching procedure, and the fifth communication unit 51 is further configured to receive first indication information sent from the second access network device.

[0220] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth communication unit 51 is further configured to receive a first message via the access network equipment, where the first message does not include congestion information.

[0221] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth communication unit 51 is configured to perform the following: adding the second notification information into an accompanying message, where the accompanying message is used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the second notification information; or sending the second notification information into a constructed message, where the constructed message is used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the second notification information.

[0222] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, when the device is applied to a terminal, the fifth communication unit 51 is further configured to send capability indication information, and the capability indication information indicates that the terminal supports the task of providing network congestion control.

[0223] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fifth communication unit 51 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0224] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to a second access network device. Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a sixth configuration structure of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 18, the device includes a sixth communication unit 61, which is configured to receive first indication information sent from a first access network device or an AMF, where the first indication information is used to indicate support for rapid recovery from a network congestion state, and the sixth communication unit 61 is further configured to send second indication information to a terminal when the congestion state is recovered, where the second indication information is used to indicate recovery from the network congestion state.

[0225] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the sixth communication unit 61 is further configured to send a first message to the terminal when the congestion state is resolved, and the first message does not include congestion information.

[0226] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sixth communication unit 61 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0227] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device adapted to a first access network device. Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a seventh configuration of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 19, the device includes a seventh communication unit 71 configured to receive first indication information and send the first indication information to a second access network device, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second access network device to support rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0228] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the seventh communication unit 71 is configured to receive the first indication information via one or more network functions during a session establishment process.

[0229] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the seventh communication unit 71 is configured to perform the following: sending the first indication information directly to the second access network device; or sending the first indication information to the second access network device via a first AMF, where the first AMF is an AMF jointly accessed by the first access network device and the second access network device; or sending the first indication information to the second access network device via a third AMF and a second AMF, where the third AMF is an AMF accessed by the first access network device and the second AMF is an AMF accessed by the second access network device.

[0230] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seventh communication unit 71 in the device can be realized by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna in practical applications.

[0231] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applied to a PCF. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 20, the device includes an eighth communication unit 81, which is configured to receive second information including first indication information from an AF and send the first indication information to a first access network device, where the first indication information is used to instruct the first access network device to support rapid recovery from a network congestion state.

[0232] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the eighth communication unit 81 is configured to send the first indication information to the first access network device via one or more network functions during a session establishment process.

[0233] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the eighth communication unit 81 is configured to receive the second information from the AF via a NEF.

[0234] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the eighth communication unit 81 in the device can be realized in practical application by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna.

[0235] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device applicable to AF. Figure 21 is a ninth schematic diagram of the configuration of the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 21, the device includes a ninth communication unit 91 configured to send second information to a PCF, where the second information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a network congestion state.

[0236] In some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, the ninth communication unit 91 is configured to send the second information to a PCF via an NEF.

[0237] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ninth communication unit 91 in the device can be realized in practical applications by a communication module (including a basic communication kit, an operating system, a communication module, a standardized interface and protocol, etc.) and a transmitting and receiving antenna.

[0238] Although the communication device according to the above embodiment has been described using only the division of each program module as an example when communicating, in actual use, the above processing can be completed by allocating it to different program modules as needed, i.e., the internal structure of the device can be divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the above processing. Furthermore, the communication device according to the above embodiment and the communication method embodiment belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process thereof will be described in the method embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0239] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device, and the communication device is specifically the first network function, the first function, the communication device, the network function, the second access network device, the first access network device, the PCF, or the AF in the above embodiments. Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration structure of the communication device in the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 22, the communication device includes a memory 2, a processor 1, and a computer program stored in the memory 2 and executable by the processor 1. When the processor 1 executes the program, the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes steps of a communication method applied to the first network function, the first function, the communication device, the network function, the second access network device, the first access network device, the PCF, or the AF.

[0240] Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one network interface 3. Here, each component in the communication device is coupled to each other via a bus system 4. It is understood that the bus system 4 is used to realize connection communication between these components. The bus system 4 includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus in addition to a data bus. However, for clarity, various buses are referred to as the bus system 4 in FIG. 22.

[0241] It should be understood that memory 2 may be volatile or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Here, nonvolatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic random access memory (FRAM), flash memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disk, or read-only optical disk (CD-ROM), and magnetic surface memory may be magnetic disk memory or magnetic tape memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available.For example, the memory 2 may be a static random access memory (SRAM), a synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), an enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), a synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), or a direct memory bus random access memory (DRRAM). Memory 2 in the embodiments described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0242] The methods disclosed in the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to or realized by a processor 1. The processor 1 can be an integrated circuit chip capable of processing signals. In the implementation process, each step of the above-described method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit in hardware within the processor 1 or by instructions in software format. The processor 1 can be a general-purpose processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or the like. The processor 1 can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor execution completion, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor execution completion. The software modules can reside in a storage medium residing in a memory 2. The processor 1 can read information in the memory 2 and combine the hardware to complete the above-described method steps. In an exemplary embodiment, the communications device may be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), DSPs, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), FPGAs, general-purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, microprocessors, or other electronic elements used to perform the above methods.

[0243] In an exemplary embodiment, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer-readable storage medium, such as a memory 2 containing a computer program, which can be executed by a processor 1 of a communication device to complete the steps described in the method. The computer-readable storage medium may be a memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disk, or CD-ROM, or may be various devices including one or any combination of the above memories.

[0244] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements steps of a communication method applied to a first network function, a first function, a communication device, a network function, a second access network device, a first access network device, a PCF, or an AF.

[0245] The methods disclosed in the various method embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined, if they do not conflict, to obtain new method embodiments.

[0246] The features disclosed in the various product embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined in any combination that does not conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0247] Features disclosed in several method or apparatus embodiments according to the present disclosure may be combined in any combination where they do not conflict to obtain new method or apparatus embodiments.

[0248] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the disclosed devices and methods may be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely exemplary. For example, the division of the units is merely one logical functional division, and other division methods may be used in actual implementations. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, and some features may be omitted or not implemented. Furthermore, the couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections between the components shown or discussed may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms via some interfaces, indirect couplings, or communication connections between devices or units.

[0249] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physically separated, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units, and some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of this embodiment.

[0250] Furthermore, the functional units in each embodiment of the present disclosure may all be integrated into a single processing unit, each unit may stand alone as a single unit, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit, and the integrated unit may be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a hardware plus software functional unit.

[0251] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed and realized by hardware associated with program instructions, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which performs the steps comprising the above method embodiments when executed, and the storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as mobile storage devices, ROMs, RAMs, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0252] Alternatively, the above-mentioned integrated units of the present disclosure may be realized as software functional modules and stored in a computer-readable storage medium when sold or used as an independent product. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be essentially embodied, or a portion that contributes to the prior art may be embodied as a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium containing some instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the methods described in each embodiment of the present disclosure. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a mobile storage device, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0253] Although the above is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and should include any person skilled in the art who can easily think of modifications or replacements that should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure within the technical scope of the disclosure of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be pursuant to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A communication method comprising: a first network function receiving first information from a first function, the first information being information related to network congestion control; generating policy information based on at least the first information and transmitting the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals; the first network function is a PCF and the first function is an AF; the first information includes congestion information; A communication method, wherein the congestion information in the first information indicates that an access network device notifies a UPF to add congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that an access network device adds congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that a UPF adds congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs.

2. The first information further includes: Business information, QoS requirements corresponding to the business information; The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The method of claim 1 , wherein the notification information includes at least one of the QoS requirements corresponding to the notification information.

3. transmitting the policy information to other network functions and / or terminals; the first network function sending policy information to a Session Management Function (SMF); The first network function sends policy information to a user plane function (UPF) via an SMF; The first network function sends policy information to an access network device via an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network function includes at least one of: an AMF; and sending policy information to a terminal via an access network device.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are used by at least a terminal and / or a UPF to recognize and provide QoS guarantees to data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the marking frequency or duration or time interval of congestion information in the first information indicates a policy for an access network device or a UPF to add congestion information into data packets.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a QoS request corresponding to the signaling information is used to at least provide a corresponding QoS guarantee for the signaling information.

7. The first network function generating policy information based on the first information comprises: The method of claim 1 , further comprising the first network function generating policy information based on the first information during a session establishment or session modification process.

8. 1. A communication method comprising: the first function includes sending first information to a first network function, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the first information being used to generate corresponding policy information; the first network function is a PCF and the first function is an AF; the first information includes congestion information; A communication method, wherein the congestion information in the first information indicates that an access network device notifies a UPF to add congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that an access network device adds congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that a UPF adds congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs.

9. The first information further includes: Business information, QoS requirements corresponding to the business information; The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The method of claim 8 , wherein the notification information includes at least one of the QoS requirements corresponding to the notification information.

10. 1. A communication method comprising: transmitting first notification information when the communication device receives congestion information; receiving policy information from a first network function by the communication device; The first notification information is used to notify that the network is currently in a congestion state; the policy information is generated based on at least first information, the first information being information related to network congestion control, and the communication device includes a network device and / or a terminal; the first network function is a PCF, and the first information includes congestion information; A communication method, wherein the congestion information in the first information indicates that an access network device notifies a UPF to add congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that an access network device adds congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs, or indicates that a UPF adds congestion information into a data packet when network congestion occurs.

11. The first information further includes: Business information, QoS requirements corresponding to the business information; The frequency or duration or time interval of marking congestion information; Notification information, and The method of claim 10, wherein the notification information includes at least one of the QoS requirements corresponding to the notification information.

12. Transmitting the first notification information The communication device adds the first notification information to an associated message, and the associated message is used to provide QoS guarantee based on the QoS requirement corresponding to the first notification information; or 11. The method of claim 10, comprising: the communication device constructing a message and transmitting the first notification information in the constructed message; and the constructed message being used to provide QoS guarantees based on QoS requirements corresponding to the first notification information.

13. the communication device includes a terminal; The method according to claim 10, wherein the business information in the first information and the QoS requirements corresponding to the business information are at least used by a terminal to recognize and guarantee QoS for data.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the QoS request corresponding to the notification information in the first information is used to at least provide a corresponding QoS guarantee for the notification information.

15. When the communication device includes a terminal, the method further comprises: The method of claim 10 , comprising: the terminal transmitting capability indication information, the capability indication information indicating that the terminal supports network congestion control.

16. 1. A communications device including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, A communications device, wherein the processor implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when the processor executes the program.

17. A communications device including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, A communication device that implements the steps of the method according to claim 8 or 9 when the processor executes the program.

18. A communications device including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, A communications device, wherein the processor implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15 when the processor executes the program.

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