Configuration method and device

Abstract

The present application relates to a configuration method and a device. The configuration method comprises: a first network device receives a first message, wherein the first message indicates a round-trip (RT) delay requirement; and on the basis of the RT delay requirement, the first network device determines at least one of a packet delay budget (PDB) of an uplink data stream of a service and a PDB of a downlink data stream of the service, wherein the uplink data stream of the service is carried in a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, and the downlink data stream of the service is carried in a second PDU session. According to the embodiments of the present application, an uplink PDB and a downlink PDB can be flexibly adjusted, thereby improving the resource utilization rate.

Description

Configuration methods and devices Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a configuration method and device. Background Art

[0002] Related technologies only cover single-user equipment (UE) scenarios, where both the uplink and downlink data flows of a service are carried on the same Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session of a single UE. Uplink and downlink collaboration involves allocating separate packet delay budgets (PDBs) for uplink and downlink data flows, ensuring that the sum of the uplink and downlink PDBs does not exceed the round-trip (RT) delay requirement.

[0003] For multi-UE scenarios, that is, the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of a service are carried on different PDU sessions of different UEs, how to achieve uplink and downlink collaboration of UEs and allocate PDBs for uplink data flows and downlink data flows belonging to the same service and carried on different PDU sessions is a technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a configuration method and device that can flexibly adjust uplink and downlink PDBs to improve resource utilization.

[0006] This embodiment of the present application provides a configuration method, including:

[0007] The first network device receives a first message, where the first message indicates an RT delay requirement;

[0008] The first network device determines at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement;

[0009] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0010] This embodiment of the present application provides a configuration method, including:

[0011] The second network device sends a first message, where the first message is used to determine an RT delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is used to determine at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service;

[0012] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0013] This embodiment of the present application provides a configuration method, including:

[0014] The third network device receives the first message from the two first network devices respectively;

[0015] The third network device determines an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement;

[0016] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0017] This embodiment of the present application provides a method for monitoring latency, including:

[0018] The fourth network device receives the monitoring request;

[0019] The fourth network device determines, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0020] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0021] This embodiment of the present application provides a method for monitoring latency, including:

[0022] at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service received by the fifth network device from the fourth network device, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0023] The fifth network device determines a round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0024] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0025] This embodiment of the present application provides a method for monitoring latency, including:

[0026] The sixth network device sends a monitoring request;

[0027] The monitoring request is used to determine at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device;

[0028] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0029] An embodiment of the present application provides a first network device, including:

[0030] A first transceiver unit is configured to receive a first message indicating an RT delay requirement;

[0031] A first processing unit, configured to determine at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on an RT delay requirement;

[0032] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0033] An embodiment of the present application provides a second network device, including:

[0034] A second transceiver unit is configured to send a first message, where the first message is used to determine an RT delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is used to determine at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of a service;

[0035] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0036] This embodiment of the present application provides a third network device, including:

[0037] a third transceiver unit, configured to receive first messages from the two first network devices respectively;

[0038] a second processing unit, configured to determine an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determine at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement;

[0039] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0040] This embodiment of the present application provides a fourth network device, including:

[0041] a fourth transceiver unit, configured to receive a monitoring request;

[0042] a third processing unit, configured to determine, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0043] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0044] An embodiment of the present application provides a fifth network device, including:

[0045] a fifth transceiver unit, configured to receive at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of a service, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device from a fourth network device;

[0046] a fourth processing unit, configured to determine a round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device;

[0047] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0048] An embodiment of the present application provides a sixth network device, including:

[0049] a sixth transceiver unit, configured to send a monitoring request;

[0050] The monitoring request is used to determine at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device;

[0051] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0052] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program, the transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the configuration method or delay monitoring method described above.

[0053] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the above-mentioned configuration method or delay monitoring method.

[0054] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned configuration method or delay monitoring method.

[0055] 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 configuration method or delay monitoring method.

[0056] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned configuration method or delay monitoring method.

[0057] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned configuration method or delay monitoring method.

[0058] The embodiment of the present application can be applicable to the scenario where the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service are carried on different PDU sessions. The first network device determines the RT delay requirement and determines the PDB of the uplink and downlink data flows of the target service carried on different PDU sessions based on the RT delay requirement. It can flexibly adjust the uplink and downlink PDBs to improve resource utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] FIG2A is a schematic flowchart of a multi-UE scenario carrying different PDU sessions of different UEs according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] FIG2B is a schematic flowchart of different PDU sessions carrying different UEs in a multi-UE scenario according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] FIG3A is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method 3001 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] FIG3B is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method 3002 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] FIG3C is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method 3003 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method 400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG6 is an implementation flow chart of the first embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG7 is a flowchart of the implementation of the second embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG8 is a flowchart of the implementation of the third embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG9 is a flowchart of the implementation of the fourth embodiment of the present application.

[0071] FIG10 is a flowchart of the implementation of the fifth embodiment of the present application.

[0072] FIG11 is a schematic flowchart of a delay monitoring method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] FIG12 is a schematic flowchart of a delay monitoring method 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0074] FIG13 is a schematic flowchart of a delay monitoring method 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] FIG14 is a flow chart of Example 6 of the present application.

[0076] FIG15 is a flow chart of Example 7 of the present application.

[0077] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a first network device 1600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0078] FIG17 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a third network device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] FIG19 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth network device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] FIG20 is a schematic block diagram of a fifth network device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] FIG21 is a schematic block diagram of a sixth network device 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] FIG22 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0084] FIG23 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 2300 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.).

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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 cell, micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, etc. These cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0098] 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.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] 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.

[0106] The uplink and downlink collaboration in the prior art only involves the scenario of a single UE. In the scenario of a single UE, the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service are both carried in the same PDU session.

[0107] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate a multi-UE scenario, where the uplink and downlink data flows of the same service are carried in different PDU sessions on different UEs. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the uplink and downlink data flows belonging to the same service are carried in different PDU sessions, with the uplink data flow carried in PDU session 2 of UE 2 and the downlink data flow carried in PDU session 1 of UE 1. In Figure 2B, UE 1 and UE 2 are also each connected to a tethered device. In Figure 2B, UE 1 is connected to device 1, and UE 2 is connected to device 2. UE 1 and / or UE 2 offload portions of the service flow to their tethered devices.

[0108] In multi-UE scenarios, uplink and downlink data flows are carried on different PDU sessions. At this point, it is necessary to resolve the data flow association issue across terminals and PDU sessions. In other words, it is necessary to determine which data flows carried on different PDU sessions of different UEs belong to the same service, and allocate packet delay budgets (PDBs) for the uplink and downlink data flows belonging to the same service, respectively. Ensure that the sum of the allocated PDBs for the uplink and downlink data flows does not exceed the RT delay requirement.

[0109] In scenarios where some traffic is offloaded by the UE to its attached devices, such as a smartphone offloading audio streams to a Bluetooth headset, the RT latency requirement of the Application Function (AF) includes the latency between the smartphone and the Bluetooth headset, while the PDB is the latency budget between the UE and the User Plane Function (UPF). In existing uplink and downlink coordinated control, if the PCF determines the PDB for uplink and downlink data flows without considering the latency between the UE and its attached devices, the allocated PDB value may be too high.

[0110] In addition, existing Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring mechanisms can only monitor the round-trip packet delay within the same PDU session, but cannot measure the round-trip packet delay when the uplink and downlink data flows of the same service are carried in different PDU sessions of different UEs.

[0111] FIG3A is a schematic flow chart of a configuration method 3001 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may optionally be applied to the systems shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , or FIG2B , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0112] S310. A first network device receives a first message, where the first message indicates an RT delay requirement.

[0113] S320. The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0114] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0115] FIG3B is a schematic flow chart of a configuration method 3002 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may optionally be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , or FIG2B , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents:

[0116] S330: The first network device receives a first message;

[0117] S340. The first network device determines an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0118] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0119] FIG3C is a schematic flow chart of a configuration method 3003 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may optionally be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , or FIG2B , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following:

[0120] S350: The first network device receives a first message;

[0121] S360. The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the first message requirement.

[0122] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0123] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" in the above-mentioned first PDU session and second PDU session are used only to distinguish two different PDU sessions. That is, the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service are carried in two different PDU sessions, and these two different PDU sessions correspond to different UEs. "First" and "second" do not indicate any other meaning such as order or importance.

[0124] The data flow in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a service flow, a service data flow (SDF), a QoS flow carrying a data flow, or a QoS flow carrying an SDF, etc.

[0125] Based on the RT latency requirement or the first message, the first network device allocates PDBs for uplink data flows and downlink data flows belonging to the same service and carried by different PDU sessions on different UEs, thereby implementing uplink and downlink collaboration in a multi-UE scenario and thus achieving uplink and downlink policy control based on the RT latency requirement. The first network device allocates a corresponding PDB for the uplink data flow and a corresponding PDB for the downlink data flow.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first network device may generate corresponding policy and charging control (PCC) rules for the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow, respectively, and assign a 5G QoS identifier (5G QoS Identifier, 5QI) to the corresponding PCC rules based on the obtained PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first PDU session and the second PDU session can be served by the same PCF. In this case, the first network device can be the PCF. The PCF, as a central node, first determines the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service, and then dynamically configures the PDB for the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service based on the RT latency requirement. The PDB for the uplink data flow can be called an uplink PDB (UL PDB), and the PDB for the downlink data flow can be called a downlink PDB (DL PDB).

[0128] In other embodiments, the first PDU session and the second PDU session may be served by different PCFs. In this case, the first network device may be a PCF serving any PDU session (such as the first PDU session or the second PDU session), or other network elements (such as NEF, BSF, UDR, etc.). The PCF serving any PDU session, or other network elements such as NEF, acts as a central node to determine the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service, and dynamically configures PDBs for the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service based on the RT delay requirements. Among them, the PDB of the uplink data flow may be referred to as an uplink PDB (UL PDB), and the PDB of the downlink data flow may be referred to as a downlink PDB (DL PDB).

[0129] In some implementations, the first message may carry at least one of the following:

[0130] One-way delay requirement;

[0131] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0132] AF logo;

[0133] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0134] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0135] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0136] Optional parameters:

[0137] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0138] association identifier;

[0139] The address and / or identifier of the other first network device at the opposite end;

[0140] One-way packet delay obtained by QoS monitoring;

[0141] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0142] The one-way delay requirement may include the delay requirement between the UE and the UPF, for example, the one-way delay requirement between the UE and the UPF, or the uplink delay requirement and downlink delay requirement between the UE and the UPF.

[0143] Among them, the uplink and downlink collaboration indication can instruct the first network device to allocate a corresponding PDB for the uplink data flow of the session, and allocate a corresponding PDB for the downlink data flow of the session; for example, instruct the first network device to allocate a corresponding PDB for the uplink data flow of the session based on the RT delay requirement, and allocate a corresponding PDB for the downlink data flow of the session.

[0144] The information of the accessory device of the UE may include at least one of a device address, a device identifier, and an association relationship between the accessory device and the UE.

[0145] Among them, if the first message carries a one-way delay requirement, the first network device can calculate the RT delay requirement based on the one-way delay requirement according to the uplink and downlink collaboration indication, for example, determining that the RT delay requirement is equal to twice the one-way delay requirement. Alternatively, if the first message carries two one-way delay requirements, including an uplink delay requirement and a downlink delay requirement, the first network device can calculate the RT delay requirement based on the two one-way delay requirements according to the uplink and downlink collaboration indication, for example, determining that the RT delay requirement is equal to the sum of the uplink delay requirement and the downlink delay requirement.

[0146] The functions of the uplink and downlink collaboration indication include at least one of the following:

[0147] Indicates that the RT delay requirement is determined using the one-way delay requirement;

[0148] Instructs determination of a PDB for the upstream and / or downstream data flows of a service based on RT delay requirements;

[0149] Carry RT delay requirements.

[0150] If the first message carries the RT delay requirement, the RT delay requirement can be considered as an implicit uplink and downlink collaboration indication; that is, if the first message carries the RT delay requirement, it indicates that the PDB is determined for the uplink data flow and / or downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0151] In some embodiments, the information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: the address of the UE, the identifier of the UE, the data network name (DNN, Data Network Name), and the single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI, Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information).

[0152] The first network device can use the association identifier to associate the data flows carried by different PDU sessions, or determine the association between different PDU sessions where the uplink and downlink QoS flows are located through the correspondence between the same DNN / S-NSSAI and multiple UE addresses and UE identifiers.

[0153] The UE address may include: the address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session. Based on this information, the first network device can determine that the first PDU session and the second PDU session have an associated relationship. For example, if the first message carries two UE addresses, the first network device can determine that the PDU sessions corresponding to the two UE addresses have an associated relationship, that is, the two PDU sessions respectively carry the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0154] In some embodiments, the information used to determine the upstream data flow and / or the downstream data flow may include flow description information of the upstream data flow and / or flow description information of the downstream data flow. The flow description information may include at least one of the source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol information of the data flow.

[0155] The first network device can determine that the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belong to the same service based on the association relationship between the first PDU session and the second PDU session (the association relationship can be determined based on the information carried in the first message for determining the PDU session carrying the service), the flow description information of the uplink data flow and the flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0156] For example, if the first message includes two UE addresses, including the address of UE 1 and the address of UE 2, it means that the PDU session corresponding to UE 1 and the PDU session corresponding to UE 2 are PDU sessions for the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service, or in other words, the PDU session corresponding to UE 1 and the PDU session corresponding to UE 2 are associated. In addition, if the first message includes two flow description information, including flow description information 1 and flow description information 2, it means that the data flow corresponding to flow description information 1 (referred to as data flow 1) and the data flow corresponding to flow description information 2 (referred to as data flow 2) belong to the same service. Based on the address of UE 1 and the address of UE 2, the first network device can determine two PDU sessions with an associated relationship, and the two PDU sessions respectively carry the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service; then based on the flow description information 1 and the flow description information 2, the first network device can respectively determine data flow 1 and data flow 2 from the data flows carried by the two PDU sessions. Specifically, data flow 1 can be determined from the data flow carried by one of the PDU sessions, and data flow 2 can be determined from the data flow carried by the other PDU session; data flow 1 and data flow 2 are the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0157] In the above example, the first message uses an implicit indication method to indicate two data flows with an associated relationship, that is, to indicate an uplink data flow and a downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0158] In other examples, embodiments of the present application may use a display indication method to indicate two data streams with an associated relationship. For example, the first message carries an association identifier to indicate that two data streams with the same association identifier need to perform uplink and downlink collaboration, that is, to indicate that the two data streams with the same association identifier are the uplink data stream and the downlink data stream of the same service. For example, the association identifier may be identification information such as a correlation ID or a group ID.

[0159] In this case, the first network device can determine, based on the association identifier, that the two data flows with the same association identifier are the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow of the same service.

[0160] Taking the first PDU session and the second PDU session being served by the same PCF and the first network device being the PCF as an example, the first message received by the first network device may carry at least one of the following:

[0161] One-way delay requirement;

[0162] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0163] AF logo;

[0164] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0165] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0166] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0167] Optional parameters:

[0168] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0169] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0170] The information of the accessory device of the UE may include at least one of a device address, a device identifier, and an association relationship between the accessory device and the UE.

[0171] The first network device uses the first message to determine the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service. After determining the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service, the first network device can determine the PDB of the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service based on the RT delay requirement. Specifically, the first network device can determine the PDB of the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service based on at least one of the RT delay requirement, the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0172] For example, the first network device may initiate QoS monitoring to obtain the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0173] Alternatively, the first network device can initiate QoS monitoring to obtain the packet delay of the uplink data flow and the packet delay of the downlink data flow; and the first network device sends a delay request to the UE related to the uplink data flow and / or the UE related to the downlink data flow, and receives the packet delay between the UE and the attached device from the UE related to the uplink data flow and / or the UE related to the downlink data flow.

[0174] In one example, the first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on an RT delay requirement, which may include:

[0175] The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on an RT delay requirement, a packet delay of an upstream data flow, and a packet delay of a downstream data flow.

[0176] For example, the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow determined by the first network device may meet the following requirement: the sum of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow is less than or equal to the RT delay requirement.

[0177] In this example, the packet delay of the upstream data flow and the packet delay of the downstream data flow can be used as reference data when the first terminal device determines the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow.

[0178] In one example, if the UE is also connected to an attached device, the first network device determines at least one of the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement, which may include:

[0179] The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on an RT delay requirement and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device; or

[0180] The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on an RT delay requirement, a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0181] For example, the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow determined by the first network device can meet the following requirements: the sum of the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow is less than or equal to the first delay requirement, and the first delay requirement is equal to the RT delay requirement minus the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0182] In this example, the packet delay of the upstream data flow and the packet delay of the downstream data flow can be used as reference data when the first terminal device determines the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow.

[0183] In some implementations, the alternative parameters in the first message may include: an alternative RT delay requirement, or a parameter used to determine the alternative RT delay requirement.

[0184] When the first network device is unable to determine at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement, it can determine at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the alternative RT delay requirement.

[0185] For example, if the first network device (such as PCF) cannot meet the RT delay requirement by adjusting the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow, for example, the sum of the packet delay of the upstream data flow and the packet delay of the downstream data flow measured by QoS monitoring (equal to the round-trip packet delay) is greater than the RT delay requirement of the AF, the first network device (such as PCF) can notify the AF that the uplink and downlink collaboration has failed. If the AF carries the alternative RT delay requirement in the first message, the PCF can adjust the values ​​of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow according to the alternative RT delay requirement, for example, so that the sum of the adjusted PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow is less than or equal to the alternative RT delay requirement, and notify the AF that the alternative RT delay requirement is enabled.

[0186] Taking the first PDU session and the second PDU session being served by different PCFs, and the first network device being the PCF serving the first PDU session or the PCF serving the second PDU session as an example, the first message may carry at least one of the following:

[0187] One-way delay requirement;

[0188] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0189] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0190] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0191] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0192] association identifier;

[0193] The address and / or identifier of the other first network device at the opposite end;

[0194] One-way packet delay obtained by QoS monitoring;

[0195] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0196] The information of the accessory device of the UE may include at least one of a device address, a device identifier, and an association relationship between the accessory device and the UE.

[0197] The first message may also carry at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow or the PDB of the downstream data flow determined by other first network devices.

[0198] The first message may be a message sent by one of the PCFs serving the first PDU session and the PCF serving the second PDU session to the other PCF. For example, when the first PDU session and the second PDU session are served by different PCFs, the PCF serving the first PDU session may send a first message to the PCF serving the second PDU session, where the first message carries the address and / or identifier of the PCF serving the first PDU session, and may also carry the PDB of the uplink data flow determined by the PCF serving the first PDU session, and the one-way packet delay (i.e., uplink packet delay) obtained by QoS monitoring; or, the PCF serving the second PDU session may send a first message to the PCF serving the first PDU session, where the first message carries the address and / or identifier of the PCF serving the second PDU session, and may also carry the PDB of the downlink data flow determined by the PCF serving the second PDU session, and the one-way packet delay (i.e., downlink packet delay) obtained by QoS monitoring. Before sending the first message, the PCF serving the first PDU session and / or the PCF serving the second PDU session may receive relevant information from the AF.

[0199] The first network device that receives the first message may determine, based on the first message, the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service (the specific determination method may refer to the above-mentioned related introduction), and determine at least one of the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow of the service;

[0200] For example, the first network device determines the PDB of the upstream data flow and / or the PDB of the downstream data flow based on at least one of the RT delay requirement, the PDB of the unidirectional data flow determined by other first network devices, the packet delay between the UE and the attached device, the packet delay of the upstream data flow, and the packet delay of the downstream data flow; wherein the PDB of the unidirectional data flow includes the PDB of the upstream data flow or the PDB of the downstream data flow.

[0201] In some embodiments, after determining the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow belonging to the same service, the first network device can initiate a session modification process of the first PDU session and / or a session modification process of the second PDU session to configure corresponding PDBs for the upstream data flow and / or downstream data flow.

[0202] In some implementations, the QoS monitoring requirement in the first message may indicate at least one of the following:

[0203] Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring;

[0204] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0205] Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

[0206] The parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring may include at least one of the packet delay of the upstream data flow, the packet delay of the downstream data flow, and the round-trip packet delay. The round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried in different PDU sessions on the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow, respectively.

[0207] In some embodiments, the first network device may further report a QoS monitoring result based on the QoS monitoring requirement, where the QoS monitoring result includes at least one of an uplink data flow packet delay, a downlink data flow packet delay, and a round-trip packet delay.

[0208] Specifically, the round-trip packet delay reported by the first network device may be determined according to at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0209] This embodiment of the present application also provides a configuration method. FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , or FIG2B , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following content.

[0210] S410: The second network device sends a first message, where the first message is used to determine an RT delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is used to determine at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service.

[0211] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0212] In some embodiments, the second network device may include an AF, and the first network device may include a PCF. For example, the PCF may be a PCF serving the first PDU session and the first PDU session, or a PCF serving the first PDU session, or a PCF serving the second PDU session.

[0213] The first message may carry at least one of the following:

[0214] One-way delay requirement;

[0215] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0216] AF logo;

[0217] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0218] Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow:

[0219] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0220] Optional parameters:

[0221] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0222] association identifier;

[0223] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0224] The specific content carried in the first message and the specific manner in which the first network device determines the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow according to the first message can be referred to the relevant contents of the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0225] If the first PDU session and the second PDU session are served by the same PCF, the AF sends a first message to the PCF.

[0226] In the case where the first PDU session and the second PDU session are served by different PCFs, the AF sends a first message to the PCF serving the first PDU session and the PCF of the first PDU session respectively. The PCF serving the first PDU session and the PCF of the first PDU session can negotiate to determine the PDB of the upstream data flow and / or the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service, or send the relevant information in the first message to a central node, which determines the RT delay requirement based on the received information, and determines at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0227] For example, the central node is a third network device. This embodiment of the present application also provides a configuration method, which is applied to the third network device. Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a configuration method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the systems shown in Figures 1, 2A, or 2B, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least some of the following.

[0228] S510: The third network device receives first messages from two first network devices respectively;

[0229] S520. The third network device determines an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0230] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first message carries at least one of the following:

[0232] One-way delay requirement;

[0233] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0234] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0235] Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow:

[0236] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0237] Optional parameters:

[0238] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0239] association identifier;

[0240] Monitored one-way packet delay;

[0241] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0242] The uplink and downlink collaboration indication may include at least one of the following functions:

[0243] Indicates that the RT delay requirement is determined by using the one-way delay requirement;

[0244] Instructing to determine a PDB for an uplink data flow and / or a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement;

[0245] Carries the RT delay requirement.

[0246] For the content carried in the first message, reference may be made to the relevant content of the first message received by the first network device in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0247] In some embodiments, the third network device includes a Network Element Function (NEF), a BSF Binding Support Function (BSF), or a Unified Data Repository (UDR), and the first network device includes a PCF. The NEF, BSF, or UDR serves as a central node, receives a first message from the PCF serving the first PDU session and the PCF serving the second PDU session, respectively, and determines the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service based on the first message, and allocates a PDB for the uplink data flow carried by the first PDU session and the uplink data flow carried by the second PDU session. The manner in which the third network device determines the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service, and the specific manner in which the PDB is allocated to the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service, can be referred to the relevant content in the aforementioned embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0248] After allocating the PDBs for the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow, the third network device may send a second message to each of the two first network devices. The second message may carry at least one of the following:

[0249] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0250] PDB for upstream data flow or PDB for downstream data flow;

[0251] association identifier;

[0252] DNN;

[0253] S-NSSAI;

[0254] RT latency requirements.

[0255] The two first network devices (such as the PCF serving the first PDU session and the PCF serving the second PDU session) can initiate the session modification process of the first PDU session and / or the session modification process of the second PDU session based on the received second message, and configure corresponding PDBs for the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow.

[0256] For example, the PCF serving the first PDU session receives a second message from a third network device, the second message carrying the PDB of the upstream data flow allocated by the third network device. The PCF serving the first PDU session can initiate a session modification process for the first PDU session and configure the corresponding PDB for the upstream data flow. In addition, the PCF serving the second PDU session receives a second message from a third network device, the second message carrying the PDB of the downstream data flow allocated by the third network device. The PCF serving the second PDU session can initiate a session modification process for the second PDU session and configure the corresponding PDB for the downstream data flow.

[0257] The configuration method proposed in this application is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The configuration method proposed in this application can achieve uplink and downlink collaboration in a multi-UE scenario.

[0258] Example 1:

[0259] In this embodiment, the PCF of the two PDU sessions serving the two UEs is the same PCF. The PCF can serve as the central node for uplink and downlink collaborative control. The PCF can determine the PDBs of the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service in the two PDU sessions based on the AF request. In the application scenario involved in this embodiment, UE-1 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-1 as the anchor UPF (PSA UPF), and the PDU session carries the uplink data flow (or downlink data flow) of the service; UE-2 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-2 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the downlink data flow (or uplink data flow) of the service. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same UPF or different UPFs. In this embodiment, data flow can also be called QoS flow, SDF flow, service flow, etc. Figure 6 is an implementation flow chart of Example 1 of the present application, which includes the following steps:

[0260] S601: The AF directly requests the PCF to perform uplink and downlink coordinated control, or the AF requests the PCF to perform uplink and downlink coordinated control through the NEF. The request message sent by the AF to the PCF or NEF may carry at least one of the following parameters:

[0261] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration indication: used to instruct the PCF to determine the PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows of the target service based on the RT delay requirements.

[0262] (2) AF logo;

[0263] (3) Information used to determine the PDU session carrying the target service may include at least one of the following:

[0264] 1. A group of UE addresses, such as UE-1 address and UE-2 address;

[0265] 2. A group of UE identifiers, such as the General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) of UE-1 and the external GPSI of UE-2; or the external group identifier information of UE-1 and UE 2;

[0266] 3. DNN;

[0267] 4. S-NSSAI;

[0268] (4) Information used to determine the target QoS flow (or SDF flow) may include the following:

[0269] A set of flow description information: may include two flow description information, corresponding to the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow respectively; the flow description information may include the source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol information.

[0270] (5) Information used to provide RT latency requirements may include at least one of the following:

[0271] 1. One-way delay requirement: AF provides both uplink and downlink delay requirements. RT delay requirement = uplink delay requirement + downlink delay requirement. Alternatively, AF provides a one-way delay requirement, and the RT delay requirement is twice the one-way delay requirement.

[0272] 2. RT latency requirements.

[0273] (6) Information used to assist the PCF in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs may include at least one of the following:

[0274] 1. QoS adjustment period: Adjust the period of the PDB for uplink data flow (can be called UL PDB) and the PDB for downlink data flow (can be called DL PDB). For example, QoS monitoring is performed on the QoS flow every 20 minutes, and the UL PDB and DL PDB are updated based on the QoS monitoring results.

[0275] 2. QoS adjustment threshold: When the difference between the QoS monitoring result and the current PDB reaches the set QoS adjustment threshold, the update of the UL PDB and DL PDB is triggered.

[0276] (VII) Alternative parameters may include at least one of the following:

[0277] 1. Alternative QoS parameters: If the current QoS cannot be met, the access network device can use alternative QoS parameters and notify the PCF, AF, etc.;

[0278] 2. Alternative RT Delay Requirement: If the current RT delay requirement cannot be met, for example, when the round-trip packet delay measured by QoS monitoring is significantly greater than the current RT delay requirement, the PCF can use the alternative RT delay requirement to re-determine the UL PDB and DL PDB. The alternative RT requirement can be provided by the AF as a separate parameter in the request message, or calculated by the PCF based on the alternative QoS parameters.

[0279] (8) QoS monitoring requirements may include at least one of the following:

[0280] 1. Parameters to be measured;

[0281] 2. The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0282] 3. Reporting conditions, such as periodic reporting or reporting when a predetermined threshold is reached;

[0283] Among them, the parameters that need to be measured may include: at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow and the round-trip packet delay, wherein the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of the services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

[0284] The NEF is responsible for discovering the PCF that serves the PDU session corresponding to the UE address carried in the request message. After discovering the PCF that serves the PDU session, the NEF forwards the request message to the PCF.

[0285] S602: The PCF determines the PDBs for the upstream QoS flow and the downstream QoS flow based on the RT delay requirement indicated in the request message. Specifically, the PCF can obtain the RT delay requirement directly from the request message, or determine the RT delay requirement based on the one-way delay requirement carried in the request message (RT delay requirement = one-way delay requirement × 2, or RT delay requirement = upstream delay requirement + downstream delay requirement).

[0286] For example, the sum of the PDB determined by the PCF for the upstream QoS flow and the PDB determined for the downstream QoS flow may be less than or equal to the RT delay requirement.

[0287] S603: PCF initiates PDU session modification procedures for UE-1 and UE-2 respectively. For example, PCF configures QoS profiles for UL QoS flow and DL QoS flow respectively. The two QoS profiles respectively include UL PDB and DL PDB determined by PCF.

[0288] S604. Based on the local configuration or the QoS adjustment period provided by the AF, the PCF initiates QoS monitoring for the UL QoS flow and the DL QoS flow in the PDU session corresponding to the UE-1 address and the UE-2 address, and monitors the packet delay of the two QoS flows. For example, the PCF initiates QoS monitoring for the uplink QoS flow of the PDU session of UE-1 to obtain a one-way packet delay, such as the packet delay of the uplink QoS flow (which may be called the uplink packet delay); and the PCF initiates QoS monitoring for the downlink QoS flow of the PDU session of UE-2 to obtain a one-way packet delay, such as the packet delay of the downlink QoS flow (which may be called the downlink packet delay).

[0289] S605. The PCF updates the PDB of the upstream QoS flow and the PDB of the downstream QoS flow based on the results of QoS monitoring. The PCF determines whether it is necessary to update the PDB of the upstream QoS flow and the PDB of the downstream QoS flow based on the local configuration and the QoS adjustment period and / or QoS adjustment threshold provided by the AF. Specifically, if the PCF cannot meet the RT delay requirement by adjusting the PDB of the upstream QoS flow and the PDB of the downstream QoS flow, for example, the sum of the packet delay of the upstream data flow (which can be called UL packet delay) and the packet delay of the downstream data flow (which can be called DL packet delay) measured by QoS monitoring is greater than the RT delay requirement of the AF, the PCF can notify the AF that the uplink and downlink collaboration has failed. If the AF provides an alternative RT delay requirement in the request message, the PCF can adjust the values ​​of the PDB of the upstream QoS flow and the PDB of the downstream QoS flow according to the alternative RT delay requirement, and notify the AF that the alternative RT delay requirement is enabled.

[0290] S606: PCF initiates PDU session modification procedures for UE-1 and UE-2 respectively, and configures updated QoS profiles for the uplink QoS flow and the downlink QoS flow respectively. The two QoS profiles contain the PDB of the uplink QoS flow and the PDB of the downlink QoS flow respectively.

[0291] S607. If the request message sent by the AF carries a QoS monitoring requirement, the PCF can report the QoS monitoring result to the AF or the target network element specified by the AF. If the parameter requested by the AF to be measured is the packet delay of the uplink data flow or the packet delay of the downlink data flow, the PCF can directly report the measurement result of the one-way packet delay (i.e., the packet delay of the uplink data flow or the packet delay of the downlink data flow) to the AF; if the parameter requested by the AF to be measured is the round-trip packet delay, the PCF calculates the round-trip packet delay based on the measurement result of the one-way packet delay, and reports the round-trip packet delay to the AF. In addition, as described in step S605, when the PCF cannot meet the RT delay requirement by adjusting the UL PDB and DL PDB, or enables the alternative RT delay requirement, it will also notify the AF.

[0292] Example 2:

[0293] In this embodiment, the PCFs serving the two PDU sessions of the two UEs are two different PCFs, and the two PCFs need to cooperate with each other to determine the corresponding PDBs for the uplink data flow and downlink data flow in the different PDU sessions of the two UEs. In the application scenario involved in this embodiment, UE-1 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-1 as the anchor UPF. The PDU session carries the uplink data flow (or downlink data flow) of the service, and PCF-1 serves the PDU session; UE-2 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-2 as the anchor UPF. The PDU session carries the downlink data flow (or uplink data flow) of the service, and PCF-2 serves the PDU session. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same UPF or different UPFs. In this embodiment, the data flow can also be called QoS flow, SDF flow, service flow, etc. Figure 7 is an implementation flow chart of the second embodiment of the present application, which includes the following steps:

[0294] S701: The AF requests uplink and downlink coordinated control. The AF sends a request message to the NEF. The request message may carry at least one of the following parameters:

[0295] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration indication: used to instruct the PCF to determine the PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows of the target service based on the RT delay requirements.

[0296] (2) AF logo;

[0297] (3) Information used to determine the PDU session carrying the target service may include at least one of the following:

[0298] 1. A group of UE addresses, such as UE-1 address and UE-2 address;

[0299] 2. A group of UE identifiers, such as the General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) of UE-1 and the external GPSI of UE-2; or the external group identifier information of UE-1 and UE 2;

[0300] 3. DNN;

[0301] 4. S-NSSAI;

[0302] (4) Information used to determine the target QoS flow (or SDF flow) may include the following:

[0303] A set of flow description information: may include two flow description information, corresponding to the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow respectively; the flow description information may include the source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol information.

[0304] (5) Information used to provide RT latency requirements may include at least one of the following:

[0305] 1. One-way delay requirement: AF provides both uplink and downlink delay requirements. RT delay requirement = uplink delay requirement + downlink delay requirement. Alternatively, AF provides a one-way delay requirement, and the RT delay requirement is twice the one-way delay requirement.

[0306] 2. RT latency requirements.

[0307] (6) Information used to assist the PCF in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs may include at least one of the following:

[0308] 1. QoS adjustment period: Adjust the period of the PDB for uplink data flow (can be called UL PDB) and the PDB for downlink data flow (can be called DL PDB). For example, QoS monitoring is performed on the QoS flow every 20 minutes, and the UL PDB and DL PDB are updated based on the QoS monitoring results.

[0309] 2. QoS adjustment threshold: When the difference between the QoS monitoring result and the current PDB reaches the set QoS adjustment threshold, the update of the UL PDB and DL PDB is triggered.

[0310] (VII) Alternative parameters may include at least one of the following:

[0311] 1. Alternative QoS parameters: If the current QoS cannot be met, the access network device can use alternative QoS parameters and notify the PCF, AF, etc.;

[0312] 2. Alternative RT Delay Requirement: If the current RT delay requirement cannot be met, for example, when the round-trip packet delay measured by QoS monitoring is significantly greater than the current RT delay requirement, the PCF can use the alternative RT delay requirement to re-determine the UL PDB and DL PDB. The alternative RT requirement can be provided by the AF as a separate parameter in the request message, or calculated by the PCF based on the alternative QoS parameters.

[0313] (8) QoS monitoring requirements may include at least one of the following:

[0314] 1. Parameters to be measured;

[0315] 2. The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0316] 3. Reporting conditions, such as periodicity or when a predetermined threshold is reached;

[0317] Among them, the parameters that need to be measured may include: at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow and the round-trip packet delay, wherein the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of the services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

[0318] S702. The NEF discovers PCF-1 serving the PDU session of UE-1 and PCF-2 serving the PDU session of UE-2 through the BSF, and sends request messages to PCF-1 and PCF-2 respectively, which may include the following contents:

[0319] (1) NEF sends a request message to PCF-1. The request message may include at least one of the following parameters:

[0320] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration indication: used to indicate the determination of PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows of the target service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0321] (2) Association ID: used to indicate that two QoS flows with the same association ID need to perform uplink and downlink collaboration. The ID can be identification information such as correlation ID and group ID.

[0322] In addition to explicitly indicating that two QoS flows are a pair of QoS flows that require uplink and downlink collaboration through the association identifier, the two QoS flows that require uplink and downlink collaboration can also be indicated by carrying two UE addresses, two UE identifiers, two flow description information, two QoS flow identifiers, DNN, and S-NSSAI in the message.

[0323] (3) Address of UE-1, such as IP address or MAC address;

[0324] (4) UE-1 identification, such as Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) or GPSI;

[0325] (5)DNN;

[0326] (6)S-NSSAI;

[0327] (7) Stream description information;

[0328] (8) RT delay requirement, which may include uplink delay requirement and downlink delay requirement, where RT delay requirement = uplink delay requirement + downlink delay requirement; or, it may include a one-way delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is twice the one-way delay requirement; or, it may include the RT delay requirement;

[0329] (9) The identification or address of PCF-2;

[0330] (10) QoS monitoring requirements;

[0331] (11) Alternative parameters.

[0332] (2) NEF sends a request message to PCF-2. The request message may include at least one of the following parameters:

[0333] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration indication: used to indicate the determination of PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows of the target service based on the RT delay requirement.

[0334] (2) Association ID: used to indicate that two QoS flows with the same association ID need to perform uplink and downlink collaboration. The ID can be identification information such as correlation ID and group ID.

[0335] In addition to explicitly indicating that two QoS flows are a pair of QoS flows that require uplink and downlink collaboration through the association identifier, the two QoS flows that require uplink and downlink collaboration can also be indicated by carrying two UE addresses, two UE identifiers, two flow description information, two QoS flow identifiers, DNN, and S-NSSAI in the message.

[0336] (3) UE-2's address, such as an IP address or a MAC address;

[0337] (4) UE-2 identification, such as SUPI or GPSI;

[0338] (5)DNN;

[0339] (6)S-NSSAI;

[0340] (7) Stream description information;

[0341] (8) RT delay requirement, which may include uplink delay requirement and downlink delay requirement, where RT delay requirement = uplink delay requirement + downlink delay requirement; or, it may include a one-way delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is twice the one-way delay requirement; or, it may include the RT delay requirement;

[0342] (9) The identification or address of PCF-1;

[0343] (10) QoS monitoring requirements;

[0344] (11) Alternative parameters.

[0345] For a detailed introduction to the information carried in the request messages sent by the NEF to PCF-1 and PCF-2 respectively, please refer to the relevant content of the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0346] In step S703, PCF-1 and PCF-2 initiate QoS monitoring on the UL QoS flow and downlink QoS flow of the PDU session of UE-1 and UE-2, respectively, to obtain one-way packet delay. For example, PCF-1 initiates QoS monitoring on the uplink QoS flow of UE-1's PDU session to obtain one-way packet delay, such as the packet delay of the uplink QoS flow (which may be referred to as uplink packet delay); PCF-2 initiates QoS monitoring on the downlink QoS flow of UE-2's PDU session to obtain one-way packet delay, such as the packet delay of the downlink QoS flow (which may be referred to as downlink packet delay).

[0347] S704: PCF-1 and PCF-2 collaborate to determine the PDB for the uplink QoS flow (called UL PDB) and the PDB for the downlink QoS flow (called DL PDB) based on the QoS monitoring results. The specific collaboration methods are as follows:

[0348] (1) Distributed collaboration: For details, see Example 3.

[0349] (2) Collaboration based on central nodes: For the specific process, please refer to Example 4.

[0350] S705, PCF-1 and PCF-2 respectively initiate the PDU session modification process. For example, PCF-1 configures the QoS flow of UE-1's PDU session with the QoS profile of the updated UL PDB, and PCF-2 configures the QoS flow of UE-2's PDU session with the QoS profile of the updated DL PDB.

[0351] S706. If the AF also includes QoS monitoring requirements in the request message and requests that the results be reported to the AF or the target network function (NF), PCF-1 and PCF-2 report the obtained one-way packet delay to the NEF respectively.

[0352] S707: If the AF requests round-trip packet delay monitoring in the request message, the NEF calculates the round-trip packet delay and reports the result to the AF or other target network element. For example, the NEF adds the one-way packet delays received from PCF-1 and PCF-2 to obtain the round-trip packet delay.

[0353] Example 3:

[0354] This embodiment is combined with the second embodiment to introduce the specific method by which PCF-1 and PCF-2 determine the PDB of the uplink QoS flow (which may be called UL PDB) and the PDB of the downlink QoS flow (which may be called DL PDB) through distributed collaboration. Figure 8 is an implementation flow chart of the third embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 only shows the process of PCF-1 and PCF-2 collaborating to determine the UL PDB and DL PDB. For other implementation processes, please refer to the relevant content of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, PCF-1 can directly interact with PCF-2 to negotiate the UL PDB and DL PDB, and the two PCFs can determine the UL PDB and DL PDB through a "two-way handshake". As shown in Figure 8, the following steps are included:

[0355] S801. PCF-1 determines a unidirectional PDB (UL PDB or DL ​​PDB) based on the QoS monitoring results and the RT latency requirement provided by the AF. It then sends at least one of the following information to PCF-2: If PCF-1 does not have PCF-2's identification information or address information, PCF-2 can be discovered through the BSF.

[0356] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0357] (2) association identification;

[0358] (3)DNN;

[0359] (4)S-NSSAI;

[0360] (5) RT delay requirements;

[0361] (6) One-way PDB (UL PDB or DL ​​PDB);

[0362] (7) Stream description information;

[0363] (8) One-way packet delay (measurement result of QoS monitoring).

[0364] S802, PCF-2 confirms another QoS flow (i.e., the QoS flow of the PDU session corresponding to the UE-2 address) that needs to be coordinated with the QoS flow of the PDU session corresponding to the UE-1 address based on the association identifier. And based on the UL PDB (or DL ​​PDB), one-way packet delay, and RT delay requirements provided by PCF-1, the DL PDB (or UL PDB) is determined for the QoS flow of the PDU session corresponding to the UE-2 address, and it is ensured that the sum of the UL PDB and the DL PDB does not exceed the RT delay requirement. In addition, PCF-2 can also redetermine the UL PDB and DL PDB based on the one-way packet delay obtained by the QoS monitoring provided by PCF-1, the one-way packet delay obtained by PCF-2 through QoS monitoring, and the RT delay requirement. After determination, PCF-2 sends at least one of the following information to PCF-1:

[0365] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0366] (2) association identification;

[0367] (3)DNN;

[0368] (4)S-NSSAI;

[0369] (5) RT delay requirements;

[0370] (6) Updated unidirectional PDB (UL PDB or DL ​​PDB).

[0371] Through the above process, PCF-1 and PCF-2 negotiate and determine the UL PDB and DL PDB. In this embodiment, PCF-1 initiates the interaction as an example. In other embodiments of the present application, PCF-2 may also initiate the interaction.

[0372] Example 4:

[0373] This embodiment is combined with the second embodiment to introduce a specific method for determining the PDB of the uplink QoS flow (which may be called UL PDB) and the PDB of the downlink QoS flow (which may be called DL PDB) based on the central node. Figure 9 is an implementation flow chart of the fourth embodiment of the present application. Figure 9 only shows the process of determining the UL PDB and DL PDB by the central node. For other implementation processes, please refer to the relevant content of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the UL PDB and DL PDB are determined by core network elements such as NEF, BSF or UDR as the central node. PCF-1 and PCF-2 respectively report their respective QoS monitoring results to the central node, and the central node determines the UL PDB and DL PDB. The specific process is as follows:

[0374] S901, PCF-1 and PCF-2 report the QoS monitoring results to the central node. In this embodiment, the central node includes NEF or BSF. The content reported by PCF-1 or PCF-2 includes at least one of the following:

[0375] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0376] (2) association identification;

[0377] (3)DNN;

[0378] (4)S-NSSAI;

[0379] (5) RT delay requirements;

[0380] (6) Stream description information;

[0381] (7) One-way packet delay (QoS monitoring measurement result);

[0382] (8)UE address;

[0383] (9)UE identification.

[0384] For example, if PCF-1 serves the PDU session of UE-1, the information reported by PCF-1 to the central node includes the flow description information and one-way packet delay of the data flow carried by the PDU session of UE-1, and the address and / or identifier of UE-1; if PCF-2 serves the PDU session of UE-2, the information reported by PCF-2 to the central node includes the flow description information and one-way packet delay of the data flow carried by the PDU session of UE-2, and the address and / or identifier of UE-2.

[0385] S902: The central node determines the DL PDB and UL PDB based on the uplink and downlink packet delays reported by PCF-1 and PCF-2, the RT delay requirements requested by the AF, etc., and sends at least one of the following information to PCF-1 and PCF-2 respectively:

[0386] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0387] (2) One-way PDB (UL PDB or DL ​​PDB)

[0388] (3) association identification;

[0389] (4)DNN;

[0390] (5)S-NSSAI;

[0391] (6) RT delay requirements;

[0392] For example, if the PDU session served by PCF-1 carries uplink data flow, the information sent by the central node to PCF-1 includes UL PDB; if the PDU session served by PCF-2 carries downlink data flow, the information sent by the central node to PCF-2 includes DL PDB.

[0393] In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the UE is not connected to an accessory device. Therefore, when allocating PDBs for a PDU session between the UE and the UPF, the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device does not need to be considered. If the UE is connected to an accessory device, the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device can be considered when allocating PDBs for a PDU session between the UE and the UPF. The following fifth embodiment will describe this situation.

[0394] Embodiment 5:

[0395] This embodiment is introduced by taking the PCF of two PDU sessions serving two UEs as the same PCF as an example. The PCF can serve as the central node for uplink and downlink collaborative control. The PCF can determine the PDBs of the uplink data flow and downlink data flow belonging to the same service in the two PDU sessions based on the AF request. In the application scenario involved in this embodiment, UE-1 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-1 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the uplink data flow (or downlink data flow) of the service; UE-2 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-2 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the downlink data flow (or uplink data flow) of the service; at least one of UE-1 and UE-2 is connected to the auxiliary device. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same UPF or different UPFs. In this embodiment, the data flow can also be called QoS flow, SDF flow, service flow, etc.

[0396] When the UE is connected to the accessory device, the PCF or other central node performing uplink and downlink collaboration may subtract the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device (including the packet delay between UE-1 and device-1 and / or the packet delay between UE-2 and device-2) from the RT delay requirement provided by the AF, and then obtain a new total delay upper limit; based on the new total delay upper limit, the UL PDB and DL PDB are determined for the uplink and downlink QoS flows, and it is ensured that the sum of the UL PDB and DL PDB does not exceed the new total delay upper limit.

[0397] FIG10 is a flowchart of an implementation of the fifth embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0398] S1001. The AF directly requests the PCF to perform uplink and downlink coordinated control, or the AF requests the PCF to perform uplink and downlink coordinated control through the NEF. The request message sent by the AF to the PCF or NEF may carry at least one of the following parameters:

[0399] (1) Uplink and downlink collaboration indication: used to instruct the PCF to determine the PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows of the target service based on the RT delay requirements.

[0400] (2) AF logo;

[0401] (3) Information used to determine the PDU session carrying the target service may include at least one of the following:

[0402] 1. A group of UE addresses, such as UE-1 address and UE-2 address;

[0403] 2. A group of UE identifiers, such as the General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) of UE-1 and the external GPSI of UE-2; or the external group identifier information of UE-1 and UE 2;

[0404] 3. DNN;

[0405] 4. S-NSSAI;

[0406] (4) Information used to determine the target QoS flow (or SDF flow) may include the following:

[0407] A set of flow description information: may include two flow description information, corresponding to the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow respectively; the flow description information may include the source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol information.

[0408] (5) Information used to provide RT latency requirements may include at least one of the following:

[0409] 1. One-way delay requirement: AF provides both uplink and downlink delay requirements. RT delay requirement = uplink delay requirement + downlink delay requirement. Alternatively, AF provides a one-way delay requirement, and the RT delay requirement is twice the one-way delay requirement.

[0410] 2. RT latency requirements.

[0411] (6) Information used to assist the PCF in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs may include at least one of the following:

[0412] 1. QoS adjustment period: Adjust the period of the PDB for uplink data flow (can be called UL PDB) and the PDB for downlink data flow (can be called DL PDB). For example, QoS monitoring is performed on the QoS flow every 20 minutes, and the UL PDB and DL PDB are updated based on the QoS monitoring results.

[0413] 2. QoS adjustment threshold: When the difference between the QoS monitoring result and the current PDB reaches the set QoS adjustment threshold, the update of the UL PDB and DL PDB is triggered.

[0414] (VII) Alternative parameters may include at least one of the following:

[0415] 1. Alternative QoS parameters: If the current QoS cannot be met, the access network device can use alternative QoS parameters and notify the PCF, AF, etc.;

[0416] 2. Alternative RT Delay Requirement: If the current RT delay requirement cannot be met, for example, when the round-trip packet delay measured by QoS monitoring is significantly greater than the current RT delay requirement, the PCF can use the alternative RT delay requirement to re-determine the UL PDB and DL PDB. The alternative RT requirement can be provided by the AF as a separate parameter in the request message, or calculated by the PCF based on the alternative QoS parameters.

[0417] (8) QoS monitoring requirements may include at least one of the following:

[0418] 1. Parameters to be measured;

[0419] 2. The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0420] 3. Reporting conditions, such as periodicity or when a predetermined threshold is reached;

[0421] Among them, the parameters that need to be measured may include: at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow and the round-trip packet delay, wherein the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of the services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

[0422] (9) Information about the UE's attached devices may include at least one of the following:

[0423] 1. Device address, for example, the accessory device address of UE-1 and UE-2;

[0424] 2. Device identification, for example, the accessory device identification of UE-1 and the accessory device identification of UE-2;

[0425] 3. The relationship between the accessory equipment and the UE.

[0426] The NEF is responsible for discovering the PCF that serves the PDU session corresponding to the UE address carried in the request message. After discovering the PCF that serves the PDU session, the NEF forwards the request message to the PCF.

[0427] S1002: The PCF requests to obtain the packet delay between the UE and its attached device. The specific implementation methods can be divided into the following two categories:

[0428] Method 1: The PCF obtains the packet delay between the UE and the attached device during the QoS monitoring process. In this embodiment, the packet delay between the UE and the attached device may be referred to as the UE partial packet delay, including steps S1002a and S1002b.

[0429] S1002a. The PCF initiates QoS monitoring for the UL QoS flow and the DL QoS flow in the PDU session corresponding to the UE-1 address and the UE-2 address respectively.

[0430] S1002b: The UE and / or related network devices report QoS monitoring results to the PCF. In addition to the one-way packet delay of the data flow carried by the PDU session between the UE and the UPF, the QoS monitoring results also include the packet delay between the UE and its attached devices. For example, in the example shown in FIG10 , UE-2 is connected to the attached device, while UE-1 is not. Therefore, the QoS monitoring results reported by UE-1 and / or related network devices to the PCF include the one-way packet delay, and the QoS monitoring results reported by UE-2 and / or related network devices to the PCF include the one-way packet delay and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0431] Mode 2: The PCF actively requests the UE to report the packet delay between the UE and the attached device, including steps S1002c and S1002d;

[0432] S1002c: The PCF initiates a UE part delay request to UE-1 and UE-2 respectively. The request message includes at least one of the following parameters:

[0433] (1) UE part delay request indication: used to instruct the UE to report the packet delay between the UE and its attached devices;

[0434] (2) Device address; for example, when the PCF sends a request message to UE-1, it carries the address of UE-1's attached device; when the PCF sends a request message to UE-2, it carries the address of UE-2's attached device;

[0435] (3) Device identification; for example, when the PCF sends a request message to UE-1, it carries the identification of the device attached to UE-1; when the PCF sends a request message to UE-2, it carries the identification of the device attached to UE-2;

[0436] (4)UE identification;

[0437] (5)UE address;

[0438] (6)DNN

[0439] (7)S-NSSAI;

[0440] (8) Stream description information.

[0441] S1002d, after receiving the above message, UE-1 and UE-2 obtain the packet delay between themselves and the attached devices behind them and report it to the PCF. If there is no attached device behind the UE, the returned UE part packet delay is zero, or it returns that the acquisition failed. If there are multiple attached devices behind the UE, the packet delay between the UE and each attached device can be reported, or the average value of the packet delay between the UE and each attached device, the minimum delay between the UE and each attached device, the maximum delay between the UE and each attached device, etc. can be reported; the target attached device can also be determined based on the device identifier, device address, DNN, S-NSSAI, flow description information, etc., and then the packet delay between the UE and the target attached device is reported.

[0442] S1003. PCF determines the UL PDB and DL PDB based on the RT delay requirement, the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device, and the one-way packet delay measured by QoS monitoring. For example, the PCF or other central node that performs uplink and downlink collaboration needs to subtract the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device (such as the packet delay between UE-1 and the accessory device and / or the packet delay between UE-2 and the accessory device) from the RT delay requirement provided by the AF to obtain a new total delay upper limit; then, based on the new total delay upper limit, determine the UL PDB and DL PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows, and ensure that the sum of the UL PDB and DL PDB does not exceed the new total delay upper limit.

[0443] S1004. The PCF initiates PDU session modification procedures for UE-1 and UE-2 respectively. For example, the PCF configures QoS profiles for the UL QoS flow and the DL QoS flow respectively. The two QoS profiles respectively include the UL PDB and DL PDB determined by the PCF.

[0444] S1005. If the request message sent by the AF carries a QoS monitoring requirement, the PCF can report the QoS monitoring result to the AF or the target network element specified by the AF. If the parameter requested by the AF to be measured is the packet delay of the uplink data flow or the packet delay of the downlink data flow, the PCF can directly report the measurement result of the one-way packet delay (i.e., the packet delay of the uplink data flow or the packet delay of the downlink data flow) to the AF; if the parameter requested by the AF to be measured is the round-trip packet delay, the PCF calculates the round-trip packet delay based on the measurement result of the one-way packet delay, and reports the round-trip packet delay to the AF. In addition, as described in step S1003, when the PCF cannot meet the RT delay requirement by adjusting the UL PDB and DL PDB, or enables the alternative RT delay requirement, it will also notify the AF.

[0445] In this embodiment, the PCF serving two PDU sessions of two UEs is taken as an example to be introduced as the same PCF. In other embodiments of the present application, the PCF serving the two PDU sessions of two UEs may be different PCFs, and the UE is connected to the accessory device. In this scenario, the NEF sends request messages to the two PCFs respectively. For example, if PCF-1 serves the PDU session of UE-1 and PCF-2 serves the PDU session of UE-1, the request message sent by the NEF to PCF-1 carries the identifier and / or address of the accessory device of UE-1, and the request message sent by the NEF to PCF-2 carries the identifier and / or address of the accessory device of UE-2; the two PCFs can respectively obtain the packet delay between their respective UEs and the accessory devices, and report the obtained packet delay between the UEs and the accessory devices to the central node for determination of UL / DL PDB; or, the two PCFs can respectively obtain the packet delay between their respective UEs and the accessory devices, and carry the packet delay between the UEs and the accessory devices in the interaction information when the two PCFs interact, for determination of UL / DL PDB.

[0446] In Embodiments 1 to 5, the request message may be carried by a multi-member AF session with required QoS process, or may be carried by multiple AF session with required QoS processes, each carrying different UE addresses, UE identifiers, flow description information, one-way packet delays, etc., as well as the same association identifier. That is, each Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request message may include the following information:

[0447] (1) Association identification information;

[0448] (2) Uplink and downlink collaboration indication: used to instruct the PCF to determine the PDB for the uplink and downlink QoS flows of the target service based on the round-trip delay requirements.

[0449] (3)AF logo;

[0450] (4) Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service, including:

[0451] UE address, such as UE-1 address or UE-2 address;

[0452] UE identity, such as the external identity GPSI of UE-1 or the external identity GPSI of UE-2;

[0453] DNN;

[0454] S-NSSAI;

[0455] (5) Information used to determine the target QoS flow (or SDF flow), including:

[0456] Upstream or downstream flow description information: source / destination IP address, source / destination port number, and protocol information.

[0457] (6) Information used to provide round-trip delay requirements, including:

[0458] One-way delay requirement: UL PDB or DL ​​PDB;

[0459] Round-trip delay requirement: AF directly provides the total round-trip delay requirement;

[0460] (7) Information used to assist the PCF in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs, including:

[0461] QoS adjustment period: Adjust the period of UL PDB and DL PDB, for example, perform QoS monitoring on QoS flow every 20 minutes and update UL PDB and DL PDB based on the QoS monitoring results.

[0462] QoS adjustment threshold: When the difference between the QoS monitoring result and the current PDB reaches the set threshold, the update of the UL PDB and DL PDB is triggered.

[0463] (8) Alternative parameters, including:

[0464] Alternative QoS: If the current QoS cannot be met, the access network device can use alternative QoS parameters and notify the PCF and AF;

[0465] Alternative RT requirements:

[0466] (9) QoS monitoring requirements, including:

[0467] Parameters to be measured;

[0468] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0469] The conditions that need to be met for reporting (periodicity or threshold).

[0470] (10) The information of the UE's accessory device may include at least one of a device address, a device identifier, and an association relationship between the accessory device and the UE.

[0471] This application also proposes a latency monitoring method that can be applied to scenarios where the uplink and downlink data flows of the same service are carried by different PDU sessions on different UEs. The method measures the round-trip packet delay of such services through QoS monitoring. Figure 11 is a schematic flow chart of a latency monitoring method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the systems shown in Figures 1, 2A, or 2B, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least some of the following contents.

[0472] S1110. The fourth network device receives a monitoring request.

[0473] S1120. The fourth network device determines, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0474] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0475] The first network device can determine the round-trip packet delay of such a service based on determining the packet delay for the uplink and downlink data flows of different PDU sessions belonging to the same service and carried by different UEs, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0476] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" in the above-mentioned first PDU session and second PDU session are used only to distinguish two different PDU sessions. That is, the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service are carried in two different PDU sessions, and these two different PDU sessions correspond to different UEs. "First" and "second" do not indicate any other meaning such as order or importance.

[0477] The data flow in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a service flow, SDF, a QoS flow carrying a data flow, or a QoS flow carrying an SDF, etc.

[0478] In some implementations, the fourth network device may include a PCF. The PCF may receive a monitoring request, such as a QoS monitoring request, from the AF or NEF.

[0479] In some implementations, the first PDU session and the second PDU session may be served by the same PCF. In this case, the fourth network device may be the PCF. The PCF may determine the round-trip packet delay for the service based on the determined uplink data flow packet delay, downlink data flow packet delay, and packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0480] In other embodiments, the first PDU session and the second PDU session may be served by different PCFs. In this case, the fourth network device may be the PCF serving the first PDU session or the PCF serving the second PDU session. The two PCFs respectively determine the packet delay of the uplink data flow or the packet delay of the downlink data flow. After determining the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device, the determined packet delay may be reported to the fifth network device, which then determines the round-trip packet delay of the service based on the received packet delay. The fifth network device may include network elements such as NEFs.

[0481] In some implementations, the monitoring request may carry at least one of the following:

[0482] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0483] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0484] Identification of the UE's attached equipment;

[0485] The address of the UE's attached device;

[0486] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0487] Association ID.

[0488] The information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service may include at least one of the following: UE address, UE identifier, DNN, and S-NSSAI.

[0489] The UE address may include: the UE address corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the UE address corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0490] The information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow may include flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0491] Based on the information carried in the monitoring request for determining the PDU session that carries the service, and the information for determining the uplink data flow and / or downlink data flow, the fourth network device can determine that the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belong to the same service. For example, the fourth network device determines that the first PDU session and the second PDU session have an association relationship based on the address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session; the fourth network device determines that the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belong to the same service based on the association relationship between the first PDU session and the second PDU session, the flow description information of the uplink data flow, and the flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0492] In some embodiments, the association identifier in the monitoring request is used to associate upstream and downstream data flows belonging to the same service. For example, the association identifier may be identification information such as a correlation ID or a group ID. The fourth network device may determine, based on the association identifier, that two data flows with the same association identifier are upstream and downstream data flows belonging to the same service.

[0493] In some embodiments, the QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following:

[0494] Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring;

[0495] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0496] Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

[0497] The parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring may include at least one of the packet delay of the upstream data flow, the packet delay of the downstream data flow, and the round-trip packet delay. The round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried in different PDU sessions on the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow, respectively.

[0498] In some embodiments, the manner in which the fourth network device determines, based on the monitoring request, at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow of the service, the packet delay of the downlink data flow of the service, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device may include the fourth network device initiating QoS monitoring to obtain at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0499] Afterwards, the fourth network device may send a monitoring result, where the monitoring result includes at least one of the following:

[0500] Upstream data flow packet delay;

[0501] Packet delay of downstream data flow;

[0502] Packet delay between UE and attached device;

[0503] Round-trip packet delay.

[0504] The round-trip packet delay can be determined based on the uplink data flow packet delay, the downlink data flow packet delay, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device. For example, the round-trip packet delay is equal to the sum of the uplink data flow packet delay, the downlink data flow packet delay, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0505] If the first PDU session and the second PDU session are served by different PCFs, the two PCFs can each report monitoring results (such as the packet delay of the uplink data flow or the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device) to the fifth network device, and the fifth network device calculates the round-trip packet delay based on the received monitoring results. For example, the round-trip packet delay is equal to the sum of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0506] When the PCF reports the monitoring result, the monitoring result may further include a correlation identifier so that the network element receiving the monitoring result can determine to which service the monitoring result corresponds.

[0507] This application also proposes a latency monitoring method that can be applied to scenarios where the uplink and downlink data flows of the same service are carried by different PDU sessions on different UEs. The method measures the round-trip packet delay of such services through QoS monitoring. Figure 12 is a schematic flow chart of a latency monitoring method 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the systems shown in Figures 1, 2A, or 2B, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least some of the following contents.

[0508] S1210. At least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service received by the fifth network device from the fourth network device, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0509] S1220. The fifth network device determines a round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0510] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0511] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" in the above-mentioned first PDU session and second PDU session are used only to distinguish two different PDU sessions. That is, the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service are carried in two different PDU sessions, and these two different PDU sessions correspond to different UEs. "First" and "second" do not indicate any other meaning such as order or importance.

[0512] The data flow in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a service flow, SDF, a QoS flow carrying a data flow, or a QoS flow carrying an SDF, etc.

[0513] In some implementations, the fourth network device may include a PCF. The fifth network device may include a network element such as an NEF.

[0514] Furthermore, the fifth network device may receive an association identifier from the fourth network device; and determine, based on the association identifier, the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0515] Furthermore, the fifth network device may determine the round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device belonging to the same service.

[0516] In some implementations, the fifth network device further includes a round-trip packet delay for sending the service to the target network entity.

[0517] This application also proposes a latency monitoring method that can be applied to scenarios where the uplink and downlink data flows of the same service are carried by different PDU sessions on different UEs. The method measures the round-trip packet delay of such services through QoS monitoring. Figure 13 is a schematic flow chart of a latency monitoring method 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application. This method can optionally be applied to the systems shown in Figures 1, 2A, or 2B, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least some of the following contents.

[0518] S1310: The sixth network device sends a monitoring request.

[0519] The monitoring request is used to determine at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device;

[0520] The uplink data flow of the service is carried in the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried in the second PDU session.

[0521] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" in the above-mentioned first PDU session and second PDU session are used only to distinguish two different PDU sessions. That is, the uplink data flow and downlink data flow of the same service are carried in two different PDU sessions, and these two different PDU sessions correspond to different UEs. "First" and "second" do not indicate any other meaning such as order or importance.

[0522] The data flow in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a service flow, SDF, a QoS flow carrying a data flow, or a QoS flow carrying an SDF, etc.

[0523] In some implementations, the sixth network device may include an AF, and the AF sends a monitoring request to the PCF or the NEF.

[0524] In some implementations, the monitoring request carries at least one of the following:

[0525] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0526] Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow:

[0527] Identification of the UE's attached equipment;

[0528] The address of the UE's attached device;

[0529] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0530] Association ID.

[0531] The information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service may include at least one of the following: a UE address, a UE identifier, a DNN, and an S-NSSAI.

[0532] The address of the UE may include: the address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0533] The information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow may include flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0534] In some embodiments, the QoS monitoring requirement may indicate at least one of the following:

[0535] Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring;

[0536] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0537] Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

[0538] The parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring may include at least one of the following:

[0539] Upstream data flow packet delay;

[0540] Packet delay of downstream data flow;

[0541] Round-trip packet delay.

[0542] The round-trip packet delay may include the round-trip packet delay of services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

[0543] In some implementations, the association identifier is used to associate an uplink data flow and a downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0544] The monitoring method proposed in this application is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The monitoring method proposed in this application can realize QoS monitoring in multi-UE scenarios.

[0545] Example 6:

[0546] FIG14 is a flow chart of Example 6 of the present application.

[0547] In this embodiment, the PCF of the two PDU sessions serving the two UEs is the same PCF. In the application scenario involved in this embodiment, UE-1 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-1 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the uplink data flow (or downlink data flow) of the service; UE-2 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-2 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the downlink data flow (or uplink data flow) of the service. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same UPF or different UPFs. The core network element, UE or AF can request round-trip delay monitoring of services where uplink data flows and downlink data flows are carried on different PDU sessions of different UEs. Taking the AF request as an example in this embodiment, the specific process is as follows:

[0548] S1401. The AF initiates a QoS monitoring request. The monitoring request may be forwarded to the PCF via the NEF or sent directly to the PCF. The monitoring request includes at least one of the following information:

[0549] (1) A group of UE addresses, such as UE-1 address and UE-2 address;

[0550] (2) A group of UE identifiers, such as the external identifier GPSI of UE-1 and the external identifier GPSI of UE-2; or the external group identifier information of UE-1 and UE 2;

[0551] (3) One or more device identifiers, including the device identifiers of the attached device of UE-1 and the attached device of UE-2;

[0552] (4) one or more device addresses, including the device addresses of the attached device of UE-1 and the attached device of UE-2;

[0553] (5)DNN;

[0554] (6)S-NSSAI;

[0555] (7) A set of flow description information: This may include two flow description information, one corresponding to the upstream data flow and the other corresponding to the downstream data flow; the flow description information may include the source IP address, the destination IP address, the source port number, the destination port number, and the protocol information;

[0556] (8) QoS monitoring requirements, including at least one of the following:

[0557] Parameters to be measured;

[0558] Measurement result reporting conditions, such as event-triggered reporting and periodic reporting;

[0559] Reporting threshold, for example, when the measured parameter reaches the threshold, a report is triggered;

[0560] Minimum waiting time between two reports;

[0561] Reporting cycle;

[0562] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported, such as NEF, AF, PCF, etc.

[0563] Direct reporting instruction, instructing UPF to report the measurement results directly to NEF or AF;

[0564] Among them, the parameters that need to be measured may include at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow and the round-trip packet delay, wherein the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of the services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

[0565] S1402. The PCF determines the target QoS flow of the PDU session corresponding to the UE address based on the parameters in the monitoring request, and initiates a QoS monitoring process respectively to obtain the packet delay between the UE and the UPF.

[0566] If the target data flow is further offloaded to an attached device behind the UE, the packet delay measured by QoS monitoring also includes the packet delay between the UE and its attached device. The UE's attached device can be identified by its device identifier or address; the UE can also determine the attached device to which the target service flow is offloaded based on the flow description information. In this case, the UE can internally store the mapping between data flows and UE attached devices.

[0567] If the data flow is forwarded through N6, the N6 delay, ie, the delay between the UPF and the data network (DN), can also be measured.

[0568] S1403: PCF calculates the round-trip packet delay. Depending on the specific scenario, the calculation method is as follows:

[0569] If the data flow is forwarded through N6, the round-trip packet delay is the sum of the following packet delay components: the packet delay between UE-1 and the attached device (if UE-1 has an attached device), the packet delay between UE-2 and the attached device (if UE-2 has an attached device), the packet delay between UE-1 and UPF-1, the packet delay between UE-2 and UPF-2, the packet delay between UPF-1 and the DN, and the packet delay between UPF-2 and the DN. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same or different UPFs.

[0570] If the data stream is forwarded through a UPF, the round-trip packet delay is the sum of the following packet delay components: the packet delay between UE-1 and its attached device (if UE-1 has an attached device), the packet delay between UE-2 and its attached device (if UE-2 has an attached device), the packet delay between UE-1 and UPF-1, the packet delay between UE-2 and UPF-2, and the packet delay between UPF-1 and UPF-2. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same or different UPFs. If they are the same, the packet delay between UPF-1 and UPF-2 is not considered.

[0571] S1404. The PCF reports the obtained round-trip delay to the target device.

[0572] Embodiment seven:

[0573] FIG15 is a flow chart of Example 7 of the present application.

[0574] In this embodiment, the PCFs of the two PDU sessions serving the two UEs are different PCFs. In the application scenario involved in this embodiment, UE-1 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-1 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the uplink data flow (or downlink data flow) of the service; UE-2 requests to establish a PDU session, and the network side selects UPF-2 as the anchor UPF, and the PDU session carries the downlink data flow (or uplink data flow) of the service. UPF-1 and UPF-2 can be the same UPF or different UPFs. The core network element, UE or AF can request round-trip delay monitoring of services where uplink data flows and downlink data flows are carried on different PDU sessions of different UEs. Taking the AF request as an example in this embodiment, the specific process is as follows:

[0575] S1501: The AF initiates a QoS monitoring request, which may be sent to the NEF. The information contained in the monitoring request is the same as that contained in the monitoring request in the sixth embodiment.

[0576] S1502. The NEF uses the BSF to discover PCF-1 and PCF-2, and sends a QoS monitoring request to PCF-1 and PCF-2 respectively. The QoS monitoring request includes at least one of the following:

[0577] (1) Association identifier (used to assist NEF in associating the upstream and downstream data flows of the same service);

[0578] (2) UE address, such as UE-1 address and UE-2 address

[0579] (3) UE identity, such as the external identity GPSI of UE-1 or the external identity GPSI of UE-2;

[0580] (4) one or more device identifiers, such as the device identifier of the attached device of UE-1 or the attached device of UE-2;

[0581] (5) One or more device addresses; for example, the device address of the attached device of UE-1 or the attached device of UE-2;

[0582] (6)DNN;

[0583] (7)S-NSSAI;

[0584] (8) A set of flow description information: This may include two flow description information, one corresponding to the upstream data flow and the other corresponding to the downstream data flow; the flow description information may include the source IP address, the destination IP address, the source port number, the destination port number, and the protocol information;

[0585] (9) QoS monitoring requirements, including at least one of the following:

[0586] Parameters to be measured;

[0587] Measurement result reporting conditions, such as event-triggered reporting and periodic reporting;

[0588] Reporting threshold, for example, when the measured parameter reaches the threshold, a report is triggered;

[0589] Minimum waiting time between two reports;

[0590] Reporting cycle;

[0591] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported, such as NEF, AF, PCF, etc.

[0592] Direct reporting instruction, instructing UPF to report the measurement results directly to NEF or AF;

[0593] Among them, the parameters that need to be measured may include one-way packet delay, such as the packet delay between the UE's auxiliary equipment and DN, or the packet delay between the UE's auxiliary equipment and UPF, or the packet delay between the UE and UPF, or the packet delay between the UE and DN, etc.

[0594] S1503 , PCF- 1 and PCF- 2 respectively initiate a QoS monitoring process to obtain a one-way packet delay, such as a packet delay of an upstream data flow or a packet delay of a downstream data flow.

[0595] In step S1504, PCF-1 and PCF-2 can receive the QoS monitoring results sent by the UPF and report the packet delay of the upstream data flow or the packet delay of the downstream data flow to the NEF. Alternatively, the UPF can report the packet delay of the upstream data flow or the packet delay of the downstream data flow obtained through QoS monitoring to the NEF. In addition to the one-way packet delay, the reported information can also include an association identifier to assist the NEF in confirming that a pair of uplink and downlink packet delays belong to the same service group. It can also assist in confirming a pair of uplink and downlink packet delays of the same service by carrying the UE address, UE identifier, DNN, S-NSSAI, and flow description information.

[0596] S1505: NEF calculates round-trip packet delay based on the received one-way packet delay (including upstream data flow packet delay and downstream data flow packet delay). The way NEF calculates round-trip packet delay can refer to the way PCF calculates round-trip packet delay in embodiment 6.

[0597] S1506. The NEF reports the obtained round-trip packet delay to the target network entity.

[0598] From the above, it can be seen that this application expands the application scenarios of QoS monitoring, so that in scenarios where uplink and downlink SDFs are carried by different PDU sessions of different UEs, the core network elements can also measure the round-trip delay of such services through QoS monitoring.

[0599] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application extend the uplink and downlink collaborative control mechanism to multi-UE scenarios, and respectively solve the uplink and downlink collaboration issues in scenarios where the uplink and downlink SDFs are carried on different PDU sessions of different UEs under single PCF services and multi-PCF services, so that the communication system can better adapt to scenarios where multiple users interact through different terminal devices, as well as scenarios where users use the same service through different terminal devices. The system can dynamically adjust the delay budget of QoS flows in different PDU sessions allocated to different terminal devices, realize flexible scheduling of communication resources, thereby improving resource utilization and enhancing user experience without changing the resources occupied by the service.

[0600] In addition, when the PCF or central node determines the UL PDB and DL PDB, it also takes into account the possible delay between the terminal device and its attached devices, which improves the accuracy of PDB configuration and avoids the degradation of user experience due to excessive PDB allocation.

[0601] 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:

[0602] The first transceiver unit 1601 is configured to receive a first message indicating an RT delay requirement;

[0603] The first processing unit 1602 is configured to determine at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of a service based on an RT delay requirement;

[0604] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0605] In some embodiments, the first message carries at least one of the following:

[0606] One-way delay requirement;

[0607] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0608] AF logo;

[0609] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0610] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0611] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0612] Optional parameters:

[0613] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0614] association identifier;

[0615] The address and / or identifier of the other first network device at the opposite end;

[0616] One-way packet delay obtained by QoS monitoring;

[0617] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0618] In some implementations, the uplink and downlink coordination indication includes at least one of the following:

[0619] Indicates that the RT delay requirement is determined using the one-way delay requirement;

[0620] Instructs determination of a PDB for the upstream and / or downstream data flows of a service based on RT delay requirements;

[0621] Carry RT delay requirements.

[0622] In some implementations, the information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: a UE address, a UE identifier, a DNN, and an S-NSSAI.

[0623] In some implementations, the UE's address includes:

[0624] The address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0625] In some implementations, the information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow includes flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0626] In some implementations, the information used to assist the first network device in performing uplink and downlink PDB adjustment includes a period and / or a threshold for performing uplink and downlink PDB adjustment.

[0627] In some implementations, the association identifier is used to indicate that two data flows with the same association identifier need to perform uplink and downlink collaboration.

[0628] In some embodiments, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0629] Determining, according to the address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session, that the first PDU session and the second PDU session have an association relationship;

[0630] According to the association relationship between the first PDU session and the second PDU session, the flow description information of the upstream data flow and the flow description information of the downstream data flow, it is determined that the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow belong to the same service.

[0631] In some embodiments, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0632] According to the association identifier, it is determined that the two data flows with the same association identifier are the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0633] In some implementations, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0634] At least one of a PDB of the upstream data flow and a PDB of the downstream data flow of the service is determined based on the RT delay requirement, the packet delay of the upstream data flow, and the packet delay of the downstream data flow.

[0635] In some implementations, the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow determined by the first network device meet the following requirements:

[0636] The sum of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow is less than or equal to the RT delay requirement.

[0637] In some implementations, the first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on an RT delay requirement, including:

[0638] The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on an RT delay requirement and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0639] In some implementations, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0640] At least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service is determined based on an RT delay requirement, a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between the UE and an accessory device.

[0641] In some implementations, the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow determined by the first network device meet the following requirements:

[0642] The sum of the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow is less than or equal to the first delay requirement, and the first delay requirement is equal to the RT delay requirement minus the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0643] In some embodiments, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0644] QoS monitoring is initiated to obtain at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0645] In some implementations, the first transceiver unit 1601 is further configured to:

[0646] Send a delay request to the UE;

[0647] The delay in receiving packets from the UE to the attached device.

[0648] In some implementations, the candidate parameters include: an alternative RT delay requirement, or a parameter used to determine the alternative RT delay requirement.

[0649] In some embodiments, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0650] When it is impossible to determine at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement, the first network device determines at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the alternative RT delay requirement.

[0651] In some implementations, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0652] Determine the PDB of the upstream data flow and / or the PDB of the downstream data flow based on at least one of the RT delay requirement, the PDB of the unidirectional data flow determined by other first network devices, the packet delay between the UE and the attached device, the packet delay of the upstream data flow, and the packet delay of the downstream data flow; wherein the PDB of the unidirectional data flow includes the PDB of the upstream data flow or the PDB of the downstream data flow.

[0653] In some implementations, the first network device initiates a session modification process for the first PDU session and / or a session modification process for the second PDU session, and configures a corresponding PDB for the upstream data flow and / or the downstream data flow.

[0654] In some embodiments, the QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following:

[0655] Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring;

[0656] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0657] Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

[0658] In some implementations, the parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring indicated by the QoS monitoring requirement include at least one of the following:

[0659] Upstream data flow packet delay;

[0660] Packet delay of downstream data flow;

[0661] Round-trip packet delay.

[0662] In some implementations, the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried in different PDU sessions for upstream data flows and downstream data flows, respectively.

[0663] In some embodiments, the first processing unit 1602 is further configured to report QoS monitoring results according to QoS monitoring requirements, where the QoS monitoring results include at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the round-trip packet delay.

[0664] In some implementations, the round-trip packet delay reported by the first network device is determined based on at least one of an uplink data flow packet delay, a downlink data flow packet delay, and a packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0665] In some implementations, the first network device includes a PCF.

[0666] In some implementations, the data flow includes a service data flow SDF, a QoS flow carrying a data flow, or a QoS flow carrying an SDF.

[0667] The first network device 1600 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the first 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 first network device 1600 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 the various modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the first network device 1600 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.).

[0668] FIG17 is a schematic block diagram of a second network device 1700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The second network device 1700 may include:

[0669] The second transceiver unit 1701 is configured to send a first message, where the first message is used to determine an RT delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is used to determine at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of a service;

[0670] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0671] In some embodiments, the first message carries at least one of the following:

[0672] One-way delay requirement;

[0673] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0674] AF logo;

[0675] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0676] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0677] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0678] Optional parameters:

[0679] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0680] association identifier;

[0681] The address and / or identifier of the other first network device at the opposite end;

[0682] One-way packet delay obtained by QoS monitoring;

[0683] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0684] In some implementations, the second network device includes an AF.

[0685] In some implementations, the first network device includes a PCF.

[0686] The second network device 1700 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the second 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 second network device 1700 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 the various modules (sub-module, unit or component, etc.) in the second network device 1700 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.).

[0687] FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a third network device 1800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The third network device 1800 may include:

[0688] The third transceiver unit 1801 is configured to receive first messages from two first network devices respectively;

[0689] The second processing unit 1802 is configured to determine an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determine at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement;

[0690] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0691] In some embodiments, the first message carries at least one of the following:

[0692] One-way delay requirement;

[0693] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0694] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0695] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0696] Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs:

[0697] Optional parameters:

[0698] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0699] association identifier;

[0700] The address and / or identifier of the other first network device at the opposite end;

[0701] Monitored one-way packet delay;

[0702] Information about the UE's attached devices.

[0703] In some implementations, the third transceiver unit 1801 is further configured to send a second message to each of the two first network devices, where the second message carries at least one of the following:

[0704] Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions;

[0705] PDB for upstream data flow or PDB for downstream data flow;

[0706] association identifier;

[0707] DNN;

[0708] S-NSSAI;

[0709] RT latency requirements.

[0710] In some implementations, the uplink and downlink coordination indication includes at least one of the following:

[0711] Indicates that the RT delay requirement is determined using the one-way delay requirement;

[0712] Instructs determination of a PDB for the upstream and / or downstream data flows of a service based on RT delay requirements;

[0713] Carry RT delay requirements.

[0714] In some implementations, the third network device includes a NEF or a BSF.

[0715] In some implementations, the first network device includes a PCF.

[0716] The third network device 1800 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 1800 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 1800 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.).

[0717] FIG19 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth network device 1900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The fourth network device 1900 may include:

[0718] The fourth transceiver unit 1901 is configured to receive a monitoring request;

[0719] The third processing unit 1902 is configured to determine, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device;

[0720] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0721] In some implementations, the monitoring request carries at least one of the following:

[0722] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0723] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0724] Identification of the UE's attached equipment;

[0725] The address of the UE's attached device;

[0726] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0727] Association ID.

[0728] In some implementations, the information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: a UE address, a UE identifier, a DNN, and an S-NSSAI.

[0729] In some implementations, the UE's address includes:

[0730] The address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0731] In some implementations, the information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow includes flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0732] In some embodiments, the QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following:

[0733] Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring;

[0734] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0735] Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

[0736] In some implementations, the parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring indicated by the QoS monitoring requirement include at least one of the following:

[0737] Upstream data flow packet delay;

[0738] Packet delay of downstream data flow;

[0739] Round-trip packet delay.

[0740] In some implementations, the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried in different PDU sessions for upstream data flows and downstream data flows, respectively.

[0741] In some implementations, the association identifier is used to associate an uplink data flow and a downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0742] In some embodiments, the third processing unit 1902 is further configured to:

[0743] Determining, according to the address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session, that the first PDU session and the second PDU session have an association relationship;

[0744] According to the association relationship between the first PDU session and the second PDU session, the flow description information of the upstream data flow and the flow description information of the downstream data flow, it is determined that the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow belong to the same service.

[0745] In some embodiments, the third processing unit 1902 is further configured to:

[0746] According to the association identifier, it is determined that the two data flows with the same association identifier are the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0747] In some embodiments, the third processing unit 1902 is further configured to:

[0748] QoS monitoring is initiated to obtain at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

[0749] In some embodiments, the fourth transceiver unit 1901 is further configured to send a monitoring result, where the monitoring result includes at least one of the following:

[0750] Upstream data flow packet delay;

[0751] Packet delay of downstream data flow;

[0752] Packet delay between UE and attached device;

[0753] Round-trip packet delay.

[0754] In some embodiments, the round-trip packet delay is determined based on the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the accessory device.

[0755] In some implementations, the monitoring results also include an association identifier.

[0756] In some embodiments, the fourth network device includes a PCF.

[0757] The fourth network device 1900 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the fourth 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 fourth network device 1900 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 fourth network device 1900 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.).

[0758] FIG20 is a schematic block diagram of a fifth network device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The fifth network device 2000 may include:

[0759] a fifth transceiver unit 2001, configured to receive at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of a service, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device from a fourth network device;

[0760] a fourth processing unit 2002, configured to determine a round trip delay of the service based on at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device;

[0761] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0762] In some implementations, the fifth transceiver unit 2001 is further configured to receive an association identifier from the fourth network device; and the fourth processing unit 2002 is further configured to determine the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service based on the association identifier.

[0763] In some implementations, the fourth processing unit 2002 is further configured to:

[0764] The round trip delay of the service is determined based on at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device belonging to the same service.

[0765] In some implementations, the fifth transceiver unit 2001 is further configured to send a round-trip delay of a service to a target network entity.

[0766] The fifth network device 2000 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the fifth 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 fifth 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 fifth 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.).

[0767] FIG21 is a schematic block diagram of a sixth network device 2100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The sixth network device 2100 may include:

[0768] The sixth transceiver unit 2101 is configured to send a monitoring request;

[0769] The monitoring request is used to determine at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device;

[0770] The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

[0771] In some implementations, the monitoring request carries at least one of the following:

[0772] Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service:

[0773] Information used to determine upstream and / or downstream data flows:

[0774] Identification of the UE's attached equipment;

[0775] The address of the UE's attached device;

[0776] QoS monitoring requirements;

[0777] Association ID.

[0778] In some implementations, the information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: a UE address, a UE identifier, a DNN, and an S-NSSAI.

[0779] In some implementations, the UE's address includes:

[0780] The address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0781] In some implementations, the information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow includes flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

[0782] In some embodiments, the QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following:

[0783] Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring;

[0784] The target network element to which QoS monitoring results are reported;

[0785] Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

[0786] In some implementations, the parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring indicated by the QoS monitoring requirement include at least one of the following:

[0787] Upstream data flow packet delay;

[0788] Packet delay of downstream data flow;

[0789] Round-trip packet delay.

[0790] In some implementations, the round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried in different PDU sessions for upstream data flows and downstream data flows, respectively.

[0791] In some implementations, the association identifier is used to associate an uplink data flow and a downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

[0792] In some implementations, the sixth network device includes an AF.

[0793] The sixth network device 2100 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the sixth 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 sixth network device 2100 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 sixth 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.).

[0794] Figure 22 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2200 includes a processor 2210, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to enable the communication device 2200 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0795] In one embodiment, the communication device 2200 may further include a memory 2220. The processor 2210 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2220 to enable the communication device 2200 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0796] The memory 2220 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2210 , or may be integrated into the processor 2210 .

[0797] In one embodiment, the communication device 2200 may further include a transceiver 2230 , and the processor 2210 may control the transceiver 2230 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 2230 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0798] The transceiver 2230 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 2230 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0799] In one embodiment, the communication device 2200 may be a network device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2200 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.

[0800] 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 2300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 2300 includes a processor 2310, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0801] In one embodiment, the chip 2300 may further include a memory 2320. The processor 2310 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2320 to implement the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0802] The memory 2320 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2310 or may be integrated into the processor 2310 .

[0803] In one embodiment, the chip 2300 may further include an input interface 2330. The processor 2310 may control the input interface 2330 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0804] In one embodiment, the chip 2300 may further include an output interface 2340. The processor 2310 may control the output interface 2340 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0805] 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.

[0806] The chips used in the network devices may be the same chip or different chips.

[0807] 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.

[0808] 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.

[0809] 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).

[0810] 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.

[0811] 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)).

[0812] 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.

[0813] 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.

[0814] 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 configuration method, comprising: The first network device receives a first message indicating a round-trip RT delay requirement; The first network device determines at least one of a packet delay budget PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on a first protocol data unit PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on a second PDU session.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first message carries at least one of the following: One-way delay requirement; Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions; Application function AF logo; Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service: Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow: Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs: Optional parameters: Quality of service (QoS) monitoring requirements; association identifier; The address and / or identifier of other first network device at the opposite end; One-way packet delay obtained by QoS monitoring; Information about the attached devices of the user equipment UE.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The uplink and downlink collaboration indication includes at least one of the following functions: Instructing to use the one-way delay requirement to determine the RT delay requirement; Instructing to determine a PDB for an uplink data flow and / or a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement; Carry the RT delay requirement.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: an address of a user equipment UE, an identifier of the UE, a data network name DNN, and single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The address of the UE includes: The address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow includes flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The information for assisting the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDB includes a period and / or a threshold for adjusting the uplink and downlink PDB.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The association identifier is used to indicate that two data flows with the same association identifier need to perform uplink and downlink collaboration.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The first network device determines, according to an address of a UE corresponding to the first PDU session and an address of a UE corresponding to the second PDU session, that the first PDU session and the second PDU session have an association relationship; The first network device determines that the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow belong to the same service based on the association relationship between the first PDU session and the second PDU session, the flow description information of the upstream data flow, and the flow description information of the downstream data flow.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, further comprising: The first network device determines, based on the association identifier, that two data flows with the same association identifier are an uplink data flow and a downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on the RT delay requirement, including: The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement, a packet delay of the upstream data flow, and a packet delay of the downstream data flow.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow determined by the first network device meet the following requirements: The sum of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow is less than or equal to the RT delay requirement.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on the RT delay requirement, including: The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The first network device determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on the RT delay requirement, including: The first network device determines at least one of the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement, the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow determined by the first network device meet the following requirements: The sum of the PDB of the uplink data flow and the PDB of the downlink data flow is less than or equal to a first delay requirement, and the first delay requirement is equal to the RT delay requirement minus the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

16. The method according to claim 11, 13, 14 or 15, further comprising, The first network device initiates QoS monitoring to obtain at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow, a packet delay of a downlink data flow, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, further comprising: The first network device sends a delay request to the UE; The first network device receives, from the UE, a packet delay between the UE and an attached device.

18. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The candidate parameters include: candidate RT delay requirements, or parameters used to determine the candidate RT delay requirements.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising, When at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service cannot be determined based on the RT delay requirement, the first network device determines at least one of the PDB of the upstream data flow and the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service based on the alternative RT delay requirement.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The first network device determines the PDB of the upstream data flow and / or the PDB of the downstream data flow of the service according to the RT delay requirement, including: The first network device determines the PDB of the upstream data flow and / or the PDB of the downstream data flow based on at least one of the RT delay requirement, the PDB of the unidirectional data flow determined by other first network devices, the packet delay between the UE and the attached device, the packet delay of the upstream data flow, and the packet delay of the downstream data flow; wherein the PDB of the unidirectional data flow includes the PDB of the upstream data flow or the PDB of the downstream data flow.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1-20 further includes: the first network device initiating a session modification process of the first PDU session and / or a session modification process of the second PDU session, and configuring a corresponding PDB for the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow.

22. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein: The QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following: Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring; The target network element for reporting QoS monitoring results; Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: The parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring indicated by the QoS monitoring requirement include at least one of the following: Packet delay of upstream data flow; Packet delay of downstream data flow; Round-trip packet delay.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

25. The method according to any one of claims 22-24 also includes that the first network device reports QoS monitoring results according to QoS monitoring requirements, and the QoS monitoring results include at least one of the packet delay of the upstream data flow, the packet delay of the downstream data flow, and the round-trip packet delay.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein: The round-trip packet delay reported by the first network device is determined according to at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein: The first network device includes a PCF.

28. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 27, wherein: The data flow includes a service data flow SDF, a QoS flow carrying a data flow, or a QoS flow carrying an SDF.

29. A configuration method, comprising: The second network device sends a first message, where the first message is used to determine an RT delay requirement, where the RT delay requirement is used to determine at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The first message carries at least one of the following: One-way delay requirement; Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions; AF logo; Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service: Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow: Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs: Optional parameters: QoS monitoring requirements; association identifier; The address and / or identifier of other first network device at the opposite end; One-way packet delay obtained by QoS monitoring; Information about the UE's attached devices.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, wherein: The second network device includes an AF.

32. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein: The first network device includes a PCF.

33. A configuration method, comprising: The third network device receives the first message from the two first network devices respectively; The third network device determines an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determines at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein: The first message carries at least one of the following: One-way delay requirement; Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions; Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service: Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow: Information used to assist the first network device in adjusting the uplink and downlink PDBs: Optional parameters: QoS monitoring requirements; association identifier; The address and / or identifier of other first network device at the opposite end; Monitored one-way packet delay; Information about the UE's attached devices.

35. The method according to claim 33 or 34, further comprising: the third network device sending a second message to the two first network devices respectively, wherein the second message carries at least one of the following: Uplink and downlink collaboration instructions; PDB for upstream data flow or PDB for downstream data flow; association identifier; DNN; S-NSSAI; RT latency requirement.

36. The method according to claim 34 or 35, wherein: The uplink and downlink collaboration indication includes at least one of the following functions: Instructing to use the one-way delay requirement to determine the RT delay requirement; Instructing to determine a PDB for an uplink data flow and / or a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement; Carry the RT delay requirement.

37. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein: The third network device includes NEF or BSF.

38. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein: The first network device includes a PCF.

39. A delay monitoring method, comprising: The fourth network device receives the monitoring request; The fourth network device determines, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein: The monitoring request carries at least one of the following: Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service: Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow: Identification of the UE's attached equipment; The address of the UE's attached device; QoS monitoring requirements; Association ID.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein: The information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: an address of the UE, an identifier of the UE, a DNN, and an S-NSSAI.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein: The address of the UE includes: The address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein: The information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow includes flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein: The QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following: Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring; The target network element for reporting QoS monitoring results; Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein: The parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring indicated by the QoS monitoring requirement include at least one of the following: Packet delay of upstream data flow; Packet delay of downstream data flow; Round-trip packet delay.

46. ​​The method of claim 45, wherein: The round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein: The association identifier is used to associate the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

48. The method of claim 42, further comprising, The fourth network device determines, according to the address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session, that the first PDU session and the second PDU session have an association relationship; The fourth network device determines that the upstream data flow and the downstream data flow belong to the same service according to the association relationship between the first PDU session and the second PDU session, the flow description information of the upstream data flow, and the flow description information of the downstream data flow.

49. The method according to claim 47, further comprising, The fourth network device determines, based on the association identifier, that the two data flows with the same association identifier are the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow of the same service.

50. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 49, wherein: The fourth network device determines, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device, including: The fourth network device initiates QoS monitoring to obtain at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

51. The method according to any one of claims 40 to 50, further comprising: the fourth network device sending a monitoring result, wherein the monitoring result includes at least one of the following: The packet delay of the uplink data flow; The packet delay of the downlink data flow; The packet delay between the UE and the attached device; Round-trip packet delay.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein: The round-trip packet delay is determined according to the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device.

53. The method according to claim 51 or 52, wherein: The monitoring result also includes the association identifier.

54. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 51, wherein: The fourth network device includes a PCF.

55. A delay monitoring method, comprising: at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service received by the fifth network device from the fourth network device, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and the attached device; The fifth network device determines the round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow of the service, the packet delay of the downlink data flow of the service, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

56. The method according to claim 55, further comprising, The fifth network device receives an association identifier from the fourth network device; The fifth network device determines the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service according to the association identifier.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein: The fifth network device determines the round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow of the service, the packet delay of the downlink data flow of the service, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device, including: The fifth network device determines the round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of the packet delay of the uplink data flow, the packet delay of the downlink data flow, and the packet delay between the UE and the attached device belonging to the same service.

58. The method according to any one of claims 55-57, further comprising, the fifth network device sending a round-trip packet delay of the service to a target network entity.

59. A delay monitoring method, comprising: The sixth network device sends a monitoring request; The monitoring request is used to determine at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein: The monitoring request carries at least one of the following: Information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service: Information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow: Identification of the UE's attached equipment; The address of the UE's attached device; QoS monitoring requirements; Association ID.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein: The information used to determine the PDU session that carries the service includes at least one of the following: an address of the UE, an identifier of the UE, a DNN, and an S-NSSAI.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein: The address of the UE includes: The address of the UE corresponding to the first PDU session and / or the address of the UE corresponding to the second PDU session.

63. The method of claim 60, wherein: The information used to determine the uplink data flow and / or the downlink data flow includes flow description information of the uplink data flow and / or flow description information of the downlink data flow.

64. The method of claim 60, wherein: The QoS monitoring requirement indicates at least one of the following: Parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring; The target network element for reporting QoS monitoring results; Conditions for reporting QoS monitoring results.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein: The parameters that need to be measured for QoS monitoring indicated by the QoS monitoring requirement include at least one of the following: Packet delay of upstream data flow; Packet delay of downstream data flow; Round-trip packet delay.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein: The round-trip packet delay includes the round-trip packet delay of services carried by the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow in different PDU sessions respectively.

67. The method of claim 60, wherein: The association identifier is used to associate the uplink data flow and the downlink data flow belonging to the same service.

68. The method according to any one of claims 59 to 67, wherein: The sixth network device includes AF.

69. A first network device, comprising: A first transceiver unit, configured to receive a first message indicating a round-trip RT delay requirement; A first processing unit, configured to determine at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service based on the RT delay requirement; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

70. A second network device, comprising: A second transceiver unit, configured to send a first message, wherein the first message is used to determine an RT delay requirement, wherein the RT delay requirement is used to determine at least one of a PDB of an upstream data flow and a PDB of a downstream data flow of a service; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

71. A third network device, comprising: A third transceiver unit, configured to receive first messages from two first network devices respectively; A second processing unit, configured to determine an RT delay requirement based on the first message, and determine at least one of a PDB of an uplink data flow and a PDB of a downlink data flow of the service based on the RT delay requirement; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

72. A fourth network device, comprising: A fourth transceiver unit, configured to receive a monitoring request; a third processing unit, configured to determine, based on the monitoring request, at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

73. A fifth network device, comprising: a fifth transceiver unit, configured to receive at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device from a fourth network device; a fourth processing unit, configured to determine a round-trip packet delay of the service based on at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of the service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between the UE and an attached device; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

74. A sixth network device, comprising: A sixth transceiver unit, configured to send a monitoring request; The monitoring request is used to determine at least one of a packet delay of an uplink data flow of a service, a packet delay of a downlink data flow of the service, and a packet delay between a UE and an attached device; The uplink data flow of the service is carried on the first PDU session, and the downlink data flow of the service is carried on the second PDU session.

75. A communication device comprising: A transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 68.

76. 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.

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

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

79. A computer program causing a computer to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 68.

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