Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device determines own first position information, and then determines first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information is associated with the first position information of the terminal device, and the first configuration information is associated with the quality of service of the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device is configured on the basis of the first configuration information to realize network communication, so as to ensure the service of quality requirements of the terminal device at a first position.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on October 31, 2023, with application number 202311444290.4 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0004] Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), a new type of aircraft, are becoming increasingly popular due to their flexibility and convenience. Cellular networks provide UAVs with key features such as wide coverage, high reliability, high security, and continuous mobility, as well as oversight by regulators. The communication environment of UAVs differs significantly from that of standard terminals. They primarily fly above base stations, connecting to them via the Uu port and primarily communicating in line of sight (LOS). Therefore, UAVs can receive signals from more base stations.

[0005] When drones perform their tasks, different locations may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements. However, existing QoS configuration methods cannot meet the QoS requirements of terminal devices at different locations.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application proposes a communication method and apparatus, which can effectively provide QoS configuration for terminal devices to meet the service quality QoS requirements in different locations.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a chip or chip system corresponding to the terminal device, without specific limitation. Taking a terminal device as an example, the method can specifically include: the terminal device determining first location information of the terminal device; then determining first configuration information, the first configuration information being associated with the first location information; and the first configuration information being associated with the quality of service of the terminal device.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information may include service quality information, service quality configuration information, other information related to service quality, etc.; or, the configuration information in an embodiment of the present application is service quality information, or service quality configuration information, or other information related to service quality, etc.

[0010] Configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. This can be understood as binding or mapping the configuration information and the quality of service of the terminal device to each other. It can also be understood as the configuration information being used to determine or influence the quality of service of the terminal device. Similarly, the quality of service of the terminal device can also be used to configure or determine corresponding configuration information, without specific limitation.

[0011] In addition, the association between the first configuration information and the first location information can be understood as the first configuration information and the first location information being bound to or corresponding to each other. For example, when any terminal device or other communication device is located at / near the first location, the first configuration information is used. It can also be understood that the first location information is one of the reference information used to generate / determine the first configuration information (for example, the network device generates the first configuration information based on the first location information). It can also be understood that the first configuration information affects the service quality of the terminal device located at the first location.

[0012] In the present application scheme, the terminal device first determines its own first location information, and then determines the first configuration information. The first configuration information is associated with the first location information, and the first configuration information is associated with the service quality of the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device is configured based on the first configuration information to achieve network communication, which can ensure the service quality requirements when the terminal device is located at the first location information.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device determines the first configuration information, which may include but is not limited to the following implementation methods:

[0014] Implementation method 1: The terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and the first condition; the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information, and the at least one configuration information includes the first configuration information.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, before determining the first configuration information, the terminal device may receive the first condition from the first network device or the second network device.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first condition may include information about a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include but is not limited to one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information; wherein the longitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the altitude corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0018] Through this implementation, the terminal device can obtain information about the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information, so as to facilitate subsequent determination of corresponding configuration information based on its own location information.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first condition may also include but is not limited to one or more of the following: a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and information of a reference point within the target area corresponding to at least one configuration information; wherein the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the reference point within the target area, and the reference point can be a position point within the target area (such as the center point or any point within the target area) or a position range (such as a smaller area within the target area).

[0020] Through this implementation, the terminal device can effectively determine the relationship between its own location and the target areas provided by the network device, and then determine the corresponding configuration information.

[0021] Based on this implementation method 1, in one possible implementation, the terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and the first condition. Specifically, the method may include: first determining the relationship between the first location and the target area based on the first location information and the first condition; and then determining the first configuration information based on the relationship between the first location and the target area. The relationship between the first location and the target area may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following:

[0022] (1) The first position is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information; (2) The distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold; (3) The distance between the first position and a reference point within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a second distance threshold.

[0023] Through this implementation method one, the terminal device determines the relationship between its own location and the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information based on its own location information and the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information provided by the network device, and can then effectively determine the corresponding configuration information to ensure the service quality requirements of its own location.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device sending indication information of the first configuration information to the first network device.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present application, the indication information of the first configuration information may be the identification information (ID / serial number / index, etc.) of the first configuration information, or the indication information of the first configuration information may be used to indicate the identification information (ID / serial number / index, etc.) of the first configuration information, and this is not limited.

[0026] Through this implementation, the terminal device can effectively and accurately inform the first network device of the first configuration information determined by itself, so that the first network device configures the terminal device based on the first configuration information.

[0027] Implementation method 2: The terminal device determines the first configuration information, which may include: the terminal device receives first information from the first network device, and the first information may include but is not limited to: the first configuration information, and / or indication information of the first configuration information.

[0028] In the second implementation method, the indication information of the first configuration information can be the identification information (ID / serial number / index, etc.) of the first configuration information, or the indication information of the first configuration information is used to indicate the identification information (ID / serial number / index, etc.) of the first configuration information, which is not limited to this.

[0029] Based on the second implementation, the terminal device may first send the first location information to the first network device so that the first network device can effectively obtain the first location information. The first location information may be the current location information of the terminal device or the location information that the terminal device expects to report, which is not limited.

[0030] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device may be an access network device (eg, a base station) serving the terminal device. Through this second implementation, the terminal device may effectively obtain the first configuration information associated with the first location information from the first network device (eg, the access network device).

[0031] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first network device or by a chip or chip system corresponding to the first network device, without specific limitation. Taking the first network device as an example, the method can specifically include: the first network device receiving a second configuration from a second network device, the second configuration including at least one configuration information associated with the quality of service of a terminal device; and then determining first configuration information, the first configuration information being associated with first location information of the terminal device.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device may be an access network device serving the terminal device, such as a base station. The second network device may be a core network device / core network element.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information may include service quality information, service quality configuration information, other information related to service quality, etc.; or, the configuration information in an embodiment of the present application is service quality information, or service quality configuration information, or other information related to service quality, etc.

[0034] Configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. This can be understood as binding or mapping the configuration information and the quality of service of the terminal device to each other. It can also be understood as the configuration information being used to determine or influence the quality of service of the terminal device. Similarly, the quality of service of the terminal device can also be used to configure or determine corresponding configuration information, without specific limitation.

[0035] In addition, the association between the first configuration information and the first location information can be understood as the first configuration information and the first location information being bound to or corresponding to each other. For example, when any terminal device or other communication device is located at or near the first location, the first configuration information is used. It can also be understood that the first location information is one of the reference information used to generate / determine the first configuration information (for example, the network device generates the first configuration information based on the first location information). It can also be understood that the first configuration information affects the service quality of the terminal device located at the first location.

[0036] In the present application, a first network device receives a second configuration from a second network device, the second configuration including at least one configuration information associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. The first network device then determines the first configuration information, which is associated with the first location information of the terminal device. Therefore, the first network device configures the terminal device based on the first configuration information to achieve network communication, thereby ensuring the quality of service requirements of the terminal device when the terminal device is located at the first location information.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the at least one configuration information is associated with at least one target area.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present application, the at least one configuration information is associated with at least one target area, which may include but is not limited to: one configuration information is associated with one or more target areas (or one configuration information corresponds to one or more target areas); or one target area is associated with one or more configuration information (or one target area corresponds to one or more configuration information).

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, the second configuration further includes information about a portion of the target areas or information about all the target areas in the at least one target area.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include but is not limited to one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information; wherein the longitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the altitude corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0041] Through this implementation, the first network device can effectively obtain information about part of the target areas or all the target areas in the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information from the second network device (core network device).

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device determines the first configuration information, which may include but is not limited to the following implementations:

[0043] Implementation method 1: The first network device receives indication information of the first configuration information from the terminal device.

[0044] In a possible implementation, before receiving indication information of the first configuration information from the terminal device, the first network device sends a first condition to the terminal device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information.

[0045] Through this implementation, the terminal device can effectively determine the corresponding configuration information based on its own location information and the first condition.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the first condition may include information of a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

[0047] Through this implementation, the terminal device is provided with information of the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information, so that the terminal device can effectively perform subsequent position judgment (i.e., determine the relationship between its own position and the target area) based on the information of the target area.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the first condition may also include one or more of the following: a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and information of a reference point within the target area corresponding to at least one configuration information; wherein the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the reference point within the target area, and the reference point is a location point or location range within the target area.

[0049] Through this implementation, the terminal device can effectively determine the relationship between its own location and the target areas provided by the network device, and then determine the corresponding configuration information.

[0050] Implementation method 2: The first network device determines the relationship between the first position and the target area based on the first position information and information of the target area corresponding to at least one configuration information; and then determines the first configuration information based on the relationship between the first position and the target area.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device may receive the first location information from the first terminal device, or may request the first location information from the location management function LMF, which is not limited to this.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the relationship between the first position and the target area may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the first position is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information; the distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold; the distance between the first position and the reference point within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a second distance threshold.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the first network device sends first information to the terminal device; the first information includes one or more of the following: first configuration information, and indication information of the first configuration information.

[0054] Through this implementation, after determining the first configuration information, the first network device effectively and accurately informs the terminal device of the first configuration information, so that the terminal device performs subsequent configuration based on the first configuration information.

[0055] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second network device or by a chip or chip system corresponding to the second network device, without specific limitation. Taking the second network device as an example, the method may specifically include: the second network device determining at least one configuration information; the second network device sending a second configuration to the first network device; the second configuration including at least one configuration information; the at least one configuration information being associated with at least one target area; and the configuration information being associated with the quality of service of the terminal device.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device may be an access network device serving the terminal device, such as a base station. The second network device may be a core network device or a core network element.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned at least one configuration information is associated with at least one target area, which may include but is not limited to: one configuration information is associated with one or more target areas (or one configuration information corresponds to one or more target areas); or one target area is associated with one or more configuration information (or one target area corresponds to one or more configuration information).

[0058] In addition, the configuration information in the embodiments of the present application may include service quality information, service quality configuration information, other information related to service quality, etc.; or, the configuration information in the embodiments of the present application is service quality information, or service quality configuration information, or other information related to service quality, etc.

[0059] Configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. This can be understood as binding or mapping the configuration information and the quality of service of the terminal device to each other. It can also be understood as the configuration information being used to determine or influence the quality of service of the terminal device. Similarly, the quality of service of the terminal device can also be used to configure or determine corresponding configuration information, without specific limitation.

[0060] In a possible implementation manner, the second configuration may further include information of part of the target areas or information of all the target areas in the at least one target area.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include but is not limited to one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information; wherein the longitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the altitude corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0062] Through this implementation, the second network device (core network device / core network network element) can effectively provide the first network device (access network device of the terminal device) with information about part of the target area or all of the target area in the target area corresponding to the above-mentioned at least one configuration information, so that the first network device can determine the relationship between the location of the terminal device and the target area.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the second network device sending a first condition to the terminal device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information.

[0064] Through this implementation, the second network device (core network device / core network network element) can effectively indicate to the first network device (access network device of the terminal device) the information of part of the target area or all of the target area in the target area corresponding to the above-mentioned at least one configuration information, so that the terminal device can determine the relationship between its own position and the target area.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the method includes: the second network device sending at least one configuration information and / or indication information of the at least one configuration information to the terminal device.

[0066] Through this implementation, the terminal device can obtain at least one configuration information and / or indication information of the at least one configuration information provided by the second network device, so that the terminal device can subsequently use the corresponding configuration information and feedback the corresponding configuration information.

[0067] Optionally, the first condition sent by the second network device to the terminal device may also be used to indicate that the corresponding configuration information is determined based on the relationship between the terminal device's location and the target area. In this way, the terminal device can be effectively triggered to determine or judge the relationship between its own location and the target area.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the first condition includes information about a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include but is not limited to one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information; wherein the longitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the altitude corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0070] Through this implementation, the terminal device can obtain information about a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information, so as to facilitate subsequent determination of corresponding configuration information based on its own location information.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the first condition also includes one or more of the following: a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and information of a reference point within the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information; wherein the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the reference point within the target area, and the reference point can be a position point within the target area (such as the center point or any point within the target area) or a position range (such as a smaller area within the target area).

[0072] Through this implementation, the terminal device can effectively determine the relationship between its own location and the target areas provided by the network device, and then determine the corresponding configuration information.

[0073] The present application also provides another communication method, which is described in detail in the fourth and fifth aspects below. The method can be performed by a first communication device and a second communication device; the first communication device can be a terminal device or an access network device serving the terminal device, and the second communication device can be a core network device.

[0074] Fourthly, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device or by a chip or chip system corresponding to the first communication device, without specific limitation. Taking the first communication device as an example, the method may specifically include: the first communication device receiving first location information of a terminal device; then sending first configuration information, the first configuration information being associated with the first location information; and the first configuration information being associated with the quality of service of the terminal device.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present application, the first communication device may be a core network device / core network element. The first communication device may receive the first location information from a second communication device (the second communication device may be a terminal device or an access network device serving the terminal device), or the first communication device may request the location management function LMF to obtain the first location information, which is not limited to this. In addition, the first location information may be the current location information of the terminal device or the location information that the terminal device expects to report, which is also not limited to this.

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information may include service quality information, service quality configuration information, other information related to service quality, etc.; or, the configuration information in an embodiment of the present application is service quality information, or service quality configuration information, or other information related to service quality, etc.

[0077] Configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. This can be understood as binding or mapping the configuration information and the quality of service of the terminal device to each other. It can also be understood as the configuration information being used to determine or influence the quality of service of the terminal device. Similarly, the quality of service of the terminal device can also be used to configure or determine corresponding configuration information, without specific limitation.

[0078] In addition, the association between the first configuration information and the first location information can be understood as the first configuration information and the first location information being bound to or corresponding to each other. For example, when any terminal device or other communication device is located at or near the first location, the first configuration information is used. It can also be understood that the first location information is one of the reference information used to generate / determine the first configuration information (for example, the network device generates the first configuration information based on the first location information). It can also be understood that the configuration information affects the service quality of the terminal device located at the first location.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first communication device sending a first condition to the second communication device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information.

[0080] Through this implementation, the second communication device can determine the relationship between the location of the terminal device and the target area based on the first condition.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the first condition may include information about a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include but is not limited to one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information; wherein the longitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the altitude corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0083] Through this implementation, the second communication device (terminal device / service access network device) can obtain the information of the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information, and then effectively determine or judge the relationship between the location of the terminal device and these target areas, so as to effectively report the location information or indication information of the terminal device to the first communication device.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the first condition may also include but is not limited to one or more of the following: a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and information of a reference point within the target area corresponding to at least one configuration information; wherein the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the reference point within the target area, and the reference point can be a location point within the target area (such as the center point or any point within the target area) or a location range (such as a smaller area within the target area).

[0085] Through this implementation, the second communication device can effectively determine the relationship between the terminal device location and the target areas provided by the network device, so as to feed back the location information of the terminal device.

[0086] In one possible embodiment, the method further includes: the first communication device determining a relationship between the first position and the target area based on the first position information and the first condition; and then determining the first configuration information based on the relationship between the first position and the target area. The relationship between the first position and the target area may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following: (1) the first position is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information; (2) the distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold; (3) the distance between the first position and a reference point within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a second distance threshold.

[0087] Through this implementation, the first communication device can determine corresponding configuration information based on the first location information of the terminal device.

[0088] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device or by a chip or chip system corresponding to the second communication device, without specific limitation. Taking the second communication device as an example, the method can specifically include: the second communication device sends first location information of a terminal device; then receives first configuration information, the first configuration information is associated with the first location information; and the first configuration information is associated with the quality of service of the terminal device.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present application, the second communication device may be a terminal device or an access network device (such as a base station) serving the terminal device. The second communication device may send the first location information of the terminal device to the first communication device. The first communication device may be a core network device or a core network element.

[0090] For example, if the second communication device is the terminal device itself, the terminal device can send the first location information of the terminal device to the core network. If the second communication device is an access network device of the terminal device, the access network device can first obtain the first location information from the terminal device and then send the first location information to the core network.

[0091] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information may include service quality information, service quality configuration information, other information related to service quality, etc.; or, the configuration information in an embodiment of the present application is service quality information, or service quality configuration information, or other information related to service quality, etc.

[0092] Configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. This can be understood as binding or mapping the configuration information and the quality of service of the terminal device to each other. It can also be understood as the configuration information being used to determine or influence the quality of service of the terminal device. Similarly, the quality of service of the terminal device can also be used to configure or determine corresponding configuration information, without specific limitation.

[0093] In addition, the association between the first configuration information and the first location information can be understood as the first configuration information and the first location information being bound to or corresponding to each other. For example, when any terminal device or other communication device is located at or near the first location, the first configuration information is used. It can also be understood that the first location information is one of the reference information used to generate or determine the first configuration information (for example, the network device generates the first configuration information based on the first location information). It can also be understood that the configuration information affects the service quality of the terminal device located at the first location.

[0094] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the second communication device receiving a first condition from the first communication device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

[0095] Through this implementation, the second communication device can determine the relationship between the location of the terminal device and the target area based on the first condition.

[0096] In a possible implementation, the first condition may include information about a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

[0097] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include but is not limited to one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information; wherein the longitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include but is not limited to: the starting position information and the ending position information of the altitude corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0098] Through this implementation, the second communication device (terminal device / service access network device) can obtain the information of the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information, and then effectively determine or judge the relationship between the location of the terminal device and these target areas, so as to effectively report the location information or indication information of the terminal device to the first communication device.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the first condition may also include one or more of the following: a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and information of a reference point within the target area corresponding to at least one configuration information; wherein the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the reference point within the target area, and the reference point can be a location point within the target area (such as the center point or any point within the target area) or a location range (such as a smaller area within the target area).

[0100] Through this implementation, the second communication device can effectively determine the relationship between the terminal device location and the target areas provided by the network device, and then determine the corresponding configuration information.

[0101] In one possible embodiment, the method further includes: the second communication device determining, based on the first location information and the first condition, a relationship between the first location and the target area. The relationship between the first location and the target area may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: (1) the first location is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information; (2) the distance between the first location and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold; (3) the distance between the first location and a reference point within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a second distance threshold.

[0102] Through this implementation, the second communication device can know, through the relationship between the first location information of the terminal device and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information, that the first location of the terminal device is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information, or is close to the target area corresponding to the first configuration information, that is, it meets the first condition for reporting the terminal device location information, so as to facilitate the subsequent sending of the first location information of the terminal device to the first communication device.

[0103] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which can be used to execute the method of the first aspect. The device can be a terminal device, or the device can be a component in the terminal device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit), or it can be a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal device.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one possible implementation, the device may include a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a communication unit (also referred to as a communication module), wherein the communication unit may be used to perform the functions of receiving and / or sending, and the processing unit may be used to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0105] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which can be used to execute the method of the second aspect. The device can be a first network device, or the device can be a component in the first network device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit), or it can be a device that can be used in combination with the first network device.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one possible implementation, the device may include a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a communication unit (also referred to as a communication module), wherein the communication unit may be used to perform the functions of receiving and / or sending, and the processing unit may be used to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0107] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which can be used to execute the method of the third aspect. The device may be a second network device, or the device may be a component in the second network device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit), or it may be a device that can be used in conjunction with the second network device.

[0108] In one possible implementation, the device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one possible implementation, the device may include a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a communication unit (also referred to as a communication module), wherein the communication unit may be used to perform the functions of receiving and / or sending, and the processing unit may be used to perform the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0109] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device, which includes: at least one processor and a communication interface; wherein the communication interface is used to communicate with other devices; the processor is used to run a set of programs so that the device can implement the method provided by the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or so that the device can implement the method provided by the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or so that the device can implement the method provided by the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or so that the device can implement the method provided by the above-mentioned fourth aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or so that the device can implement the method provided by the above-mentioned fifth aspect or any possible implementation method thereof.

[0110] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer storage medium, which stores a software program. When the software program is read and executed by one or more processors, it can implement the method provided by the first aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or implement the method provided by the second aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or implement the method provided by the third aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or implement the method provided by the fourth aspect or any possible implementation method thereof, or implement the method provided by the fifth aspect or any possible implementation method thereof.

[0111] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when run on a computer, enables the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be executed, or enables the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be executed, or enables the method provided in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be executed, or enables the method provided in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be executed, or enables the method provided in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be executed.

[0112] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a terminal device capable of implementing the method provided in the first aspect above, a first network device capable of implementing the method provided in the second aspect above, and a second network device capable of implementing the method provided in the third aspect above.

[0113] In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a first communication device capable of implementing the method provided in the fourth aspect, and a second communication device capable of implementing the method provided in the fifth aspect.

[0114] In the fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a terminal device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned first aspect; or for supporting a first network device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned second aspect; or for supporting a second network device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned third aspect.

[0115] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data for execution by the loading device. The chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0116] In the fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a first communication device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned fourth aspect; or for supporting a second communication device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned fifth aspect.

[0117] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data for execution by the loading device. The chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0118] It should be noted that the technical effects that can be achieved by any possible implementation method of the above-mentioned sixth to fifteenth aspects or the sixth to fifteenth aspects can be correspondingly described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by any possible implementation method of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects or the first to fifth aspects; they will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0119] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of a communication system between a drone and a base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0120] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of another communication system between a drone and a base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0121] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of a mapping relationship of quality of service flows;

[0122] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of another mapping relationship of quality of service flows;

[0123] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application may be applied;

[0124] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0125] FIG5 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a process flow of an embodiment provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] FIG7A is an example diagram of a boundary between a terminal device and a target area provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of a mapping of a quality of service process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] FIG8 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the present application;

[0130] FIG9 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0132] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0133] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a chip device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0134] 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. The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in the specification and appended claims of the present application, the singular expressions "one", "a kind of", "said", "above", "the" and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more", unless there is a clear contrary indication in the context. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "one or more" refers to one, two or more; "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0135] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of the present application include specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways, and the "implementation methods" in this specification are the same as those mentioned above. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. Words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions, and any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding. In addition, in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, the steps in the dotted lines or dotted boxes are optional steps.

[0136] The multiple involved in the embodiments of the present application refers to greater than or equal to two. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second", or specific numbers "1", "2", "3", etc., are only used to distinguish the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order. In addition, the term "used for indication" mentioned in the description of the embodiments of the present application can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing a certain indication information used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0137] This application provides a communication method. To better understand the embodiments of this application, the following first explains the names and related technical features involved in the embodiments of this application. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0138] 1. Quality of service (QoS):

[0139] To provide differentiated quality of service (QoS) for different services, wireless networks implement QoS. QoS management is a control mechanism that ensures that wireless networks meet diverse service quality requirements. It is an end-to-end process that requires collaboration among all network nodes (UE <—> base station <—> core network) that a service traverses between initiator and responder to ensure QoS. Air interface QoS management provides differentiated end-to-end QoS tailored to the specific needs of various services and users.

[0140] In the embodiments of the present application, QoS can also be referred to as business service quality. Since factors affecting network quality include bandwidth, latency, latency jitter, packet loss rate, etc., these factors affecting network service quality are also QoS metrics.

[0141] 2. Data Radio Bearer (DRB):

[0142] Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) represent data radio bearers for packet processing within the radio interface (Uu). DRBs provide the same packet forwarding processing for (user) data packets. The gNB in ​​the wireless network maps DRBs to QoS.

[0143] QoS management allows different users and services to compete unequally for limited network resources by establishing various service data on appropriate data radio bearers (DRBs), thereby ensuring the user's service experience.

[0144] 3. Quality of Service Flow (QoS Flow):

[0145] 5G NR eliminates the end-to-end evolved packet system (EPS) bearer of 4G LTE and replaces it with end-to-end QoS Flow. The most important difference between QoS Flow and EPS bearer is that QoS Flow can be dynamically created without end-to-end signaling. QoS Flow is divided into two sections: DRB bearer on the wireless air interface side and QoS Flow on the core network side. QoS Flow and DRB bearer can be dynamically mapped using the SDAP protocol. This dynamic mapping improves the efficiency of QoS Flow creation and avoids the inefficiency of LTE, which requires end-to-end signaling to create.

[0146] The following is a detailed introduction to the use of QoS Flow in the network:

[0147] In New Radio (NR), user data flows (IP flows) are typically divided into service data flows (SDFs) and quality of service flows (QoS flows). An SDF is a group of IP flows with the same service characteristics, while a QoS flow is an aggregated IP flow of multiple SDFs with the same QoS requirements and connected to the same packet data network (PDN). SDFs with different QoS requirements or connected to different PDNs are carried by different QoS flows, which are distinguished by a QoS flow identifier (QFI).

[0148] Specifically, the SDF between the terminal (UE) and the core network that has the same QoS requirements and belongs to the same protocol data unit session (PDU Session) is called a QoS Flow. The QoS Flow is controlled by the session management function (SMF) and can be pre-configured or established through the PDU Session establishment process or the PDU Session modification process. SDFs with the same QoS requirements can be delivered through one QoS Flow, and SDFs with different QoS requirements can be delivered through different QoS Flows. The section between the UE and the base station (gNodeB) air interface is still called the data radio bearer DRB, but the section between the base station (gNodeB) and the user plane function (UPF) no longer uses the concept of bearer, but is called an NG-U Tunnel. A PDU Session uses a common NG-U Tunnel.

[0149] Each QoS flow has a service quality flow identifier QFI. QFI is just an identifier and does not represent the QoS requirements of any SDF, similar to the EBI carried by EPS. Within a PDU Session, the QFI of each QoS Flow is unique, that is, the QoS Flow and QFI are in a one-to-one relationship. The QoS needs / requirements of QoS Flow are represented by 5QI (5G QoS Identifier). Within the same PDU Session, one 5QI can be used to represent the same QoS requirements of one or more QoS Flows, and multiple QoS Flows can be distinguished by QFI. Figure 1A shows three QoS Flows, with corresponding identifiers QFI0, QFI1, and QFI2. These three use the same PDU Session, and a common NG-U Tunnel is shared between the base station gNodeB and the UPF; the QoS requirements of the QoS Flows corresponding to identifiers QFI0 and QFI1 are the same, and these two QoS Flows

[0150] The QoS requirements of the QoS Flow corresponding to QFI0 and QFI1 are the same, so the 5QI used is the same (i.e. 5Q1=1), and the UE to gNodeB is carried by the same DRB (identified as QCI1). The QoS Flow corresponding to QFI2 uses a different 5QI (i.e. 5QI=2), and the UE to gNodeB is carried by a DRB (identified as QCI2).

[0151] The user data flow delivery process based on QoS Flow is as follows:

[0152] 1. When a group of IP flows with the same service characteristics pass through a packet filter set (PFS), the PFS assigns each flow an SDF with the same QoS requirements. As shown in Figure 1B , taking PDU Session 2 as an example, IP flow 3 is filtered onto SDF 3, while IP flows 4 and 5 are filtered onto SDF 4. QoS requirements are then applied to each SDF.

[0153] 2. The UPF maps multiple SDFs with the same QoS requirements and belonging to the same PDU Session to a QoS Flow with the same QoS requirements. As shown in Figure 1B, taking PDU Session 1 as an example, SDF1 and SDF2 are mapped to the QoS Flow identified as QFI1.

[0154] 3. The gNodeB maps the QoS flows to the DRBs and delivers these IP flows to the UE via the DRBs. Ultimately, these IP flows are applied to the UE's apps. As shown in Figure 1B, one DRB can correspond to one or more QoS flows. For example, for PDU Session 1, PDU Session 2, and PDU Session 3, QoS Flow (QFI1) is mapped to DRB1, QoS Flow (QFI2) is mapped to DRB2, and QoS Flows (QFI3 and QFI4) are mapped to DRB3.

[0155] The SDF between the core network and the UE is carried by QoS Flow, but the air interface between the UE and the gNodeB still uses DRB. Therefore, the QoS flow needs to be mapped to the DRB. To address this problem, 5G adds a new service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer. This protocol layer has the following two functions:

[0156] 1. Add the QoS Flow identifier, i.e., QFI, to the data packet. The receiver reads the value from the SDAP header of the data packet.

[0157] 2. Map one or more QoS flows to a DRB.

[0158] The following uses a base station (gNB) in a 5G network as a network device and an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) as a terminal device as an example to introduce a communication scenario applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The network device is an eNodeB in a 4G network or other devices in a 6G network, and this application does not limit this.

[0159] As a new type of aircraft, drones are becoming increasingly popular due to their flexibility and convenience. At the same time, cellular networks can provide drones with important features such as wide coverage, high reliability, high security, and continuous mobility, as well as provide supervision to regulators. The communication environment of drones is quite different from that of ordinary terminals. They mainly fly above the base station and are connected to the base station through the Uu port. They mainly communicate in line of sight (LOS) mode, so drones can receive signals from more base stations. Figures 2A and 2B respectively show the architectures suitable for communication between drones and base stations. The interface for interconnection between base stations is called the Xn interface, which supports the exchange of signaling information between two base station nodes. From a logical point of view, the Xn interface is a point-to-point interface between two base station nodes. Even if there is no physical direct connection between the two base station nodes, a point-to-point logical interface is feasible.

[0160] When a drone performs a task, its spatial location (i.e., distance from the base station) changes. To ensure the quality of service (QoS) at different spatial locations, the drone may have different QoS requirements. However, existing QoS configuration methods cannot meet the QoS requirements of drones at different spatial locations.

[0161] Therefore, the present application proposes a communication method that can effectively provide QoS configuration for terminal devices to meet the service quality QoS requirements in different locations.

[0162] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various mobile communication systems, such as: new radio (NR) system, global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), 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, and other communication systems such as future communication systems, specifically, there is no limitation here.

[0163] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to links between devices, wherein the link between devices refers to a link established between devices of the same type, such as a sidelink (SL). The so-called link established between devices of the same type can be a link between terminal devices, a link between network devices, a link between relay nodes, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, a sidelink link can be a link between drones, or a link between a drone and other terminal devices. A drone can send A2X services (or A2X service messages, A2X service data, etc.) to other drones (or other terminal devices) through the sidelink link, or a drone can send sidelink communication messages of other service types (such as V2X service messages) to other drones (or other terminal devices) through the sidelink link.

[0164] Figure 3 illustrates a possible, non-limiting communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 3 , the communication system 3000 includes a radio access network 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 3000 may also include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one network device (such as 110a and / or 110b in Figure 3 ) and at least one terminal device (at least one of 120a-120j in Figure 3 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 3 ). The terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to the access network device. The access network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device and the access network device in the core network 200 may be separate physical devices, or they may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions. Figure 3 is merely a schematic diagram, and the communication system may also include other network devices, which is not a limitation.

[0165] A network device is a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A network device can be a device in a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless communication capabilities for terminal devices, and is called a RAN device. For example, a network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. It can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 3), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 3), a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the network device is taken as a base station as an example for explanation.

[0166] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes implement part of the functions of the base station respectively. For example, the RAN node can be a CU, DU, CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), or radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0167] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. Optionally, the operations of updating the random seed and performing secure processing on the data in the secure communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may be performed by the RU, and the sending and receiving operations may be performed by the DU.

[0168] A terminal device is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. The terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home appliance, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device. The embodiments of this application are described using the terminal device as an example.

[0169] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; and in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of network devices and terminal devices.

[0170] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 3 can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminal devices 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal device 120i is a network device. However, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via an interface protocol between network devices. In this case, 120i is also a network device relative to 110a. Therefore, both network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 3 can be referred to as communication devices with network device functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 3 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal device functionality.

[0171] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the network device functions. The control subsystem that includes the network device functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes the terminal device functions.

[0172] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0173] The technical solution of this application is introduced below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0174] The embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applicable to but not limited to the communication system shown in Figure 2A / Figure 2B / Figure 3. The method can be performed by the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device; or the method can be performed by the components (modules, chips, etc.) corresponding to the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device; or the method can be performed by a device corresponding to the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific form and corresponding quantity of the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device. Please refer to Figure 4. The specific process of the method is as follows:

[0175] S401: A second network device sends a second configuration to a first network device. The second configuration includes at least one configuration information associated with at least one target area, wherein the configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. Accordingly, the first network device receives the second configuration from the second network device.

[0176] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device may be an access network device (eg, a base station), and the second network device may refer to a core network device or a core network element.

[0177] In an embodiment of the present application, at least one configuration information is associated with at least one target area, which may be: one configuration information is associated with one or more target areas (or one configuration information corresponds to one or more target areas), or one target area is associated with one or more configuration information (one target area corresponds to one or more configuration information). This is not limited. In addition, the association of configuration information with the target area can be understood as the mutual binding or correspondence between the configuration information and the target area, and can also be understood as the information of the target area being one of the reference information used to generate or determine the configuration information (for example, the second network device generates configuration information based on the information of the target area). The association of configuration information with the target area can also be understood as the information of the target area being one of the influencing factors that affect the effect of the configuration information. The understanding of the association of configuration information with the target area can be extended to more descriptions based on the aforementioned understanding, and is not limited to this.

[0178] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information may include service quality information, service quality configuration information, other information related to service quality, etc.; or, the configuration information in an embodiment of the present application is service quality information, or service quality configuration information, or other information related to service quality, etc.

[0179] Configuration information is associated with the quality of service of a terminal device. This can be understood as binding or mapping the configuration information and the quality of service of the terminal device to each other. It can also be understood as the configuration information being used to determine or influence the quality of service of the terminal device. Similarly, the quality of service of the terminal device can also be used to configure or determine corresponding configuration information, without specific limitation.

[0180] In a possible implementation manner, the second network device determines (or configures) the at least one configuration information.

[0181] In a possible implementation manner, the second configuration further includes information about a portion of the target areas or information about all the target areas in the at least one target area.

[0182] In an embodiment of the present application, the target area information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information. The longitude information may include, but is not limited to: the starting and ending longitude position information corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include, but is not limited to: the starting and ending latitude position information corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include, but is not limited to: the starting and ending altitude position information corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0183] S402: The first network device sends a first condition to the terminal device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first condition.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the first network device may implement a communication function through a first node and implement a processing function through a second node; that is, in the above S401, the first node receives a second configuration from the second network device, the first node sends the second configuration to the second node, and the second node determines the first condition based on the second configuration; in S402, the second node sends the first condition to the first node, which then sends it to the terminal device.

[0185] Exemplarily, the first node is a DU and the second node is a CU. In an ORAN architecture, the first node is an O-DU and / or an O-RU and the second node is an O-CU and / or an O-DU.

[0186] In the embodiment of the present application, the first node and the second node can be located in the first network device or outside the first network device, and there is no specific limitation on this. In addition, the first node and the second node can be the same physical device or separate physical devices, and there is no limitation on this.

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device is an access network device (eg, a base station) serving the terminal device.

[0188] This S402 is an optional step.

[0189] In other embodiments, the first condition may be sent to the terminal device by the second network device.

[0190] In a possible implementation, the first condition includes information about a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

[0191] In a possible implementation, the first condition may further include one or more of the following:

[0192] Information of reference points within the target area corresponding to the first distance threshold, the second distance threshold, and at least one configuration information;

[0193] Among them, the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the location of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the location of the terminal device and a reference point within the target area. The reference point can be a location point within the target area (such as the center point or any point within the target area) or a location range (such as a smaller area within the target area).

[0194] In a possible implementation manner, the second network device further sends the at least one configuration information and / or indication information of the at least one configuration information to the terminal device.

[0195] Exemplarily, the indication information of the configuration information may be an identification ID / serial number / index, etc. of the configuration information, or the indication information of the configuration information is used to indicate an identification / serial number / index, etc. of the configuration information.

[0196] S403: The first network device and the terminal device determine first configuration information, where the first configuration information is associated with the first location information of the terminal device, and the first configuration information is associated with the quality of service of the terminal device.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present application, the association between the first configuration information and the first location information can be understood as the first configuration information and the first location information being bound to or corresponding to each other. For example, when any terminal device or other communication device is located at or near the first location, the first configuration information is used. It can also be understood that the first location information is one of the reference information used to generate or determine the first configuration information (for example, the network device generates the first configuration information based on the first location information). It can also be understood that the configuration information affects the service quality of the terminal device located at the first location.

[0198] In the embodiment of the present application, the first location information may be the current location information of the terminal device or the location information that the terminal device expects to report, which is not limited.

[0199] In the embodiment of the present application, S403 may include but is not limited to the following two implementations:

[0200] Implementation Method 1: The first network device determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and information about the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information. Accordingly, the terminal device determining the first configuration information may include: the first network device sending first information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receiving the first information. The first information may include one or more of the first configuration information and indication information of the first configuration information.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the first network device is an access network device, which implements communication functions through the first node and processing functions through the second node; then the first node obtains first location information from the terminal device and obtains information about a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information from the second network device; the first node sends the first location information and the information about the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information to the second node, and the second node determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and the information about the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information, and determines the first information based on the first configuration information, and the first information may include one or more of the first configuration information and the indication information of the first configuration information. Furthermore, the second node sends the first information to the first node, and the first node then sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0202] Exemplarily, the first node is a DU and the second node is a CU. In an ORAN architecture, the first node is an O-DU and / or an O-RU, and the second node is an O-CU and / or an O-DU.

[0203] In the embodiment of the present application, the locations and devices of the first node and the second node can refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0204] In one embodiment, the first network device determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and information about the target area corresponding to at least one configuration information. Specifically, the determination may include: first determining a relationship between the first location and the target area based on the first location information and information about the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information; and then determining the first configuration information based on the relationship between the first location and the target area. The relationship between the first location and the target area may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0205] (1) The first position is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information;

[0206] (2) The distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold;

[0207] (3) The distance between the first position and the reference point in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than the second distance threshold.

[0208] In the embodiment of the present application, the first network device may receive the first location information from the first terminal device, or request the first location information of the terminal device from the location management function LMF, which is not limited to this.

[0209] Implementation method 2: The terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and the first condition. Accordingly, the first network device determining the first configuration information may include: the terminal device sending indication information of the first configuration information to the first network device, and the first network device receiving the indication information of the first configuration information.

[0210] In one embodiment, the terminal device determines the first configuration information based on the first location information and the first condition, which may specifically include: first determining the relationship between the first location and the target area based on the first location information and the first condition; and then determining the first configuration information based on the relationship between the first location and the target area. The relationship between the first location and the target area may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following:

[0211] (1) The first position is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information;

[0212] (2) The distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold;

[0213] (3) The distance between the first position and the reference point in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than the second distance threshold.

[0214] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may receive the first condition from the first network device or the second network device.

[0215] To summarize, the present application provides a communication method, which includes: a terminal device first determines its own first location information, and then determines first configuration information, and the first configuration information is associated with the first location information, and the first configuration information is associated with the service quality of the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device is configured based on the first configuration information to achieve network communication, which can ensure the service quality requirements of the terminal device when it is located at the first location information.

[0216] The embodiment of the present application also provides another communication method, which is applicable to but not limited to the communication system shown in Figure 2A / Figure 2B / Figure 3. The method can be performed by the first communication device and the second communication device; or the method can be performed by the components (modules, chips, etc.) corresponding to the first communication device and the second communication device; or the method can be performed by a device corresponding to the first communication device and the second communication device. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific form and corresponding quantity of the first communication device and the second communication device. As shown in Figure 5, the specific process of the method is as follows:

[0217] S501: The second communication device sends first location information of a terminal device to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first location information.

[0218] In an embodiment of this solution, the first communication device may be a core network device or a core network element, and the second communication device may be a terminal device or an access network device (such as a base station) serving the terminal device.

[0219] In one possible implementation, when the second communication device is an access network device, the second communication device implements the communication function through the first node and implements the processing function through the second node, then the first node sends the first location information of the terminal device to the first communication device (core network device or core network network element).

[0220] Exemplarily, the first node is a DU and the second node is a CU. In an ORAN architecture, the first node is an O-DU and / or an O-RU, and the second node is an O-CU and / or an O-DU.

[0221] In the embodiments of the present application, the first node and the second node may be located in the second communication device or outside the second communication device, and there is no specific limitation on this. In addition, the first node and the second node may be the same physical device or separate physical devices, and there is no limitation on this either.

[0222] In the embodiment of the present application, the first communication device may also obtain the first location information of the terminal device from the service management function LMF. The first location information may be the current location information of the terminal device or the location information that the terminal device expects to report, which is not limited.

[0223] In one possible implementation, before executing S501 (i.e., before the second communication device sends the first location information of the terminal device to the first communication device), the first communication device may also send a first condition to the second communication device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the first condition.

[0224] In a possible implementation, the first condition may include information of a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

[0225] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of the target area may include, but is not limited to, one or more of longitude information, latitude information, and altitude information. The longitude information may include, but is not limited to: the starting and ending longitude position information of the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; the latitude information may include, but is not limited to: the starting and ending latitude position information of the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; the altitude information may include, but is not limited to: the starting and ending altitude position information of the target area, and / or the length of the altitude range corresponding to the target area.

[0226] In a possible embodiment, the first condition may also include but is not limited to one or more of the following: a first distance threshold, a second distance threshold, and information of a reference point within the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information; wherein the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the position of the terminal device and the reference point within the target area, and the reference point can be a position point within the target area (such as the center point or any point within the target area) or a position range (such as a smaller area within the target area).

[0227] In one possible implementation, before executing S501 (i.e., before the second communication device sends the first location information of the terminal device to the first communication device), further steps may include: the second communication device determining, based on the first location information and the first condition, a relationship between the first location and the target area. The relationship between the first location and the target area may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0228] (1) The first position is located within the target area corresponding to the first configuration information;

[0229] (2) The distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold;

[0230] (3) The distance between the first position and the reference point in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than the second distance threshold.

[0231] In one possible implementation, when the second communication device is an access network device, the second communication device implements the communication function through the first node and implements the processing function through the second node; then the first node sends the first location information from the terminal device or LMF and the first condition from the first communication device (core network device or core network network element) to the second node, and then the second node determines the relationship between the first location and the target area based on the first location information and the first condition; then the second node determines to report the first location information based on the relationship between the first location and the target area; finally, the second node instructs the first node to send the first location information to the first communication device (core network device or core network network element).

[0232] Exemplarily, the first node is a DU and the second node is a CU. In an ORAN architecture, the first node is an O-DU and / or an O-RU and the second node is an O-CU and / or an O-DU.

[0233] In the embodiment of the present application, the locations and devices of the first node and the second node can refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first communication device can also determine the relationship between the first location and the target area based on the first location information and the first condition; and then determine or configure the first configuration information based on the relationship between the first location and the target area (the specific content of the relationship can refer to the content of the relationship determined by the above-mentioned second communication device); the first configuration information is associated with the first location information and is associated with the service quality of the terminal device.

[0235] S502: The first communication device sends first configuration information to the second communication device, where the first configuration information is associated with the first location information and the quality of service of the first terminal device. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the first configuration information from the first communication device.

[0236] To summarize, the present application provides a communication method, which includes: a first communication device (such as a core network device) receives first location information of a terminal device; and sends first configuration information to a second communication device (such as a terminal device / access network device serving the terminal device), wherein the first configuration information is associated with the first location information, and the first configuration information is associated with the service quality of the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device uses the first configuration information to achieve communication, which can ensure the service quality requirements under the first location information.

[0237] Based on the communication methods shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , several possible implementation methods are further described below.

[0238] Implementation method one:

[0239] Based on the solution described in FIG4 , in this first embodiment, a base station (e.g., a gNB) is used as an example for the first network device, and a core network 5GC is used as an example for the second network device. In practice, due to different application scenarios or evolution of network architecture, the first network device may also be other network devices capable of implementing the same method or function, and the second network device is similarly implemented. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0240] For example, in this second embodiment, 5GC pre-provides at least one QoS configuration based on location information for the base station (which may be equivalent to the second configuration in the solution described in FIG4 ). The base station can determine the corresponding QoS configuration for the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device. In this embodiment, the terminal device is UE1, which may be an aircraft or a drone. Referring to FIG6 , the process of this first embodiment is as follows:

[0241] S601: 5GC sends a QoS configuration based on location information to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the QoS configuration based on location information from the 5GC.

[0242] In a possible implementation, the QoS configuration includes QoS information of at least one QoS flow, and the QoS information of each QoS flow includes QoS configuration information and corresponding location information.

[0243] Exemplarily, the 5GC sends a QoS configuration to the base station. The QoS configuration includes QoS information for QoS flow (QFI1) and QoS information for QoS flow (QFI2). The QoS information for QoS flow (QFI1) includes QoS configuration information 1 and information about location 1, and the QoS information for QoS flow (QFI2) includes QoS configuration information 2 and information about location 2. QoS configuration information 1 and QoS configuration information 2 can be QoS parameters configured in the prior art. When the UE is in location 1, the QoS configuration parameters for QoS flow (QFI1) are used. When the UE is in location 2, the QoS configuration parameters for QoS flow (QFI2) are used.

[0244] In another possible implementation, the QoS configuration includes QoS configuration information and a location condition (or trigger condition) of at least one QoS flow, and the location condition (or trigger condition) includes location information corresponding to the at least one QoS flow.

[0245] Exemplarily, the core network sends a QoS configuration to the base station. The QoS configuration includes QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1), QoS configuration information 2 of QoS flow (QFI2), and a location condition. The location condition includes information about location 1 corresponding to QoS flow (QFI1) / QoS configuration information 1 and information about location 2 corresponding to QoS flow (QFI2) / QoS configuration information 2. When the UE is located at location 1, QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1) is used. When the UE is located at location 2, QoS configuration information 2 of QoS flow (QFI2) is used.

[0246] Based on the above-mentioned implementation methods, 5GC can send the QoS configuration information and the corresponding location information of the QoS flow to the base station synchronously, or asynchronously, or carry the QoS configuration information and the corresponding location information of the QoS flow in the same configuration / message and send them, or send them separately, which is not limited in this application. Moreover, 5GC can also provide the QoS configuration information and / or the corresponding location information of the QoS flow to the base station in other implicit ways, such as 5GC providing the base station with indication information of the QoS configuration information of the QoS flow (such as ID / serial number / index, etc.) and / or indication information of the corresponding location (such as location identifier, etc.). 5GC can also send the correspondence between the QoS configuration information of the QoS flow and the corresponding location information to the base station (such as Table 1 and Table 2 below).

[0247] In this embodiment, one QoS flow corresponds to one QoS configuration information as an example for description. In actual application, one QoS flow may correspond to multiple QoS configuration information, or multiple QoS flows may correspond to one QoS configuration information, which is not limited in this application.

[0248] In addition, each QoS flow (or configuration information of each QoS flow) may correspond to one or more location information. Location information may refer to the geographical location information of a spatial point or the geographical location information of an area / range, without specific limitation.

[0249] As shown in Table 1, the location information-based QoS configuration provided by 5GC includes but is not limited to QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1), QoS configuration information 2 of QoS flow (QFI2), and information of location 1 and information of location 2; among them, QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1) corresponds to the information of location 1, and QoS configuration information 2 of QoS flow (QFI2) corresponds to the information of location 2.

[0250] Table 1

[0251] For example, as shown in Table 1, QoS flow (QFI1) (or QoS configuration information 1) corresponds to information about location 1. The information about location 1 may be one or more of longitude x1, latitude y1, and altitude z1 corresponding to location 1, such as the geographic coordinate system (x1, y1, z1) of location 1. When the UE is at location 1, QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1) is used. The same applies to the information about location 2 corresponding to QoS flow (QFI2) (or QoS configuration information 2).

[0252] As shown in Table 2, the location information-based QoS configuration provided by 5GC includes but is not limited to QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1), QoS configuration information 2 of QoS flow (QFI2), and information of area 1 and area 2; among them, QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1) corresponds to the information of area 1, and QoS configuration information 2 of QoS flow (QFI2) corresponds to the information of area 2.

[0253] Table 2

[0254] For example, as shown in Table 2, QoS flow (QFI1) (or QoS configuration information 1) corresponds to information of area 1, and the information of area 1 may include one or more information of the longitude range, latitude range, and altitude range of area 1, wherein the longitude range may be the starting longitude + the ending longitude, for example, the longitude range is expressed as is the starting longitude, is the end longitude; the latitude range can be the starting latitude + the end latitude, for example, the latitude range is expressed as is the starting latitude, The latitude and longitude ranges can be expressed as the starting altitude and ending altitude, respectively. The latitude and longitude ranges can also be expressed as a length.

[0255] In some embodiments, the information of area 1 may also be position range information, for example, the information of area 1 is represented by the position (x, y, z) of the center point + radius r. This application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0256] In other embodiments, the QoS configuration based on location information provided by 5GC may not include location information. The base station can configure the location information corresponding to the QoS configuration information of at least one QoS flow by itself. The location information configured by the base station can refer to the location information configured by the core network 5GC, which will not be described here.

[0257] S602: The base station determines QoS configuration information according to the QoS configuration based on the location information and / or the location information of UE1.

[0258] For example, the base station may receive the location information of UE1 from UE1, or request the location management function (LMF) to obtain the location information of UE1. In this embodiment, taking UE1 as an example, the location information of UE1 may refer to the current location information of UE1.

[0259] In one possible implementation, the base station can determine the location or area in which QoS configuration information UE1 is located based on the location information of UE1 and the QoS configuration based on the location information provided by 5GC.

[0260] Exemplarily, referring to the location information-based QoS configuration shown in Table 1, the base station determines the relationship between UE1's location and location 1 and location 2, respectively, and further determines whether UE1 is in location 1 / location 2 based on the relationship between UE1's location and location 1 / location 2. If the relationship between UE1's location and location 1 is that UE1's location and location 1 are the same location, or the straight-line distance between UE1's location and location 1 is less than a set threshold, then the base station determines to use QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1).

[0261] Exemplarily, referring to the QoS configuration based on location information shown in Table 2, the base station determines the relationship between the location of UE1 and area 1 / area 2, and further determines whether UE1 is in area 1 / area 2 based on the relationship between the location of UE1 and area 1 / area 2. If the relationship between the location of UE1 and area 1 is that UE1 is in area 1, or meets the conditions for entering area 1, then the base station determines to use QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1).

[0262] In this embodiment 1, the base station determines the relationship between the location of UE1 and the target area (such as area 1 / area 2 in Table 2 above), which may include but is not limited to: (1) the location of UE1 is / is not in the target area; (2) the location of UE1 meets / does not meet the conditions for entering the target area. When the base station determines that the location of UE1 is in the target area, or the location of UE1 meets the conditions for entering the target area, the QoS configuration information corresponding to the target area is used.

[0263] Exemplarily, the base station determines whether the location of UE1 meets the conditions for entering the target area (such as area 1 / area 2 shown in Table 2 above), which may include but are not limited to the following:

[0264] Condition 1 (distance threshold 1 + boundary information of target area): before UE1 enters the target area, the base station determines, based on the position of UE1, that the closest distance (or vertical distance) between UE1 and the boundary of the target area is less than distance threshold 1.

[0265] In condition 1 above, distance threshold 1 can be provided by the core network 5GC or pre-configured by the base station; there are no restrictions on this. The target area can be an area in the location-based QoS configuration provided by the 5GC, or a new area determined by the base station based on the location / area in the QoS configuration provided by the 5GC; there are no restrictions on this.

[0266] In addition, the boundary information of the target area can include reference point information + altitude information, where the reference point information can be latitude and longitude coordinates, and the altitude information is the height from sea level. The number of reference points is not limited. The boundary of the target area can be determined by the location / area in the QoS configuration based on location information provided by the base station based on 5GC.

[0267] As shown in Figure 7A, taking the target area 1 corresponding to the QoS configuration information 1 of the QoS flow (QFI1) as an example, the boundary of the target area 1 is determined through the information of the two reference points and the altitude information; if the vertical distance between the position of UE1 and the boundary of the target area 1 is less than the distance threshold 1, the QoS configuration information 1 of the QoS flow (QFI1) corresponding to the target area 1 is used.

[0268] Condition 2 (distance threshold 2 + information of target reference point): when the shortest distance between the position of UE1 and the target reference point is less than distance threshold 2.

[0269] In condition 2, distance threshold 2 can be provided by the core network 5GC or pre-configured by the base station, and there is no limitation on this. The target reference point information can be the latitude and longitude coordinates and altitude information of the center point or any point within the target area. The target reference point information can be provided by the 5GC or configured by the base station itself, and the number of target reference points can be one or more, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0270] In the above S602, the base station determines the corresponding QoS configuration information based on the QoS configuration based on the location information provided by the 5GC and the location of UE1. In an embodiment of the present application, a parallel optional implementation method is also provided, including the following two steps S603 and S604, that is, the base station sends the location information or trigger conditions corresponding to the QoS configuration information of each QoS flow to UE1, and UE1 determines which location / area corresponding to the QoS configuration information it is in, or which area of ​​the QoS configuration information it is eligible to enter, based on its own location information and the location information or trigger conditions corresponding to the QoS configuration information, and then reports the location information of UE1 or the indication information of the QoS configuration information to the base station.

[0271] In this embodiment, if S602 is executed, the following S603 and S604 are not executed; if S602 is not executed, the following S603 and S604 are executed.

[0272] S603: The base station sends a trigger condition to UE1. Correspondingly, UE1 receives the trigger condition.

[0273] In S603, the base station may send a trigger condition (also referred to as a location condition, equivalent to the first condition in the solution described in FIG4 ) to UE1. The trigger condition may include location / area information or location conditions corresponding to at least one QoS flow (or QoS configuration information) in the QoS configuration provided by 5GC. In addition, the base station may also provide UE1 with indication information (such as QFI, etc.) of each QoS flow, and / or provide UE1 with indication information (such as ID / serial number / index, etc.) of the QoS configuration information of each QoS flow.

[0274] For example, as shown in Table 3, QFI1 is the identifier of QoS flow (1), and QFI2 is the identifier of QoS flow (2). The base station can provide UE1 with: the QFIs of multiple QoS flows (such as QFI1 and QFI2) and corresponding location information (such as information at location 1 and information at location 2). Alternatively, as shown in Table 4, the index of the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (1) is 1, and the index of the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (2) is 2. The base station can provide UE1 with: the indexes of multiple QoS configuration information (such as 1 and 2) and corresponding location information (such as information at location 1 and information at location 2).

[0275] Table 3

[0276] Table 4

[0277] As another example, as shown in Table 5, QFI1 is the identifier of QoS flow (1), and QFI2 is the identifier of QoS flow (2). The base station can provide UE1 with: the QFIs of multiple QoS flows (such as QFI1 and QFI2) and the corresponding regional information (such as the information of region 1 and the information of region 2). Alternatively, as shown in Table 6, the index of the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (1) is 1, and the index of the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (2) is 2. The base station can provide UE1 with: the indexes of multiple QoS configuration information (such as 1 and 2) and the corresponding regional information (such as the information of region 1 and the information of region 2). For the explanation of the regional information, refer to the explanation in S602 above and will not be repeated here.

[0278] Table 5

[0279] Table 6

[0280] The above Tables 3 and 4, Table 5 and Table 6 are all examples. In actual applications, Tables 3 and 4, Table 5 and Table 6 may contain more or less content than Tables 3 and 4, and are not listed in detail here.

[0281] For the specific implementation method of UE1 determining whether its own position is at the position in Table 3 / Table 4 above, or is located in the area in Table 5 / Table 6 above, or meets the conditions for entering the area in Table 5 / Table 6 above, it can refer to the implementation method of the above-mentioned base station for judgment based on the location information of UE1, which will not be repeated here.

[0282] Based on the above S602, the base station determines whether the location of UE1 meets the conditions for entering the target area. Similarly, in the following S604, UE1 can make its own determination. Based on the conditions determined by the base station, in the above S603, the base station also needs to send one or more of the following to UE1:

[0283] Distance threshold 1, distance threshold 2, boundary information of the target area (two reference point information + height information), information of the target reference point (unlimited number).

[0284] S604: UE1 sends location information / indication information of UE1 to the base station based on the trigger condition.

[0285] UE1 can determine whether it is in the location / area corresponding to the at least one QoS flow (or QoS configuration information) based on its own location and the location information or location conditions corresponding to the at least one QoS flow (or QoS configuration information); when UE1 determines that it is in the location / area corresponding to any QoS flow (or QoS configuration information), or meets the conditions for entering the area corresponding to any QoS flow (or QoS configuration information), then in S604, UE1 can report its own location information to the base station, or report the indication information of the corresponding QoS flow (such as QFI, etc.) to the base station, or report the indication information of the QoS configuration information of the corresponding QoS flow (such as ID / serial number / index, etc.) to the base station.

[0286] For example, if UE1 determines that its location is at location 1, UE1 may report its location information to the base station, or, as shown in Table 3, UE1 may report QFI1 to the base station, or, as shown in Table 4, UE1 may report index 1 of the QoS configuration information to the base station. Accordingly, after receiving the location information of UE1, QFI1, or index 1 of the QoS configuration information, the base station may determine the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (1).

[0287] For another example, if UE1 determines that its location is in area 1 or meets the conditions for entering area 1, UE1 may report its location information to the base station, or, as shown in Table 5, UE1 may report QFI1 to the base station, or, as shown in Table 6, UE1 may report index 1 of the QoS configuration information to the base station. Accordingly, after receiving the location information of UE1, QFI1, or index 1 of the QoS configuration information, the base station may determine the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (1).

[0288] S605: The base station performs mapping of data radio bearers (DRBs).

[0289] The base station maps the QoS flow of each location to the DRB based on the location information-based QoS configuration provided by 5GC.

[0290] For example, as shown in FIG7B , the QoS flow of location 1 (location 1) is mapped to DRB 1; and the QoS flow of location 2 (location 2) is mapped to DRB 2.

[0291] Optionally, the base station can combine the location information corresponding to the QoS Flow with the 5QI (5QI is used to characterize the QoS requirements of the QoS Flow) to map the DRB. For example, the QoS flow corresponding to location1 and 5QI=5 is mapped to DRB1; the QoS flow corresponding to location2 and 5QI=3 is mapped to DRB2.

[0292] In this embodiment, the base station configures the mapping of QoS at different locations to radio data bearer DRBs and can send it to UE1 in advance. That is, when executing S602, there is no specific restriction on the order in which S605 and S602 are executed. When executing S603-S604, there is no specific restriction on the order in which S605 and S603-S604 are executed.

[0293] S606: The base station maps the QoS flow of UE1 to the corresponding DRB based on the configuration information of the QoS flow of UE1.

[0294] For base station-side DRB applications, the following may be involved:

[0295] Based on the implementation of the base station judgment in S602 above, the base station may map the QoS flow to the corresponding DRB based on the determined QoS configuration information.

[0296] Based on the implementation of the UE1 judgment in S603 and S604 above, the base station needs to wait until the location information or indication information reported by UE1 is received before mapping the QoS flow of UE1 to the corresponding DRB.

[0297] For example, the base station applies the corresponding DRB based on the location information or indication information reported by UE1. If UE1 is at location 1, DRB1 is applied; if UE1 is at location 2, DRB2 is applied.

[0298] When DRB is applied on UE1, the following situations may occur:

[0299] Case 1: Before S606 , the base station does not send the QoS to DRB mapping to UE1 .

[0300] In this step, the base station needs to send the radio bearer configuration (Radio Bearer Config) corresponding to the QoS flow to UE1. Accordingly, after receiving the radio bearer configuration, UE1 configures the SDAP entity and the associated DRB according to the radio bearer configuration.

[0301] For example, after the base station determines the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (1) in S602 or receives index 1 of the QFI1 / QoS configuration information in S604, the base station sends the radio bearer configuration 1 corresponding to QoS flow (1) to UE1. UE1 configures the SDAP entity and the associated DRB1 according to the radio bearer configuration 1.

[0302] Case 2: Before S606 , the base station has already sent the location and SDAP configuration to UE1 in advance.

[0303] The base station configures the mapping of QoS at different locations to radio data bearer DRBs and has sent it to UE1 in advance.

[0304] For example, the base station configures mapping 1 (radio bearer configuration 1, location 1), mapping 2 (radio bearer configuration 2, location 2), and mapping 3 (radio bearer configuration 3, location 3), and then sends the radio bearer configurations corresponding to these different locations to UE1.

[0305] Based on the implementation of UE1 judgment in the above S603 and S604, UE1 can determine the corresponding radio bearer configuration based on its own location to configure the corresponding SDAP entity and the corresponding DRB; optionally, UE1 can also indicate the corresponding DRB to the base station.

[0306] For example, UE1 determines that it is located at location 1, and then configures the corresponding SDAP entity and the corresponding DRB 1 according to the radio bearer configuration 1 corresponding to location 1, and sends indication information to the base station to indicate DRB 1.

[0307] In this first implementation, the core network 5GC configures a location-based QoS configuration for the base station. When UE1 arrives at the corresponding area, it applies the corresponding DRB configuration or sends an indication to the base station, which then configures the corresponding DRB for the UE. This method can meet different QoS requirements at different locations.

[0308] Implementation method 2:

[0309] Based on the solution described in FIG4 , in this second embodiment, the first network device is exemplified by a base station (e.g., a gNB) and the second network device is exemplified by a core network 5GC. In practice, due to different application scenarios or evolving network architectures, the first network device may also be other network devices capable of achieving the same functionality, and the second network device may be similarly implemented. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0310] For example, in this second embodiment, the core network 5GC pre-provides QoS configuration for the base station (which may be equivalent to at least one configuration information in Figure 4 above). The 5GC may also provide location-based QoS configuration to UE1. UE1 determines the corresponding QoS based on its own location information and indicates it to the base station. Referring to Figure 8, the process of this second embodiment is as follows:

[0311] S801: The 5GC sends at least one QoS configuration information to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the at least one QoS configuration information from the 5GC.

[0312] In this second embodiment, one QoS flow corresponds to one QoS configuration information as an example for description. In actual application, one QoS flow may correspond to multiple QoS configuration information, or multiple QoS flows may correspond to one QoS configuration information, which is not limited in this application.

[0313] Different from S601 of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, 5GC provides at least one QoS configuration information to the base station, but does not provide corresponding location information.

[0314] S802: 5GC sends a QoS configuration based on location information to UE1. Correspondingly, the base station receives the QoS configuration based on location information from 5GC.

[0315] In a possible implementation, the QoS configuration includes QoS information of at least one QoS flow, and the QoS information of each QoS flow includes QoS configuration information and corresponding location information.

[0316] In another possible implementation, the QoS configuration includes QoS configuration information and a location condition (or trigger condition) of at least one QoS flow, and the location condition (or trigger condition) includes location information corresponding to the at least one QoS flow.

[0317] In this embodiment, each QoS flow (or configuration information of each QoS flow) may correspond to one or more location information. The location information may refer to the geographical location information of a spatial point or the geographical location information of an area / range, without specific limitation.

[0318] The specific description of S802 can refer to the specific description of S601 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0319] The above S801 and S802 can be executed synchronously or asynchronously, and there is no limit on the order of execution of S801 and S802.

[0320] S803: UE1 sends QoS indication information to the base station based on the QoS configuration provided by 5GC. Correspondingly, the base station receives the QoS indication information.

[0321] The specific implementation of S803 can refer to the specific implementation of S603-S604 in the above embodiment 1. However, unlike the above S603, in S803, UE1 receives QoS configuration information of at least one QoS flow from 5GC. Optionally, UE1 can also receive one or more of the following from 5GC:

[0322] Indication information of at least one QoS flow (e.g., QFI), and indication information of the QoS configuration information of at least one QoS flow (e.g., ID / sequence number / index, etc.).

[0323] For example, UE1 determines QoS configuration information 1 of QoS flow (QFI1) based on its own location information. Then, the QoS indication information sent by UE1 to the base station may be any one or more of the following:

[0324] Indication information of QoS flow (e.g., QFI1), indication information of QoS configuration information 1 (e.g., index number 1), and indication information of the DRB corresponding to QoS flow (QFI1).

[0325] S804: The base station applies corresponding QoS configuration information based on the QoS indication information of UE1.

[0326] That is, the base station has performed the mapping between the QoS flow and the DRB. In S804, the base station applies the corresponding QoS flow based on the QoS indication information of UE1, and sends the corresponding radio bearer configuration RadioBearerConfig to UE1 through the following S805.

[0327] Exemplarily, the base station determines QoS flow (QFI1) based on the QoS indication information of UE1, and the currently applied QoS flow is not QoS flow (QFI1), then the base station switches to QoS flow (QFI1).

[0328] Optionally, the base station sends indication information to the core network 5GC to indicate the QoS configuration information (QoS profile) corresponding to the application.

[0329] S805: The base station sends a radio bearer configuration RadioBearerConfig to UE1. Correspondingly, UE1 receives the radio bearer configuration RadioBearerConfig.

[0330] S806: UE1 applies the radio bearer configuration according to the radio bearer configuration RadioBearerConfig.

[0331] In this second embodiment, the core network 5GC configures a location-based QoS configuration for the UE. When the UE reaches a specific area, it can trigger higher-level QoS indication information, instructing the base station to use the QoS configuration for that area. The base station then applies the corresponding QoS configuration information and provides the corresponding radio bearer configuration to UE1. The UE applies the corresponding radio bearer according to the RadioBearerConfig radio bearer configuration. This method can effectively meet different QoS requirements in different locations.

[0332] Implementation method three:

[0333] Based on the solution described in FIG5 , in this third embodiment, the following description uses a core network 5GC as an example of the first communication device, and a base station (e.g., a gNB) as an example of the second communication device. In practice, due to different application scenarios or evolution of network architecture, the second communication device may also be other network devices capable of implementing the same method or function, and the same applies to the first communication device. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0334] For example, in this third embodiment, the core network 5GC (which may be equivalent to the first communication device in the solution described in FIG. 5 ) may configure the corresponding QoS based on the location information or QoS indication information of UE1 reported by the base station (which may be equivalent to the second communication device in the solution described in FIG. 5 ). Referring to FIG. 9 , the process of this third embodiment is as follows:

[0335] S901: 5GC sends trigger conditions to the base station.

[0336] Correspondingly, the base station receives the trigger condition (which may be equivalent to the first condition in the solution described in FIG. 5 ).

[0337] In one embodiment, the trigger condition may include one or more location information. A location information may refer to the geographical location information of a spatial point or the geographical location information of an area / range. For details, please refer to the introduction in S601 of the above embodiment 1, and no further details will be given.

[0338] Optionally, 5GC can provide indication information corresponding to the location information to the base station (such as the location information identifier, QoS identifier, etc.).

[0339] S902: UE1 sends the location information of UE1 to the base station.

[0340] In this implementation, the base station can allow the drone to report location information through the existing process, or the base station requests the LMF to obtain the location information of UE1.

[0341] S903: The base station sends the location information / QoS indication information of UE1 to the 5GC according to the location information of UE1 and the triggering condition. Correspondingly, the 5GC receives the location information / QoS indication information of UE1.

[0342] The specific implementation manner in which the base station determines whether UE1 is located in the one or more locations / target areas, or whether it meets the requirements for entering the target area, can refer to the specific implementation manner of S602 in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0343] When the base station determines that UE1 is located in one or more locations / target areas, or meets the requirements for entering the target area, the base station can report the location information or QoS indication information of UE1 to 5GC, and the QoS indication information is used to indicate specific QoS requirements.

[0344] In some embodiments, the base station can also send the trigger conditions to UE1; in addition, the trigger conditions sent by the base station to UE1 also include but are not limited to: distance threshold 1, distance threshold 2, boundary information of the target range (information of two reference points + height information), and information of reference points within the target range.

[0345] Furthermore, based on the trigger condition, UE1 determines whether it is located in the one or more locations / target areas, or whether it meets the specific implementation method of entering the target area. It can also refer to the specific implementation method in S602 in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, or the specific implementation method in S603-S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0346] When UE1 determines that it is located in one or more locations / target areas, or meets the requirements to enter the target area, it reports the location information / QoS indication information of UE1 to the base station; or UE1 can directly report the location information / QoS indication information of UE1 to 5GC through a non-access layer message.

[0347] S904: 5GC configures QoS flow based on UE1's location information / QoS indication information.

[0348] If 5GC receives the location information of UE1, then 5GC can determine the corresponding QoS requirements based on the location information of UE1; and then configure the QoS flow based on the QoS requirements corresponding to the location information of UE1.

[0349] If 5GC receives QoS indication information, 5GC configures QoS flow according to the QoS requirements indicated by the QoS indication information.

[0350] S905: The 5GC sends the QoS configuration information of the QoS flow to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the QoS configuration information of the QoS flow from the 5GC.

[0351] Exemplarily, 5GC configures QoS flow (QFI1) based on the location information / QoS indication information of UE1, and sends the QoS configuration information of QoS flow (QFI1) to the base station.

[0352] S906: The base station maps the QoS flow to the DRB based on the QoS configuration information of the QoS flow.

[0353] Subsequent steps can be implemented with reference to existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0354] In this third embodiment, the core network can configure location-based trigger conditions for the base station / UE; when the UE arrives at the corresponding area, the base station / UE sends the UE's location information / QoS indication information to the core network to instruct the core network to configure a new QoS configuration, thereby meeting the need to configure different QoS configurations for different locations.

[0355] Regarding the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 3, it should be noted that:

[0356] (1) The above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 3 can be implemented separately or in combination, without any specific limitation.

[0357] (2) The above description focuses on the differences between the first to third embodiments. Except for the differences, the first to third embodiments can refer to each other.

[0358] (3) The step numbers in the flowcharts described in Embodiments 1 to 3 are merely examples of the execution process and do not limit the order in which the steps are executed. There is no temporal dependency between the steps in the embodiments of this application, and there is no strict execution order between them. Furthermore, not all of the steps shown in the flowcharts are mandatory steps, and steps may be added or deleted based on actual needs.

[0359] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced from the perspective of interaction between each device. In order to implement the various functions in the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) may include a hardware structure and / or a software module to implement the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether a function of the above functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0360] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0361] Similar to the above concept, as shown in Figure 10, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device 1000 for implementing the functions of the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) in the above method. For example, the communication device 1000 can be a software module or a chip system. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. The communication device 1000 may include: a communication unit 1001 and a processing unit 1002.

[0362] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 1001 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, and may include a sending unit and / or a receiving unit, respectively configured to execute the steps of sending and receiving by the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) in the above method embodiments or implementations. The processing unit 1002 may be configured to read instructions and / or data from the storage module to enable the communication device 1000 to implement the above method embodiments.

[0363] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage unit 1003 , which is equivalent to a storage module and may be used to store instructions and / or data.

[0364] The communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 10 and 11. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method implementation described in Figures 4 to 6 and 8 and 9 above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0365] Communication unit 1001 may also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device. A processing unit may also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing module, or processing device. Alternatively, the device in communication unit 1001 that implements the receiving function may be considered a receiving unit, and the device in communication unit 1001 that implements the transmitting function may be considered a transmitting unit. That is, communication unit 1001 includes both a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. A communication unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver circuit. A receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, receiver, or receiving circuit. A transmitting unit may also be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0366] When the communication device 1000 executes the terminal device in the process shown in Figure 4 of the above embodiment: the processing unit 1002 is used to determine the first location information of the terminal device; the communication unit 1001 / the processing unit 1002 is used to determine the first configuration information, the first configuration information is associated with the first location information, and the first configuration information is associated with the service quality of the terminal device.

[0367] When the communication device 1000 executes the first network device (i.e., access network device) of the process shown in Figure 4 of the above embodiment: the communication unit 1001 and the processing unit 1002 in the communication device 1000 are both located in the first network device; or the communication unit 1001 is located in the DU of the first network device, and the processing unit 1002 is located in the CU of the first network device; or in the ORAN architecture, the communication unit 1001 is located in the O-DU and / or O-RU of the first network device, and the processing unit 1002 is located in the O-CU and / or O-DU of the first network device.

[0368] The communication unit 1001 receives a second configuration from a second network device, wherein the second configuration includes at least one configuration information; the processing unit 1002 is used to determine first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information is associated with the first location information of the terminal device.

[0369] When the communication device 1000 executes the second network device shown in Figure 4 of the above embodiment: the processing unit 1002 is used to determine at least one configuration information; the communication unit 1001 sends a second configuration to the first network device; the second configuration includes at least one configuration information; the at least one configuration information is associated with at least one target area.

[0370] The above is just an example. The processing unit 1002 and the communication unit 1001 can also perform other functions. For more detailed description, please refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4, which is not repeated here.

[0371] When the communication device 1000 executes the first communication device shown in Figure 5 of the above embodiment: the communication unit 1001 is used to receive the first location information of the terminal device; the communication unit 1001 is also used to send first configuration information, and the first configuration information is associated with the first location information; wherein the first configuration information is associated with the service quality of the terminal device; the processing unit 1002 is used to control the communication unit to perform sending / receiving, and process data, etc.

[0372] When the communication device 1000 executes the second communication device (access network device) shown in Figure 5 of the above embodiment: the communication unit 1001 and the processing unit 1002 are both located in the second communication device; or the communication unit 1001 is located in the DU of the second communication device, and the processing unit 1002 is located in the CU of the second communication device; or in the ORAN architecture, the communication unit 1001 is located in the O-DU and / or O-RU of the second communication device, and the processing unit 1002 is located in the O-CU and / or O-DU of the second communication device.

[0373] The communication unit 1001 is configured to transmit first location information of a terminal device; the communication unit 1001 is further configured to receive first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information is associated with the first location information and the first configuration information is associated with the quality of service of the terminal device. The processing unit 1002 is configured to control the communication unit to perform transmission / reception, and process data.

[0374] The above is just an example. The processing unit 1002 and the communication unit 1001 can also perform other functions. For more detailed description, please refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, which is not repeated here.

[0375] As shown in Figure 11, a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application can be a hardware circuit implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 10. The communication device 1100 can be applied to the flowchart shown above to perform the functions of the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) in the above method embodiment or implementation. For ease of explanation, Figure 11 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0376] As shown in Figure 11, communication device 1100 includes a communication interface 1101 and a processor 1102. Communication interface 1101 and processor 1102 are coupled to each other. It is understood that communication interface 1101 can be a transceiver or input / output interface, or an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit. Optionally, communication device 1100 can also include a memory 1103 for storing instructions executed by processor 1102, input data required by processor 1102 to execute instructions, or data generated by processor 1102 after executing instructions.

[0377] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the methods shown in Figures 4 to 6, 8 and 9, the communication interface 1101 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned communication unit 1001, and the processor 1102 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1002.

[0378] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 1101, the processor 1102, and the memory 1103 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 11, the embodiment of the present application shows that the memory 1103, the processor 1102, and the communication interface 1101 are connected via a communication bus 1104. The communication bus 1104 is represented by a bold line in Figure 11. The connection method between other components is only for schematic illustration and is not intended to be limiting. The communication bus 1104 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used in Figure 11, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0379] When the communication device is a chip, FIG12 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the chip structure, wherein the chip 1200 includes an interface circuit 1201 and one or more processors 1202. Optionally, the chip 1200 may further include a bus.

[0380] The processor 1202 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above-mentioned communication method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 1202 or an instruction in the form of software. The above-mentioned processor 1202 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The various methods and steps disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0381] The interface circuit 1201 can be used to send or receive data, instructions or information. The processor 1202 can use the data, instructions or other information received by the interface circuit 1201 to process it, and can send the processing completion information through the interface circuit 1201.

[0382] Optionally, the chip further includes a memory 1203, which may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provides operating instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory 1203 may also include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0383] Optionally, the memory stores an executable software module or a data structure, and the processor can perform corresponding operations by calling an operation instruction stored in the memory (the operation instruction may be stored in an operating system).

[0384] Optionally, the chip can be used in a terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) involved in an embodiment or embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the interface circuit 1201 can be used to output the execution result of the processor 1202. For the communication method provided in one or more embodiments of the present application, reference can be made to the aforementioned embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0385] It should be noted that the corresponding functions of the interface circuit 1201 and the processor 1202 can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software, and there is no limitation here.

[0386] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions are stored for implementing the method executed by the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) in the above method embodiment or implementation.

[0387] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) in the above method embodiment or implementation.

[0388] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to implement the method executed by the terminal device / first network device / second network device (or first communication device / second communication device) in the above method embodiment or implementation.

[0389] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory so that the processor executes the communication method of the implementation shown in Figures 4-6, 8 and 9 above.

[0390] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip corresponds to the receiving operation in the implementation shown in Figures 4-6, 8 and 9 above, and the output of the chip corresponds to the sending operation in the implementation shown in Figures 4-6, 8 and 9 above.

[0391] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0392] Optionally, the chip further includes a memory in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0393] The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the programs in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6, 8, and 9. The memory mentioned in any of the above may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0394] It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the explanation and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the communication devices provided above may refer to the corresponding communication method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0395] In the present application, the communication devices may further include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system of the operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as the Linux operating system, Unix operating system, Android operating system, iOS operating system, or Windows operating system. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0396] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0397] Through the description of the above embodiments, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, the above functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. For example, but not limited to: a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection can be appropriately a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used in the embodiments of the present application, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs use lasers to reproduce data optically. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of protection of computer-readable media.

[0398] In short, the above description is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made based on the disclosure of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device or a chip of the terminal device, and includes: Determining first location information of the terminal device; Determine first configuration information, where the first configuration information is associated with the first location information; wherein the first configuration information is associated with the quality of service of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining of the first configuration information includes: The first configuration information is determined based on the first location information and a first condition; the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to at least one configuration information, and the at least one configuration information includes the first configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first condition is received.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The first condition includes information of a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first condition also includes one or more of the following: The first distance threshold, the second distance threshold, and information of reference points within the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information; Among them, the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the location of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the location of the terminal device and a reference point in the target area, and the reference point is a location point or a location range in the target area.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining the first configuration information based on the first location information and the first condition includes: Determining a relationship between the first position and the target area according to the first position information and the first condition; The first configuration information is determined according to a relationship between the first position and the target area.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The relationship between the first position and the target area includes any one or more of the following: The first position is located in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information; The distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold; The distance between the first position and a reference point in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a second distance threshold.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send indication information of the first configuration information to the first network device.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determining of the first configuration information includes: Receive first information, where the first information includes one or more of the following: The first configuration information and indication information of the first configuration information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first location information is sent.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The configuration information includes one or more of the following: Configuration information of quality of service, and configuration information of wireless data bearers corresponding to the quality of service.

12. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that The target area information includes one or more of the following: Longitude information, latitude information, altitude information; The longitude information includes: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; The latitude information includes: starting position information and ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; The height information includes: starting position information and ending position information of the height corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the height range corresponding to the target area.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network device or a chip of the first network device, and includes: receiving a second configuration from a second network device, wherein the second configuration includes at least one configuration information, and the configuration information is associated with the quality of service of the terminal device; Determine first configuration information, where the first configuration information is associated with first location information of the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The at least one configuration information is associated with at least one target area.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The second configuration also includes information about a portion of the at least one target area or information about all of the target areas.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first condition is sent to the terminal device, where the first condition is used to indicate a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first condition includes information of a target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first condition also includes one or more of the following: The first distance threshold, the second distance threshold, and information of reference points within the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information; Among them, the first distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the location of the terminal device and the boundary of the target area, and the second distance threshold is used to determine the distance between the location of the terminal device and a reference point in the target area, and the reference point is a location point or a location range in the target area.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The configuration information for determining the first quality of service includes: Receive indication information of first configuration information from the terminal device.

20. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The determining of the first configuration information includes: determining a relationship between the first position and the target area according to the first position information and information of the target area corresponding to the at least one configuration information; The first configuration information is determined according to a relationship between the first position and the target area.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive the first location information of the first terminal device.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The relationship between the first position and the target area includes one or more of the following: The first position is located in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information; The distance between the first position and the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a first distance threshold; The distance between the first position and a reference point in the target area corresponding to the first configuration information is less than a second distance threshold.

23. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first information to the terminal device; the first information includes one or more of the following: The first configuration information and indication information of the first configuration information.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that The configuration information includes any one or more of the following: Configuration information of quality of service, and configuration information of wireless data bearers corresponding to the quality of service.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that The target area information includes one or more of the following: Longitude information, latitude information, altitude information; The longitude information includes: the starting position information and the ending position information of the longitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the longitude range corresponding to the target area; The latitude information includes: starting position information and ending position information of the latitude corresponding to the target area, and / or the length of the latitude range corresponding to the target area; The height information includes: starting position information and ending position information of the height corresponding to the target area; and / or the length of the height range corresponding to the target area.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 25.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The memory is used to store one or more computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the one or more computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or performs the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 25.

28. A communication system, characterized in that: It comprises a terminal device and a first network device; the terminal device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, and the first network device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 25.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program or instructions is stored, wherein the computer program or instructions are used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

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