Communication method, system and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, system and apparatus. The method can provide a solution capable of configuring appropriate resources for data transmission between an application server and a terminal device. The method comprises: an application server sending a data packet to a service management network element, wherein the data volume of the data packet in a scheduling period (which can be any scheduling period) is greater than a first value; and the service management network element processing the data packet, so that the data volume in the scheduling period of the data packet obtained after processing is less than or equal to the first value, and then sending to a network device the data packet obtained after processing. Therefore, the network device can uniformly configure resources for data packets from the application server, so that phenomena such as excess resources being allocated or too few resources being allocated can be effectively avoided, and thus appropriate resources can be configured for data transmission between the application server and the terminal device.

Description

Communication method, system and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 10, 2023, with application number 202311008114.6 and application name “Communication Methods, Systems and Devices”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method, system, and device. Background Art

[0003] Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard defines a group communication service (GCS), which can distribute the same content to multiple terminal devices in a controlled manner.

[0004] Specifically, the application server (AS) in the GCS can use the multimedia broadcast / multicast service (MBMS) or evolved MBMS (eMBMS) bearer service, which is used to support data transmission between the application server and terminal devices.

[0005] However, the GCS mechanism mentioned above cannot support the allocation of appropriate resources for data transmission between application servers and terminal devices, which may lead to problems such as over-allocation or under-allocation of resources. Therefore, how to allocate appropriate resources for data transmission between application servers and terminal devices is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method, system, and apparatus capable of configuring appropriate resources for data transmission between an application server and a terminal device.

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, including: receiving a first data packet, the data volume of the first data packet in a first scheduling period is greater than a first value; sending a second data packet, the second data packet is a data packet obtained after processing the first data packet, and the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value.

[0009] The execution subject of the solution described in the first aspect may be a service management network element, or a module or chip for executing the service management network element function, etc., without limitation. For ease of description, the following description takes the service management network element as an example.

[0010] It can be understood that the above-mentioned first scheduling period can be any scheduling period, and the first data packet can be any data packet with a data volume greater than the first value.

[0011] Specifically, when the data volume of a data packet received by the service management network element is greater than a first value, the service management network element can process the data packet so that the data volume of the data packet obtained after processing is less than or equal to the first value. In this way, the network device can configure appropriate resources for the data packet and avoid phenomena such as excessive or insufficient resource allocation.

[0012] One possible implementation method is that the second data packet is a data packet obtained after processing the first data packet, including: the second data packet is a data packet obtained by allocating the additional data volume of the first data packet to the second scheduling period, and the additional data volume of the first data packet is the difference between the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period and the first value.

[0013] In this way, the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period can be less than or equal to the first value.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the first value is a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

[0015] In this way, the data volume of the data packets from the service management network element will not exceed the maximum scheduling capability of the network device.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first value.

[0017] In this way, the service management network element can process the first data packet according to the first value.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the first value is a ratio of a guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to a scheduling period of the first data packet.

[0019] In this way, the network device can configure appropriate resources for data packet transmission according to the guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet and the scheduling period of the first data packet.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the scheduling period of the first data packet is preconfigured.

[0021] In this way, the service management network element can obtain the value of the scheduling period of the first data packet without interacting with other devices, which can save signaling overhead.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a scheduling period of the first data packet.

[0023] In this way, the service management network element can determine the first value.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the first scheduling period is adjacent to the second scheduling period.

[0025] In this way, the complexity of processing the data volume of the first data packet can be reduced.

[0026] In a possible implementation, a ratio of the guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to the scheduling period of the first data packet is less than or equal to a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

[0027] In this way, the data volume of the data packets from the service management network element will not exceed the maximum scheduling capability of the network device.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first scheduling period is a first multicast channel scheduling period (MSP), and the second scheduling period is a second MSP.

[0029] In this way, compatibility with existing technologies can be achieved.

[0030] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: receiving a second data packet, the second data packet being a data packet obtained by processing a first data packet, the data volume of the first data packet in a first scheduling period being greater than a first value, and the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period being less than or equal to the first value; and sending the second data packet.

[0031] The execution subject of the solution described in the second aspect can be a network device, or a module or chip used to perform the functions of the network device, etc., which is not limited to this. For ease of description, the following description takes the network device as an example.

[0032] One possible implementation method is that the second data packet is a data packet obtained after processing the first data packet, including: the second data packet is a data packet obtained by allocating the additional data volume of the first data packet to the second scheduling period, and the additional data volume of the first data packet is the difference between the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period and the first value.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the first value is a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending the first value.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the scheduling period of the first data packet is preconfigured.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a scheduling period for the first data packet.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the first scheduling period is adjacent to the second scheduling period.

[0038] In a possible implementation, a ratio of the guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to the scheduling period of the first data packet is less than or equal to a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the first scheduling period is a first MSP, and the second scheduling period is a second MSP.

[0040] The above description can refer to the corresponding description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0041] According to a third aspect, a communication system is provided, including: a service management network element and a network device; the service management network element is used to receive a first data packet, the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period is greater than a first value; the service management network element is used to send a second data packet to the network device, the second data packet is a data packet obtained after the service management network element processes the first data packet, and the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value; the network device is used to receive the second data packet; and the network device is also used to send the second data packet.

[0042] A possible implementation method is that the second data packet is a data packet obtained after the service management network element processes the first data packet, including: the second data packet is a data packet obtained by the service management network element allocating the additional data volume of the first data packet to the second scheduling period, and the additional data volume of the first data packet is the difference between the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period and the first value.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the first value is a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the communication system also includes: a mobility management entity network element and a gateway network element; a network device, used to send a first value to the mobility management entity network element; a mobility management entity network element, used to receive the first value, and used to send the first value to the gateway network element; a gateway network element, used to receive the first value, and used to send the first value to the service management network element.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the first value is a ratio of a guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to a scheduling period of the first data packet.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the scheduling period of the first data packet is preconfigured.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the communication system also includes: a mobility management entity network element and a gateway network element; a network device, used to send a scheduling period of the first data packet to the mobility management entity network element; a mobility management entity network element, used to receive a scheduling period of the first data packet, and used to send a scheduling period of the first data packet to the gateway network element; a gateway network element, used to receive a scheduling period of the first data packet, and used to send a scheduling period of the first data packet to the service management network element.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the first scheduling period is adjacent to the second scheduling period.

[0049] In a possible implementation, a ratio of the guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to the scheduling period of the first data packet is less than or equal to a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the first scheduling period is a first MSP, and the second scheduling period is a second MSP.

[0051] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be a service management network element, or a device in a service management network element (for example, a chip (also known as a chip system), or a circuit), or a device that can be used in conjunction with a service management network element.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any one of the first aspects. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0053] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be a network device, or a device in a network device (for example, a chip (also known as a chip system) or a circuit), or a device that can be used in conjunction with a network device.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any one of the second aspects. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to, by executing a computer program or instruction, or by a logic circuit, enable the communication device to execute the first aspect and any possible method described in the first aspect; or enable the communication device to execute the second aspect and any possible method described in the second aspect.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instruction.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used to input and / or output signals.

[0058] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a logic circuit and an input / output interface, the input / output interface being used to input and / or output signals, the logic circuit being used to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible embodiment of the first aspect; or, the logic circuit being used to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible embodiment of the second aspect.

[0059] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or the instruction is run on a computer, the method described in the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect is executed; or, the method described in the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect is executed.

[0060] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method described in the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect to be executed; or cause the method described in the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect to be executed.

[0061] The description of the beneficial effects of the second to ninth aspects may correspond to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] FIG1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 100 to which an embodiment of the present application is applicable.

[0063] FIG2 is a schematic block diagram of a GCS architecture 200 .

[0064] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between data packet 1 and data packet 2.

[0066] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the change in the data volume of a data packet before and after processing.

[0067] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0072] 1. In this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0073] 2. In each embodiment of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their internal logical relationships.

[0074] 3. The various numerical numbers involved in this application are only used for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The size of the serial numbers involved in this application does not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic. For example, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and other various terminology labels (if any) in the specification and claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Among them, the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order other than what is illustrated or described here.

[0075] At the same time, any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0076] 4. The terms "comprise" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product or apparatus.

[0077] 5. In this application, "used to indicate" can be understood as "enabling," and "enabling" can include direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing that certain information is used to enable A, it can include that the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, and does not necessarily mean that the information contains A.

[0078] The information enabled by the information is called information to be enabled. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to enable the enabled information, such as but not limited to, directly enabling the information to be enabled, such as the information to be enabled itself or the index of the information to be enabled. The information to be enabled can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be enabled. It is also possible to enable only a part of the information to be enabled, while the other parts of the information to be enabled are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to enable specific information with the help of the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol), thereby reducing the enabling overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, it is also possible to identify the common parts of each piece of information and enable them uniformly to reduce the enabling overhead caused by enabling the same information separately.

[0079] 6. In this application, "pre-configuration" may include pre-definition, such as protocol definition. "Pre-definition" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., including each network element). This application does not limit the specific implementation method.

[0080] 7. "Storage" or "saving" as used in this application may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be provided in part separately and in part integrated into a decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium and is not limited thereto.

[0081] 8. The “protocol” referred to in this application may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include the fourth generation (4G) network, the fifth generation (5G) network protocol, the new radio (NR) protocol, the 5.5G network protocol, the sixth generation (6G) network protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, without limitation.

[0082] 9. The arrows or boxes indicated by dotted lines in the schematic diagrams in the accompanying drawings of this application specification represent optional steps or optional modules.

[0083] 10. In this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exists at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0084] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the following description is made from the following aspects: communication system, method and device.

[0085] 1. Communication system

[0086] To solve the technical problems mentioned in the background technology section, the present application provides an applicable communication system 100. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system 100 includes a service management network element 110 and a network device 120. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include a mobility management entity network element 130 and a gateway network element 140.

[0087] In communications system 100, service management network element 110 performs service management functions. For example, it may be responsible for session management (e.g., session initiation and termination), proxy and transmission, service data synchronization and forwarding management, etc. Mobility management entity network element 130 performs mobility management functions. For example, it may be responsible for receiving and transmitting session control information to network device 120 and session management (e.g., session initiation and termination). Gateway network element 140 performs gateway functions. For example, it may be responsible for transmitting session control information to mobility management entity network element 130 and forwarding service data packets to network device 120.

[0088] In the communication system 100, data and signaling between the service management network element 110 and the network device 120 can be transmitted through the mobility management entity network element 130 and the gateway network element 140. For example, the service management network element 110 sends data 1 to the gateway network element 140, and the gateway network element 140 sends data 1 to the network device 120; the network device 120 sends signaling 1 to the mobility management entity network element 130, the mobility management entity network element 130 sends signaling 1 to the gateway network element 140, and the gateway network element 140 sends signaling 1 to the service management service 110.

[0089] It should be noted that the names of the service management network element 110, the mobility management entity network element 130 and the gateway network element 140 can be different or the same in different communication architectures, and are not limited. The following description takes the application of the communication system 100 to the GCS architecture as an example.

[0090] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a GCS architecture 200. As shown in Figure 2, GCS architecture 200 includes: terminal equipment, network equipment, an MBMS gateway (GW), a broadcast / multicast service center (BMSC), a GCS application server (GCSAS), a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), a serving gateway (S-GW), and a public data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MCE can be a module of a network device, that is, integrated into the network device, or deployed outside the network device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description uses the MCE deployed outside the network device as an example.

[0091] Specifically, the terminal device communicates with the network device via the Uu interface, the network device communicates with the MBMS-GW via the M1 interface, the MBMS-GW communicates with the BMSC via the SG-mb / SGi-mb interface, and the BMSC communicates with GCSAS1 and GCSAS2 via the MB2-U / MB2-C interface. The network device communicates with the MCE via the M2 interface, the MCE communicates with the MME via the M3 interface, the MME communicates with the MBMS-GW via the Sm interface, the MME communicates with the network device via the S1-MME interface, the MME communicates with the HSS via the S6a interface, the MME communicates with the S / P-GW via the S11 interface, and the S / P-GW communicates with the network device via the S1-u interface. GCSAS1 communicates with the PCRF via the Rx interface, and the GCSAS communicates with the S / P-GW via the SGi interface.

[0092] Furthermore, the M1 interface is used by the MBMS-GW to send MBMS services to network devices in an Internet Protocol (IP) multicast manner. The M2 interface is the control plane interface between the network device and the MCE, and is used to transmit eMBMS service session control information. The M3 interface is used to transmit MBMS session control information and MBMS service information, such as the MBMS broadcast area, the quality of service (QoS) of the MBMS service, etc. The Sm interface is used to transmit the bearer context information of the eMBMS service. The SG-mb interface is used to transmit information such as the control information of the eMBMS service, eMBMS service parameters, and eMBMS service bearer context maintenance. The S1-MME interface is the signaling plane interface between the network device and the MME. The signaling connection function of the S1-MME interface provides reliable transmission for wireless network signaling. The S6a interface is the signaling plane interface between the MME and the HSS, and is used to provide functions related to user subscription data management and authentication. The S11 interface is the signaling interface between the MME and the S-GW, and is mainly used to transmit bearer creation, update, and deletion request information between the MME and the S-GW, and when the UE is in the evolved packet system connection management (ECM)-idle state, the S-GW notifies the MME to page the UE and restore the S1 bearer. The Rx interface is the interface between the GCSAS and the PCRF, and is used for the GCSAS to interact with the application function (AF) system and to receive service requests from the application server. The GCSAS exchanges information with the AF system through the Rx interface to complete the application-based policy control function. The SGi interface is the interface between the PGW-U and the PDN, and is used for users to access the PDN network. The SGi-mb interface is used for multicast transmission of MBMS service data packets. The MB2-C interface is used for control plane negotiation, specifically for: requesting the allocation / cancellation of a set of temporary mobile group identities (TMGI), and requesting the activation, deactivation, and modification of MBMS bearers. MB2-U is used for user plane data transmission.

[0093] Specifically, the terminal device can be used to:

[0094] 1) Exchange group communication 1 (GC1) signaling with GCSAS (including GCS session and group management aspects);

[0095] 2) receiving data from the GCSAS using unicast delivery or MBMS delivery or both;

[0096] 3) Use unicast to send uplink data to GCSAS;

[0097] 4) Support service continuity procedures to switch between unicast delivery and MBMS delivery;

[0098] 5) Monitor and receive one or more MBMS services simultaneously.

[0099] GCSAS can be used to:

[0100] 1) Exchange GC1 signaling with terminal devices (including GCS session and group management aspects);

[0101] 2) Receiving uplink data sent by terminal devices through unicast; transmitting data to all terminal devices belonging to a group, which can be transmitted using unicast transmission and / or MBMS transmission;

[0102] 3) Transmit application-level session information to PCRF via the Rx interface;

[0103] 4) Support the service continuity process when the terminal device switches between unicast transmission and MBMS transmission.

[0104] BMSC can be used to:

[0105] 1) eMBMS session management (such as session start, session stop, etc.);

[0106] 2) agency and transmission;

[0107] 3) Business data synchronization and forwarding management, etc.

[0108] MBMS-GW can be used for:

[0109] 1) Deliver MBMS session control information to the MME and forward MBMS services to network devices.

[0110] MME can be used to:

[0111] 1) Receive and transmit MBMS session control information to MCE;

[0112] 2) MBMS session management (such as session start, session stop, etc.).

[0113] MCE can be used to:

[0114] 1) Receive and transmit MBMS session control information to network equipment;

[0115] 2) Schedule radio resources to ensure that the radio resources occupied by each cell in a single MBMS area (MBSFN area, MA) are consistent;

[0116] 3) MBMS session management (such as session start, session stop, etc.).

[0117] Network devices are used to:

[0118] 1) Receive control and resource scheduling from MCE;

[0119] 2) Receive the IP multicast message (i.e., eMBMS service data) sent by the MBMS-GW and broadcast it to the designated MBMS service area.

[0120] The names of the network elements shown in Figure 2 are merely names and do not limit the functions of the network elements themselves. In 5G networks and future networks, the network elements mentioned above may have other names, without limitation. For example, in 6G networks, some or all of the network elements mentioned above may continue to use 5G terminology or may have other names. This is explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0121] In addition, the "network element" in this article can also be referred to as a network function instance, equipment, device or module, etc., without limitation. Among them, the above naming is only defined to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in 5G networks and other future networks. In addition, the interface name between the above-mentioned network elements is only an example. The name of the interface in the specific implementation may be other names, and there is no limitation on this. In addition, the name of the information (or signaling) transmitted between the above-mentioned network elements is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the function of the information itself.

[0122] The service management network element 110 in FIG1 may be the BMSC in FIG2 , the mobility management entity network element 130 may be the MME in FIG2 , the gateway network element 140 may be the MBMS-GW in FIG2 , and the network device 120 may be the network device in FIG2 . For ease of description, the following description uses an example in which the service management network element 110 is a BMSC, the mobility management entity network element 130 is an MME, and the gateway network element 140 is an MBMS-GW.

[0123] The interaction between the BMSC and the network device is further described below with reference to FIG. 3 .

[0124] 2. Communication method

[0125] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG3 can be executed by a BMSC and a network device, or by modules and / or devices (e.g., chips or integrated circuits) with corresponding functions installed in the BMSC and the network device, without limitation. The following description uses a BMSC and a network device as an example. As shown in FIG3, method 300 includes:

[0126] S310 : The BMSC receives data packet 1 (eg, a first data packet). The data volume of data packet 1 in scheduling period 1 (eg, a first scheduling period) is greater than a first value.

[0127] BMSC receives data packet 1 from GCSAS. GCSAS may send multiple data packets to BMSC, for example, GCSAS sends data packet a, data packet b, data packet c, and ... to BMSC. The data volume of each data packet in its corresponding scheduling period may be different or the same. Taking the example of different data packets having different data volumes in their corresponding scheduling periods, for example, the data volume of data packet a in scheduling period a is 40Kbit, the data volume of data packet b in scheduling period b is 20Kbit, the data volume of data packet c in scheduling period c is 30Kbit, and so on. Therefore, the present application is described by taking data packet 1 as an example to represent a data packet having a data volume greater than the first value. For example, the above-mentioned data packet 1 may be the aforementioned data packet a. Scheduling period 1 may be the aforementioned scheduling period a.

[0128] S320: The BMSC sends data packet 2 to the network device. Data packet 2 is a data packet obtained by the BMSC after processing data packet 1. The data volume of data packet 2 in scheduling period 1 is less than or equal to the first value.

[0129] In a possible implementation, the BMSC sends the data packet 2 to the network device. This may be as follows: the BMSC sends the data packet 2 to the MBMS-GW, and the MBMS-GW sends the data packet 2 to the network device.

[0130] Among them, data packet 2 is a data packet obtained after the BMSC processes data packet 1. The BMSC can process data packet 1 according to the first value so that the data volume of data packet 2 obtained after processing data packet 1 in scheduling period 1 is less than or equal to the first value.

[0131] In one possible implementation, data packet 2 is obtained by the BMSC allocating the excess data volume of data packet 1 to scheduling period 2. The excess data volume of data packet 1 is the difference between the data volume of data packet 1 in scheduling period 1 and the first value. Thus, the BMSC reallocates the data volume of data packet 1 in scheduling period 1 such that the data volume of data packet 2 obtained after processing data packet 1 in scheduling period 1 is less than or equal to the first value.

[0132] The aforementioned scheduling period 2 can be an adjacent scheduling period of scheduling period 1 (it can be the scheduling period before scheduling period 1 or the scheduling period after scheduling period 1, without limitation). Scheduling periods 1 and 2 are also separated by multiple scheduling periods, without limitation. For a description of data packet 1 and data packet 2, see Figure 4.

[0133] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between Data Packet 1 and Data Packet 2. As shown in Figure 4, taking the first value as 30 Kbit as an example, the data volume of Data Packet 1 in Scheduling Cycle 1 is 40 Kbit. The BMSC allocates 10 Kbit of Data Packet 1 in Scheduling Cycle 1 to Scheduling Cycle 2, resulting in Data Packet 2. The data volume of Data Packet 2 in Scheduling Cycle 1 is 30 Kbit. Scheduling Cycle 2 is the adjacent scheduling cycle of Scheduling Cycle 1 (this description uses the example of Scheduling Cycle 2 being the next scheduling cycle after Scheduling Cycle 1, but this is not limited to other scenarios).

[0134] To further describe the change in the data volume of the data packet before and after processing, please refer to FIG5 .

[0135] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the change in the data volume of a data packet before and after processing. As shown in Figure 5(a), the GCSAS sends data packet a, data packet b, and data packet c to the BMSC. The data volume of data packet a in scheduling period a is 40 Kbit (which can be the aforementioned data packet 1), the data volume of data packet b in scheduling period b is 20 Kbit, and the data volume of data packet c in scheduling period c is 30 Kbit. The first value is 30 Kbit. The BMSC processes data packets a and b based on the first value to obtain processed data packets a and b. The data volume of processed data packet a (which can be the aforementioned data packet 2) in scheduling period a is 30 Kbit, and the data volume of processed data packet b in scheduling period b is 30 Kbit.

[0136] Specifically, the BMSC allocates 10 Kbits of additional data (represented by a cross-grain pattern) of data packet a in scheduling period a to scheduling period b, so that the data volume of processed data packet a in scheduling period a is 30 Kbits. This additional data volume is sent together with data packet b in scheduling period b. In the example shown in FIG5 , data packet c does not need to be modified because data packet c does not exceed the first value.

[0137] As shown in FIG5(b), the GCSAS sends data packets a, b, and c to the BMSC. The data volume of data packet a (which may be data packet 1 described above) in scheduling period a is 40 Kbits, the data volume of data packet b in scheduling period b is 30 Kbits, and the data volume of data packet c in scheduling period c is 20 Kbits. The first value is 30 Kbits. The BMSC processes data packets a, b, and c based on the first value to obtain processed data packets a (which may be data packet 2 described above), b, and c. The data volume of processed data packet a in scheduling period a is 30 Kbits, the data volume of processed data packet b in scheduling period b is 30 Kbits, and the data volume of processed data packet c in scheduling period c is 30 Kbits.

[0138] Specifically, the BMSC allocates 10 Kbits of additional data of data packet a in scheduling period a (represented by cross-textured boxes) to scheduling period b, so that the data volume of processed data packet a in scheduling period a is equal to 30 Kbits. The data volume of data packet b in scheduling period b is 40 Kbits, which is obtained by having an additional data volume of 10 Kbits of data packet 1. The additional data volume of data packet b in scheduling period b (represented by cross-textured boxes) obtained by having an additional data volume of 10 Kbits of data packet 1 can be reallocated to data packet c, so that the data volume of data packet c in scheduling period c is 30 Kbits, which is obtained by having an additional data volume of 10 Kbits of data packet b in scheduling period b.

[0139] When the data volume of a data packet received by the BMSC is greater than a first value, the BMSC may process the data packet so that the data volume of the processed data packet is less than or equal to the first value. In this way, the network device can allocate appropriate resources for the data packet, thereby avoiding over-allocation or under-allocation of resources.

[0140] In summary, the BMSC adjusts the data volume of the data packet in the scheduling period according to the first value, so that the data volume of the processed data packet in the scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value, so that the data volume distribution of the data packet in the scheduling period is more consistent.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the first value may be a maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule within scheduling period 1. In this way, the amount of data packets received from the BMSC within the scheduling period will not exceed the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule within the scheduling period, which can effectively prevent data packet loss.

[0142] In one possible implementation, the first value may be a value obtained by combining the guaranteed bit rate (GBR) of data packet 1 and the scheduling period of data packet 1. This allows the network device to allocate appropriate resources for data packet transmission based on the GBR of data packet 1 and the scheduling period of data packet 1, and can also achieve a more even distribution of the data volume of data packets from the BMSC.

[0143] For example, let's assume that the GBR of data packet 1 is 750 Kbit / s and the scheduling period of data packet 1 is 40 ms (other values ​​are possible and not limited to this). One second includes 25 scheduling periods. The average data volume of data packet 1 in one second, per scheduling period, is: 750 Kbit (1 / 40) = 30 Kbit. Therefore, the first value can be 30 Kbits.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the GBR of data packet 1 and the scheduling period of data packet 1 are less than or equal to the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule within scheduling period 1. In this way, the amount of data packets from the BMSC within the scheduling period will not exceed the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule within the scheduling period, which can effectively prevent packet loss.

[0145] In another possible implementation, the first value may be preconfigured in the BMSC, or sent by a network device (such as a base station or access network device) to the BMSC. For example, the network device may send the BMSC the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule within a scheduling period, or the scheduling period of Data Packet 1. In this manner, the BMSC may process Data Packet 1 based on the first value.

[0146] It is understandable that if the BMSC does not adjust the data volume of the data packets from the GCSAS within the scheduling period, the network device will be unable to allocate appropriate resources for transmitting the data packets from the BMSC. For example, the data volume of data packet a in scheduling period a is 40 Kbit, the data volume of data packet b in scheduling period b is 20 Kbit, and the data volume of data packet c in scheduling period c is 30 Kbit. If the network device allocates resources for transmitting data packets with a data volume of 40 Kbit, it will result in resource waste for data packets with a data volume of 20 Kbit and 30 Kbit. If the network device allocates resources for transmitting data packets with a data volume of 30 Kbit, it will result in insufficient resource allocation for data packets with a data volume of 40 Kbit, and packet loss may occur.

[0147] It should be noted that the above scheduling period may be MSP, for example, the scheduling period 1 is MSP1, the scheduling period 2 is MSP2, etc. In this way, it can be compatible with the existing technology.

[0148] In summary, the present application supports the BMSC to process data packets so that the data volume of the processed data packets within the scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value, thereby making the data volume distribution of the data packets within the scheduling period more consistent. In this way, the network equipment can uniformly configure resources for data transmission.

[0149] It should be noted that the data packets (such as data packet 1 or data packet a) mentioned above may be MBMS service data packets, or data packet types similar or close to MBMS service data packets, and this is not limited.

[0150] The method shown in FIG3 is further described below in conjunction with FIG6 and FIG7.

[0151] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method 600 includes:

[0152] S601. GCSAS sends a request message 1 to BMSC. The request message 1 is used to request activation of an MBMS bearer.

[0153] Correspondingly, the BMSC receives the request information 1 and determines based on the request information 1 that an MBMS bearer needs to be activated, which is used to carry the transmission of MBMS service data 1. The MBMS service data 1 includes the data packet 1 mentioned above.

[0154] The request information 1 includes one or more of the following: temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) of the MBMS bearer (TMGI is optional), quality of service (QoS), and MBMS broadcast area and start time.

[0155] The TMGI identifies the eMBMS session group. QoS specifies the service flow's GBR, maximum bit rate (MBR), and priority requirements. The MBMS broadcast area indicates the area where MBMS service data 1 is received, and the start time indicates the transmission time of MBMS service data 1. For detailed descriptions of these parameters, refer to sections 5.3.2 and 6.6.2 of 3GPP technical specification (TS) 29.468. These parameters are not detailed here.

[0156] In addition, the request information 1 may also include the service type and GBR of the MBMS service data 1, etc., which can be used by the BMSC to determine the value of the scheduling period of the MBMS service data 1, and further determine the first value.

[0157] S602. The BMSC sends a session start request message (session start request) 1 to the MBMS-GW, which is used to indicate that the transmission of the MBMS service data 1 is about to start.

[0158] Correspondingly, the MBMS-GW receives the session start request information 1.

[0159] The session start request message 1 includes session attribute information 1 of MBMS service data 1. The session attribute information 1 includes one or more of the following: TMGI, flow identifier, QoS, MBMS service area, cell identifier list, session identifier, estimated session duration, MBMS control plane node list configured for the MBMS-GW, transmission time of MBMS service data 1, start of MBMS service data 1 transmission, access indicator, etc. The TMGI and QoS in the above message can be referred to the above description and are not repeated here.

[0160] The TMGI is used to identify the eMBMS session group. Since an eMBMS may carry multiple service flows, the flow identifier is used to identify the current service flow. The MBMS service area represents the range within which the eMBMS session needs to be transmitted (MBMS service areas are configured on the MCE and base station, and the service flows corresponding to this session are only transmitted under the corresponding SA). The cell ID list indicates the cells in which broadcast multicast services are currently being broadcast. The session identifier identifies the ID of the current session. The estimated session duration indicates the potential duration of the current session. The MBMS control plane node list configured for the MBMS-GW indicates the control plane nodes participating in the eMBMS session. The MBMS service data 1 transmission time indicates the specific time of MBMS service data 1 transmission. The MBMS service data 1 transmission start indicates that MBMS service data 1 transmission is about to begin. For a detailed description of the above parameters, please refer to sections 20.3.1 and 20.4.1 of the 3GPP protocol TS 29.061 and are not repeated here.

[0161] S603. MBMS-GW sends a session start response message (session start response) 1 to BMSC.

[0162] Correspondingly, the BMSC receives the session start response information 1.

[0163] Session start response information 1 is a response to session start request information 1. Session response information 1 may include: a result code (Result-Code) (which indicates whether the request is successful or failed) and an MBMS-GW-UDP-Port (which indicates the port on which the MBMS-GW receives BMSC data). For details, see section 20.4.2 of 3GPP protocol TS 29.061. For a detailed description of the above parameters, see sections 20.3.1 and 20.4.2 of 3GPP protocol TS 29.061, and are not repeated here.

[0164] S604. BMSC sends response information 1 to GCSAS.

[0165] Correspondingly, the GCSAS receives response information 1, which is used to indicate that the MBMS bearer 1 has been activated.

[0166] The above-mentioned response information 1 is a response to the request information 1. The response information 1 includes one or more of the following: a bearer activation result (which may be used to indicate that the MBMS bearer has been activated), a TMGI, an allocated flow ID, a service description, a BM-SC user plane IP address and port number, an expiration time, etc. For a detailed description of the response information 1, please refer to sections 5.3.2 and 6.4.7 of 3GPP TS 29.468 and will not be repeated here.

[0167] S605 : The MBMS-GW creates an MBMS bearer context 1 , which is used to reserve resources for transmission of the MBMS service data 1 .

[0168] Specifically, the MBMS-GW stores the session attribute information 1 and the MBMS control plane node list in the MBMS bearer context 1, and allocates a transport network IP multicast address.

[0169] S606. MBMS-GW sends session start request information 2 to MME.

[0170] Correspondingly, the MME receives the session start request information 2.

[0171] Specifically, the session start request information 2 includes session attribute information 2 of the MBMS service data 1. The session attribute information 2 includes one or more of the following: TMGI, flow identifier, QoS, MBMS service area, cell ID list, session identifier, estimated session duration, transport network IP multicast address, etc. For a detailed description of the above parameters, refer to section 7.13.1 of 3GPP protocol TS29.274 and are not repeated here.

[0172] S607 : The MME creates an MBMS bearer context 2 , which is used to notify the corresponding MCE to create a session corresponding to transmitting the MBMS service data 1 .

[0173] Specifically, the MME stores the session attribute information 2 in the MBMS bearer context 2 .

[0174] S608. The MME sends a session start request message 3 to the MCE.

[0175] Correspondingly, the MCE receives the session start request information 3 , wherein the session start request information 3 includes the session attribute information 2 .

[0176] S609. The MCE sends a session start response message 3 to the MME.

[0177] Correspondingly, the MME receives the session start response information 3 and determines, based on the session start response information 3 , that the MCE has received the session start request information 3 .

[0178] The above-mentioned session start response information 3 is a response to the session start request information 3 .

[0179] S610. The MME sends a session start response message 2 to the MBMS-GW.

[0180] Accordingly, the MBMS-GW receives the session start response information 2 and determines, based on the session start response information 2 , that the MME has received the session start request information 2 .

[0181] The above-mentioned session start response information 2 is a response to the session start request information 2 .

[0182] S611. The MCE sends a session start request message 4 to the network device.

[0183] Correspondingly, the network device receives the session start request information 4 .

[0184] Specifically, the session start request information 4 includes the session attribute information 3 of the MBMS service data 1. The session attribute information 3 includes one or more of the following: TMGI, MBMS session ID, MBMS service area, transport network IP multicast address, multicast source IP address, etc. For a detailed description of the above parameters, refer to section 8.3.2 of 3GPP protocol TS23246 and are not repeated here.

[0185] S612: The network device creates an MBMS bearer context 3, which is used to reserve resources for transmission of the MBMS service data 1.

[0186] Specifically, the network device stores session attribute information 3 in the MBMS bearer context 3.

[0187] More specifically, the network device saves the session attribute information 3 by creating the MBMS bearer context 3, so as to subsequently perform multicast address joining, air interface resource allocation, etc. according to the information.

[0188] S613. The network device sends a session start response message 4 to the MCE.

[0189] Accordingly, the MCE receives the session start response information 4 and determines, based on the session start response information 4 , that the network device has received the session start request information 4 .

[0190] The above-mentioned session start response information 4 is a response to the session start request information 4 .

[0191] S614: The network device allocates radio resources for MBMS service data 1.

[0192] Specifically, network devices typically allocate radio resources for MBMS service data 1 based on its GBR, which is measured in seconds. However, network devices actually schedule data based on the MSP, which is measured in milliseconds. Generally speaking, network devices can normally schedule the data volume of MBMS service data 1 within each MSP. However, because the data volume within each MSP may vary, network devices may experience packet loss due to excessive data volume within some MSPs. Therefore, the data volume of packets sent to the network device needs to be adjusted to ensure that it does not exceed the network device's maximum scheduling capacity. See the steps below for specific adjustment methods.

[0193] S615. The network device joins the IP multicast address.

[0194] Specifically, if the network device accepts IP multicast distribution, it adds the transport network IP multicast address (including the IP address of the multicast source) allocated by the MBMS-GW to enable the receiving function of the MBMS service data 1 .

[0195] Specifically, since the multicast data is sent to the network device in the form of multicast by the MBMS-GW, the network device needs to join the multicast group (that is, join the transmission network IP multicast address allocated by the MBMS-GW) to receive the multicast packets sent by the MBMS-GW.

[0196] S616. GCSAS sends MBMS service data 1 to BMSC.

[0197] Correspondingly, the BMSC receives MBMS service data 1 .

[0198] For detailed description of S601-S616, please refer to the description in section 8.3.2 of 3GPP protocol TS23246, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] It should be noted that the order between S601-S616 can be as indicated by the number, with the number in front indicating the execution first and the number in the back indicating the execution later, but this is not limited to this. For example, S616 can be executed after S604 (for example, it can be synchronized with S605, etc.). Therefore, the above description is only for example and not as a final limitation. Among them, the content described in S601-S615 can be understood as the process of preparing for the transmission of MBMS service data 1 between multiple network elements such as GCSAS-BMSC-MBMS-GW-MME-MCE. Therefore, the detailed description can be referred to the description of the existing protocol and will not be repeated here.

[0200] S617. The BMSC processes the MBMS service data 1 according to the first value to obtain MBMS service data 2.

[0201] Specifically, the BMSC obtains the service type and GBR of MBMS service data 1 through request information 1 and finds the scheduling period corresponding to MBMS service data 1 from pre-configured parameters. Furthermore, the BMSC processes the received MBMS service data 1 based on the first value to obtain MBMS service data 2. The first value is the ratio of the GBR of MBMS service data 1 to the scheduling period. For a detailed description, please refer to the description of S320, Figures 4, and 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0202] S618. The BMSC sends MBMS service data 2 to the MBMS-GW.

[0203] Correspondingly, the MBMS-GW receives MBMS service data 2 .

[0204] S619. MBMS-GW sends MBMS service data 2 to the network device.

[0205] Correspondingly, the network device receives MBMS service data 2.

[0206] S620: The network device sends MBMS service data 2 to the terminal device.

[0207] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives MBMS service data 2.

[0208] In summary, the present application supports the BMSC to process data packets so that the data volume of the processed data packets within the scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value, thereby making the data volume distribution of the data packets within the scheduling period more consistent. In this way, the network equipment can uniformly configure resources for data transmission.

[0209] In addition, by pre-configuring the scheduling period of each type of service in the BMSC, the BMSC can directly obtain the scheduling period of each type of service, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the BMSC exchanging scheduling periods with other network elements.

[0210] It should be noted that the content shown in FIG6 is described based on the example of a preconfigured scheduling period. The maximum amount of data that a network device can schedule within a scheduling period can also be preconfigured. The two schemes are similar and will not be described in detail. Among them, this application also supports other methods for enabling the BMSC to obtain the scheduling period, which can be seen in FIG7.

[0211] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method 700 includes:

[0212] S701. GCSAS sends request information 1 to BMSC.

[0213] For the description of S701 , please refer to the description of S601 and will not be repeated here.

[0214] S702. The BMSC sends a session start request message 1 to the MBMS-GW.

[0215] For the description of S702 , please refer to the description of S602 and will not be repeated here.

[0216] S703. BMSC sends response information 1 to GCSAS.

[0217] For the description of S703 , please refer to the description of S604 and will not be repeated here.

[0218] S704 : The MBMS-GW creates an MBMS bearer context 1 , which is used to reserve resources for transmission of the MBMS service data 1 .

[0219] For the description of S704 , please refer to the description of S605 and will not be repeated here.

[0220] S705. MBMS-GW sends session start request information 2 to MME.

[0221] For the description of S705 , please refer to the description of S606 and will not be repeated here.

[0222] S706: The MME creates MBMS bearer context 2.

[0223] For the description of S706 , please refer to the description of S607 and will not be repeated here.

[0224] S707. The MME sends a session start request message 3 to the MCE.

[0225] For the description of S705 , please refer to the description of S608 and will not be repeated here.

[0226] S708. The MCE sends a session start request message 4 to the network device.

[0227] For the description of S708, please refer to the description of S611 and will not be repeated here.

[0228] S709: The network device allocates radio resources for MBMS service data 1.

[0229] For the description of S709 , please refer to the description of S614 and will not be repeated here.

[0230] S710. The network device sends a session start response message 4 to the MCE.

[0231] For the description of S710 , please refer to the description of S613 and will not be repeated here.

[0232] S711. The MCE sends a session start response message 3 to the MME. The session start response message 3 includes the scheduling period of the MBMS service data 1. The scheduling period of the MBMS service data 1 may be pre-configured in the MCE.

[0233] This application supports that the MCE can pre-configure the correspondence between the scheduling period of MBMS service data 1 and the service type of MBMS service data 1, and can determine the service type of MBMS service data 1 based on the session attribute information sent from other network elements, and then determine the scheduling period of MBMS service data 1.

[0234] For the description of S711, please refer to the description of S609 and will not be repeated here.

[0235] S712: The MME sends a session start response message 2 to the MBMS-GW. The session start response message 2 includes the scheduling period of the MBMS service data 1.

[0236] For the description of S712 , please refer to the description of S610 and will not be repeated here.

[0237] S713: The MBMS-GW sends a session start response message 1 to the BMSC. The session start response message 1 includes the scheduling period of the MBMS service data 1.

[0238] For the description of S713 , please refer to the description of S603 and will not be repeated here.

[0239] S714. The network device joins the IP multicast address.

[0240] For the description of S714, please refer to the description of S615 and will not be repeated here.

[0241] S715. GCSAS sends MBMS service data 1 to BMSC.

[0242] For a detailed description of S701-S715, please refer to the description in section 8.3.2 of 3GPP protocol TS23246, which will not be repeated here.

[0243] S716. The BMSC processes the MBMS service data 1 according to the first value to obtain MBMS service data 2.

[0244] The BMSC can obtain the service type and GBR of MBMS service data 1 from request message 1, and obtain the scheduling period of MBMS service data 1 from session start response message 1. Furthermore, the BMSC processes the received MBMS service data 1 based on the first value (the first value is the ratio between the GBR and the scheduling period) to obtain MBMS service data 2. For a detailed description, please refer to the description of S320, Figures 4, and 5 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0245] S717. The BMSC sends MBMS service data 2 to the MBMS-GW.

[0246] S718. MBMS-GW sends MBMS service data 2 to the network device.

[0247] S719. The network device sends MBMS service data 2 to the terminal device.

[0248] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives MBMS service data 2.

[0249] In summary, the present application supports the BMSC to process data packets so that the data volume of the processed data packets within the scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value, thereby making the data volume distribution of the data packets within the scheduling period more consistent. In this way, the network equipment can uniformly configure resources for data transmission.

[0250] It should be noted that the content shown in Figure 7 is described based on an example in which the scheduling period is sent by the network device to the BMSC. The network device can also send the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule within the scheduling period to the BMSC. The two solutions are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0251] In addition, by sending the scheduling period from the network device to the BMSC, it is possible to avoid configuring the scheduling period for each type of service on the BMSC, thereby reducing the overhead of the BMSC.

[0252] Finally, the device embodiment of the embodiment of the present application is introduced.

[0253] To implement the various functions of the methods provided herein, both terminal devices and network devices may include hardware structures and / or software modules, with the aforementioned functions implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0254] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 800 includes a processor 810 and a communication interface 820, which may be interconnected via a bus 830. The communication device 800 may be a network device, a service management network element, or other network elements or devices involved in the above-described method embodiments.

[0255] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 840. The memory 840 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), and is used for related instructions and data.

[0256] The processor 810 may be one or more central processing units (CPUs). In the case where the processor 810 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU. The processor 810 may be a signal processor, a chip, or other integrated circuit that can implement the method of the present application, or a portion of the circuitry used for processing functions in the aforementioned processor, chip, or integrated circuit. In addition, the communication interface 820 may also be an input / output interface, which is used for inputting or outputting signals or data, or may be an input / output circuit.

[0257] When the communication device 800 is a service management network element, illustratively, the processor 810 is configured to perform the following operations: receive data packet 1; send data packet 2, etc.

[0258] When the communication apparatus 800 is a network device, illustratively, the processor 810 is configured to perform the following operations: receiving data packet 2; sending data packet 2, etc.

[0259] The above contents are merely exemplary descriptions. When the communication device 800 is a network device or a service management network element, it will be responsible for executing the methods or steps related to the network device or service management network element in the above method embodiments.

[0260] It is understood that when the communication device 800 is a network device or a service management network element, the communication interface 820 may also be referred to as a transceiver. The above description is merely exemplary. For details, please refer to the contents of the above method embodiments. The implementation of each operation in Figure 8 may also correspond to the corresponding description of the method embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 7.

[0261] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. Communication device 900 may be a network device or a service management network element, or a chip or module within a network device or service management network element, configured to implement the methods described in the above embodiments. Communication device 900 includes a transceiver unit 910. The following provides an exemplary description of transceiver unit 910.

[0262] The transceiver unit 910 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit is used to perform a transmitting operation of the communication device, and the receiving unit is used to perform a receiving operation of the communication device. For ease of description, this embodiment of the application combines the transmitting unit and the receiving unit into a single transceiver unit. This is described here as a unified description and will not be repeated later.

[0263] When the communication device 900 is a service management network element, illustratively, the transceiver unit 910 is used to receive data packet 1; and is also used to send data packet 2, etc.

[0264] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a processing unit 920 configured to execute the content of steps such as processing and coordination involved in the service management network element. For example, the processing unit 920 is configured to process the data packet 1 to obtain the data packet 2.

[0265] When the communication device 900 is a network device, illustratively, the transceiver unit 910 is used to receive data packet 2 and send data packet 2.

[0266] The above contents are merely exemplary descriptions. When the communication device 900 is a network device or a service management network element, it will be responsible for executing the methods or steps related to the network device or service management network element in the above method embodiments.

[0267] Optionally, the communication device 900 further includes a storage unit 930, which is used to store a program or code for executing the aforementioned method.

[0268] The device embodiments shown in Figures 8 and 9 are used to implement the contents described in Figures 3 to 7. The specific execution steps and methods of the devices shown in Figures 8 and 9 can refer to the contents described in the above method embodiments.

[0269] The present application also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory from the memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip executes the methods in the above examples.

[0270] The present application also provides another chip, comprising: an input interface, an output interface, and a processor, wherein the input interface, the output interface, and the processor are connected via an internal connection path, and the processor is configured to execute code in a memory. When the code is executed, the processor is configured to execute the methods in the above examples. Optionally, the chip also includes a memory, which is configured to store computer programs or code.

[0271] The present application also provides a processor for coupling with a memory, and for executing the methods and functions involving a network device or a terminal device in any of the above embodiments.

[0272] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the method of the above embodiment is implemented.

[0273] The present application also provides a computer program. When the computer program is executed in a computer, the method of the aforementioned embodiment is implemented.

[0274] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the method described in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0275] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0276] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0277] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0278] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0279] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0280] If the function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0281] The above is only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, and they should be included in the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a first data packet, wherein the data volume of the first data packet in a first scheduling period is greater than a first value; A second data packet is sent, where the second data packet is a data packet obtained by processing the first data packet, and the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second data packet is a data packet obtained by processing the first data packet, including: The second data packet is a data packet obtained by allocating the extra data volume of the first data packet to the second scheduling period, and the extra data volume of the first data packet is the difference between the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period and the first value.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first value is the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule in the first scheduling period.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first value is received.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first value is a ratio of a guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to a scheduling period of the first data packet.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The scheduling period of the first data packet is preconfigured.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: A scheduling period for receiving the first data packet.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that The first scheduling period is adjacent to the second scheduling period.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that A ratio of the guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to the scheduling period of the first data packet is less than or equal to a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that The first scheduling period is a first multicast transmission channel scheduling period MSP, and the second scheduling period is a second MSP.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving a second data packet, where the second data packet is a data packet obtained by processing the first data packet, the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period is greater than a first value, and the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value; The second data packet is sent.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The second data packet is a data packet obtained by processing the first data packet, including: The second data packet is a data packet obtained by allocating the extra data volume of the first data packet to the second scheduling period, and the extra data volume of the first data packet is the difference between the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period and the first value.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The first value is the maximum amount of data that the network device can schedule in the first scheduling period.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first value is sent.

15. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The first value is a ratio of a guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to a scheduling period of the first data packet.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The scheduling period of the first data packet is preconfigured.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A scheduling period for sending the first data packet.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that The first scheduling period is adjacent to the second scheduling period.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that A ratio of the guaranteed bit rate of the first data packet to the scheduling period of the first data packet is less than or equal to a maximum amount of data that can be scheduled by the network device in the first scheduling period.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that The first scheduling period is a first MSP, and the second scheduling period is a second MSP.

21. A communication system, characterized in that: include: Business management network elements and network equipment; The service management network element is used to receive a first data packet, the data volume of the first data packet in the first scheduling period is greater than a first value; and is also used to send a second data packet to the network device, the second data packet is a data packet obtained after the service management network element processes the first data packet, and the data volume of the second data packet in the first scheduling period is less than or equal to the first value; The network device is used to receive the second data packet; and is also used to send the second data packet.

22. The system according to claim 21, characterized in that It also includes: a mobility management entity network element and a gateway network element; The network device is configured to send the first value to the mobility management entity network element: The mobility management entity network element is used to receive the first value, and to send the first value to the gateway network element; The gateway network element is used to receive the first value, and to send the first value to the service management network element.

23. The system according to claim 21, characterized in that Also includes: Mobility management entity network element and gateway network element; The network device is used to send a scheduling period of the first data packet to the mobility management entity network element: The mobility management entity network element is used to receive the scheduling period of the first data packet, and is used to send the scheduling period of the first data packet to the gateway network element; The gateway network element is used to receive the scheduling period of the first data packet, and to send the scheduling period of the first data packet to the service management network element.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or comprises a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or the instructions are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20 is executed.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 to be executed, or cause the method according to any one of claims 11 to 20 to be executed.

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