Communication method, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method, a terminal device, and a network device. The communication method comprises: a first network device sends a feature profile acquisition request in respect of a first use case to a second network device, wherein the feature profile acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; and the first network device receives, from the second network device, a feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier. In the embodiments of the present application, the parameters of different domains or different nodes can be accurately collected according to different use cases.

Description

Communication method, terminal device and network device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method, terminal equipment, and network equipment. Background Art

[0002] To generate artificial intelligence (AI) models that better meet user needs, model training requires more diverse user data. User data is distributed across various nodes, including terminals, base stations, core networks, and third-party OTT application servers. By collecting parameters for the same use case from each node and using them for model training, model effectiveness can be improved. The challenge of collecting data for the same use case from different nodes during machine learning model training or execution is to address this issue.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a terminal device, and a network device that can accurately collect parameters of different domains and different nodes according to different use cases and successfully perform vertical federated learning.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0006] The first network device sends a feature configuration file acquisition request for the first use case to the second network device, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0007] The first network device receives a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier from the second network device.

[0008] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0009] The second network device receives a feature configuration file acquisition request for the first use case, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0010] The second network device sends a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0012] The third network device receives a feature configuration file of the first use case;

[0013] The third network device determines, based on the feature profile, at least one of the network device, the terminal device, and the node required to execute the first use case;

[0014] The third network device sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, the terminal device, and the node required to execute the first use case.

[0015] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0016] The fourth network device sends a first execution request to the first network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case;

[0017] The fourth network device receives an execution result of the first use case from the first network device, where the execution result includes a feature identifier of the first use case.

[0018] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0019] The terminal device receives configuration parameters in a feature configuration file of a first use case, model data required by the first use case, and a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0020] The terminal device sends the execution result of the first use case, where the execution result includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0021] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0022] The core network element or access network device receives the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0023] The core network element or access network device sends the execution result of the first use case, where the execution result includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0024] An embodiment of the present application provides a first network device, including:

[0025] The first transceiver unit is configured to send a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case to a second network device, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; and receive a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier from the second network device.

[0026] An embodiment of the present application provides a second network device, including:

[0027] The second transceiver unit is configured to receive a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier for the first use case; and send a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

[0028] This embodiment of the present application provides a third network device, including:

[0029] a third transceiver unit, configured to receive a feature configuration file for the first use case;

[0030] a first determining unit, configured to determine, based on the feature profile, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case;

[0031] The third transceiver unit is further configured to send configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device, and node required to execute the first use case.

[0032] This embodiment of the present application provides a fourth network device, including:

[0033] The fourth transceiver unit is used to send a first execution request to the first network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case; and receive an execution result of the first use case from the first network device, where the execution result includes the feature identifier of the first use case.

[0034] An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including:

[0035] The fifth transceiver unit is used to receive the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; and send the execution result of the first use case, which includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0036] The embodiment of the present application provides a core network element, including:

[0037] The sixth transceiver unit is used to receive the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; and send the execution result of the first use case, which includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0038] An embodiment of the present application provides an access network device, including:

[0039] The seventh transceiver unit is used for the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; and sends the execution result of the first use case, which includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0040] The present application also provides a communication device including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory and control the transceiver so that the device executes the above-mentioned communication method.

[0041] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the above-mentioned communication method.

[0042] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned communication method.

[0043] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a device, the device executes the above-mentioned communication method.

[0044] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0045] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device obtains a feature profile of the first use case from the second network device by utilizing the first feature identifier of the first use case; utilizing the feature profile, it is possible to determine from which nodes relevant data of the first use case is obtained, thereby realizing the collection of parameters of different domains or different nodes according to different use cases, and meeting the data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the training process of a vertical federated learning architecture.

[0049] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the inference process of a vertical federated learning architecture.

[0050] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network structure.

[0051] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0055] FIG9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 900 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0056] FIG10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0057] FIG11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0058] FIG12 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0059] FIG13 is an implementation flow chart of the second embodiment of the present application.

[0060] FIG14 is a flowchart of the implementation of the third embodiment of the present application.

[0061] FIG15 is an implementation flowchart of the fourth embodiment of the present application.

[0062] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] FIG17 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG19 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] FIG20 is a schematic block diagram of a third network device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG21 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth network device 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG22 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] Figure 23 is a schematic block diagram of a core network element 2300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] Figure 24 is a schematic block diagram of an access network device 2400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] Figure 25 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] Figure 26 is a schematic block diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0074] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Fifth Generation (5G) system or other communication systems.

[0075] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0076] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0077] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, wherein the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0078] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0079] The terminal device can be a station (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0081] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0082] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0084] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0086] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates a communication system 100. The communication system includes a network device 110 and two terminal devices 120. In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices 110, and each network device 110 may include a different number of terminal devices 120 within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0087] In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may further include other network entities such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0088] Among them, the network equipment may include access network equipment and core network equipment. That is, the wireless communication system also includes multiple core networks for communicating with the access network equipment. The access network equipment can be an evolutionary base station (evolutional node B, abbreviated as eNB or e-NodeB) macro base station, micro base station (also called "small base station"), pico base station, access point (AP), transmission point (TP) or new generation base station (new generation Node B, gNodeB), etc. in a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a next-generation (mobile communication system) (next radio, NR) system or an authorized auxiliary access long-term evolution (LAA-LTE) system.

[0089] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, a device having a communication function in a network / system may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system shown in Figure 1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device and a terminal device having a communication function. The network device and the terminal device may be specific devices in the embodiments of the present application and will not be described in detail here. The communication device may also include other devices in the communication system, such as a network controller, a mobility management entity, and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0091] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0092] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0093] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0094] 1. Vertical Federated Learning (VFL):

[0095] In order to generate AI models that better meet user needs, model training requires more dimensional data from users. User data is distributed across various nodes such as terminals, base stations, core networks, and third-party (Over the Top, OTT) application servers. OTT (Over the Top) refers to service businesses that utilize the operator's network and are provided by third parties outside the operator. If different parameters for the same machine learning use case on each node can be combined and used for model training, the model effect will be greatly improved, which is of great significance to model training. However, multi-domain data sharing across multiple nodes will pose a great challenge to data privacy. Vertical Federated Learning (VHL) enables artificial intelligence systems to use local data from multiple nodes efficiently and accurately while meeting data privacy, security, and regulatory requirements. It breaks down data silos and realizes cross-domain multi-node data sharing technology while ensuring privacy and security.

[0096] Figure 2 is a diagram of the training process of a vertical federated learning architecture. As shown in Figure 2, the training process of the vertical federated learning model is divided into the following steps:

[0097] 1. Encrypted Sample Alignment. Vertical federated learning is suitable for situations where the identification (ID) of participants' training samples overlaps significantly, but the data features overlap less. For example, UEs in a certain area generate different feature data at different nodes in the communication system. Therefore, it is necessary to align the participants' samples, increasing the feature dimension of each sample without increasing the sample ID.

[0098] 2. Perform model encryption training on the aligned samples. The steps are as follows.

[0099] 2.1. As shown in the figure on the right, a third-party coordinator, C, sends a public key to A and B, which is used to encrypt the data to be transmitted. Homomorphic encryption can be used. Homomorphic encryption of two samples, m1 and m2, is equivalent to homomorphic encryption of m1 plus homomorphic encryption of m2. Homomorphic encryption of sample m multiplied by a constant is equivalent to homomorphic encryption of the sample and then multiplying it by the constant.

[0100] 2.2. The party with the sample labels is the active party and the demander, such as participant B in the figure. A is the data provider, the passive party, and does not have the sample labels. A and B each perform calculations using their own local data to obtain the model's intermediate output. A encrypts this intermediate output and sends it to B. B calculates the overall model output error based on its own labels and the model outputs of A and B. This output error is encrypted and sent to A.

[0101] 2.3. A and B calculate their own encrypted gradients based on the output error, add masks and send them to C.

[0102] 2.4. C decrypts the gradients sent by A and B and sends them back to A and B respectively. A and B remove the masks and update their respective models based on the gradients.

[0103] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the inference process of a vertical federated learning architecture. As shown in Figure 3, the inference process of the vertical federated learning model is divided into the following steps.

[0104] 1. The coordinator sends a model inference request to nodes A and B respectively, including the model ID that A and B need to adopt.

[0105] 2. Nodes A and B perform calculations based on their own data and locally stored models to obtain intermediate results.

[0106] 3. A and B encrypt the intermediate results and transmit them to the coordinator C.

[0107] 4. C aggregates the intermediate results from nodes A and B, encrypts and calculates the final model inference result, and decrypts it. The inference result can be sent to B.

[0108] 2. 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G) Network Architecture:

[0109] A feature of the 5G network architecture is the service-oriented architecture, which means that core network elements (service providers) can provide specific services and make them available to other network elements (consumers) through defined application programming interfaces (APIs).

[0110] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the 5G network structure. As shown in Figure 4, the UE establishes an access stratum (AS) connection with the base station, exchanges access stratum messages and wireless data transmission, and the UE establishes a non-access stratum (NAS) connection with the mobility management function AMF, exchanging NAS messages. The AMF is responsible for managing the mobility of the UE, and the session management function (SMF) is responsible for managing the session of the UE. In addition to managing the mobility of the mobile terminal, the AMF is also responsible for forwarding session management-related messages between the UE and the SMF. The Policy Control Function (PCF) is responsible for formulating policies related to the mobility management, session management, and billing of the UE. The User Plane Function (UPF) is connected to the base station and the external data network for data transmission.

[0111] In addition, the 5G network has added network elements such as the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) in the core network. It can collect data from various core network elements and network management systems for big data statistics, analysis, or intelligent data analysis, and obtain network-side analysis or prediction data, thereby assisting various network elements to more effectively control UE access based on the data analysis results.

[0112] In the related art, there are multiple usage scenarios in the network architecture that supports cross-domain vertical federated learning, such as collecting parameters from different domains to count, predict or determine a more accurate user experience quality (QoE). Or by collecting parameters from different domains to analyze, count or predict the energy efficiency (EE) of the entire communication system, thereby achieving energy efficiency improvement. These machine learning use cases all require the collection of different data in multiple domains. Therefore, how to ensure that the neural network model (such as vertical federated learning) can accurately collect data corresponding to the same machine learning use case and distributed in different domains or different nodes during training or inference, so as to successfully perform the training or inference of the neural network module, such as performing vertical federated learning, is a problem that needs to be solved. The domains described here may include UE, Radio Access Network (RAN), 5G Core (5GC), Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) network element or application, etc.

[0113] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in FIG1-4, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0114] S510: The first network device sends a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case to the second network device, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0115] S520: The first network device receives a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier from the second network device.

[0116] In some implementations, the first network device includes a Network Exposure Function (NEF).

[0117] In some implementations, the second network device includes a Unified Data Management (UDM) function or a Unified Data Repository (UDR) function.

[0118] Neural network models have diverse use cases. Taking VFL as an example, the types of use cases for VFL include: statistical prediction and / or prediction of user quality of experience (QoE), statistics and / or prediction of energy efficiency (EE), etc. In order to enable the communication network to accurately identify different first use cases and perform different operations, this embodiment of the application defines an identifier for the first use case, which is referred to as a first feature identifier (feature ID) in this embodiment of the application. The first feature identifier (feature ID) can be used to distinguish different first use cases.

[0119] The first feature identifier of the first use case may indicate at least one of the following:

[0120] (1) the type of the first use case;

[0121] (2) Execute the operation adopted by the first use case.

[0122] The type of the first use case may include at least: statistics and / or prediction of QoE, statistics and / or prediction of EE.

[0123] The operations used to execute the first use case may include: VFL operations.

[0124] When a third-party device, such as an application function (AF) network element, requests the communication network to perform related operations, the second feature identifier can be used. The aforementioned first feature identifier can be considered as an internal feature identifier used within the communication network, and the second feature identifier can be considered as an external feature identifier used outside the communication network. There is a mapping relationship between the first feature identifier and the second feature identifier. When a device outside the communication network, such as AF, requests the communication network to perform related operations, the second feature identifier can be used to obtain the corresponding feature configuration file; after the device inside the communication network receives the second feature identifier, it determines the first feature identifier corresponding to the second feature identifier based on the mapping relationship, and then uses the first feature identifier to obtain the corresponding feature configuration file. Setting different feature identifiers for executing the first use case, and using different feature identifiers inside and outside the communication network is conducive to protecting privacy and security.

[0125] A feature profile may also be referred to as a feature configuration, feature file, etc. A feature profile is associated with a first feature identifier and can be used to describe the parameters required for the feature and related operations to be performed. The first network device uses the first feature identifier of the first use case to obtain the feature profile for the first use case. Using this feature profile, the first network device can determine which nodes to obtain relevant data for the first use case from, thereby collecting parameters from different domains or nodes based on different use cases, thereby meeting data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution.

[0126] In some implementations, the parameters included in the feature configuration file for the first use case include at least one of the following feature parameters:

[0127] (1) The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0128] (2) the model to be adopted for the first use case;

[0129] (3) the network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case;

[0130] (4) the time window and / or area required by the first use case;

[0131] (5) the identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0132] (6) The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

[0133] Specifically, it may include at least one of the following:

[0134] (1) To execute this use case, the parameter type that needs to be collected can be represented by a dataset ID.

[0135] (2) Model to be adopted: refers to the model that nodes in each domain need to adopt in order to execute the same VFL use case.

[0136] (3) Network elements and nodes that need to be called: refers to the network elements involved in executing a VFL use case; for example, performing QoE statistics and / or prediction may require network elements such as SMF, PCF, NWDAF, and may require the participation of nodes such as gNB and UE.

[0137] (4) The time window and area in which the AI ​​operation is executed. This refers to the time window required to execute the VFL use case and the area in which the use case is applicable. This can be represented by an Area of ​​Interest (AOI).

[0138] (5)UE ID: refers to the UE involved in this use case.

[0139] (6) Application ID: refers to the application that initiates the VFL.

[0140] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present application involves multiple devices. The functions of the multiple devices and the interaction process between the devices are described below. Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. In the example shown in Figure 6, the first network device may include an NEF, the second network device may include a UDM or UDR, the third network device may include an NWDAF, and the fourth network device may include an AF.

[0141] As shown in FIG6 , the method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0142] S610: The fourth network device sends a first execution request to the first network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case. The feature identifier can be a first feature identifier or a second feature identifier. If it is the first feature identifier, the same identifier is used both inside and outside the communication network, without distinguishing between internal and external identifiers. If it is the second feature identifier, different identifiers are used both inside and outside the communication network.

[0143] The first execution request may include a machine learning execution request, such as a VFL execution request.

[0144] The first execution request also includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a terminal device involved in the first use case, an identifier of an application that executes the first use case, and model data required to execute the first use case.

[0145] S620: The first network device receives a first execution request. If the first execution request includes a second feature identifier of the first use case, the first network device determines a first feature identifier corresponding to the second feature identifier. For example, the first network device determines the first feature identifier corresponding to the second feature identifier based on a pre-defined mapping rule or mapping relationship.

[0146] The first network device sends a feature configuration file acquisition request for the first use case to the second network device. The feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0147] S630: The second network device pre-stores a correspondence between the first feature identifier and the feature configuration file. Based on this correspondence, the second network device can determine the feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier. The second network device sends the feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier to the first network device. The details regarding feature identifiers and feature configuration files have been previously described and will not be further elaborated here.

[0148] S640: The first network device determines, based on the feature configuration file, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case. The network device required to execute the first use case may include a core network element, such as a LMF, MDAF, or NWDAF.

[0149] The first network device sends configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, the terminal device, and the node required to execute the first use case.

[0150] S650. The first network device receives the execution result of the first use case from at least one of the network devices, terminal devices, and nodes required to execute the first use case, and the execution result includes the first feature identifier of the first use case. The execution result may also include at least one of the following: the type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case, the time window and / or area required by the first use case. The first network device aggregates the multiple received execution results based on the first feature identifier included in each execution result. For example, the first network device can aggregate the execution results with the same first feature identifier, thereby realizing data of the same first use case.

[0151] S660: The first network device sends the aggregated execution result to the fourth network device.

[0152] The aggregated execution result includes the first feature identifier or the second feature identifier of the first use case; the second feature identifier is determined by the first network device based on the first feature identifier. For example, the first network device determines the second feature identifier corresponding to the first feature identifier received in step S650 based on a pre-defined mapping rule or mapping relationship.

[0153] The aggregated execution result may further include at least one of the following: the type of parameters that need to be collected for the first use case, and the time window and / or area required for the first use case.

[0154] The present application also provides a communication method that can be performed by a second network device, which can include a UDM or a UDR. Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. The method includes the following:

[0155] S710. The second network device receives a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier for the first use case.

[0156] S720. The second network device sends a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

[0157] In some implementations, the second network device may receive a feature profile acquisition request from the first network device and send the feature profile to the first network device. The first network device may include an NEF.

[0158] When the second network device receives a request carrying the first feature identifier of the first use case from the first network device, it returns the feature configuration file of the first use case to the first network device; the first network device can use the feature configuration file to determine which nodes to obtain relevant data of the first use case from, thereby realizing the collection of parameters of different domains or different nodes according to different use cases, and meeting the data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution.

[0159] In some implementations, the feature configuration file for the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters:

[0160] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0161] The model to be adopted for the first use case;

[0162] The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case;

[0163] The time window and / or area required by the first use case;

[0164] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0165] The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

[0166] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a dataset ID.

[0167] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0169] The type of the first use case;

[0170] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0171] The type of the first use case may include at least one of the following: statistics and / or prediction of QoE; statistics and / or prediction of EE.

[0172] The operation adopted in executing the first use case may include: VFL operation.

[0173] In some embodiments, the second network device stores a feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier. Based on the pre-stored information, upon receiving a feature profile acquisition request, the second network device can search for the feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier based on the first feature identifier of the first use case carried in the feature profile acquisition request, and provide the feedback of the feature profile.

[0174] For other execution steps of the second network device, reference may be made to the relevant contents of the second network device in the example of FIG6 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0175] The present application also provides a communication method that can be performed by a fourth network device, which can include an AF. Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. The method includes the following:

[0176] S810: The fourth network device sends a first execution request to the first network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case.

[0177] S820. The fourth network device receives an execution result of the first use case from the first network device, where the execution result includes a feature identifier of the first use case.

[0178] By setting a feature identifier for the first use case, and the fourth network device obtaining the execution result of the first use case based on the feature identifier of the first use case, the parameters of the first use case in different domains or different nodes can be obtained, thereby meeting the data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution.

[0179] The first network device may include a NEF.

[0180] In some implementations, the first execution request further includes at least one of the following:

[0181] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0182] an identification of an application executing the first use case;

[0183] Model data required to execute the first use case.

[0184] The parameter type is represented by the dataset ID.

[0185] In some implementations, the first use case may include a VFL use case.

[0186] In some implementations, the feature identifier of the first use case may be a first feature identifier or a second feature identifier. Specific contents of the first feature identifier or the second feature identifier may refer to the aforementioned related contents and will not be repeated here.

[0187] In some embodiments, a feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0188] The type of the first use case;

[0189] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0190] The type of the first use case may include at least one of the following: statistics and / or prediction of user quality of experience QoE; statistics and / or prediction of energy efficiency EE.

[0191] The operation adopted in executing the first use case may include: VFL operation.

[0192] For other execution steps of the fourth network device, reference may be made to the relevant content of the fourth network device in the example of FIG6 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0193] The embodiment of the present application also proposes another communication method, which involves multiple devices. The functions of the multiple devices and the interaction process between the devices are introduced below. Figure 9 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. In the example shown in Figure 9, the first network device may include NEF, the second network device may include UDM or UDR, the third network device may include NWDAF, the fourth network device may include AF, and the fifth network device may include ADRF.

[0194] As shown in FIG9 , the method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0195] S910. The third network device receives a feature configuration file of the first use case.

[0196] For example, if data aggregation is initiated by the first network device, the third network device can receive the feature profile of the first use case or the configuration parameters contained in the feature profile from the first network device; specifically, the first network device can send the feature profile or the configuration parameters contained in the feature profile to the third network device after receiving the first execution request.

[0197] For another example, if data aggregation is initiated by a third network device, the third network device may send a feature profile acquisition request for the first use case to the second network device, where the feature profile acquisition request carries the first feature identifier of the first use case; the third network device receives the feature profile of the first use case (that is, the feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier) ​​from the second network device.

[0198] The relevant contents of the first feature identifier and the feature configuration file have been introduced in the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0199] S920: The third network device determines the required model data according to the feature configuration file, and sends a model acquisition request to the fifth network device, wherein the model acquisition request carries the model ID. The fifth network device may pre-store model data of multiple models.

[0200] S930: The third network device receives model data of the model from the fifth network device.

[0201] S940. The third network device determines the network devices, terminal devices and / or nodes required to execute the first use case based on the feature configuration file, and sends configuration parameters, model parameters and other information in the feature configuration file to the network devices, terminal devices and / or nodes required to execute the first use case.

[0202] S950: The network devices, terminal devices, and / or nodes required to execute the first use case execute the first use case based on the received configuration parameters, model parameters, and other information, and feedback the execution results of the first use case to the third network device. The execution results may also include the first feature identifier of the first use case. The execution results may also include at least one of the following: the type of parameters required to be collected for the first use case; and the time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0203] S960: The third network device aggregates the received multiple execution results based on the first characteristic identifier included in the execution results. If the data aggregation is initiated by the third network device, the current process ends. If the data aggregation is initiated by the first network device, the process continues with step S970.

[0204] S970. The third network device sends the aggregated execution result to the first network device.

[0205] This application also proposes a communication method that can be performed by a third network device, which can include an NWDAF. Figure 10 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 1000 according to an embodiment of this application. This method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. The method includes the following:

[0206] S1010. The third network device receives a feature configuration file for the first use case;

[0207] S1020. The third network device determines, based on the feature configuration file, at least one of the network device, terminal device, and node required to execute the first use case.

[0208] S1030. The third network device sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device, and node required to execute the first use case.

[0209] Based on the feature profile of the first use case, the third network device determines the nodes that execute the first use case, so that relevant data of the first use case can be obtained from each node, and the parameters of the first use case in different domains or different nodes can be collected to meet the data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution.

[0210] In some implementations, the method further includes: the third network device acquiring model data required for the first use case from the fifth network device according to the feature configuration file of the first use case;

[0211] The third network device sends the model data required for the first use case to at least one of the network device, the terminal device, and the node required to execute the first use case.

[0212] The fifth network device may include an ADRF.

[0213] In some embodiments, the method further includes: the third network device receiving an execution result of the first use case from at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case, wherein the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0214] The third network device aggregates the received multiple execution results according to the first feature identifier included in the execution result.

[0215] The execution result may also include at least one of the following:

[0216] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0217] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0218] In some implementations, the third network device may send the aggregated execution result to the first network device. The first network device may include a NEF.

[0219] In some implementations, the feature configuration file for the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters:

[0220] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0221] The model to be adopted for the first use case;

[0222] The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case;

[0223] The time window and / or area required by the first use case;

[0224] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0225] The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

[0226] The parameter type can be represented by a dataset ID.

[0227] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0228] In some implementations, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; and an operation employed to execute the first use case.

[0229] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: statistics and / or prediction of QoE; statistics and / or prediction of EE.

[0230] The operation adopted in executing the first use case may include: VFL operation.

[0231] For other execution steps of the second network device, reference may be made to the relevant contents of the third network device in the examples of FIG. 6 and FIG. 9 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0232] The present application also provides a communication method that can be executed by a terminal. Figure 11 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. The method includes the following:

[0233] S1110. The terminal device receives configuration parameters in a feature configuration file of a first use case, model data required by the first use case, and a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0234] S1120. The terminal device sends an execution result of the first use case, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0235] After the terminal device executes the first use case, by including the first feature identifier of the first use case in the execution result of the first use case, the execution result of the first use case can be marked with a corresponding identifier, so that the device receiving the execution result can collect parameters belonging to the same first use case according to the first feature identifier, thereby meeting the data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution.

[0236] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0237] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0238] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0239] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0240] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0241] In some implementations, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; and an operation employed to execute the first use case.

[0242] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: statistics and / or prediction of QoE; statistics and / or prediction of EE.

[0243] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0244] For other execution steps of the terminal device, reference may be made to the relevant contents of the terminal device in the examples of FIG6 and FIG9 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0245] The present application also provides a communication method that can be performed by a core network element or an access network device. Figure 12 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to any of the systems shown in Figures 1-4, but is not limited thereto. The method includes the following:

[0246] S1210. The core network element or access network device receives configuration parameters in a feature configuration file of a first use case, model data required by the first use case, and a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0247] S1220. The core network element or access network device sends an execution result of the first use case, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0248] After executing the first use case, the core network network element or access network device can mark the execution result of the first use case with a corresponding identifier by including the first feature identifier of the first use case in the execution result of the first use case, so that the device receiving the execution result can collect parameters belonging to the same first use case according to the first feature identifier, thereby meeting the data requirements during machine learning training and / or execution.

[0249] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0250] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0251] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0252] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0253] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0254] In some implementations, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; and an operation employed to execute the first use case.

[0255] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: statistics and / or prediction of QoE; statistics and / or prediction of EE.

[0256] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0257] For other execution steps of the terminal device, reference can be made to the relevant content of the network devices or nodes required to execute the first use case in the examples of Figures 6 and 9, which will not be repeated here.

[0258] Specific embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0259] In the following embodiments, the first network device is specifically an NEF, the second network device is specifically a UDM or UDR, the third network device is specifically an NWDAF, the fourth network device is an AF, and the fifth network device is specifically an ADRF. In other embodiments of the present application, the aforementioned network devices may also be other functional network elements. Furthermore, in the following embodiments, the first use case is specifically a VFL use case. In other embodiments of the present application, the first use case may also be other use cases.

[0260] Example 1:

[0261] VFL has diverse use cases, such as QoE statistics and / or predictions, EE statistics and / or predictions, and so on. To enable the communication network to accurately identify different use cases and perform different operations, this embodiment defines a new ID, namely, the feature ID, to distinguish different use cases. The feature ID can reflect the following information:

[0262] (1) Execution use cases: such as QoE prediction statistics, energy efficiency statistics, etc.

[0263] (2) Execute the AI ​​operation used in this use case: VFL.

[0264] When a third party requests the communication network to perform related operations through a feature ID, there may also be a mapping relationship between the external feature ID and the internal feature ID.

[0265] This embodiment of the application also defines a feature profile associated with the feature ID to describe the parameters required for the feature and the related operations to be performed. The parameters included in the feature profile are as follows:

[0266] (1) To execute this use case, the parameter type that needs to be collected can be represented by the dataset ID.

[0267] (2) Model to be adopted: refers to the model that nodes in each domain need to adopt in order to execute the same VFL use case.

[0268] (3) Network elements and nodes that need to be called: To execute a VFL use case, the network elements involved, such as QoE, may require SMF, PCF, NWDAF and other network elements. In addition, the participation of nodes such as gNB and UE may be required.

[0269] (4) The time window and area in which the AI ​​operation is executed. This refers to the time window required to execute the VFL use case and the area in which the use case is applicable. This can be represented by an Area of ​​Interest (AOI).

[0270] (5)UE ID: The UE involved in this use case.

[0271] (6) Application ID: The application that initiated the VFL.

[0272] Example 2:

[0273] In this embodiment, the AF initiates a VFL execution request, and the model required for executing the VFL is directly sent through the AF.

[0274] FIG13 is a flowchart of an implementation of the second embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0275] Step 1. When a third-party AF requests to execute a VFL use case, the AF sends a VFL execution request to the NEF. The VFL execution request contains a second feature identifier (or external feature ID), which represents the VFL use case that the AF requests to execute. For example, the second feature identifier indicates that the type of the VFL use case is QoE statistics and / or prediction. The VFL execution request may also include a UE identifier (UE ID), an application identifier (Application ID), and the model data required to execute the VFL use case; wherein the UE identifier indicates the UE involved in executing the VFL use case, and the application identifier indicates the application corresponding to the execution of the VFL use case.

[0276] Step 2: The NEF maps the second feature identifier to a first feature identifier (or internal feature ID) used within the communication network according to information such as the UE identifier and the application identifier.

[0277] Step 3: After receiving the request, the NEF sends a request for obtaining a feature profile to the Unified Data Repository (UDR) according to the first feature identifier.

[0278] Step 4: The UDR returns a pre-stored feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier. For details of the parameters included in the feature profile, see Example 1.

[0279] Step 5: The NEF determines at least one of the network element, RAN, and UE that needs to interact based on the received feature configuration file.

[0280] Step 6: The NEF sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the determined network element, RAN, and UE, mainly including the first feature identifier, the model data required to execute the VFL use case, the parameter type to be collected as model input, the time window for executing the AI ​​operation (including training and / or inference), the area information where the UE and / or RAN is located when executing the VFL use case, and the service area information of each network element when executing the VFL use case.

[0281] Step 7: Each node (including at least one of the network element, RAN, and UE) sends the result of the completed AI operation to the NEF. The result includes the first feature identifier, result information, parameter type (represented by the dataset ID), the time when the AI ​​operation was performed, regional information, etc. The dataset ID is used to indicate the form of the dataset used by each node when performing the AI ​​operation locally, such as distribution characteristics, sampling characteristics, or sample dimensions.

[0282] Step 8: The NEF determines, based on the first feature identifier in the information collected from each node, that the results returned by each node belong to the same VFL operation. The NEF may aggregate information with the same first feature identifier and map the first feature identifier to a second feature identifier.

[0283] Step 9: NEF replies the result of the AI ​​operation to AF. The message includes the result information or aggregated result information, parameter type (indicated by dataset ID), time of executing the AI ​​operation, region information, second feature identifier, etc.

[0284] Example 3:

[0285] In this embodiment, the AF initiates a VFL execution request, and the model required for executing the VFL is pre-stored in the Analytic Data Repository Function (ADRF).

[0286] Compared with the second embodiment, in this embodiment, the AF does not directly provide the model data, but the model is stored in the ADRF of the core network in advance. For example, the relevant VFL has been executed before, or the AF and the core network element have negotiated before requesting the execution of the operation and the model is pre-stored in the ADRF.

[0287] FIG14 is a flowchart of the implementation of the third embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0288] Step 1. When a third-party AF requests to execute a VFL use case, the AF sends a VFL execution request to the NEF. The VFL execution request contains a second feature identifier (or external feature ID), which indicates the VFL use case that the AF requests to execute. For example, the second feature identifier indicates that the type of the VFL use case is QoE statistics and / or prediction. The VFL execution request may also include a UE identifier (UE ID) and an application identifier (Application ID); wherein the UE identifier indicates the UE involved in executing the VFL use case, and the application identifier indicates the application corresponding to the execution of the VFL use case.

[0289] Step 2: The NEF maps the second feature identifier to a first feature identifier (or internal feature ID) used within the communication network according to information such as the UE identifier and the application identifier.

[0290] Step 3: After receiving the request, the NEF sends a request for obtaining a feature profile to the Unified Data Repository (UDR) according to the first feature identifier.

[0291] Step 4: The UDR returns a pre-stored feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier. For details of the parameters included in the feature profile, see Example 1.

[0292] Step 5: NEF determines the NWDAF that can interact with ADRF based on the received feature profile.

[0293] Step 6: NEF sends the first feature identifier and the corresponding feature configuration file to NWDAF.

[0294] Step 7: NWDAF interacts with ADRF according to the instructions of the required model in the feature configuration file to obtain the required model. Specifically, NWDAF can send a model acquisition message to ADRF, which includes the ID of the model to be obtained.

[0295] Step 8: ADRF returns the data of the model that meets the requirements to NWDAF.

[0296] Step 9: NWDAF sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the corresponding network element, RAN, and UE, mainly including the first feature identifier, the model data required to execute the VFL use case, the parameter type that needs to be collected as model input, the time window for executing the AI ​​operation (including training and / or inference), the area information where the UE and / or RAN executes the VFL use case, and the service area information of each network element when executing the VFL use case.

[0297] Step 10: Each node (including at least one of the network element, RAN, and UE) sends the result of the completed AI operation to the NWDAF. The result includes the first feature identifier, result information, parameter type (represented by the dataset ID), the time when the AI ​​operation was performed, regional information, etc. The dataset ID is used to indicate the form of the dataset used by each node when performing the AI ​​operation locally, such as distribution characteristics, sampling characteristics, or sample dimensions.

[0298] Step 11: NWDAF determines whether the results returned by each node belong to the same VFL operation based on the first feature identifier in the information collected by each node. NWDAF can aggregate information with the same first feature identifier.

[0299] Step 12: NWDAF sends the aggregated results to NEF.

[0300] Step 13: The NEF maps the first feature identifier to a second feature identifier.

[0301] Step 14: NEF replies the result of the AI ​​operation to AF. The message includes the result information or aggregated result information, parameter type (indicated by dataset ID), time of executing the AI ​​operation, region information, second feature identifier, etc.

[0302] Example 4:

[0303] In this embodiment, the VFL process is initiated by the NWDAF.

[0304] The difference from the second and third embodiments is that in this embodiment, the VFL operation is initiated by a core network element, such as NWDAF, so the participation of NEF and feature identifier mapping are not required.

[0305] FIG15 is a flowchart of an implementation of the fourth embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0306] Step 1: When NWDAF requests to execute VFL, NWDAF sends a request to obtain a feature configuration file to UDR. The feature configuration file includes a first feature identifier.

[0307] Step 2: The UDR returns a pre-stored feature profile corresponding to the first feature identifier to the NWDAF. For details of the parameters included in the feature profile, see Example 1.

[0308] Step 3: NWDAF determines the model to be adopted based on the indication of the required model contained in the feature configuration file.

[0309] Step 4: NWDAF interacts with ADRF to obtain the required model. Specifically, NWDAF may send a model acquisition message to ADRF, where the message includes the ID of the model to be obtained.

[0310] Step 5: ADRF returns the data of the model that meets the requirements to NWDAF.

[0311] Step 6: NWDAF sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the corresponding network element, RAN, and UE, mainly including the first feature identifier, the model data required to execute the VFL use case, the parameter type that needs to be collected as model input, the time window for executing the AI ​​operation (including training and / or inference), the area information where the UE and / or RAN executes the VFL use case, and the service area information of each network element when executing the VFL use case.

[0312] Step 7: Each node (including at least one of the network element, RAN, and UE) sends the result of the completed AI operation to the NWDAF. The result includes the first feature identifier, result information, parameter type (represented by the dataset ID), the time when the AI ​​operation was performed, regional information, etc. The dataset ID is used to indicate the form of the dataset used by each node when performing the AI ​​operation locally, such as distribution characteristics, sampling characteristics, or sample dimensions.

[0313] Step 8: NWDAF determines whether the results returned by each node belong to the same VFL operation based on the first feature identifier in the information collected by each node. NWDAF can aggregate information with the same first feature identifier.

[0314] This technical solution describes how, when executing multi-domain VFL, feature representations and calling related feature configuration files enable the execution node to identify the network elements, RAN, and UE-acquired information to successfully execute VFL. This solution provides specific execution flows for two different scenarios: third-party VFL initiation and core network element-initiated NWDAF. This solution enables communication system support for VFL, meeting the needs of use cases such as QoE statistics and / or prediction, and EE statistics and / or prediction.

[0315] The present application also provides a first network device. FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The first network device 1600 may include:

[0316] The first transceiver unit 1610 is configured to send a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case to a second network device, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; and receive a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier from the second network device.

[0317] In some implementations, the feature configuration file for the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters:

[0318] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0319] The model to be adopted for the first use case;

[0320] The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case;

[0321] The time window and / or area required by the first use case;

[0322] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0323] The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

[0324] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0325] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0326] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0327] The type of the first use case;

[0328] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0329] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0330] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0331] Energy efficiency (EE) statistics and / or forecasts.

[0332] In some implementations, the operations employed by the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0333] In some implementations, the first transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to receive a first execution request from a fourth network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case.

[0334] In some implementations, the first execution request further includes at least one of the following:

[0335] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0336] an identification of an application executing the first use case;

[0337] Model data required to execute the first use case.

[0338] In some implementations, the feature identifier of the first use case includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0339] In some implementations, the feature identifier of the first use case includes a second feature identifier of the first use case.

[0340] The present application also provides a first network device. FIG17 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The first network device 1700 may further include:

[0341] The first processing unit 1720 is configured to determine the first feature identifier corresponding to the second feature identifier.

[0342] In some embodiments, the first processing unit 1720 is further configured to determine, based on the feature profile, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to perform the first use case;

[0343] The first transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to send configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device, and node required to execute the first use case.

[0344] In some embodiments, the first transceiver unit 1610 is further used to receive an execution result of the first use case from at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0345] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0346] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0347] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0348] In some implementations, the first processing unit 1720 is further configured to aggregate the received multiple execution results according to the first feature identifier included in the execution results.

[0349] In some implementations, the first transceiver unit 1610 is further configured to send the aggregated execution result to the fourth network device.

[0350] In some embodiments, the aggregated execution result includes the first feature identifier or the second feature identifier of the first use case;

[0351] The second characteristic identifier is determined by the first network device according to the first characteristic identifier.

[0352] In some embodiments, the aggregated execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0353] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0354] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0355] In some implementations, the first network device includes a NEF.

[0356] In some implementations, the second network device includes a UDM or a UDR.

[0357] In some implementations, the fourth network device includes an AF.

[0358] In some embodiments, the network equipment required to perform the first use case includes a core network element.

[0359] In some implementations, the core network element includes a LMF, a MDAF, or a NWDAF.

[0360] The first network devices 1600 and 1700 of the embodiments of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the first network devices in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the first network devices 1600 and 1700 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the first network devices 1600 and 1700 of the application embodiments can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0361] The present application also provides a second network device. FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The second network device 1800 may include:

[0362] The second transceiver unit 1810 is configured to receive a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier for the first use case; and send a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

[0363] In some implementations, the feature configuration file for the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters:

[0364] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0365] The model to be adopted for the first use case;

[0366] The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case;

[0367] The time window and / or area required by the first use case;

[0368] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0369] The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

[0370] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0371] The present application also provides a second network device. FIG19 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The second network device 1900 may include:

[0372] The second processing unit 1920 is configured to save a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

[0373] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0374] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0375] The type of the first use case;

[0376] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0377] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0378] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0379] Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

[0380] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0381] In some implementations, the second network device includes a UDM or a UDR.

[0382] The second network devices 1800 and 1900 of the embodiments of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the second network devices in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the second network devices 1800 and 1900 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the second network devices 1800 and 1900 of the application embodiments can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0383] The present application also provides a third network device. FIG20 is a schematic block diagram of a third network device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The third network device 2000 may include:

[0384] The third transceiver unit 2010 is configured to receive a feature configuration file of the first use case;

[0385] The third processing unit 220 is configured to determine, based on the feature profile, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case;

[0386] The third transceiver unit 2010 is further configured to send configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device, and node required to execute the first use case.

[0387] In some embodiments, the second processing unit 220 is further configured to obtain, from the fifth network device, model data required for the first use case based on the feature configuration file of the first use case;

[0388] The third transceiver unit 2010 is further configured to send the model data required for the first use case to at least one of the network device, terminal device, and node required to execute the first use case.

[0389] In some embodiments, the third transceiver unit 2010 is further configured to receive an execution result of the first use case from at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case;

[0390] The third processing unit 2020 is further configured to aggregate the received multiple execution results according to the first feature identifier included in the execution results.

[0391] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0392] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0393] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0394] In some implementations, the third transceiver unit 2010 is further configured to send the aggregated execution result to the first network device.

[0395] In some implementations, the feature configuration file for the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters:

[0396] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0397] The model to be adopted for the first use case;

[0398] The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case;

[0399] The time window and / or area required by the first use case;

[0400] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0401] The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

[0402] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0403] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0404] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0405] The type of the first use case;

[0406] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0407] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0408] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0409] Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

[0410] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0411] In some implementations, the third network device includes a NWDAF.

[0412] In some embodiments, the fifth network device includes an ADRF.

[0413] In some implementations, the first network device includes a NEF.

[0414] The third network device 2000 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the third network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The corresponding processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects of each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the third network device 2000 can be found in the corresponding description in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the third network device 2000 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0415] The present application also provides a fourth network device. FIG21 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth network device 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The fourth network device 2100 may include:

[0416] The fourth transceiver unit 2110 is used to send a first execution request to the first network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case; and receive an execution result of the first use case from the first network device, where the execution result includes the feature identifier of the first use case.

[0417] In some implementations, the first execution request further includes at least one of the following:

[0418] The identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case;

[0419] an identification of an application executing the first use case;

[0420] Model data required to execute the first use case.

[0421] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0422] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0423] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0424] The type of the first use case;

[0425] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0426] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0427] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0428] Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

[0429] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0430] The fourth network device 2100 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the fourth network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the fourth network device 2100 can be found in the corresponding description in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the fourth network device 2100 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0431] The present application also provides a terminal device. FIG22 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 2200 may include:

[0432] The fifth transceiver unit 2210 is used to receive the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; and send the execution result of the first use case, which includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0433] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0434] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0435] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0436] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0437] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0438] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0439] The type of the first use case;

[0440] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0441] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0442] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0443] Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

[0444] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0445] The terminal device 2200 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device 2200 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the above-mentioned method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device 2200 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0446] The present application also provides a core network element. FIG23 is a schematic block diagram of a core network element 2300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The core network element 2300 may include:

[0447] The sixth transceiver unit 2310 is used to receive the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; and send the execution result of the first use case, which includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0448] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0449] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0450] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0451] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0452] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0453] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0454] The type of the first use case;

[0455] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0456] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0457] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0458] Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

[0459] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0460] The core network element 2300 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the core network element in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to each module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the core network element 2300 can be found in the corresponding description in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the core network element 2300 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0461] The present application also provides an access network device. FIG24 is a schematic block diagram of an access network device 2400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The access network device 2400 may include:

[0462] The seventh transceiver unit 2410 is used to receive the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; and send the execution result of the first use case, which includes the first feature identifier of the first use case.

[0463] In some embodiments, the execution result further includes at least one of the following:

[0464] The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case;

[0465] The time window and / or region required by the first use case.

[0466] In some implementations, the type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

[0467] In some implementations, the first use case comprises a VFL use case.

[0468] In some embodiments, the first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following:

[0469] The type of the first use case;

[0470] Perform the actions taken by the first use case.

[0471] In some embodiments, the type of the first use case includes at least one of the following:

[0472] Statistics and / or predictions of user QoE;

[0473] Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

[0474] In some implementations, the operations employed to perform the first use case include: VFL operations.

[0475] Figure 25 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2500 includes a processor 2510, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to enable the communication device 2500 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0476] In one embodiment, the communication device 2500 may further include a memory 2520. The processor 2510 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2520 to enable the communication device 2500 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0477] The memory 2520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2510 or may be integrated into the processor 2510 .

[0478] In one embodiment, the communication device 2500 may further include a transceiver 2530 , and the processor 2510 may control the transceiver 2530 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 2530 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0479] The transceiver 2530 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 2530 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0480] In one embodiment, the communication device 2500 may be a network device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0481] In one embodiment, the communication device 2500 may be a terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0482] In one embodiment, the communication device 2500 may be a core network element of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the core network element in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0483] In one embodiment, the communication device 2500 may be the access network device of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the access network device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0484] 26 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 2600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 2600 includes a processor 2610, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0485] In one embodiment, the chip 2600 may further include a memory 2620. The processor 2610 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2620 to implement the method executed by the terminal device, network device, core network element, or access network device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0486] The memory 2620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2610 or may be integrated into the processor 2610 .

[0487] In one embodiment, the chip 2600 may further include an input interface 2630. The processor 2610 may control the input interface 2630 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0488] In one embodiment, the chip 2600 may further include an output interface 2640. The processor 2610 may control the output interface 2640 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0489] In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0490] In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0491] The chips used in network equipment, terminal equipment, core network elements and access network equipment can be the same chip or different chips.

[0492] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0493] The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0494] The memory mentioned above may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM).

[0495] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0496] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function in accordance with the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0497] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0498] 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.

[0499] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising: The first network device sends a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case to the second network device, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; The first network device receives a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier from the second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The feature configuration file of the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The model to be adopted by the first use case; The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case; An identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case; The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first use case includes a vertical federated learning (VFL) use case.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; Perform the operations adopted by the first use case.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: Statistics and / or predictions of user quality of experience (QoE); Statistics and / or predictions of energy efficiency EE.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The operations used to execute the first use case include: VFL operations.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, before the first network device sends a request for obtaining a feature configuration file of the first use case to the second network device, further comprising: The first network device receives a first execution request from a fourth network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of a first use case.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The first execution request also includes at least one of the following: An identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case; an identification of an application that executes the first use case; Model data required to execute the first use case.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The feature identifier of the first use case includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

11. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The feature identifier of the first use case includes a second feature identifier of the first use case. 12 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising, the first network device determining a first feature identifier corresponding to the second feature identifier.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: The first network device determines, according to the feature configuration file, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case; The first network device sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device and node required to execute the first use case.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising, The first network device receives an execution result of the first use case from at least one of the network device, terminal device and node required to execute the first use case, and the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The execution result also includes at least one of the following: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, further comprising: The first network device aggregates the received multiple execution results according to the first feature identifier included in the execution results.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising, The first network device sends the aggregated execution result to the fourth network device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The aggregated execution result includes the first feature identifier or the second feature identifier of the first use case; The second feature identifier is determined by the first network device according to the first feature identifier.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The aggregated execution result also includes at least one of the following: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein: The first network device includes a network element function NEF.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein: The second network device includes a unified data management function UDM or a unified data warehouse function UDR.

22. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein: The fourth network device comprises an application function AF.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein: The network equipment required to execute the first use case includes a core network element.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The core network element includes a local management function LMF, a management data analysis function MDAF or a network data analysis function NWDAF.

25. A communication method, comprising: The second network device receives a feature configuration file acquisition request for the first use case, where the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; The second network device sends a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The feature configuration file of the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The model to be adopted by the first use case; The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case; An identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case; The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein: The type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25-27 further includes, the second network device saving a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

29. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein: The first use case includes a VFL use case.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein: The first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; Perform the operations adopted by the first use case.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein: The type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: QoE statistics and / or predictions; Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein: The operations used to execute the first use case include: VFL operations.

33. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 32, wherein: The second network device includes a UDM or a UDR.

34. A communication method, comprising: The third network device receives a feature configuration file of the first use case; The third network device determines, according to the feature configuration file, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case; The third network device sends the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device and node required to execute the first use case.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising, The third network device acquires the model data required by the first use case from the fifth network device according to the feature configuration file of the first use case; The third network device sends the model data required by the first use case to at least one of the network device, terminal device and node required to execute the first use case.

36. The method according to claim 34 or 35, further comprising, The third network device receives an execution result of the first use case from at least one of the network device, the terminal device, and the node required for executing the first use case, wherein the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case; The third network device aggregates the received multiple execution results according to the first feature identifier included in the execution result.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein: The execution result also includes at least one of the following: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising, The third network device sends the aggregated execution result to the first network device.

39. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 38, wherein: The feature configuration file of the first use case includes at least one of the following feature parameters: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The model to be adopted for the first use case; The network elements and / or nodes that need to be called by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case; An identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case; The identifier of the application that initiated the first use case.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein: The type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

41. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 40, wherein: The first use case includes a VFL use case.

42. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 40, wherein: The first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; Perform the operations adopted by the first use case.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein: The type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: QoE statistics and / or predictions; Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein: The operations used to execute the first use case include: VFL operations.

45. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 44, wherein: The third network device includes NWDAF.

46. ​​The method of claim 35, wherein: The fifth network device comprises an analysis data storage function ADRF.

47. The method of claim 38, wherein: The first network device includes a NEF.

48. A communication method, comprising: The fourth network device sends a first execution request to the first network device, where the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case; The fourth network device receives an execution result of the first use case from the first network device, where the execution result includes a feature identifier of the first use case.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein: The first execution request also includes at least one of the following: An identifier of the terminal device involved in the first use case; an identification of an application that executes the first use case; Model data required to perform the first use case.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein: The type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

51. The method according to any one of claims 48 to 50, wherein: The first use case includes a VFL use case.

52. The method according to any one of claims 48 to 51, wherein: The first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; Perform the operations adopted by the first use case.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein: The type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: QoE statistics and / or predictions; Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein: The operations used to execute the first use case include: VFL operations.

55. A communication method, comprising: The terminal device receives configuration parameters in a feature configuration file of a first use case, model data required by the first use case, and a first feature identifier of the first use case; The terminal device sends an execution result of the first use case, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein: The execution result also includes at least one of the following: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein: The type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

58. The method according to any one of claims 55 to 57, wherein: The first use case includes a VFL use case.

59. The method according to any one of claims 55 to 58, wherein: The first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; Perform the operations adopted by the first use case.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein: The type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: QoE statistics and / or predictions; Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein: The operations used to execute the first use case include: VFL operations.

62. A communication method, comprising: The core network element or the access network device receives the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file of the first use case, the model data required by the first use case, and the first feature identifier of the first use case; The core network element or access network device sends an execution result of the first use case, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein: The execution result also includes at least one of the following: The type of parameters that need to be collected by the first use case; The time window and / or area required by the first use case.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein: The type of the parameter is represented by a data set identifier.

65. The method according to any one of claims 62 to 64, wherein: The first use case includes a VFL use case.

66. The method according to any one of claims 62 to 65, wherein: The first feature identifier indicates at least one of the following: a type of the first use case; Perform the operations adopted by the first use case.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein: The type of the first use case includes at least one of the following: QoE statistics and / or predictions; Statistics and / or forecasts of EE.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein: The operations used to execute the first use case include: VFL operations.

69. A first network device, comprising: A first transceiver unit is configured to send a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case to a second network device, wherein the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; A feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier is received from the second network device.

70. A second network device, comprising: A second transceiver unit is configured to receive a feature configuration file acquisition request for a first use case, wherein the feature configuration file acquisition request carries a first feature identifier of the first use case; Send a feature configuration file corresponding to the first feature identifier.

71. A third network device, comprising: A third transceiver unit, configured to receive a feature configuration file of the first use case; A first determining unit, configured to determine, according to the feature configuration file, at least one of a network device, a terminal device, and a node required to execute the first use case; The third transceiver unit is also used to send the configuration parameters in the feature configuration file to at least one of the network device, terminal device and node required to execute the first use case.

72. A fourth network device, comprising: A fourth transceiver unit is configured to send a first execution request to the first network device, wherein the first execution request includes a feature identifier of the first use case; An execution result of the first use case is received from the first network device, where the execution result includes a feature identifier of the first use case.

73. A terminal device, comprising: a fifth transceiver unit, configured to receive configuration parameters in a feature configuration file of a first use case, model data required by the first use case, and a first feature identifier of the first use case; An execution result of the first use case is sent, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

74. A core network element, comprising: a sixth transceiver unit, configured to receive configuration parameters in a feature configuration file of a first use case, model data required by the first use case, and a first feature identifier of the first use case; An execution result of the first use case is sent, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

75. An access network device, comprising: A seventh transceiver unit, configured for configuration parameters in a feature configuration file for a first use case, model data required for the first use case, and a first feature identifier for the first use case; An execution result of the first use case is sent, where the execution result includes a first feature identifier of the first use case.

76. A communication device comprising: A processor, a memory and a transceiver, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory and control the transceiver to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 68.

77. A chip, comprising: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 68.

78. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed by a device, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 68.

79. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 68.

80. A computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 68.

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