Protocol data unit set-based communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application discloses a protocol data unit set-based communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU set) are to be transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows; sending the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU set, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU set being transmitted by means of the at least two QoS flows. In this way, different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU set can be met. For example, data carried by the same PDU set is data of a 3D media frame, and the use of the first information enables branched transmission of geometric data and attribute data in one 3D media frame. Service requirements of various services are met, data transmission quality is improved, and a user experience is improved.

Description

A communication method based on protocol data unit set and related device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on November 3, 2023, with application number CN202311461262.3 and invention name “A communication method and related device based on protocol data unit set”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method based on a protocol data unit set and related devices. Background Art

[0003] With the development of fifth-generation mobile communication (5G) technology, media service business has shown exponential growth. Media service business such as high-definition video business and extended reality (XR) business has placed high demands on network transmission bandwidth and network transmission latency. Currently, the concept of protocol data unit (PDU) set (PDU SET) is proposed. A PDU set includes one or more data packets carrying application layer payload, such as PDU, and the application layer payload is a media frame, video frame or video slice.

[0004] For common media services, such as two-dimensional (2D) media frames (or simply 2D frames), the multiple data packets included in a 2D frame typically have the same importance and quality of service (QoS) requirements. However, different 2D frames within the same service flow (or data stream) may have different importance or QoS requirements. Therefore, the multiple data packets included in a 2D frame are typically transmitted in a single QoS flow, while data from different 2D frames may be transmitted in different QoS flows.

[0005] With the development of media services, new media services, represented by three-dimensional (3D) media services, have emerged. Data related to 3D media services (e.g., 3D media frame data or 3D point cloud data) can be divided in various ways depending on the encoding method. For example, in 3D multiview video coding (MVC), data is classified by viewpoint, and a single-view 3D media frame includes packets corresponding to the left eye and the right eye, respectively. For another example, in a 3D mesh, 3D point cloud data is divided into attribute data and geometry data. The geometry data stream carries the geometric coordinates of each point in the 3D point cloud data, while the attribute data stream carries information such as the color, reflectivity, and normal vector of each point in the point cloud data. Different packets in the same media frame may have different importance or different QoS requirements. Accordingly, the multiple packets included in a PDU SET carrying the media frame may have different importance or different QoS requirements. This places new demands on the PDU SET transmission mechanism.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method based on a protocol data unit set, which is applied to an application function network element AF, or a third-party server (application server, AS), or a combination of AF and AS. For example, the sender of the first information is AF, and the sender of the data packet is AS. The following application to the application function network element AF is taken as an example. It should be noted that the method proposed in the first aspect can also be applied to other network functions or network elements or software modules that can realize the functions of the application function. The method includes:

[0008] In one possible implementation, the application function sends first information, where the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows; the application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted through the at least two QoS flows.

[0009] Optionally, the first information is protocol description information.

[0010] In another possible implementation, the application function sends first information, which is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS streams; the application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream are transmitted through the at least two QoS streams.

[0011] In this application, "multiple data packets of the same data stream" or "multiple data packets of the same PDU SET" indicate the form of expression of data packets that need to be diverted for transmission. That is, the above-mentioned multiple data packets can be transmitted in the same data stream or in the same PDU SET. "Multiple data packets transmitted in the same data stream" is similar to "multiple data packets transmitted in the same PDU Set", which means that the multiple data packets have the same identity. Exemplarily, the identity can be information such as an Internet Protocol IP triplet, a quintuple, or a septuple. The IP triplet includes: source port number, source IP address, and protocol type. The IP quintuple includes: destination IP address, destination port number, source IP address, source port number, and protocol type. The IP septuple includes: source IP address, destination IP address, source port, destination port, transport layer protocol information, queue pair (QP), service type, and port index.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET carry first information, and the first information is used to indicate that the multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted through the at least two QoS flows.

[0013] It should be noted that the data packet in the embodiments of the present application may be a protocol data unit (PDU) or a service data unit (SDU), such as a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) SDU, a packet data convergence layer protocol (PDCP) SDU, a radio link control (RLC) SDU, or a media access control (MAC) SDU. It is understood that the data packet sent from the user plane function (UPF) to the access network device may be in the format of a protocol data unit. When the access network device receives the data packet from the SDAP layer, the data packet may be converted into an SDAP SDU format. When the data packet is transmitted from the SDAP layer to the PDCP layer, it is converted into a PDCP SDU upon reaching the PDCP layer. Similarly, upon reaching the RLC layer, the data packet is converted into an RLC SDU. Upon reaching the MAC layer, the data packet is converted into a MAC SDU. The data unit of the data packet granularity processed by each layer may be different. It is understood that the data packet in the embodiments of the present application may also be a data unit of other granularity, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, an application function sends first information to implement offload transmission of multiple data packets in the same PDU SET across at least two QoS flows. The first information is used to instruct multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) to be transmitted across at least two quality of service (QoS) flows to meet the different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU SET. For example, when the data carried by the same PDU SET is 3D media frame data, the first information can be used to implement offload transmission of geometric data and attribute data in a 3D media frame. For another example, the first information can be used to implement offload transmission of left-eye video data and right-eye video data in a 3D media frame. For another example, the first information can be used to implement offload transmission of video data from different viewpoints in a 3D media frame. This achieves meeting the business needs of multiple services, improving data transmission quality, and enhancing user experience.

[0015] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the application function sends second information, where the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET. For example, the second information may be data flow description information or data packet detection rules. Multiple data packets of the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) have at least two types of data flow description information or data packet detection rules. The second information may be used to indicate that the multiple data packets of the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows when transmitted over a 5G network.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes any one or more of: importance information, priority information, transmission delay information, and packet error rate information for each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET. Taking importance information as an example, the importance information of each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to the different QoS flows carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET. For example, the importance information includes a field, bit, or value, and the field, bit, or value included in the importance information explicitly indicates the importance of the data packet associated with the importance information. This information can be carried in the data packet header. For example, the importance information of data packet #1 is "low," indicating that data packet #1 has low importance; the importance information of data packet #2 is "high," indicating that data packet #2 has high importance. For another example, the importance information of data packet #1 is "0," indicating that data packet #1 has low importance; the importance information of data packet #2 is "1," indicating that data packet #2 has high importance. Using data packet importance information to indicate the QoS flow carrying the data packet improves implementation flexibility of the solution. Other information besides the importance information may also be indicated in the form of representation of the importance information.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET carries importance information of the data packet. The data packet can carry the importance information of the data packet, thereby enabling offloaded transmission of multiple data packets of the same PDU SET across at least two QoS flows with low signaling overhead.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the encoding method of the data packet, and the importance of the data packet is determined based on the encoding method of the data packet. Alternatively, the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the data type of the data packet, and the importance of the data packet is determined based on the data type of the data packet. Importance information can be represented by the encoding method of the data packet or by the data type of the data packet. Indicating the importance of a data packet in multiple ways increases the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and the first information further includes: an identity of the sub-PDU SET to which each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belongs, and each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet. The sub-PDU SET proposed in the embodiment of the present application is a subset of the PDU SET, the sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet, the data packets included in the sub-PDU SET belong to the PDU SET, and the PDU SET includes multiple sub-PDU SETs. The sub-PDU SET can also be referred to as a PDU SET subset or other names. For example, if the PDU SET is called a media frame, or a video frame, or a data frame, or a frame, then the multiple sub-PDU SETs included in the PDU SET are called sub-media frames, or sub-video frames, or sub-data frames, or sub-frames. This embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes: an association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET. For example, the first PDU SET is used for description. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET, a second sub-PDU SET, and a third sub-PDU SET. The association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the packets belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET includes: the QoS flow carrying the packets of the first sub-PDU SET is QoS flow #1, the QoS flow carrying the packets of the second sub-PDU SET is QoS flow #2, and the QoS flow carrying the packets of the third sub-PDU SET is QoS flow #3. Based on this first information (the association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET), it can be determined that packet #1 is transmitted in QoS flow #1. The specific implementation method can be that the UPF maps the data packet corresponding to the first sub-PDU SET to QoS flow #1 for transmission according to the detection rule of the data packet corresponding to the first sub-PDU SET, and the implementation method of the second and third sub-PDU SET is the same as the first sub-PDU SET.

[0021] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the application function sending the first information includes: the application function sending the data packet included in the same PDU SET, the data packet carrying the first information. The first information carried in the data packet is associated with the data packet. For example, the first information is importance information, and the first information carried in the data packet is the importance information of the data packet. By carrying the first information in the data packet, signaling overhead is reduced.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, a real-time transport protocol RTP header of the data packet carries the first information, or a GTP-U header of the data packet carries the first information.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the type field of the network abstraction layer message header NAL header of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET carries the first information.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method based on a protocol data unit set, which is applied to a user plane function UPF. It should be noted that the method proposed in the second aspect can also be applied to other network functions or network elements or software modules that can implement user plane functions. The method includes:

[0025] Receive multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; determine the QoS flow carrying the data packets based on first information and / or second information, wherein the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0026] In another possible implementation, multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream are received, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream are transmitted through the at least two QoS streams; based on the first information and / or the second information, the QoS stream carrying the data packets is determined, the first information indicates that the multiple data packets of the same data stream are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS streams, and the second information is used to indicate the diversion transmission mechanism of the multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream.

[0027] Optionally, the user plane function obtains the first information from the data packet.

[0028] Optionally, the user plane function obtains the second information from the application function. For example, the second information may be data flow description information or data packet detection rules. Multiple data packets of the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) have at least two types of data flow description information or data packet detection rules. The second information may be used to indicate that the multiple data packets of the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows when transmitted over the 5G network.

[0029] Optionally, the user plane function obtains the second information from the session management function SMF.

[0030] In this embodiment of the present application, after receiving multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, the UPF determines, based on the first information and / or the second information, that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are to be transmitted in at least two QoS flows. This satisfies the different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU SET, improves data transmission quality, and enhances user experience.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes: the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to the different QoS flows carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; the second information includes: the association relationship between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow; determining the QoS flow carrying the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, including: determining the QoS flow associated with the importance information of the data packet based on the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and / or the association relationship between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow, and the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

[0032] In one example, the user plane function determines the importance of a packet based on its importance information, and then determines the QoS flow corresponding to the packet based on the importance. For example, within the same PDU SET, packets with high importance use a high-priority QoS flow, while packets with low importance use a low-priority QoS flow. For another example, within the same PDU SET, packets carrying geometry data use a high-priority QoS flow, while packets carrying attribute data use a low-priority QoS flow.

[0033] In another example, the user plane function determines the QoS flow corresponding to the data packet based on the association between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET. For example, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information related to the data packet, the user plane function determines the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET based on the association. The user plane function then determines the QoS flow as the QoS flow carrying the data packet.

[0034] Optionally, the importance information may be replaced by other information, including but not limited to: priority information, transmission delay information, packet error rate information, or packet loss rate information.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the user plane function can determine the QOS flow carrying the data packet in a variety of ways, thereby enabling multiple data packets of the same PDU SET to be transmitted in at least two QOS flows, thereby improving the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the encoding method of the data packet, and the importance of the data packet is determined based on the encoding method of the data packet. Alternatively, the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the data type of the data packet, and the importance of the data packet is determined based on the data type of the data packet. Importance information can be represented by the encoding method of the data packet or by the data type of the data packet. Indicating the importance of a data packet in multiple ways increases the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET carries importance information of the data packet. The data packet can carry the importance information of the data packet, thereby enabling offloaded transmission of multiple data packets of the same PDU SET across at least two QoS flows with low signaling overhead.

[0038] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, determining the QoS flow that carries the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information includes: determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs according to the first information and / or the second information, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet; determining the QoS flow corresponding to the sub-PDU SET according to the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, and the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

[0039] Specifically, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information (e.g., information of the sub-PDU SET), the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET is determined based on the second information. This QoS flow is then selected as the QoS flow carrying the data packet. For example, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, the QoS flow, QoS parameters, or QoS requirements corresponding to the sub-PDU SET are determined based on the second information. Furthermore, based on the QoS flow, QoS parameters, or QoS requirements corresponding to the sub-PDU SET, the QoS flow carrying the data packet is determined. In the embodiment of the present application, the user plane function can determine the QoS flow carrying the data packet in a variety of ways, thereby enabling multiple data packets of the same PDU SET to be transmitted in at least two QoS flows, thereby improving the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the second information includes: packet detection rules for multiple sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET; and determining, based on the first information and / or the second information, the sub-PDU SET to which the packet belonging to the same PDU SET belongs, includes: detecting data of the packet according to the packet detection rules for the multiple sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET to determine the sub-PDU SET to which the packet belongs. Specifically, detecting data of the packet according to the packet detection rules for the multiple sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET to determine the sub-PDU SET to which the packet belongs. Then, based on the sub-PDU SET to which the packet belongs, determining a QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET. Then, using the QoS flow as the QoS flow carrying the packet. In this embodiment of the present application, the user plane function can determine the QoS flow carrying the packet using multiple methods, thereby enabling transmission of multiple packets of the same PDU SET across at least two QoS flows, thereby improving the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes: an association between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the Quality of Service (QoS) flow carrying the sub-PDU SET; and determining the QoS flow carrying the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information includes: determining a QoS flow corresponding to the data packet based on the association between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET, the QoS flow used to carry the data packet. Specifically, the user plane function determines the QoS flow corresponding to the data packet based on the association between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET. For example, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information related to the data packet, the user plane function determines the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET based on the association. The QoS flow is then determined as the QoS flow carrying the data packet. In this embodiment of the present application, the user plane function can determine the QoS flow carrying the data packet in a variety of ways, thereby enabling transmission of multiple data packets from the same PDU SET across at least two QoS flows, thereby increasing the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: obtaining, based on the data packet and the first information, a data packet including the first information; and mapping the data packet including the first information to the QoS flow for transmission. By transmitting the first information related to the data packet to the access network device in a follow-the-flow manner, signaling overhead is reduced.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation method of the second aspect, obtaining the data packet including the first information based on the data packet and the first information includes: adding the first information to the GTP-U message header of the data packet to obtain the data packet including the first information.

[0044] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method based on a protocol data unit set, which is applied to an access network device RAN. It should be noted that the method proposed in the third aspect can also be applied to other devices or hardware or software modules that can implement the functions of the access network device. The method includes:

[0045] Receive multiple data packets of the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET); determine a data radio bearer (DRB) that carries the data packets based on first information and / or second information, wherein the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows, and the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; map the data packets to the DRB determined to carry the data packets.

[0046] In another possible implementation, multiple data packets belonging to the same data flow are received, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same data flow are transmitted through the at least two QoS flows; based on the first information and / or the second information, a wireless data bearer carrying the data packets is determined, the first information indicates that the multiple data packets of the same data flow are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same data flow. In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, the RAN determines that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows based on the first information and / or the second information, and then maps the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET to corresponding DRBs and transmits them to the terminal device. The multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET can be mapped to at least one DRB. Through the above method, different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU SET are met, data transmission quality is improved, and user experience is enhanced.

[0047] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the data radio bearer DRB that carries the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information includes: determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information and / or the second information, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet; determining the DRB corresponding to the sub-PDU SET based on the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, and the DRB is used to carry the data packet.

[0048] Specifically, when the access network device receives a data packet from the user plane function, it determines the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information corresponding to the data packet (for example, the first information carried in the data packet) and / or the second information. Then, based on the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, the DRB corresponding to the sub-PDU SET is determined. The access network device maps the data packet to the DRB for transmission. The access network device determines the DRB to transmit the data packet based on the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, and implements the diversion and transmission of multiple data packets of the same PDU SET in at least one DRB through various methods, thereby meeting the different QOS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU SET, improving the data transmission quality, and improving the user experience.

[0049] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the corresponding DRB according to the sub-PDU SET of the data packet belonging to the same PDU SET includes: determining the DRB that meets the QoS parameter requirements of the sub-PDU SET according to the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET.

[0050] Specifically, the QoS parameters corresponding to the sub-PDU SET are determined based on the second information (for example, a QoS template profile obtained from the SMF, where the QoS profile includes the QoS parameters corresponding to the sub-PDU SET). Then, based on the QoS parameters, a DRB that meets the QoS parameter requirements is determined, and the DRB is determined as the DRB that carries the data packet.

[0051] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following: the delay budget of the sub-PDU SET sub PDU SET delay budget, the bit error rate of the sub-PDU SET sub PDU SET error rate, or the integrated processing information of the sub-PDU SET sub PDU Set Integrated Handling Information.

[0052] In conjunction with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes: determining a retransmission mechanism for the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. Specifically, the retransmission mechanism may indicate which data packets in the same PDU SET require retransmission upon packet loss and which data packets do not require retransmission upon packet loss. The retransmission mechanism may also indicate a retransmission count for each data packet in the same PDU SET upon packet loss. This achieves meeting the service requirements of multiple services, improving data transmission quality, and enhancing the user experience.

[0053] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the retransmission mechanism of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information includes: determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information and / or the second information; and determining the retransmission mechanism of the data packet based on the sub-PDU SET.

[0054] Optionally, the access network device may also determine a retransmission mechanism for the data packet based on the importance information of the data packet. In the embodiment of the present application, the access network device determines a retransmission mechanism for the data packet through multiple methods, thereby improving the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0055] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, determining the retransmission mechanism of the data packet includes: determining the retransmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, wherein the retransmission priority indicates the priority of the access network device for retransmitting the data packet when the data packet is lost; and determining the retransmission mechanism of the data packet based on the retransmission priority of the data packet. Regarding the retransmission priority, it indicates the priority of the access network device for retransmitting the data packet when the data packet is lost. For example, when a data packet with a high retransmission priority is lost, the access network device retransmits it first. For another example, when a data packet in the retransmission priority is lost, the access network device retransmits the data packet in the retransmission priority after completing the retransmission of the data packet with the high retransmission priority. For another example, when a data packet with a low retransmission priority is lost, the access network device does not retransmit the data packet with the low retransmission priority.

[0056] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the retransmission priority of the data packet is determined based on the first information and / or the second information, including: the first information includes: the importance information of the data packet; the retransmission priority of the data packet is determined based on the first information and / or the second information, including: based on the importance information of the data packet, the retransmission priority corresponding to the importance information is determined.

[0057] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the second information includes: the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET; determining the retransmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, including: determining the QoS parameters corresponding to the data packet from the second information; determining the retransmission priority of the data packet based on the QoS parameters corresponding to the data packet.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device can determine the retransmission priority of the data packet in a variety of ways, thereby improving the implementation flexibility of the solution.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, determining the retransmission mechanism of the data packet according to the retransmission priority of the data packet includes: the packet data convergence layer protocol PDCP layer of the RAN obtains or determines the retransmission priority of the data packet; the PDCP layer of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the data packet, where the transmission status includes transmission success or transmission failure; the PDCP layer of the RAN determines the retransmission mechanism of the data packet according to the transmission status of the data packet and the retransmission priority of the data packet.

[0060] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the PDCP layer of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, including: the PDCP layer of the RAN receives a status report sent by the radio link control RLC layer of the RAN, where the status report includes the transmission status of the data packet; and the PDCP layer of the RAN obtains or determines the transmission status of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET according to the status report sent by the RLC layer.

[0061] Alternatively, the PDCP layer of the RAN subscribes to the data packet transmission status of the RLC layer of the RAN; and the PDCP layer of the RAN receives the transmission status of the data packet sent by the RLC layer of the RAN.

[0062] With reference to the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of the RAN includes a first PDCP layer, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET include a first data packet, and the first data packet belongs to a first sub-PDU SET included in the same PDU SET;

[0063] Determining the retransmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information includes:

[0064] determining, by the control plane CU of the RAN, a retransmission priority of the first data packet according to the second information and / or the first information of the first data packet;

[0065] Determining a retransmission mechanism for the data packet according to the retransmission priority of the data packet includes:

[0066] The CU of the RAN obtains a transmission status of the first data packet from a first PDCP layer or a first RLC layer of the RAN;

[0067] The CU of the RAN determines a retransmission mechanism for the first data packet according to a transmission status of the first data packet and a retransmission priority of the first data packet;

[0068] The CU of the RAN indicates a retransmission mechanism of the first data packet to a first PDCP layer or a first RLC layer of the RAN.

[0069] With reference to the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the control plane CU of the RAN acquiring the transmission status of the first data packet from the first PDCP layer includes:

[0070] The CU of the RAN receives a status report sent by a first PDCP layer or a first RLC layer of the RAN, where the status report includes a transmission status of the first data packet;

[0071] or,

[0072] The CU of the RAN subscribes to the data packet transmission status of the first PDCP layer or the first RLC layer of the RAN;

[0073] The CU of the RAN receives the transmission status of the first data packet sent by the first PDCP layer or the first RLC layer of the RAN.

[0074] With reference to the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the PDCP layer of the RAN further includes a second PDCP layer, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET further include a second data packet, the second data packet belongs to a second sub-PDU SET included in the same PDU SET, and the data packet of the first sub-PDU SET and the data packet of the second sub-PDU SET are transmitted in different QoS flows.

[0075] Determining the retransmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information includes:

[0076] determining, by the control plane CU of the RAN, a retransmission priority of the second data packet according to the second information and / or the first information of the second data packet;

[0077] Determining a retransmission mechanism for the data packet according to the retransmission priority of the data packet includes:

[0078] The CU of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the second data packet from the second PDCP layer or the second RLC layer of the RAN;

[0079] The CU of the RAN determines, according to a transmission status of the first data packet, a transmission status of the second data packet, a retransmission priority of the first data packet, and a retransmission priority of the second data packet, a retransmission mechanism for the first data packet and a retransmission mechanism for the second data packet;

[0080] The CU of the RAN indicates a retransmission mechanism of the first data packet to a first PDCP layer or a first RLC layer of the RAN;

[0081] The CU of the RAN indicates a retransmission mechanism of the second data packet to a second PDCP layer or a second RLC layer of the RAN.

[0082] With reference to the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the control plane CU of the RAN acquiring the transmission status of the second data packet from the second PDCP layer or the second RLC layer includes:

[0083] The CU of the RAN receives a status report sent by a second PDCP layer or a second RLC layer of the RAN, where the status report includes a transmission status of the second data packet;

[0084] or,

[0085] The CU of the RAN subscribes to the data packet transmission status of the second PDCP layer or the second RLC layer of the RAN;

[0086] The CU of the RAN receives the transmission status of the second data packet sent by the second PDCP layer or the second RLC layer of the RAN.

[0087] In conjunction with the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0088] Determining a transmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information, wherein the transmission priority indicates a priority of the access network device in transmitting the data packet;

[0089] A transmission mechanism for the data packet is determined according to the transmission priority of the data packet.

[0090] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, the first information includes any one or more of the following information:

[0091] Importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the importance information of the data packets indicates the QoS flow carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0092] The identity of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong;

[0093] The association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow that transmits the sub-PDU SET;

[0094] The first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0095] The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among the multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0096] The number of bits of the data packet of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0097] Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

[0098] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0099] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0100] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0101] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0102] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0103] The packet detection rules for multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0104] QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET;

[0105] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0106] In combination with the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect, the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following:

[0107] The delay budget of the sub PDU SET sub PDU SET delay budget, the bit error rate of the sub PDU SET sub PDU SET error rate, or the integrated handling information of the sub PDU SET sub PDU Set Integrated Handling Information.

[0108] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method based on a protocol data unit set, which is applied to a session management function SMF. It should be noted that the method proposed in the fourth aspect can also be applied to other devices or hardware or software modules with network functions that can implement session management functions. The method is summarized as follows:

[0109] Receive a policy and charging control (PCC) rule; generate second information according to the PCC rule, the second information being used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for multiple data packets of the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET); and send the second information.

[0110] For example, the SMF generates second information (e.g., QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET) according to the PCC rules. The SMF then sends the second information to the RAN. The SMF may send a QoS profile to the RAN, where the QoS profile includes the second information.

[0111] Optionally, the SMF can also set (or update) QoS parameters at the sub-PDU SET level based on PCC rules. For example, the SMF can set (or update) information such as the PER or PSER for different sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET based on PCC rules. The SMF then sends the QoS parameters at the sub-PDU SET level to the RAN.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, SMF can modify or add the first information and / or the second information according to actual needs to meet the business requirements of various services, improve the data transmission quality, and enhance the user experience.

[0113] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the second information includes: the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET.

[0114] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following: the delay budget of the sub-PDU SET sub PDU SET delay budget, the bit error rate of the sub-PDU SET sub PDU SET error rate, or the integrated processing information of the sub-PDU SET sub PDU Set Integrated Handling Information.

[0115] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the sub PDU SET delay budget in the QoS parameters of the multiple sub PDU SETs in the same PDU SET is the same. By setting the sub PDU SET delay budgets of the multiple sub PDU SETs in the same PDU SET to be the same, data packets of different sub PDU SETs in the same PDU SET can arrive at the terminal device simultaneously.

[0116] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the sub PDU SET delay budget in the QoS parameters of the multiple sub PDU SETs is determined according to the importance information of the multiple sub PDU SETs in the same PDU SET.

[0117] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the PSDB belonging to the same PDU SET is greater than or equal to the sub PDU SET delay budget in the QoS parameters of the multiple sub PDU SETs included in the same PDU SET. The delay budget of a sub PDU SET in the same PDU SET must not be greater than the delay budget of the PDU SET to avoid transmission failure.

[0118] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the second information further includes at least one of the following:

[0119] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0120] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0121] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0122] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0123] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0124] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method based on a protocol data unit set, which is applied to a policy control function (PCF). The method includes:

[0125] Receive second information, where the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for data packets of a first protocol data unit set (PDU SET); generate a policy and charging control (PCC) rule based on the second information; and send the PCC rule, where the PCC rule includes information indicating that multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0126] In the embodiment of the present application, the PCF can modify or add the first information and / or the second information according to actual needs to meet the business requirements of various services, improve the data transmission quality, and enhance the user experience.

[0127] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0128] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0129] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0130] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0131] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0132] The packet detection rules for multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0133] QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET;

[0134] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0135] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to application function AF, and includes: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0136] The transceiver module is further configured to send first information, where the first information is configured to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows;

[0137] The transceiver module is further configured to send the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted through the at least two QoS flows.

[0138] In one possible implementation, the first information includes: importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, and the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to different QoS flows carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0139] In a possible implementation, each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET carries importance information of the data packet.

[0140] In a possible implementation, the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the encoding method of the data packet, or the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the data type of the data packet.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and the first information further includes: an identity of the sub-PDU SET to which each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belongs, and each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet.

[0142] In a possible implementation manner, the first information includes: an association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send the data packets included in the same PDU SET, where the data packets carry the first information.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of the following information:

[0145] The first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0146] The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among the multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0147] The number of bits of the data packet of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0148] Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send second information, where the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0150] The second information includes at least one of the following information:

[0151] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0152] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0153] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0154] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0155] The packet detection rules for multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0156] QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET;

[0157] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0158] In one possible implementation, the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following:

[0159] The delay budget of the sub PDU SET sub PDU SET delay budget, the bit error rate of the sub PDU SET sub PDU SET error rate, or the integrated handling information of the sub PDU SET sub PDU Set Integrated Handling Information.

[0160] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to a user plane function (UPF). The communication device includes: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0161] The transceiver module is further configured to receive multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0162] The processing module is further used to determine the QoS flow carrying the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, wherein the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate the offload transmission mechanism of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the first information includes: importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to different QoS flows carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0164] The second information includes: an association between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow;

[0165] The processing module is also used to determine the QoS flow associated with the importance information of the data packet based on the importance information of each data packet in the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and / or the association relationship between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow, and the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

[0166] In one possible implementation,

[0167] the processing module is further configured to determine, based on the first information and / or the second information, a sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, wherein the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet;

[0168] The processing module is further configured to determine, based on the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, a QoS flow corresponding to the sub-PDU SET, where the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

[0169] In one possible implementation,

[0170] The second information includes: data packet detection rules belonging to multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET;

[0171] The processing module is further configured to detect data of the data packet according to the data packet detection rule of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, and determine the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs.

[0172] In one possible implementation,

[0173] The first information includes: an association between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the quality of service (QoS) flow carrying the sub-PDU SET;

[0174] The processing module is further configured to determine a QoS flow corresponding to the data packet according to an association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET, where the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

[0175] In one possible implementation,

[0176] The processing module is further configured to obtain a data packet including the first information based on the data packet and the first information;

[0177] The transceiver module is further configured to map the data packet including the first information to the QoS flow for transmission.

[0178] In a possible implementation, the first information includes any one or more of the following information:

[0179] Importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0180] The identity of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong;

[0181] The association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow that transmits the sub-PDU SET;

[0182] The first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0183] The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among the multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0184] The number of bits of the data packet of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0185] Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0187] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0188] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0189] Alternatively, the packet detection rules of multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0190] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to an access network device RAN, and includes: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0191] The transceiver module is further configured to receive multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET);

[0192] The processing module is further configured to determine a data radio bearer (DRB) that carries the data packet based on first information and / or second information, wherein the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows, and the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0193] The transceiver module is further configured to map the data packet to the DRB determined to carry the data packet.

[0194] In one possible implementation,

[0195] the processing module is further configured to determine, based on the first information and / or the second information, a sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, wherein the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet;

[0196] The processing module is further configured to determine, based on the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, the DRB corresponding to the sub-PDU SET, where the DRB is used to carry the data packet.

[0197] In one possible implementation,

[0198] The processing module is further configured to determine a retransmission mechanism for the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0199] In one possible implementation,

[0200] The processing module is further configured to determine a retransmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, wherein the retransmission priority indicates a priority of the access network device for retransmitting the data packet when the data packet is lost;

[0201] The processing module is further configured to determine a retransmission mechanism for the data packet according to the retransmission priority of the data packet.

[0202] In one possible implementation,

[0203] The processing module is further configured to determine a transmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, wherein the transmission priority indicates a priority of the access network device in transmitting the data packet;

[0204] The processing module is further configured to determine a transmission mechanism for the data packet according to the transmission priority of the data packet.

[0205] In a possible implementation, the first information includes any one or more of the following information:

[0206] Importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the importance information of the data packets indicates the QoS flow carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0207] The identity of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong;

[0208] The association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow that transmits the sub-PDU SET;

[0209] The first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0210] The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among the multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0211] The number of bits of the data packet of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET;

[0212] Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

[0213] In a possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0214] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0215] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0216] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0217] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0218] The packet detection rules for multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0219] QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET;

[0220] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0221] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device session management function SMF, the communication device including: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0222] The transceiver module is further used to receive a policy and charging control (PCC) rule; generate second information according to the PCC rule, the second information being used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for multiple data packets of the first protocol data unit set (PDU SET); and send the second information.

[0223] In a possible implementation, the second information includes: the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET.

[0224] In a possible implementation, the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following: a delay budget of the sub-PDU SET, a bit error rate of the sub-PDU SET, or integrated handling information of the sub-PDU SET.

[0225] In a possible implementation, the sub PDU SET delay budget in the QoS parameters of the sub PDU SETs of the multiple sub PDU SETs in the same PDU SET is the same.

[0226] In one possible implementation,

[0227] The processing module is further configured to determine, according to the importance information of the multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the sub PDU SET delay budget in the QoS parameters of the multiple sub-PDU SETs.

[0228] In a possible implementation manner, the PSDB belonging to the same PDU SET is greater than or equal to the sub PDU SET delay budget in the QoS parameters of the multiple sub PDU SETs included in the same PDU SET.

[0229] In one possible implementation, at least one of the following is further included:

[0230] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0231] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0232] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0233] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0234] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0235] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to a policy control function (PCF). The communication device includes: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0236] The transceiver module is further configured to receive second information, where the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for data packets of the first protocol data unit set (PDU SET);

[0237] The processing module is further configured to generate a policy and charging control (PCC) rule based on the second information;

[0238] The transceiver module is further configured to send the PCC rule, where the PCC rule includes information indicating that the multiple data packets included in the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0239] In a possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0240] The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow;

[0241] The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0242] The association between the importance information and QoS parameters of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0243] Offload transmission indication information, where the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information;

[0244] The packet detection rules for multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0245] QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET;

[0246] Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates the requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

[0247] In an eleventh aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which can implement the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above-mentioned method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be an application function, or the device can be a component in the application function (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the application function. Among them, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the communication device is a server with an application function.

[0248] The twelfth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which can implement the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above-mentioned method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be a user plane function, or the device can be a component in the user plane function (such as a processor, chip or chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the user plane function. Among them, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module.

[0249] In a thirteenth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which can implement the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be an access network device, or the device can be a component in the access network device (such as a processor, chip or chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the access network device. Among them, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module.

[0250] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which can implement the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above-mentioned method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be a session management function, or the device can be a component in the session management function (such as a processor, chip or chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the session management function. Among them, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module.

[0251] A fifteenth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which can implement the method in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect. The device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above method. The units or modules included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be a policy control function, or the device can be a component in the policy control function (such as a processor, chip or chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the policy control function. Among them, the communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module.

[0252] A sixteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor, which is coupled to a memory; the memory is used to store programs or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions so that the device implements any possible implementation method of the first to fifth aspects mentioned above.

[0253] A seventeenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signaling or data; and a processor for executing a computer-executable program so that the device implements any possible implementation method of the first to fifth aspects mentioned above.

[0254] In aspect 18 of an embodiment of the present application, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the input / output interface is used to input or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method in any possible implementation manner as described in the first to fifth aspects above.

[0255] A nineteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product (or computer program). When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, and any possible implementation method.

[0256] The twentieth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting a communication device to implement the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, and any possible implementation method.

[0257] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components. Optionally, the chip system may further include an interface circuit for providing program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0258] A twenty-first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device of the sixth aspect, the communication device of the seventh aspect, the communication device of the eighth aspect, the communication device of the ninth aspect and / or the communication device of the tenth aspect.

[0259] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the sixth to twenty-first aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by the different implementation methods in the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] A twenty-second aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method based on a protocol data unit set, the method being applied to a communication system, the communication system including an application function and a user plane function, the method comprising:

[0261] The application function sends first information, where the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows;

[0262] The application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0263] The user plane function receives the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0264] The user plane function determines the QoS flow that carries the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information.

[0265] In a possible implementation, the communication system further includes an access network device, and the method further includes:

[0266] The access network device receives the multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET;

[0267] The access network device determines, according to the first information and / or the second information, a data radio bearer DRB that carries the data packet;

[0268] The access network device maps the data packet to the DRB determined to carry the data packet.

[0269] In a twenty-third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication method based on a protocol data unit set is provided. The method is applied to a communication system, the communication system including a user plane function and an access network device, and the method includes:

[0270] The user plane function receives multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0271] The user plane function determines, based on the first information and / or the second information, a QoS flow that carries the data packet, wherein the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET;

[0272] The access network device receives the multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET;

[0273] The access network device determines a data radio bearer (DRB) that carries the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information;

[0274] The access network device maps the data packet to the DRB determined to carry the data packet.

[0275] In a possible implementation, the communication system further includes an application function, and the method further includes:

[0276] The application function sends the first information;

[0277] The application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0278] It should be understood that, for components in a device, the “sending” mentioned above may be referred to as “output” and the “receiving” may be referred to as “input”. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0279] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0280] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a processing flow of a PDU set;

[0281] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a media frame of 3D MVC;

[0282] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0283] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a sub-PDU SET according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0284] FIG6 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0285] FIG7 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0286] FIG8 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0287] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a first PDU SET in an embodiment of the present application;

[0288] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a data packet transmission in an embodiment of the present application;

[0289] FIG11 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0290] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another data packet transmission in an embodiment of the present application;

[0291] FIG13 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0292] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario proposed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0293] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0294] FIG16 is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided by the present application;

[0295] FIG17 is another schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0296] FIG18 is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0297] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. The terms "first", "second" and corresponding terminology labels in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate, and this is merely a way of distinguishing objects of the same properties when describing the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, so that a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of units is not necessarily limited to those units, but may include other units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0298] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more items, and "multiple items" refers to two or more items. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0299] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system, new generation (NR) communication system or future sixth generation communication system, etc.

[0300] The part of various communication systems operated by operators can be called an operator network. The operator network can also be called a public land mobile network (PLMN) network, which is a network established and operated by the government or an operator approved by the government for the purpose of providing land mobile communication services to the public. It is mainly a public network in which mobile network operators (MNOs) provide mobile broadband access services to users. The operator network or PLMN network described in the embodiments of the present application can be a network that meets the requirements of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standards, referred to as a 3GPP network. Usually, 3GPP networks are operated by operators, including but not limited to fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication networks, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication networks or third-generation (3G) mobile communication technology networks. It also includes the future sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication network.

[0301] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a unified data management (UDM), a radio access network (RAN), a policy control function (PCF), terminal equipment, a user plane function (UPF), a network exposure function (NEF), an application function (AF), and a data network (DN), etc.

[0302] The following is a brief introduction to each network function (or network element) shown in FIG1 .

[0303] Terminal equipment: can be called user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0304] The terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data to users, for example, a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with a wireless connection function. At present, some examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile communication networks, etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0305] 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.

[0306] In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0307] It should be noted that the terminal device and the access network device can communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology (such as NR or LTE technology). The terminal devices can also communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology (such as NR or LTE technology).

[0308] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may be replaced by a device for implementing the functions of the terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system or chip, which may be installed in the terminal device. In addition, the chip system may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0309] An access network device (also known as a wireless access network) may be a device with wireless transceiver functions. The access network device may be a device that provides wireless communication function services, usually located on the network side, including but not limited to: a next-generation base station (gNodeB, gNB) in a fifth-generation communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (mobile communication system), a base station in a future mobile communication system or an access node in a WiFi system, etc., an evolved node B (eNB) in an LTE system, a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a wireless access point, a base band unit (BBU), a transmission reception point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a base transceiver station (BTS), etc. In a network structure, the access network device may include a centralized unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (CU) node. The access network device provides services for the cell, and the user equipment communicates with the base station through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to a base station (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 cell here can include: a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services. The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station (, and can also be a relay node or a donor node. The device that provides wireless communication services to user equipment in the V2X communication system, the cloud radio access network (cloud radio access The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the access network equipment.

[0310] The unified data management element (UDME) (also known as the unified data management network element, unified data management network element entity, data management device, or unified data management network element device) is a core network device that primarily handles terminal device identification, access authentication, registration, and mobility management. The UDM is a control plane device.

[0311] Policy control function (also known as policy control network element, policy control function network element, policy control equipment, policy control function network element entity, etc.): mainly responsible for billing at the session and service flow level, service quality bandwidth guarantee and mobility management, terminal device policy decision-making and other policy control function network elements.

[0312] Session management function (also called session management function network element): mainly performs session management, execution of control policies issued by PCF, selection of UPF, allocation of Internet Protocol addresses for terminal devices, etc.

[0313] The access and mobility management function (also known as access and mobility management function entity, access and mobility management device, access and mobility management function network element, access management device, mobility management device) is a type of core network equipment, mainly used for mobility management and access management, etc. It can be used to implement other functions of the mobility management entity (MME) in addition to session management, such as lawful interception, or access authorization (or authentication), user equipment registration, mobility management, tracking area update process, reachability detection, selection of session management network element, mobile state transition management, etc.

[0314] User plane functions (also known as user plane equipment, user plane functional network element, user plane network element, user plane functional entity): mainly include the following functions: data packet routing and transmission, packet detection, service usage reporting, QoS processing, legal monitoring, uplink packet detection, downlink data packet storage and other user plane related functions.

[0315] The application function (AF) is similar to an application server, interacting with other 5G core network control planes (NFs) to provide business services. AFs can exist for different application services and can be owned by operators or trusted third parties. For example, this network element's primary function is to communicate the PCF with the latest third-party enterprise business requirements for a particular application. Based on these requirements, the PCF generates corresponding quality of service (QoS) rules to ensure that the services provided by the network meet the third-party's requirements.

[0316] Network Exposure Function (NEF) can also be referred to as network exposure equipment, network exposure functional entity, network exposure function network element, network capability exposure functional entity, network capability exposure functional equipment, network capability exposure function network element, or network capability exposure equipment. NEF is primarily used to support the exposure of capabilities and events, such as securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to the outside world.

[0317] It should be understood that the RAN, SMF, PCF or AF in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a communication device or communication equipment, which may be a general device or a dedicated device, and the present application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0318] It should also be understood that the above naming is only used to distinguish different functions, and does not mean that these devices are independent physical devices. This application does not limit the specific form of the above devices. For example, they can be integrated into the same physical device, or they can be different physical devices. In actual deployment, network functions (or simply referred to as functions), network elements or devices can be combined. For example, the access and mobility management function network element can be combined with the session management function network element; the session management function network element can be combined with the user plane function network element. When two functions are combined, the interaction between the two functions provided in the embodiment of the present application becomes the internal operation of the combined function or can be omitted.

[0319] It is understandable that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0320] It should be noted that the naming of each device in Figure 1 (such as AF, SMF, PCF, AMF, etc.) is only a name, and the name does not limit the function of the device itself. In 5G networks and other future networks, the above-mentioned devices may also have other names, and this application does not specifically limit this. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may use the terminology in 5G, or may be other names, etc., which are uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0321] It should be noted that the exemplary examples mentioned in this application do not represent the optimal ones; the first, second, etc. mentioned in this application are only used to distinguish different information, messages or other objects, and do not represent a sequential relationship; in addition, the various embodiments in this application can refer to and learn from each other, and the same or similar steps or nouns will not be repeated one by one.

[0322] In order to better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, some technical concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application are introduced below.

[0323] 1. Network coding (NC).

[0324] The network coding function in this application includes network coding the original data packet and adding a coded packet header. The network coding function may also include the process of processing the original data unit, such as the service data unit (SDU) or the protocol data unit (PDU), to obtain the original data packet. The processing may include one or more of segmentation, concatenation, or padding. The network coding function of the sending end corresponds to the network decoding function of the receiving end. The receiving end can recover K original data packets by decoding at least K coded packets that are successfully received together, where K is a positive integer. The protocol layer with the network coding function or the decoding function corresponding to the network coding is called the network coding / decoding layer. In this application, the network coding / decoding layer is referred to as the network coding layer, that is, the above-mentioned protocol layer with network coding is called the network coding layer.

[0325] The network coding layer may be a protocol layer such as the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, or the physical layer (PHY). The network coding layer may also be a new protocol layer in addition to the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, BAP layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and RRC layer. It may be a network coding layer added above the PDCP layer (for example, in 5G NR, a network coding layer is added between the PDCP layer and the SDAP layer), or a network coding layer added above the BAP layer, or a network coding layer added between the PDCP layer and the RLC layer, or a network coding layer added between the RLC layer and the MAC layer, or a network coding layer added between the MAC layer and the PHY layer.

[0326] Taking the data packets included in a PDU set (or PDU set, or PDU Set) as an example, a PDU set includes Internet Protocol (IP) packets, which are data packets with PDU granularity. The data packets included in a PDU set can also be called PDU packets, or PDUs, or simply packets.

[0327] At the SDAP layer, the IP packet is treated as an SDAP SDU and the SDAP SDU header (H) is added. The SDAP layer then forwards the SDAP SDU and the header added by the SDAP layer as a complete data packet (for ease of description, this complete data packet is referred to as an SDAP data packet) to the PDCP layer.

[0328] At the PDCP layer, the SDAP data packet is treated as a PDCP SDU and a data packet header of the PDCP SDU is added. The PDCP layer then forwards the PDCP SDU and the header added by the PDCP layer as a complete data packet (for ease of description, the complete data packet is referred to as a PDCP data packet) to the RLC layer.

[0329] At the RLC layer, the PDCP data packet is treated as an RLC SDU and an RLC SDU header is added. The RLC layer then forwards the RLC SDU and the header added by the RLC layer as a complete data packet (for ease of description, this complete data packet is referred to as an RLC data packet) to the MAC layer. It should be noted that the RLC layer can segment the PDCP data packet. For example, the PDCP data packet corresponding to the mth IP packet is segmented into two service data unit segments (SDU segments) at the RLC layer. The RLC layer treats the SDU segments as RLC SDUs and then adds headers to each of them.

[0330] At the MAC layer, the RLC data packet is treated as a MAC SDU and a MAC SDU data packet header is added. The MAC layer concatenates one or more MAC SDUs and their corresponding headers to form a MAC PDU.

[0331] It should be noted that the data packet in the embodiments of the present application may be a protocol data unit (PDU) or a service data unit (SDU), such as a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) SDU, a packet data convergence layer protocol (PDCP) SDU, a radio link control (RLC) SDU, or a media access control (MAC) SDU. It is understood that the data packet sent from the user plane function (UPF) to the access network device may be in the format of a protocol data unit. When the access network device receives the data packet from the SDAP layer, the data packet may be converted into an SDAP SDU format. When the data packet is transmitted from the SDAP layer to the PDCP layer, it is converted into a PDCP SDU upon reaching the PDCP layer. Similarly, upon reaching the RLC layer, the data packet is converted into an RLC SDU. Upon reaching the MAC layer, the data packet is converted into a MAC SDU. The data unit of the data packet granularity processed by each layer may be different. It is understood that the data packet in the embodiments of the present application may also be a data unit of other granularity, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0332] 2. PDU Set. A PDU set can also be called a PDU collection. A PDU set includes one or more PDU data packets. The following describes the processing flow of a PDU set in the 5G system (5GS) with reference to the accompanying figures. Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the processing flow of a PDU set.

[0333] R1 and the AF send an AF request to the PCF. The AF request carries information related to the PDU SET. This PDU SET-related information may also be referred to as PDU SET information. This PDU SET-related information includes protocol description, QoS parameters for the PDU SET, and / or QoS requirements for the PDU SET. The QoS parameters for the PDU SET include: PDU Set Delay Budget (PSDB), PDU Set Error Rate (PSER), and / or PDU Set Integrated Handling Information (PSIHI).

[0334] The PDU SET information specifically includes any one or more of the following information: PDU Set Sequence Number, Indication of End PDU of the PDU Set, PDU Sequence Number within a PDU Set, PDU Set Size in bytes, or PDU Set Importance, which identifies the relative importance of a PDU Set compared to other PDU Sets within a QoS Flow.

[0335] Accordingly, the PCF generates policy and charging control (PCC) rules related to the PDU SET based on the PDU SET related information provided by the AF and transmits the PCC rules related to the PDU SET to the SMF.

[0336] Correspondingly, the SMF obtains the QoS parameters related to the PDU SET and the detection rules of the PDU SET according to the PCC rules.

[0337] R2a. AF sends PDU SET identification information (PDU SET identification) to UPF.

[0338] R2b and SMF send the QoS parameters of the PDU SET to the RAN through the AMF.

[0339] R3 and the UPF identify data packets belonging to the same PDU SET based on the PDU SET identification information. They then include the PDU SET information of the PDU SET to which the data packets belong in the general packet radio service tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) header of the data packets. The UPF transmits the PDU SET information to the RAN by sending data packets carrying the PDU SET information to the RAN.

[0340] 3. Point cloud data

[0341] Point cloud data, or 3D point cloud data, refers to a collection of vectors in a three-dimensional coordinate system. Point cloud data is obtained by scanning an environment using a laser sensor (such as a lidar) or a camera array. Point cloud data is recorded as points, each of which contains three-dimensional coordinates.

[0342] In some cases, the points in the point cloud data may include information such as their position in space and reflection intensity. Reflection intensity information refers to the echo intensity collected by the laser scanner receiving device. This reflection intensity information is related to the target's surface material, roughness, angle of incidence, and the instrument's emission energy and laser wavelength. For example, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) can be used to collect three-dimensional point cloud data of a scene. The measured point cloud data is a discrete point representation of a digital surface model (DSM), which contains spatial three-dimensional information and laser intensity information.

[0343] In other cases, points in point cloud data may include information such as their spatial location, color, reflectivity, or normal vectors. Point cloud data can be used in a variety of applications, such as 3D immersive telepresence, virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), 3D video playback, geographic information systems, cultural heritage, 3D dynamic map-based navigation, and intelligent driving applications.

[0344] 4. 3D media frame.

[0345] The media frames in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as multimedia audio and video frames, or video frames. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. In a 3D scene, 3D expression can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as through point cloud data, or through multi-viewpoint (or single viewpoint left and right eye data) data. 3D media frames can support multi-data stream transmission.

[0346] First, we introduce the realization of 3D expression through point cloud data:

[0347] Point cloud data in a 3D scene can be divided into geometric data (or geometric data stream) and attribute data (or attribute data stream) according to the attributes of the data. Geometric data includes the coordinate information of the points corresponding to the point cloud data in the three-dimensional coordinate system and is the basic information of the point cloud data. Attribute data includes the attribute information of the points corresponding to the point cloud data, such as color information, reflectivity information, or normal vector information. Attribute data needs to be based on geometric data, so the encoding and decoding of attribute data needs to rely on geometric data. Geometric data is more important than attribute data.

[0348] Taking video-based point cloud compression (V-PCC) as an example, the specific encoding and decoding method is as follows: the encoder projects the original 3D point cloud data into a 2D space with different angles. Then, a 2D video encoder processes this data to obtain various data types, including geometric data and attribute data. The geometric data stream corresponding to the geometric data and the attribute data stream corresponding to the attribute data are packaged into a V-PCC data stream. The decoder decodes the V-PCC data stream to obtain the collection data and attribute data.

[0349] Next, we will introduce how to achieve 3D expression through multi-viewpoint (or single-viewpoint left and right eye data) data:

[0350] Taking 3D multiview video coding (MVC) as an example, traditional 2D video encoding generally refers to previous and next frames, leveraging the correlation between previous and next images for compression encoding. 3D video can be encoded using traditional 2D video coding techniques for the left and right eyes separately, but there is obviously a high correlation between the left and right eye images. Therefore, in 3D MVC, the right eye (left eye) is encoded with reference to not only the previous and next frames, but also the left eye (right eye). For example, Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a 3D MVC media frame. In 3D MVC, each frame carries left-eye (L) and right-eye (R) video data. Typically, the right-eye video data is encoded based on the left-eye video data, so the left-eye video data is more important than the right-eye video data.

[0351] In 3D MVC, each media frame can carry not only single-view left-eye and right-eye video data, but also multi-view video data. When each media frame carries multi-view video data, successfully transmitting the video data for some of the views enables correct decoding of that media frame. For example, each media frame carries video data for nine views, and successfully transmitting the video data for view 0 and the current view enables successful decoding of that media frame. Therefore, the video data for view 0 and the current view are more important than the video data for other views.

[0352] As can be seen from the above description, different data packets within the same media frame may have different importance or QoS requirements. Accordingly, a PDU SET carrying the media frame may include multiple data packets with different importance or QoS requirements. This places new demands on the PDU SET transmission mechanism.

[0353] It should be noted that multiple data packets transmitted in the same PDU Set refer to the multiple data packets having the same Internet Protocol IP five-tuple information. The IP five-tuple information includes: destination IP address, destination port number, source IP address, source port number, and protocol type. Similar to "multiple data packets transmitted in the same PDU Set", multiple data packets transmitted in the same data stream have the same IP five-tuple information. Therefore, multiple data packets with the same IP five-tuple information may be mapped to the same QoS flow for transmission, that is, multiple data packets transmitted in the same data flow may also be mapped to the same QoS flow for transmission. Multiple data packets transmitted in the same data flow may have differentiated QoS transmission requirements. Therefore, new requirements are also put forward for the transmission mechanism of data streams.

[0354] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method based on a protocol data unit set. First information is sent, and the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) are transmitted in at least two quality of service (QoS) flows. The multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are sent so that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET sent by the AF can be transmitted through the at least two QoS flows. By sending the first information, multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are split and transmitted in at least two QoS flows to meet the different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU SET.

[0355] It can be understood that the communication method based on the protocol data unit set proposed in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to the scenario where multiple data packets of the same data stream are transmitted. The specific implementation method is similar to the scenario where multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are transmitted, and will not be described in detail. Specifically, the communication method based on the protocol data unit set proposed in the embodiment of the present application also includes: the application function sends a first information, and the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows; the application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same data stream, so that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET sent by the AF are transmitted through the at least two QoS flows after being received by the receiving end. By sending the first information, multiple data packets of the same data stream are diverted and transmitted in at least two QoS flows to meet the different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same data stream.

[0356] Below, embodiments of the present application are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flow chart of an embodiment of a communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application. A communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0357] First, let's introduce the sub-PDU SET. For ease of understanding, please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of a sub-PDU SET in an embodiment of the present application. For example, the sub-PDU SET proposed in the embodiment of the present application is a subset of the PDU SET. The sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet. The data packets included in the sub-PDU SET belong to the PDU SET, and the PDU SET includes multiple sub-PDU SETs. The sub-PDU SET can also be referred to as a PDU SET subset or other names. For example, if the PDU SET is called a media frame, video frame, data frame, or frame, then the multiple sub-PDU SETs included in the PDU SET are called sub-media frames, sub-video frames, sub-data frames, or sub-frames. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0358] Regarding the transmission of the first information from the application function to the user plane function, there are multiple possible implementations, including: method (1), the first information and the data packet are independent of each other; method (2), the first information is carried in the data packet and sent along with the flow. Each of these methods is described below.

[0359] Method (1):

[0360] S1. The application function sends first information to the user plane function, where the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two QoS flows.

[0361] In step S1, the application function sends first information to the user plane function.

[0362] In a possible implementation, the first information is used to instruct multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET to be transmitted in at least two QoS flows to meet different QoS requirements of different data packets in the same PDU SET.

[0363] Regarding the first information, the present application embodiment proposes one or more of the following possible implementations, which are described below:

[0364] Method A: The first information includes the importance information of each data packet in the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET (which can be called PDU importance information). The importance information of each data packet in the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to the different QoS flows that carry each data packet belonging to the same PDU SET. For example, PDU SET #1 includes data packet #1, data packet #2, and data packet #3. The importance information of data packet #1 corresponds to QoS flow #1, which is used to carry data packet #1; the importance information of data packet #2 corresponds to QoS flow #2, which is used to carry data packet #2; and the importance information of data packet #3 corresponds to QoS flow #3, which is used to carry data packet #3.

[0365] Furthermore, there are multiple possible implementations of importance information, which are described below:

[0366] In one possible implementation, the importance information explicitly indicates the importance of the data packet. For example, the importance information includes a field, a bit, or a numerical value, and the importance of the data packet associated with the importance information is explicitly indicated by the field, bit, or numerical value included in the importance information. For example, the importance information of data packet #1 is "low", indicating that the importance of data packet #1 is low; the importance information of data packet #2 is "high", indicating that the importance of data packet #2 is high. For another example, the importance information of data packet #1 is "0", indicating that the importance of data packet #1 is low; the importance information of data packet #2 is "1", indicating that the importance of data packet #2 is high. Furthermore, the importance information can be carried in the packet header of the data packet.

[0367] In yet another possible implementation, the importance information implicitly indicates the importance of the data packet.

[0368] For example, the importance information is represented by the data packet encoding method, and the importance of the data packet is determined by the encoding method of the data packet. Exemplarily, the packet header of the data packet includes a type field, and the type field indicates the encoding method of the data packet. The type field can also be used as the importance information of the data packet. In other words, the importance of the data packet is determined by the type field. Taking the example that multiple data packets of the same PDU SET belong to the same 3D media frame, the multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are encoded using V-PCC. Among the multiple data packets of the same PDU SET, the packet header includes a network abstraction layer message header (NAL header), and the NAL header includes a type field, which indicates that the type of the data packet belongs to geometric data (such as the coordinates of point cloud data) or attribute data (such as the color of point cloud data). The type field can be a "NAL_Unit_type" field. When the "NAL_Unit_type" field indicates that the data packet belongs to geometry data, the "NAL_Unit_type" field indicates that the importance of the data packet is high; when the "NAL_Unit_type" field indicates that the data packet belongs to attribute data, the "NAL_Unit_type" field indicates that the importance of the data packet is low.

[0369] For another example, importance information is represented by a data packet data type, and the importance of the data packet is determined by the data type of the data packet. Exemplarily, the packet header includes a type field, which indicates the data type (or data attributes) of the data packet. The type field can also be used as the importance information of the data packet. In other words, the importance of the data packet is determined by the type field. For example, multiple data packets of the same PDU SET belong to the same 3D media frame, and the 3D media frame includes left-eye video data (data packet #1) and right-eye video data (data packet #2). A field of data packet #1, such as the type field, indicates that the data carried by data packet #1 is left-eye video data; a field of data packet #2, such as the type field, indicates that the data carried by data packet #2 is right-eye video data. When the type field indicates that the data packet carries left-eye video data, the type field indicates that the importance of the data packet is high; when the type field indicates that the data packet carries right-eye video data, the type field indicates that the importance of the data packet is low.

[0370] It should be noted that the granularity of the aforementioned importance information can be data packet, sub-PDU SET, or data stream granularity, such as sub-PDU SET importance information or data stream importance information. For example, a PDU SET includes sub-PDU SET #1, sub-PDU SET #2, and sub-PDU SET #3. The importance information of any data packet in sub-PDU SET #1 indicates that the importance of the data packet in sub-PDU SET #1 is high, the importance information of any data packet in sub-PDU SET #2 indicates that the importance of the data packet in sub-PDU SET #2 is medium, and the importance information of any data packet in sub-PDU SET #3 indicates that the importance of the data packet in sub-PDU SET #3 is low.

[0371] It should be noted that the importance information in method A can also be replaced by other information, including but not limited to: priority information, transmission delay information, packet error rate information, or packet loss rate information.

[0372] Method B: The first information includes the association between the sub-PDU SET to which the packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET. For example, the first PDU SET is used for description. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET, a second sub-PDU SET, and a third sub-PDU SET. The QoS flow carrying the packets of the first sub-PDU SET is QoS flow #1, the QoS flow carrying the packets of the second sub-PDU SET is QoS flow #2, and the QoS flow carrying the packets of the third sub-PDU SET is QoS flow #3. The association between the sub-PDU SET to which the packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET is shown in Table 1.

[0373] Table 1

[0374] For example, in conjunction with Table 1, the first sub-PDU SET includes data packet #1. The first information corresponding to data packet #1 includes an association between the first sub-PDU SET and QoS flow #1 that carries the first sub-PDU SET. Based on this first information, it can be determined that data packet #1 is transmitted in QoS flow #1.

[0375] Optionally, the first information includes a QoS flow identifier corresponding to the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs. Referring to Table 1, for example, if the first PDU SET includes data packet #1 and the sub-PDU SET to which data packet #1 belongs is the first sub-PDU SET, the first information corresponding to data packet #1 may be QFI #1.

[0376] Mode C: The first information includes the identity of the sub-PDU SET to which each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belongs, or is called the sub-PDU SET sequence number.

[0377] Regarding the identity of the sub-PDU SET to which a data packet belongs (for example, the sequence number (SN) of the sub-PDU SET), the first PDU SET is used as an example for explanation. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET, a second sub-PDU SET, and a third sub-PDU SET. The identity of the first sub-PDU SET may be "1", the identity of the second sub-PDU SET may be "2", and the identity of the third sub-PDU SET may be "3". The first PDU SET includes data packet #1, data packet #2, and data packet #3, wherein the sub-PDU SET to which data packet #1 belongs is the first sub-PDU SET, and data packet #1 includes the identity of the first sub-PDU SET "1"; the sub-PDU SET to which data packet #2 belongs is the second sub-PDU SET, and data packet #1 includes the identity of the second sub-PDU SET "2"; the sub-PDU SET to which data packet #3 belongs is the third sub-PDU SET, and data packet #3 includes the identity of the third sub-PDU SET "3".

[0378] Method D: The first information includes a sub-PDU SET start indication (Sub PDU Set start indication). The sub-PDU SET start indication indicates the first data packet among the multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET. For example, sub-PDU SET #1 includes data packet #1, data packet #2, and data packet #3. In one example, data packet #1 includes a sub-PDU SET start indication, indicating that data packet #1 is the first data packet among the multiple data packets included in sub-PDU SET #1. For example, the header of data packet #1 carries the start indication.

[0379] In another example, the packet sequence number (PDU SN) for each packet in a sub-PDU SET includes corresponding identification information, which indicates the position of the packet within the multiple packets in the sub-PDU SET. For example, the packet sequence number identification information of packet #1 is set to "1". This identification information "1" indicates that packet #1 is the first packet in sub-PDU SET #1, and this indication information "1" serves as the first packet identifier. As another example, Table 2 illustrates that sub-PDU SET #1 includes packet #1, packet #2, packet #3, and packet #4, and sub-PDU SET #2 includes packet #5, packet #6, packet #7, packet #8, and packet 9.

[0380] Table 2

[0381] Mode E: The first information includes a sub-PDU SET end indication (Sub PDU Set end indication), which indicates the last data packet among the multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET. For example, the first PDU SET includes data packet #1, data packet #2, data packet #3, and data packet #4. In one example, data packet #4 includes a sub-PDU SET end indication, indicating that data packet #4 is the last data packet among the multiple data packets included in sub-PDU SET #1. For example, the header of data packet #3 carries the end indication.

[0382] For example, the last packet identifier may be identification information corresponding to the packet sequence number (PDU SN) of the data packet. For example, sub-PDU SET #1 includes data packet #1, data packet #2, data packet #3, and data packet #4. For example, as shown in Table 1 above, the PDU SN of data packet #4 is 4, and the identification information of PDU SN 4 is set to "2", indicating that data packet #4 is the last packet of sub-PDU SET #1.

[0383] Method F: The first information includes the sub-PDU SET packet bit count (Sub PDU Set Size), which indicates the size of the packets included in the sub-PDU SET. For example, a first PDU SET includes packet #1, packet #2, packet #3, and packet #4. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET and a second sub-PDU SET. The packets belonging to the first sub-PDU SET include packet #1 and packet #2, and the packets belonging to the second sub-PDU SET include packet #3 and packet #4. The packet bit count of the first sub-PDU SET is 500 bits, and the packet bit count of the second sub-PDU SET is 400 bits. The first information corresponding to data packet #1 is 500 bits, indicating that the size of sub-PDU SET #1 to which data packet #1 belongs is 500 bits. The first information corresponding to data packet #2 is 500 bits, indicating that the size of sub-PDU SET #1 to which data packet #2 belongs is 500 bits. The first information corresponding to data packet #3 is 400 bits, indicating that the size of sub-PDU SET #2 to which data packet #3 belongs is 400 bits. The first information corresponding to data packet #4 is 400 bits, indicating that the size of sub-PDU SET #2 to which data packet #4 belongs is 400 bits.

[0384] In one example, different sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET may have different packet bit counts. Therefore, the QoS flow carrying the packets of the sub-PDU SET can be determined based on the packet bit count of the sub-PDU SET. For example, a sub-PDU SET with a higher importance within the same PDU SET contains more data, and therefore, the packet bit count of the sub-PDU SET with a higher importance is larger. A sub-PDU SET with a lower importance within the same PDU SET contains less data, and therefore, the packet bit count of the sub-PDU SET with a lower importance is smaller. A higher-priority QoS flow can be assigned to packets of sub-PDU SETs with a higher packet bit count, while a lower-priority QoS flow can be assigned to packets of sub-PDU SETs with a lower packet bit count.

[0385] Mode G: The first information includes: the packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET, which indicates the sequence number of the packets included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET. For example, the first PDU SET includes packet #1, packet #2, packet #3, and packet #4. The first PDU SET includes the first sub-PDU SET and the second sub-PDU SET. The packets belonging to the first sub-PDU SET include packet #1 and packet #2, and the packets belonging to the second sub-PDU SET include packet #3 and packet #4. The sequence number of packet #1 in the first sub-PDU SET is 1, the sequence number of packet #2 in the first sub-PDU SET is 2, the sequence number of packet #3 in the second sub-PDU SET is 1, and the sequence number of packet #4 in the second sub-PDU SET is 2.

[0386] In one example, sequential scheduling of packets within a sub-PDU SET is achieved by using the packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET. For example, multiple packets of the sub-PDU SET are sorted according to the packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET, or multiple packets of the sub-PDU SET are sent sequentially according to the packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET.

[0387] In another example, the data packet also includes a sequence number for a PDU SET. The PDU SET refers to the PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, and the sequence number for the PDU SET indicates the order of the data packet within the multiple data packets included in the PDU SET. For example, if data packet #5 is the fifth data packet in PDU SET #1, the sequence number for the PDU SET of data packet #5 is "5." If data packet #5 is the first data packet in sub-PDU SET #2, the sequence number for the sub-PDU SET of data packet #5 is "1," and PDU SET #1 includes sub-PDU SET #2. Based on the sequence number "5" for the PDU SET of data packet #5 and the sequence number "1" of the sub-PDU SET, data packet #5 is determined to be a data packet of a sub-PDU SET and needs to be offloaded for transmission. Based on other first information and / or second information related to data packet #5, the QoS flow carrying data packet #5 is determined.

[0388] For the sake of convenience, the first information of the above-mentioned methods B to G may also be referred to as sub PDU SET information (sub PDU SET information).

[0389] In another possible implementation, the sub-PDU SET information (the first information of Methods B to G) may also be information allocated to a data packet after the user plane function determines the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs. In this implementation, the first information sent by the application function includes only Method A, and does not include Methods B to G.

[0390] In another possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least one QoS flow according to at least two transmission rules, including but not limited to: transmission priority or retransmission priority.

[0391] For example, transmission priority indicates which of multiple data packets carried in the same QoS flow are sent first and which are sent later. For example, a first PDU SET includes multiple data packets carried in a first QoS flow. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET and a second sub-PDU SET, where the transmission priority of the data packets in the first sub-PDU SET is higher than the transmission priority of the data packets in the second sub-PDU SET.

[0392] For example, the retransmission priority indicates which of the multiple data packets carried on the same QoS flow are prioritized for retransmission when packet loss occurs, and which are retransmitted later when packet loss occurs. For example, a first PDU SET includes multiple data packets carried on a first QoS flow. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET and a second sub-PDU SET, where the retransmission priority of the data packets in the first sub-PDU SET is higher than the retransmission priority of the data packets in the second sub-PDU SET.

[0393] Exemplarily, the transmission rule for a data packet is determined based on the importance information of the data packet. For example, a first PDU SET includes multiple data packets carried in a first QoS flow. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET and a second sub-PDU SET. The importance information of the data packets in the first sub-PDU SET indicates that the data packets in the first sub-PDU SET are of high importance, while the importance information of the data packets in the second sub-PDU SET indicates that the data packets in the second sub-PDU SET are of low importance. Based on this importance information, the transmission priority of the first sub-PDU SET is determined to be higher than the transmission priority of the data packets in the second sub-PDU SET.

[0394] In a possible example, the AF sends the first information independently of the AF sending the data packet. For example, the AF sends protocol description information, and the protocol description information includes any one or more items of the first information.

[0395] Exemplarily, the first information may also be referred to as differentiated information of a data packet or a data stream.

[0396] Optionally, in addition to sending the first information to the user plane function, the application function may also send the first information to other network functions (or network elements, or devices). For example, the application function sends the first information to the PCF. For another example, the application function sends the first information to the SMF. For another example, the application function sends the first information to the RAN.

[0397] Correspondingly, the user plane function receives the first information from the application function, and the first information may be received directly from the application function, or the user plane function may receive the first information indirectly through other network functions (or network elements, or devices). This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0398] It should be noted that the application function sending the first information to the user plane function is merely an example. The application function may send the first information directly to the user plane function, or the application function may send the first information to the user plane function via another network function or network element. Furthermore, the application function may also send the first information to another network function, network element, or device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0399] S2. The application function sends multiple data packets of the same PDU SET to the user plane function.

[0400] It should be noted that the execution order of step S1 and step S2 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Step S1 can be executed first and then step S2, or step S2 can be executed first and then step S1, or step S1 and step S2 can be executed simultaneously.

[0401] Method (2):

[0402] S3. The application function sends multiple data packets of the same PDU SET to the user plane function. The data packets carry first information. The first information is used to indicate that the multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two QoS flows.

[0403] In step S3, the application function sends multiple data packets of the same PDU SET to the user plane function, and the data packets carry the first information. For the first information, please refer to the above step S1 and will not be described here in detail.

[0404] In one possible example, when the AF sends multiple data packets of a PDU SET, any one or more of the multiple data packets carry the first information corresponding to the data packet. It should be noted that the first information carried in the data packet can be any one or more of the first information in Methods A to G in step S1 above. The first information carried in the data packet can include only the first information related to the data packet. For example, data packet #1 carries the importance information of data packet #1, and data packet #2 carries the importance information of data packet #2. For another example, data packets #1, #2, and #3 belong to sub-PDU SET #1, and data packets #1, #2, and #3 carry the association between sub-PDU SET #1 and QoS flow #1; data packets #4, #5, and #6 belong to sub-PDU SET #2, and data packets #4, #5, and #6 carry the association between sub-PDU SET #2 and QoS flow #2. In addition to the first information related to the data packet, the first information carried in the data packet can also include first information related to other data packets, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0405] For example, a data packet carries importance information corresponding to the data packet. It should be noted that when the data carried by the PDU SET includes a media frame, the first information of the sub-PDU SET in the PDU SET can also be called identification information of the data in the frame.

[0406] Furthermore, the data packet may carry the first information in a variety of ways, which are described below respectively.

[0407] In one possible implementation, a packet header (or message header) of a data packet carries the first information. For example, an extension header of the data packet carries the first information. In another example, a general packet radio service tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) message header of the data packet carries the first information. In another example, a type field of a network abstraction layer (NAL) header of the data packet carries the first information. In another example, a newly added message header of the data packet carries the first information.

[0408] In another possible implementation, the payload field of the data packet carries the first information, such as a payload field.

[0409] It should be noted that the above-mentioned method (1) and method (2) can be implemented in a selective manner, or different methods can be used for different data packets. For example, the AF adopts method (1) for the data packet of the first PDU SET, and the first information and the data packet of the first PDU SET are sent independently of each other. The AF adopts method (2) for the data packet of the second PDU SET, and the data packet of the second PDU SET carries the first information.

[0410] S4. The application function sends second information to the user plane function, where the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for multiple data packets of the same PDU SET.

[0411] Step S4 is optional. When step S4 is not performed, the user plane function may be pre-configured with the second information. The user plane function then determines the QoS flow that carries the data packet based on the pre-configured second information and the first information corresponding to the data packet. Alternatively, the user plane function may determine the QoS flow that carries the data packet based solely on the first information.

[0412] In step S4, the application function sends second information to the user plane function. The second information is used to indicate the offload transmission mechanism for multiple data packets in the same PDU SET. It should be noted that the order in which step S4, steps S1 to S2, and step S3 are executed is not limited. Step S4 can be executed first, followed by steps S1 to S2; steps S1 to S2 can also be executed first, followed by step S4. Step S4 can be executed first, followed by step S3; or step S3 can be executed first, followed by step S4.

[0413] Regarding the second information, the present application embodiment proposes one or more of the following possible implementations, which are described below:

[0414] In mode A, the second information includes: the association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow, as shown in Table 3.

[0415] Table 3

[0416] In mode B, the second information includes: the association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, as shown in Table 4.

[0417] Table 4

[0418] For example, in Table 4, the second condition is more relaxed than the first condition. For example, the second condition requires that the delay is less than 10 milliseconds, while the first condition requires that the delay is less than 2 milliseconds.

[0419] In mode C, the second information includes: the association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS parameters (or QoS flow parameters), as shown in Table 5.

[0420] Table 5

[0421] The above-mentioned QoS parameters include but are not limited to: guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), notification control, reflective QoS attribute (RQA), and maximum packet loss rate (maximum packet loss rate–up link and down link).

[0422] In mode D, the second information includes: offload transmission indication information, the offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission based on the first information. For example, the offload transmission indication information is associated with the first PDU SET, the second PDU SET, and the fourth PDU SET. The offload transmission indication information is used to indicate that the multiple data packets of the first PDU SET, the second PDU SET, and the fourth PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission based on the first information. Data packets of other PDU SETs, such as multiple data packets of the third PDU SET, are mapped to one QoS flow for transmission according to the original transmission method. Exemplarily, the offload transmission indication information includes the identity or sequence number of the PDU SET.

[0423] Optionally, the offload transmission indication information may also include filtering rules for data packets and corresponding QoS flows, and determine which data packets in the same PDU SET are transmitted using a high-priority QoS flow and which data packets are transmitted using a low-priority QoS flow according to the filtering rules for the data packets.

[0424] Mode F: The second information includes: packet forwarding model (PDR) rules of the multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET.

[0425] It should be noted that a packet detection rule may target one or more data flows, which may transmit one or more PDU SETs. For example, a packet detection rule may target a data packet transmitted in a data flow, which may carry one or more PDU SETs.

[0426] Optionally, a data packet detection rule may be targeted at a PDU SET. For example, a PDR may be used to determine the sub-PDU SET to which multiple data packets included in a PDU SET belong.

[0427] Optionally, a packet detection rule may be targeted at a sub-PDU SET. For example, the sub-PDU SET to which multiple packets included in a PDU SET belong may be determined based on multiple PDRs, with each PDR corresponding to a sub-PDU SET.

[0428] Optionally, the data packet detection rule may further include the offload transmission indication information in the aforementioned method D, or other second information.

[0429] Mode G: The second information includes: QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of the multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to the parameters of the QoS flow that carries the sub-PDU SET. The parameters of the QoS flow include, but are not limited to, guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), notification control, reflective QoS attribute (RQA), and maximum packet loss rate (up link and down link). Further optionally, the QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following: sub PDU SET delay budget of the sub-PDU SET, sub PDU SET error rate of the sub-PDU SET, or sub PDU Set Integrated Handling Information of the sub-PDU SET.

[0430] In mode H, the second information includes: QoS requirements for multiple sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET, where the QoS requirement for each sub-PDU SET indicates the QoS requirements for the data packets carrying the sub-PDU SET. The QoS requirements include, but are not limited to, bandwidth, delay, data loss, or jitter.

[0431] In one possible implementation, the second information may be configuration of an application function to a user plane function. In another possible implementation, the second information may also be pre-configuration of a user plane function.

[0432] It should be noted that the application function sending the second information to the user plane function is merely an example. The application function may send the second information directly to the user plane function, or it may send the second information to the user plane function via another network function or network element. The application function may also send the second information to another network function (or network element, or device). For example, the application function sends the second information to the PCF. In another example, the application function sends the second information to the SMF. In another example, the application function sends the second information to the RAN.

[0433] Correspondingly, the user plane function receives the second information from the application function, and the second information may be received directly from the application function, or the user plane function may receive the second information indirectly through other network functions (or network elements, or devices). This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0434] S5. The user plane function determines a QoS flow that carries the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0435] In step S5, in a possible implementation, the user plane function determines a QoS flow carrying the data packet according to the first information.

[0436] In one example, the user plane function determines the importance of a packet based on its importance information, and then determines the QoS flow corresponding to the packet based on the importance. For example, within the same PDU SET, packets with high importance use a high-priority QoS flow, while packets with low importance use a low-priority QoS flow. For another example, within the same PDU SET, packets carrying geometry data use a high-priority QoS flow, while packets carrying attribute data use a low-priority QoS flow.

[0437] It should be noted that the high-priority QoS flow in the embodiment of the present application can be a QoS flow with larger bandwidth, lower latency and / or lower packet loss rate; the low-priority QoS flow in the embodiment of the present application can be a QoS flow with lower bandwidth, larger latency and / or higher packet loss rate.

[0438] In another example, the user plane function determines the QoS flow corresponding to the data packet based on the association between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET. For example, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information related to the data packet, the user plane function determines the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET based on the association. The user plane function then determines the QoS flow as the QoS flow carrying the data packet.

[0439] In another possible implementation manner, the user plane function determines the QoS flow that carries the data packet according to the first information and the second information.

[0440] In one example, the first information includes: the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; the second information includes: the association relationship between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow. Based on the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the association relationship between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow, the QoS flow associated with the importance information of the data packet is determined. For example, based on the importance information, it is determined that data packet #1 carries geometric data, and then based on the association relationship between the importance information and the QoS flow, it is determined that the QoS flow carrying the geometric data is a high-priority QoS flow. Finally, the QoS flow carrying data packet #1 is determined from the high-priority QoS flows. For another example, based on the importance information, it is determined that data packet #2 carries attribute data, and then based on the association relationship between the importance information and the QoS flow, it is determined that the QoS flow carrying the attribute data is a low-priority QoS flow. Finally, the QoS flow carrying data packet #2 is determined from the low-priority QoS flows.

[0441] In another example, the first information includes importance information of each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET. A QoS flow corresponding to the importance information is then determined based on the second information. For example, a QoS requirement corresponding to the importance information is determined based on the second information, and a QoS flow that meets the QoS requirement is then determined as the QoS flow carrying the data packet. In another example, a QoS parameter corresponding to the importance information is determined based on the second information, and a QoS flow carrying the data packet is configured based on the QoS parameter.

[0442] In another example, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which a data packet belongs based on first information (e.g., information about a sub-PDU SET), the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET is determined based on second information. This QoS flow is then selected as the QoS flow carrying the data packet. For example, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, the QoS flow, QoS parameters, or QoS requirements corresponding to the sub-PDU SET are determined based on the second information. Furthermore, the QoS flow carrying the data packet is determined based on the QoS flow, QoS parameters, or QoS requirements corresponding to the sub-PDU SET.

[0443] In another possible implementation manner, the user plane function determines the QoS flow carrying the data packet according to the second information.

[0444] In one example, the second information includes: detection rules for packets belonging to multiple sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET. Based on the detection rules for packets belonging to multiple sub-PDU SETs within the same PDU SET, data of the packet is detected to determine the sub-PDU SET to which the packet belongs. Then, based on the sub-PDU SET to which the packet belongs, a QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET is determined. This QoS flow is then used as the QoS flow carrying the packet.

[0445] In another example, the second information includes offload transmission indication information, the offload transmission indication information being used to indicate that, based on the first information, the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission. Based on the offload transmission indication information, the QoS flows to which the multiple data packets of the same PDU SET are mapped are determined.

[0446] Optionally, after the user plane function determines the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the second information, the user plane function allocates first information to the data packet. This first information can also be used to indicate the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs. Regarding the first information allocated by the user plane function to the data packet, such as any one or more of Methods B to G in step S1 above, this description is omitted here. Furthermore, optionally, after allocating the first information to the data packet, the user plane function inserts the first information into the data packet and maps the data packet filled with the first information to the corresponding QoS flow for transmission.

[0447] S6. The user plane function maps the data packet to a QoS flow for transmission.

[0448] In step S6, after the user plane function determines the QoS flow carrying the data packet, it maps the data packet to the QoS flow for transmission. In one possible implementation, the user plane function adds the QoS flow identifier (QFI) of the QoS flow carrying the data packet to the data packet, so that the data packet can be transmitted through the QoS flow.

[0449] For example, a first PDU SET includes multiple data packets, and the first PDU SET carries the data of a 3D media frame. The first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET and a second sub-PDU SET. The first sub-PDU SET carries the geometric data in the 3D media frame, and the second sub-PDU SET carries the attribute data in the 3D media frame. One or more data packets included in the first sub-PDU SET are mapped to a high-priority QoS flow for transmission, while one or more data packets included in the second sub-PDU SET are mapped to a low-priority QoS flow for transmission. The above method implements offloaded transmission of multiple data packets from the same PDU SET.

[0450] Optionally, before the user plane function maps the data packet to the QoS flow for transmission, the user plane function adds first information to the data packet, for example, adds sub-PDU SET information of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs (see the first information of methods B to G in step S1 above). The user plane function then maps the data packet with the first information added to the QoS flow for transmission. For example, the user plane function adds the first information to the GTP-U message header of the data packet, and then maps the data packet with the first information added to the QoS flow for transmission.

[0451] S7. The access network device determines the DRB that carries the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0452] In step S7, the access network device can obtain the first information and / or the second information in a variety of ways. For example, the access network device directly obtains the first information and / or the second information from the application function; for another example, the access network device obtains the first information and / or the second information through SMF. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0453] In one example, after receiving a data packet from a user plane function, the access network device determines the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on first information corresponding to the data packet (e.g., the first information carried in the data packet) and / or second information. The QoS parameters corresponding to the sub-PDU SET are then determined based on the second information (e.g., a QoS template profile obtained from the SMF, where the QoS profile includes QoS parameters corresponding to the sub-PDU SET). Based on the QoS parameters, a DRB that meets the QoS parameter requirements is determined, and the DRB is determined as the DRB that carries the data packet.

[0454] Optionally, the access network device determines a retransmission mechanism for the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. The retransmission mechanism may indicate which data packets in the same PDU SET require retransmission upon packet loss and which data packets do not require retransmission upon packet loss. The retransmission mechanism may also indicate a retransmission count for each data packet in the same PDU SET upon packet loss.

[0455] Optionally, the access network device determines a transmission mechanism for the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. The retransmission mechanism may indicate which data packets in the same PDU SET are to be transmitted first.

[0456] In embodiments of the present application, first information and / or second information are used to enable offload transmission of multiple data packets within the same PDU SET across at least two QoS flows. The first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set (PDU SET) are to be transmitted across at least two QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate the offload transmission mechanism for multiple data packets within the same PDU SET. This allows for meeting the different QoS requirements of different data packets within the same PDU SET. For example, when the data carried by the same PDU SET is 3D media frame data, the first information can be used to enable offload transmission of geometric data and attribute data within the 3D media frame. For another example, the first information can be used to enable offload transmission of left-eye video data and right-eye video data within the 3D media frame. For another example, the first information can be used to enable offload transmission of video data from different viewpoints within the 3D media frame. This meets the service requirements of various services, improves data transmission quality, and enhances the user experience.

[0457] In conjunction with the above embodiments, another embodiment proposed by the present application will now be described. Please refer to Figure 6, which is a flow chart of another embodiment of the communication method based on the protocol data unit set proposed in the embodiment of the present application. The communication method based on the protocol data unit set proposed in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0458] H1. AF sends the first information and / or the second information to NEF.

[0459] In step H1, the AF sends an "Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS Create request" message to the NEF, carrying the first information. The "Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS Create request" message is merely an example of sending the first message and / or the second information. In one possible approach, the first information and / or the second information can also be carried in an "Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS update request" message. The following embodiments utilize the "Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS Create request" message.

[0460] It should be noted that the AF may send the first information and the second information to the NEF through different messages. The AF may also send only the first information or the second information to the NEF, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0461] H2. The NEF sends the first information and / or the second information to the PCF.

[0462] In step H2, the NEF performs an authorization operation based on the "Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS Create request" message. Upon successful authorization, the NEF sends the first information and / or the second information to the PCF. For example, the NEF sends an "Npcf_PolicyAuthorization Create request" message to the PCF, where the "Npcf_PolicyAuthorization Create request" message carries the first information and / or the second information.

[0463] H3. PCF sends the first information and / or the second information to SMF.

[0464] In step H3, the PCF generates a corresponding PCC rule based on the "Npcf_PolicyAuthorization Create request" message. The PCC rule indicates the first information and / or the second information. The PCF then sends the first information and / or the second information to the SMF. For example, the PCF sends an "SM Policy Association Establishment" message to the SMF, which carries a PCC rule indicating the first information and / or the second information.

[0465] For example, the PCC rule indicates that multiple data packets included in the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two QoS flows.

[0466] H4. SMF sends the first information and / or the second information to RAN.

[0467] In step H4, the SMF sends the first information and / or the second information to the RAN through the AMF in response to the "SM Policy Association Establishment" message. For example, the AMF sends an "N2 message" to the RAN, which carries the first information and / or the second information.

[0468] For example, the SMF generates second information (e.g., QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET) according to the PCC rules. The SMF then sends the second information to the RAN. The SMF may send a QoS profile to the RAN, where the QoS profile includes the second information.

[0469] Optionally, the SMF can also set (or update) QoS parameters at the sub-PDU SET level based on PCC rules. For example, the SMF can set (or update) information such as the PER or PSER for different sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET based on PCC rules. The SMF then sends the QoS parameters at the sub-PDU SET level to the RAN.

[0470] H5. SMF sends the first information and / or second information to UPF.

[0471] In step H5, the SMF sends the first information and / or the second information through the UPF in response to the "SM Policy Association Establishment" message. For example, the AMF sends an "N2 message" message to the UPF, which carries the first information and / or the second information.

[0472] For example, the SMF generates second information (eg, QoS parameters and / or packet detection rules of the sub-PDU SET) according to the PCC rules, and then sends the second information to the UPF.

[0473] H6. UPF fills the first information in the data packet.

[0474] In step H6, illustratively, after determining the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the second information, the UPF determines the information of the sub-PDU SET (i.e., the first information of methods B to G in step S1). The UPF then inserts the sub-PDU SET information into the data packet, for example, into the GTP-U header of the data packet.

[0475] H7. UPF sends a data packet filled with the first information to RAN.

[0476] In step H7, the UPF maps the data packet filled with the first information to the QoS flow carrying the data packet, and sends the data packet filled with the first information to the RAN.

[0477] H8. The RAN determines a transmission mechanism and / or a retransmission mechanism for the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0478] In step H8, after the RAN determines the DRB that carries the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, it may also determine the transmission mechanism and / or retransmission mechanism for the data packet. The RAN then sends the data packet to the UE via the DRB based on the transmission mechanism and / or retransmission mechanism.

[0479] Optionally, the access network device may determine the PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the PDU SET information of the data packet, and further determine the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs based on the first information and / or the second information of the data packet.

[0480] Optionally, the access network device can determine which QoS flows transmit data packets of the same PDU SET based on instructions from a network function or network element in the core network. For example, the access network device includes 10 QoS flows and, based on the instructions, determines which QoS flows #1, #3, and #5 transmit multiple data packets of the first PDU SET. The device then detects which data packets in QoS flows #1, #3, and #5 belong to the first PDU SET, as well as the sub-PDU SETs to which the data packets belonging to the first PDU SET belong.

[0481] H9. RAN sends a data packet to UE.

[0482] In step H9, the RAN sends the data packet to the UE via the DRB carrying the data packet.

[0483] Optionally, the RAN determines a delay budget for the data packet based on QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs. Alternatively, the RAN determines a delay budget for the data packet based on importance information of the data packet (or importance information of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs).

[0484] In one example, for data packets included in multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the same delay budget may be set to enable the multiple data packets in the same PDU SET to arrive at the UE in a coordinated manner.

[0485] Optionally, after determining the importance of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, the RAN prioritizes scheduling of data packets with higher importance among multiple data packets in the same PDU SET. For example, the RAN prioritizes transmission of data packets with higher importance. For another example, the RAN prioritizes retransmission of data packets with higher importance.

[0486] Optionally, after determining the importance of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information, the RAN adopts differentiated channel coding for multiple data packets of the same PDU SET according to the importance.

[0487] Optionally, after determining the importance of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information, the RAN adopts differentiated code rates to transmit multiple data packets of the same PDU SET according to the importance.

[0488] Optionally, after determining the importance of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, the RAN adopts a differentiated retransmission mechanism for multiple data packets of the same PDU SET based on the importance. For example, for data packets with high importance, an acknowledged mode (AM) is enabled, and for data packets with low importance, an unacknowledged mode (UM) is enabled.

[0489] In the embodiment of the present application, the first information and / or second information of the AF can be transmitted to the UPF and RAN through other network functions, thereby improving the implementation flexibility of the method. During the transmission of the first information and / or second information between network functions, the PCF and SMF can modify or add the first information and / or second information as needed to meet the business needs of various services, improve data transmission quality, and enhance user experience.

[0490] Next, we will introduce a mechanism for the access network device to determine the retransmission of a data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. In conjunction with the aforementioned embodiment, please refer to FIG. 7 , which is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in the embodiment of the present application. The communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0491] D1. The access network device obtains the first information and / or the second information.

[0492] In step D1, the access network device may obtain the first information and / or the second information in a variety of ways. Please refer to the above embodiments for details, which will not be described here in detail.

[0493] In one example, the access network device may obtain the second information from the SMF, and the access network device may obtain the first information from the received data packet.

[0494] D2. The access network device determines the retransmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information.

[0495] In step D2, in a possible implementation, the access network device determines the retransmission priority corresponding to the importance information according to the importance information of the data packet.

[0496] In another possible implementation, a QoS parameter corresponding to the data packet is determined from the second information, and then a retransmission priority of the data packet is determined based on the QoS parameter corresponding to the data packet.

[0497] The retransmission priority indicates the priority with which the access network device retransmits a data packet when the data packet is lost. For example, if a data packet with a high retransmission priority is lost, the access network device will prioritize retransmission. For another example, if a data packet with a high retransmission priority is lost, the access network device will retransmit the data packet with a high retransmission priority after completing retransmission of the data packet with the high retransmission priority. For another example, if a data packet with a low retransmission priority is lost, the access network device will not retransmit the data packet with the low retransmission priority.

[0498] D3. The access network device obtains the transmission status of the data packet.

[0499] In step D3, the access network device can obtain the transmission status of the data packet in various ways. For example, the access network device can determine whether the data packet is successfully transmitted by obtaining an acknowledgment (ACK) or a negative acknowledgment (NACK) from the terminal device regarding the data packet. The transmission status of the data packet indicates whether the data packet is successfully transmitted or failed to be transmitted.

[0500] It should be noted that the execution order of step D2 and step D3 is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0501] D4. The access network device determines the retransmission mechanism of the data packet according to the retransmission priority of the data packet and the transmission status of the data packet.

[0502] In step D4, after the access network device obtains the retransmission priority and transmission status of the data packet, it determines a retransmission mechanism for the data packets whose transmission status indicates failed transmission. This retransmission mechanism may indicate which data packets within the same PDU SET require retransmission upon packet loss and which data packets do not. This retransmission mechanism may also indicate the number of retransmissions for each data packet within the same PDU SET upon packet loss.

[0503] For example, for multiple data packets included in a first PDU SET, the access network device first determines whether the received first data packet belongs to the first PDU SET. If the first data packet belongs to the first PDU SET, the access network device determines the sub-PDU SET to which the first data packet belongs based on the first information and / or the second information. For example, if the first data packet belongs to the first sub-PDU SET within the first PDU SET, the access network device determines that the retransmission priority of the first sub-PDU SET is high. Then, when the access network device determines that the first data packet has been lost, the access network device determines that the retransmission mechanism for the first data packet is priority retransmission based on the retransmission priority of the first sub-PDU SET.

[0504] It should be noted that when the access network device retransmits a lost data packet in the same PDU SET, it must meet the delay requirement indicated by the QoS parameter of the data packet. For example, the data packet can only be retransmitted if it is lost and within the delay requirement of the data packet.

[0505] In embodiments of the present application, the access network device may also determine a data packet retransmission priority based on the first information and / or the second information. When the transmission status of a data packet indicates that the data packet has been lost, the access network device may determine whether the data packet should be retransmitted first based on the data packet retransmission priority. This enables differentiated retransmission of different data packets within the same PDU SET, meeting the needs of various services, improving data transmission quality, and enhancing the user experience.

[0506] Since the multiple data packets included in the PDU SET can be transmitted in the same QoS flow or in different QoS flows, the access network device can adopt different methods to determine the retransmission mechanism of the data packet for different scenarios. In combination with the above embodiments, they are explained below. For ease of understanding, illustratively, the first PDU SET includes multiple data packets as an example. Please refer to Figure 9, which is a structural diagram of the first PDU SET in the embodiment of the present application. The first PDU SET includes multiple data packets, and the first PDU SET includes multiple sub-PDU SETs, each sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet. For example, the first PDU SET includes a first sub-PDU SET and a second sub-PDU SET, the first sub-PDU SET includes multiple data packets such as the first data packet, and the second sub-PDU SET includes multiple data packets such as the second data packet.

[0507] Scenario 1: Multiple data packets included in a PDU SET are transmitted in the same QoS flow, as shown in Figure 10, for example. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of data packet transmission in an embodiment of the present application. In conjunction with Figure 9, the first data packet included in the first sub-PDU SET and the second data packet included in the second sub-PDU SET in Figure 10 are both transmitted in the first QoS flow. Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic flow diagram of another embodiment of the communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0508] G1. The PDCP layer obtains or determines the retransmission priority of the data packet.

[0509] In step G1, the PDCP layer may obtain the retransmission priority of the data packet from the control plane (CU) of the RAN, and the control plane (CU) of the RAN determines the retransmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. Alternatively, the PDCP layer may also determine the retransmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0510] G2. The PDCP layer obtains the transmission status of the data packet.

[0511] In step G2, in a possible implementation, the PDCP layer of the RAN receives a status report sent by the radio link control RLC layer of the RAN, where the status report includes a transmission status of the data packet.

[0512] In another possible implementation, the RAN's PDCP layer subscribes to the data packet transmission status of the RAN's RLC layer. After the RAN's RLC layer determines the transmission status of the data packet, the RAN's RLC layer sends the data packet transmission status to the RAN's PDCP layer. Accordingly, the RAN's PDCP layer receives the data packet transmission status sent by the RAN's RLC layer.

[0513] It should be noted that the execution order of step G2 and step G1 is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0514] G3. The PDCP layer determines the retransmission mechanism of the data packet based on the transmission status of the data packet and the retransmission priority of the data packet.

[0515] Step G3 is similar to the aforementioned step D4 and will not be described in detail here.

[0516] In another possible implementation, the PDCP layer first obtains the transmission status of a data packet. After determining which data packets have been lost, the PDCP layer further obtains the first information and / or second information of these lost data packets. The PDCP layer then determines the retransmission priority of these lost data packets. For example, the retransmission priority may be determined based on the importance information of the lost data packets, or the retransmission priority may be determined based on the sub-PDU SET to which the lost data packets belong. In other words, step G2 is performed first, followed by step G1, and finally, step G3.

[0517] Scenario 2: Multiple data packets included in the PDU SET are transmitted in the same QoS flow, as shown in Figure 12, for example. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the transmission of another data packet in an embodiment of the present application. Combined with Figure 9, the first data packet included in the first sub-PDU SET in Figure 12 is transmitted in the first QoS flow, and the second data packet included in the second sub-PDU SET is transmitted in the second QoS flow. Each QoS flow corresponds to a group of independent entities, which include: PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer, etc. Please refer to Figure 13, which is a flow chart of another embodiment of the communication method based on the protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method based on the protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application also includes:

[0518] J1. The CU of the RAN determines the retransmission priority of the first data packet and the retransmission priority of the second data packet.

[0519] In step J1, the CU of the RAN determines the retransmission priority of the first data packet based on the first information and / or second information of the first data packet. The CU of the RAN determines the retransmission priority of the second data packet based on the first information and / or second information of the second data packet.

[0520] J2. The first PDCP layer of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the first data packet.

[0521] In step J2, in a possible implementation manner, the first PDCP layer of the RAN receives a status report sent by the first radio link control RLC layer of the RAN, where the status report includes a transmission status of the data packet.

[0522] In another possible implementation, the first PDCP layer of the RAN subscribes to the data packet transmission status of the first RLC layer of the RAN. After the first RLC layer of the RAN determines the transmission status of the data packet, the first RLC layer of the RAN sends the transmission status of the data packet to the first PDCP layer of the RAN. Correspondingly, the first PDCP layer of the RAN receives the transmission status of the data packet sent by the first RLC layer of the RAN.

[0523] J3. The CU of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the first data packet.

[0524] In step J3, in a possible implementation manner, the CU of the RAN receives a status report sent by the first PDCP layer of the RAN, where the status report includes the transmission status of the first data packet.

[0525] In another possible implementation, the CU of the RAN subscribes to the data packet transmission status of the first PDCP layer of the RAN. The CU of the RAN receives the transmission status of the first data packet sent by the first PDCP layer of the RAN.

[0526] J4. The second PDCP layer of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the second data packet.

[0527] J5. The CU of the RAN obtains the transmission status of the second data packet.

[0528] Steps J4 to J5 are similar to the aforementioned steps J2 to J3 and are not described in detail here.

[0529] J6. The CU of the RAN determines the retransmission mechanism of the first data packet and the retransmission mechanism of the second data packet according to the transmission status of the first data packet, the retransmission priority of the first data packet, the transmission status of the second data packet, and the retransmission priority of the second data packet.

[0530] In step J6, after the CU of the RAN obtains the transmission status and retransmission priority of different data packets of the same PDU SET from different PDCP entities, the CU of the RAN comprehensively considers the retransmission mechanism of each of the multiple data packets of the same PDU SET.

[0531] In one possible implementation, the RAN CU determines the data packet with the highest retransmission priority among multiple data packets in the same PDU SET, and then prioritizes retransmission of the data packet with the highest retransmission priority that has been lost. The RAN CU determines the data packet with the second highest retransmission priority among multiple data packets in the same PDU SET, and then retransmits the data packet with the second highest retransmission priority that has been lost after retransmission of the data packet with the highest retransmission priority has been completed. The RAN CU determines the data packet with the lowest retransmission priority among multiple data packets in the same PDU SET, and then does not retransmit the data packet with the lowest retransmission priority that has been lost.

[0532] After the CU of the RAN determines the retransmission mechanism of each data packet among multiple data packets of the same PDU SET, it sends the retransmission mechanism of the data packet to the PDCP layer corresponding to each data packet.

[0533] J7. The CU of the RAN sends a retransmission mechanism of the first data packet to the first PDCP layer of the RAN.

[0534] J8. The CU of the RAN sends a retransmission mechanism of the second data packet to the second PDCP layer of the RAN.

[0535] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device may also determine the retransmission priority of the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. When the transmission status of the data packet indicates that the data packet has been lost, it is determined whether the data packet should be retransmitted first based on the retransmission priority of the data packet. The CU in the access network device obtains the transmission status of each data packet through different sub-PDU SETs corresponding to different PDCP entities. The CU comprehensively considers the retransmission mechanism of each data packet based on the transmission status and retransmission priority of the data packets of different sub-PDU SETs of the same PDU SET, and implements different retransmission mechanisms for data packets of different importance. Differentiated retransmission of different data packets in the same PDU SET is achieved to meet the business needs of multiple services, improve data transmission quality, and enhance user experience.

[0536] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the access network device may further determine a data packet transmission mechanism based on the first information and / or the second information. In conjunction with the aforementioned embodiment, please refer to FIG8 , which is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method based on a protocol data unit set proposed in an embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0537] F1. The access network device obtains the first information and / or the second information.

[0538] F2. The access network device determines the transmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information.

[0539] Optionally, the access network device determines a transmission mechanism for the data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. The retransmission mechanism may indicate which data packets in the same PDU SET are to be transmitted first.

[0540] F3. The access network device determines the data packet transmission mechanism based on the data packet transmission priority.

[0541] In embodiments of the present application, the access network device may also determine the transmission priority of a data packet based on the first information and / or the second information. Based on the data packet transmission priority, the transmission order of different data packets within the same PDU SET carried within the same QoS flow is determined. This allows for different transmission mechanisms to be set for data packets of varying importance. This enables differentiated transmission of different data packets within the same PDU SET, meeting the needs of various services, improving data transmission quality, and enhancing user experience.

[0542] A possible application scenario is shown in Figure 14. The AF allocates the first information and / or the second information to the PDU SET corresponding to the service based on the service requirements. For example, in a 3D video service, the geometric data in the 3D media frame has high QoS requirements, while the attribute data in the 3D media frame has low QoS requirements. Therefore, the AF can allocate the first information and / or the second information to different sub-PDU SETs in a PDU SET that carries the 3D media frame. For example, the AF allocates high importance information to the data packet of sub-PDU SET#1 that carries geometric data in the PDU SET, and allocates low importance information to the data packet of sub-PDU SET#2 that carries attribute data in the PDU SET. Each sub-PDU SET includes one or more data packets, and each sub-PDU SET carries part of the data of a 3D media frame.

[0543] The AF sends the first information and / or the second information to other network functions (including but not limited to the NEF, PCF, SMF, or AMF). The AF may also send the first information and / or the second information to the UPF along with the flow (data flow of the PDU SET). For example, the UPF obtains the first information along with the flow and the second information from other network functions. The UPF determines the QoS flow that carries each data packet based on the first information (e.g., importance information) and / or the second information of each data packet. This enables the offloading and transmission of multiple data packets from the same PDU SET across different QoS flows. For example, in Figure 14, the QoS flow carrying the data packets of sub-PDU SET #1 is independent of the QoS flow carrying the data packets of sub-PDU SET #2. The RAN obtains the first information along with the flow and the second information from other network functions. The RAN determines the DRB that carries each data packet based on the first information (e.g., importance information) and / or the second information of each data packet. Optionally, the RAN may also determine the retransmission mechanism and / or transmission mechanism for each data packet based on the first information (e.g., importance information) and / or the second information of each data packet. Through the above method, the differentiated QoS requirements of 3D video services for intra-frame data are met, the data transmission quality is improved, and the user experience is enhanced.

[0544] It should be noted that the method proposed in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other application scenarios that require differentiated QoS processing within a frame. For example, in a lidar scenario, for the same point cloud data frame of the lidar, high-importance information can be assigned to the geometric data in the point cloud data frame, and low-importance information can be assigned to the attribute data in the point cloud data frame. This satisfies the differentiated QoS requirements of different subframes within a point cloud data frame.

[0545] The present application is described above from the perspective of method, and other embodiments provided in the present application will be further described below.

[0546] Please refer to Figure 15, which is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication device provided in this application. The communication device 1500 includes a processing module 1501 and a transceiver module 1502. The communication device 1500 can implement the functions of the communication device (including AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN, etc.) in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiment. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device 1500 can be an AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN, or an integrated circuit or component within the AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN, such as a chip, or an integrated circuit or component integrated with the AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN.

[0547] Please refer to Fig. 16, which is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1600 provided in this application. The communication device 1600 at least includes an input and output interface 1602. The communication device 1600 may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0548] Optionally, the communication device further includes a logic circuit 1601 .

[0549] The transceiver module 1502 shown in FIG15 may be a communication interface, which may be the input / output interface 1602 in FIG16 , which may include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface may be a transceiver circuit, which may include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0550] Optionally, when the communication device 1600 is AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the aforementioned embodiments, the input and output interface 1602 is used to input and output information; the logic circuit 1601 is used to execute the method executed by AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0551] The logic circuit 1601 and the input / output interface 1602 may also execute other steps executed by the communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be described in detail here.

[0552] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1501 shown in FIG. 15 may be the logic circuit 1601 in FIG. 16 .

[0553] Optionally, the logic circuit 1601 may be a processing device, and the functions of the processing device may be partially or entirely implemented by software. The functions of the processing device may be partially or entirely implemented by software.

[0554] Optionally, the processing device may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform corresponding processing and / or steps in any one of the method embodiments.

[0555] Alternatively, the processing device may include only a processor. A memory for storing the computer program is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuits / wires to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated or physically separate.

[0556] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processor units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0557] Please refer to Figure 17, which shows a communication device 1700 involved in the above embodiments provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1700 can specifically be a communication device serving as AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the above embodiments.

[0558] Herein, a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 1700 is shown. The communication device 1700 may include but is not limited to at least one processor 1701 and a communication port 1702 .

[0559] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 1703 and a bus 1704. In an embodiment of the present application, the at least one processor 1701 is used to control and process the actions of the communication device 1700.

[0560] In addition, processor 1701 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, and so on. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the sake of 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.

[0561] It should be noted that the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17 can be specifically used to implement the steps implemented by AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the aforementioned method embodiments, and to achieve the technical effects corresponding to AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN. The specific implementation methods of the communication device shown in Figure 17 can refer to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here one by one.

[0562] Please refer to Figure 18, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1800 involved in the above embodiments provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1800 may specifically be a communication device serving as an AF, UPF, SMF, PCF, and / or RAN in the above embodiments. The structure of the communication device may refer to the structure shown in Figure 18.

[0563] The communication device 1800 includes at least one processor 1801 and at least one network interface 1804. Further optionally, the communication device also includes at least one memory 1802, at least one transceiver 1803 and one or more antennas 1805. The processor 1801, the memory 1802, the transceiver 1803 and the network interface 1804 are connected, for example, via a bus. In an embodiment of the present application, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment. The antenna 1805 is connected to the transceiver 1803. The network interface 1804 is used to enable the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1804 may include a network interface between the communication device and the core network device, such as an S1 interface, and the network interface may include a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (such as other radio access networks or core network devices), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0564] Processor 1801 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data, for example, to support the communication device in performing the actions described in the embodiments. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit. The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit is primarily used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Processor 1801 in Figure 18 may integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a central processing unit. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the central processing unit may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities, and various components of the terminal device may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processing unit may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The functionality for processing communication protocols and communication data may be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing functionality.

[0565] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. Memory 1802 can exist independently and be connected to processor 1801. Alternatively, memory 1802 can be integrated with processor 1801, for example, within a single chip. Memory 1802 can store program code for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and execution is controlled by processor 1801. The various computer program codes executed can also be considered drivers for processor 1801.

[0566] Figure 18 shows only one memory and one processor. In an actual terminal device, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device. The memory may be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or an independent storage element, which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0567] The transceiver 1803 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the communication device and the terminal. The transceiver 1803 can be connected to the antenna 1805. The transceiver 1803 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1805 can receive radio frequency signals. The receiver Rx of the transceiver 1803 is used to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna, convert the radio frequency signal into a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and provide the digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to the processor 1801 so that the processor 1801 can further process the digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 1803 is also used to receive a modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal from the processor 1801, convert the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal into a radio frequency signal, and transmit the radio frequency signal through one or more antennas 1805. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal. The order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal. The order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processes is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal may be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0568] The transceiver 1803 may also be referred to as a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device in the transceiver module that implements a receiving function may be referred to as a receiving unit, and a device in the transceiver module that implements a transmitting function may be referred to as a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver module includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0569] It should be noted that the communication device 1800 shown in Figure 18 can be specifically used to implement the steps implemented by AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the aforementioned method embodiments, and to achieve the technical effects corresponding to AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN. The specific implementation methods of the communication device 1800 shown in Figure 18 can refer to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here one by one.

[0570] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method as a possible implementation of AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0571] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) storing one or more computers. When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the possible implementation of the above-mentioned AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN.

[0572] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation of the above-mentioned communication device. Optionally, the chip system also includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be the AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0573] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the AF, UPF, SMF, PCF and / or RAN in any of the above embodiments.

[0574] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the unit is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0575] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0576] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the contributing part or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a wireless access network, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method of each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method based on a protocol data unit set, characterized in that: The method is applied to an application function AF, and the method comprises: Sending first information, where the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows; The multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are sent, and the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted through the at least two QoS flows.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information includes: importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, and the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to different QoS flows carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET carries the importance information of the data packet.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the encoding method of the data packet, or the importance information of the data packet is used to characterize the data type of the data packet.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and the first information further includes: an identity of the sub-PDU SET to which each of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belongs, and each of the sub-PDU SET includes at least one data packet.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first information includes: an association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The application function sending the first information includes: The application function sends the data packet included in the same PDU SET, where the data packet carries the first information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following information: a first packet identifier of a sub-PDU SET, where the first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET; The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET; The number of data packet bits of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET; Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET, wherein the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: The application function sends second information, where the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, The second information includes at least one of the following information: The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow; The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS parameters; Split transmission indication information, wherein the split transmission indication information is used to indicate that the PDU SET Multiple data packets are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission; The data packet detection rules of multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET; QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to parameters of a QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET; Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The QoS parameters of the sub-PDU SET include any one or more of the following: The delay budget of the sub PDU SET sub PDU SET delay budget, the bit error rate of the sub PDU SET sub PDU SET error rate, or the integrated processing information of the sub PDU SET sub PDU Set Integrated Handling Information.

11. A communication method based on a protocol data unit set, characterized in that: The method is applied to a user plane function UPF, and the method comprises: Receiving multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; According to the first information and / or the second information, the QoS flow carrying the data packet is determined, the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate the split transmission mechanism of the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first information includes: importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET corresponds one-to-one to different QoS flows carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The second information includes: an association between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow; Determining, according to the first information and / or the second information, a QoS flow carrying the data packet, comprising: According to the importance information of each data packet among the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and / or the association between the importance information of the data packet and the QoS flow, the QoS flow associated with the importance information of the data packet is determined, and the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Determining, according to the first information and / or the second information, a QoS flow carrying the data packet, comprising: Determine, according to the first information and / or the second information, the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, wherein the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and each of the sub-PDU SETs includes at least one data packet; According to the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, a QoS flow corresponding to the sub-PDU SET is determined, and the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The second information includes: the data packet detection rules belonging to multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET; Determining, according to the first information and / or the second information, the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong, includes: According to the data packet detection rule belonging to multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the data of the data packet is detected to determine the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first information includes: an association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and a quality of service QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET; Determining, according to the first information and / or the second information, a QoS flow carrying the data packet, comprising: According to the association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs and the QoS flow carrying the sub-PDU SET, a QoS flow corresponding to the data packet is determined, and the QoS flow is used to carry the data packet.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining a data packet including the first information according to the data packet and the first information; The data packet including the first information is mapped into the QoS flow for transmission.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that The first information includes any one or more of the following information: The importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The identity of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong; The association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow transmitting the sub-PDU SET; a first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET, where the first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET; The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET; The number of data packet bits of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET; Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET, wherein the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow; Split transmission indication information, where the split transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information; Or, the data packet detection rules belonging to multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET.

19. A communication method based on a protocol data unit set, characterized in that: The method is applied to an access network device RAN, and the method includes: Receiving multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET; Determine, according to the first information and / or the second information, a data radio bearer DRB that carries the data packet, wherein the first information indicates that the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows, and the second information is used to indicate a split transmission mechanism for the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The data packet is mapped to the DRB determined to carry the data packet.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that Determining, according to the first information and / or the second information, a data radio bearer DRB that carries the data packet includes: Determine, according to the first information and / or the second information, the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, wherein the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong to different sub-PDU SETs, and each of the sub-PDU SETs includes at least one data packet; According to the sub-PDU SET to which the data packet belongs, the DRB corresponding to the sub-PDU SET is determined, and the DRB is used to carry the data packet.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: A retransmission mechanism of the data packet is determined according to the first information and / or the second information.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that Determining a retransmission mechanism for the data packet includes: Determine a retransmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information, wherein the retransmission priority indicates a priority of the access network device for retransmitting the data packet when the data packet is lost; A retransmission mechanism for the data packet is determined according to the retransmission priority of the data packet.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine a transmission priority of the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information, wherein the transmission priority indicates a priority of the access network device in transmitting the data packet; A transmission mechanism for the data packet is determined according to the transmission priority of the data packet.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that The first information includes any one or more of the following information: The importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET, wherein the importance information of the data packets indicates the QoS flow carrying the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The identity of the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong; The association relationship between the sub-PDU SET to which the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET belong and the QoS flow transmitting the sub-PDU SET; a first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET, where the first packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the first data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET; The end packet identifier of the sub-PDU SET is used to indicate the last data packet among multiple data packets included in the sub-PDU SET; The number of data packet bits of the sub-PDU SET indicates the size of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET; Alternatively, the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET, wherein the data packet sequence number of the sub-PDU SET indicates the sequence number of the data packet included in the sub-PDU SET in the sub-PDU SET.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS flow; The association between the importance information and QoS requirements of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The association between the importance information of the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET and the QoS parameters; Split transmission indication information, where the split transmission indication information is used to indicate that the data packets belonging to the same PDU SET are mapped to multiple QoS flows for transmission according to the first information; The data packet detection rules of multiple sub-PDU SETs belonging to the same PDU SET; QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, wherein the QoS parameters of each sub-PDU SET correspond to parameters of a QoS flow carrying one sub-PDU SET; Alternatively, the QoS requirements of multiple sub-PDU SETs in the same PDU SET, the QoS requirement of each sub-PDU SET indicates requirement information for the QoS flow of the data packet carrying the sub-PDU SET.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: Including transceiver module and processing module: The transceiver module is used to input and / or output signaling or data; The processing module is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 18, or the method described in any one of claims 19 to 25 through the communication unit.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: Including communication interface and processor: The communication interface is used to input and / or output signaling or data; The processor is used to execute a computer executable program so that the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 18 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 19 to 25 is executed.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: including a processor and memory, The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; The processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory, so that the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 18 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 19 to 25 is executed.

29. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, characterized in that: When the instructions are executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1-10, or claims 11-18, or claims 19-25 is implemented.

30. A computer program product comprising a program, characterized in that When the program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1-10, or claims 11-18, or claims 19-25 is implemented.

31. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes at least one processor, and when the program instructions are executed in the at least one processor, the method described in any one of claims 1-10, or claims 11-18, or claims 19-25 is implemented.

32. A communication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 19 to 25.

33. A communication method based on a protocol data unit set, characterized in that: The method is applied to a communication system, the communication system includes an application function and a user plane function, and the method includes: The application function sends first information, where the first information is used to indicate that multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET are transmitted in at least two quality of service QoS flows; The application function sends the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The user plane function receives the multiple data packets belonging to the same PDU SET; The user plane function determines the QoS flow that carries the data packet according to the first information and / or the second information.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that The communication system further includes an access network device, and the method further includes: The access network device receives the multiple data packets belonging to the same protocol data unit set PDU SET; The access network device determines, according to the first information and / or the second information, a data radio bearer DRB that carries the data packet; The access network device maps the data packet to the DRB determined to carry the data packet.

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