Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: a first network element sends a query message, the query message being used for querying energy consumption information of a second network element for transmitting data, and the data comprising data related to a terminal device; the first network element receives a response to the query message, the response comprising an index, and the index indicating a relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data; and on the basis of the index, the first network element acquires the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data. According to the method, the first network element can further know the data transmission situation of the terminal device from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also perform corresponding processing, thereby facilitating data transmission of the terminal device.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on December 29, 2023, with application number 202311865967.1 and application name “A Communication Method, Device and System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0004] Operators deploy access networks and core networks. After connecting to the core network via the access network, terminal devices can transmit data to various entities through network elements within the access and core networks. For example, terminal devices can use these network elements to transmit data to data networks, thereby obtaining services provided by the data networks. Terminal devices can also use these network elements to transmit data to other terminal devices, enabling inter-device communication.

[0005] The quality of data transmission from terminal devices depends on the network elements in the network. The degree to which the network elements process data transmission related information will affect the quality of data transmission.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, and system, which are beneficial to data transmission of terminal devices.

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a first network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the first network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the first network element.

[0009] The method includes: the first network element sends a query message, which is used to query the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, and the data includes data related to the terminal device; the first network element receives a response to the query message, and the response includes an index, which indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data; the first network element obtains the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index.

[0010] The first network element may be a network element in a core network, for example, a session management function network element or a network data analysis function network element; the second network element may be a network element in an access network.

[0011] Optionally, the first network element sends a query message to the second network element. The first network element may send the query message to the second network element directly, or may send the query message to the second network element through other network elements (such as a mobility management network element).

[0012] Optionally, the first network element receives a response to the query message from the second network element. The first network element may receive the response directly from the second network element or receive the response from the second network element through another network element (such as a mobility management network element). Alternatively, the first network element receives a response to the query message from a user plane network element.

[0013] Based on this method, the first network element obtains the energy consumption of the second network element caused by the data transmission of the terminal device based on the index, so that the first network element can further understand the data transmission situation of the terminal device from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also take corresponding measures, which helps to better ensure the quality of data transmission.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is determined based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the relationship indicated by the index includes energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. Optionally, the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element is equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. The energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element can be obtained through calculation, which can reduce processing complexity.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first network element obtaining, based on the index, the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data includes: the first network element sending the index to a third network element; and the first network element receiving, from the third network element, the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data. The first network element receiving, from the third network element, the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data can save computing resources of the first network element.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first network element sends the data volume of the data to the third network element. For example, the first network element sends the index and the data volume of the data to the third network element via the same message. The first network element provides multiple pieces of information to the third network element via the same message, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first network element obtaining, based on the index, the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data includes: the first network element determining, based on the relationship indicated by the index and the amount of the data, the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data. The first network element locally calculating the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data can reduce signaling overhead and conserve transmission resources.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the response further includes the data volume. The first network element can obtain multiple pieces of information for determining energy consumption from the response at one time, thereby reducing processing delay.

[0020] Optionally, the first network element receives the response from the second network element, where the response includes the index and the data volume. The data volume may be the data volume of the terminal device-related data transmitted by the second network element within a first time period, where the first time period corresponds to the index.

[0021] Alternatively, the first network element receives the response from the user plane network element, where the response includes the index and the data volume. The data volume may be the data volume of data transmitted during a first time period in a session between the terminal device and the user plane network element, or the data volume of data related to the terminal device transmitted by the second network element during the first time period, where the first time period corresponds to the index.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the query message is also used to query the data volume.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first network element obtains the data volume based on information of the first time period; the data volume is the data volume of the data transmitted by the session between the terminal device and the user-side network element during the first time period, or the data volume is the data volume of the data transmitted by the second network element during the first time period. The first time period corresponds to the index, and the first network element can actively obtain the data volume, which is conducive to on-demand acquisition of data volume.

[0024] Optionally, the first network element obtains the data volume from the user plane network element or the session management function network based on the information of the first time period, and the data volume is the data volume transmitted by the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element during the first time period.

[0025] Optionally, the first network element obtains the data volume from the second network element based on the information of the first time period, and the data volume is the data volume of the data transmitted by the second network element in the first time period.

[0026] Exemplarily, the first network element sends information about the first time period to the user plane network element, and the first network element receives the data volume from the user plane network element. For example, the first network element sends a message to the user plane network element requesting data volume, where the message requesting data volume includes information about the first time period. The user plane network element in this example can be replaced with a session management function network element or a second network element.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the response further includes information about the first time period.

[0028] Optionally, the first network element receives the response from the second network element, where the response includes the index and information about the first time period. The first network element can obtain multiple pieces of information used to determine energy consumption from the response at one time, thereby reducing processing delay.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the query message is also used to query information of the first time period.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the relationship indicated by the index is determined based on the index and the list corresponding to the second network element, and at least one index in the list corresponding to the second network element corresponds to the relationship, and the relationship indicated by the index can be quickly determined by looking up the table.

[0031] Optionally, the first network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element according to the index to determine the relationship, that is, the first network element determines the relationship indicated by the index by querying the list corresponding to the second network element.

[0032] Optionally, before the first network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element based on the index, the method also includes: the first network element sends a request message to the fourth network element, the request message is used to request the list corresponding to the second network element, and the request message includes the identifier of the second network element; the first network element receives the list corresponding to the second network element from the fourth network element.

[0033] Optionally, the first network element sending the request message to the fourth network element includes: sending the request message to the fourth network element when a locally stored list corresponding to the second network element is expired. The first network element can use the latest list to determine the relationship corresponding to the index without having to request the list corresponding to the second network element multiple times, thereby improving energy consumption accuracy while reducing signaling overhead and saving transmission resources.

[0034] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the query message includes information for indicating the terminal device, which helps the message recipient accurately know that the query message is used to query the transmission energy consumption information of data related to which terminal device or devices.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data includes the energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data and / or the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first network element triggering the policy control network element to update a policy related to data transmission based on the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data.

[0037] For example, the first network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the policy control network element, so that the policy control network element updates the policy related to data transmission based on the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data. For another example, when the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first network element sends a message for requesting a policy update to the policy control network element, so that the policy control network element updates the policy related to data transmission. The first network element triggers the update of the data transmission-related policy based on the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data, which can increase the possibility of the second network element providing high-quality data transmission services to the terminal device.

[0038] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a third network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the third network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the third network element.

[0039] The method includes: a third network element receives an index from a first network element, the index indicating the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting data and the data, the data including data related to the terminal device; the third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index; the third network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element.

[0040] The first network element may be a network element in the core network, for example, a session management function network element; the second network element may be an access network device; the third network element may be a network element in the core network, for example, an energy consumption network element; or a third-party application network element, such as an application function network element.

[0041] Based on this method, the third network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element caused by the data transmission of the terminal device to the first network element, so that the first network element can further understand the data transmission of the terminal device from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also take corresponding measures, which helps to better ensure the quality of data transmission.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index, including: the third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the relationship indicated by the index includes energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. Optionally, the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element is equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. The third network element can obtain the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element through calculation, thereby reducing processing complexity of the third network element.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving, by the third network element, a data volume of the data from the first network element. For example, the third network element receives, by the third network element, an index of the first network element and the data volume of the data via the same message. The third network element obtains, from the same message, multiple pieces of information used to determine the energy consumption of the second network element, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving processing efficiency.

[0045] Alternatively, the third network element receives the data volume of the data from the second network element, or the third network element receives the data volume of the data from the user plane network element. The third network element can obtain the data volume through different channels, thereby improving the flexibility of information acquisition.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the third network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element based on the index to determine the relationship. That is, the third network element determines the relationship indicated by the index by querying the list corresponding to the second network element. At least one index in the table corresponding to the second network element corresponds to the relationship. By querying the table, the third network element can quickly determine the relationship indicated by the index.

[0047] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, a third network element receives an identifier of a second network element from a first network element; and the third network element obtains a list corresponding to the second network element based on the identifier of the second network element. Based on the identifier of the second network element provided by the first network element, the third network element can accurately obtain the list corresponding to the second network element.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data includes the energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data and / or the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data.

[0049] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the second network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the second network element.

[0050] The method includes: the second network element receives a query message, which is used to query the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, and the data includes data related to the terminal device; the second network element sends a response to the query message, and the response includes an index, which indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data.

[0051] The second network element may be an access network device.

[0052] Optionally, the second network element receives the query message from the first network element. The second network element may receive the query message directly from the first network element, or may receive the query message from the first network element through other network elements (such as a mobility management network element).

[0053] Optionally, the second network element sends a response to the query message to the first network element. The second network element can send the response to the query message directly to the first network element, or send the response to the query message to the first network element through other network elements (such as a mobility management network element or a user plane network element).

[0054] Based on this method, the second network element sends an index, which helps the receiver understand the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data and the data, so that the receiver can further understand the data transmission of the terminal device from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also make corresponding processing, which is beneficial to the data transmission of the terminal device.

[0055] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is determined based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

[0056] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the relationship indicated by the index includes energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. Optionally, the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element is equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. The energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element can be obtained through calculation, which can reduce processing complexity.

[0057] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the response further includes the data volume. The data volume may be the volume of data related to the terminal device transmitted by the second network element during a first time period, where the first time period corresponds to the index. The second network element provides multiple pieces of information for determining energy consumption in the same message, thereby reducing signaling overhead and improving processing efficiency.

[0058] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the query message is also used to query the data volume.

[0059] For example, the query message includes first indication information, the first indication information is used to query the data volume, or the first indication information is used to indicate that the response to the query message includes the data volume. The second network element sends a response including the data volume according to the first indication information.

[0060] Optionally, the second network element receives the query message from the first network element, determines based on the query message that the first network element further queries the data volume, and sends a response to the query message to the first network element, where the response includes the data volume.

[0061] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the response further includes information about a first time period, where the first time period corresponds to the index. The second network element provides the index and the data volume of the data in the same message, so that the recipient obtains multiple pieces of information required to determine energy consumption at one time, which helps reduce signaling overhead and improve processing efficiency.

[0062] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the query message is also used to query information of the first time period.

[0063] For example, the query message includes second indication information, the second indication information is used to query the information of the first time period, or the second indication information is used to indicate that the response to the query message includes the information of the first time period. The second network element sends a response including the information of the first time period according to the second indication information.

[0064] Optionally, the second network element receives the query message from the first network element, and determines based on the query message that the first network element also queries the information of the first time period, and sends a response to the query message to the first network element, where the response includes the information of the first time period.

[0065] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the query message includes information indicating a second time period, and the second time period includes the first time period. The second network element can accurately know the time period for which the query message is used to query the energy consumption information of data transmission.

[0066] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the query message includes information for indicating the terminal device. Based on this information, the second network element can accurately know that the query message is used to query the transmission energy consumption information of data related to which terminal device or devices.

[0067] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the second network element sending a response to the query message includes: the second network element sending the response to a mobility management network element or a user plane network element. Optionally, the query message includes second information, the second information being used to indicate a target network element to which the second network element is to send the response, the target network element including the mobility management network element or the user plane network element. The second network element sending the response to the mobility management network element or the user plane network element includes: the second network element sending the response to the mobility management network element or the user plane network element based on the second information. Based on the second information, the second network element can quickly determine to which network element to send the response.

[0068] In conjunction with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the relationship is used to update a policy related to data transmission, and the method further includes: the second network element receiving the updated policy and performing data transmission according to the updated policy. After the policy related to data transmission is updated based on the relationship indicated by the index, the second network element performs data transmission according to the updated policy, thereby increasing the likelihood that the second network element can provide high-quality data transmission services to the terminal device.

[0069] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data includes at least one of the following: energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data, or energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data.

[0070] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second network element, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the second network element, which is not limited in this application. For ease of description, the following description is based on an example of execution by the second network element.

[0071] The method includes: the second network element receives a query message from the first network element, the query message is used to query the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, and the data includes data related to the terminal device; the second network element calculates the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on an index, and the index indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data; the second network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element.

[0072] Based on this method, the second network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data to the first network element when triggered by the query message, which helps the first network element to further understand the data transmission situation of the terminal device from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also perform corresponding processing, which is beneficial to the data transmission of the terminal device.

[0073] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the second network element calculates the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the index, including: the second network element calculates the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

[0074] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the relationship indicated by the index includes energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. Optionally, the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element is equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element. The second network element can obtain the energy consumption per unit of data transmitted by the second network element based on the calculation, which helps reduce processing complexity.

[0075] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the second network element queries a list corresponding to the second network element based on the index to determine the relationship, wherein at least one index in the list corresponds to the relationship. The second network element can quickly determine the relationship indicated by the index by looking up the table.

[0076] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the relationship indicated by the index includes the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data and the data in a first time period, and the data includes the data transmitted by the second network element in the first time period, and the first time period corresponds to the index.

[0077] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the query message includes information for indicating a second time period, the second time period includes the first time period, and the second network element can accurately know which time period the query message is used to query for energy consumption information of data transmission.

[0078] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the query message includes information indicating the terminal device. Based on the information, the second network element can accurately know which terminal device or devices the query message is used to query for transmission energy consumption information of data.

[0079] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data includes at least one of the following: the energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data, or the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data.

[0080] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the energy consumption used by the second network element for transmitting the data is used to update a policy related to data transmission. The method further includes: the second network element receiving the updated policy and performing data transmission according to the updated policy. After the policy related to data transmission is updated based on the energy consumption used by the second network element for transmitting the data, the second network element performs data transmission according to the updated policy, thereby increasing the likelihood that the second network element can provide high-quality data transmission services for the terminal device.

[0081] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a module for implementing the method described in the first to fourth aspects and any implementation manner thereof.

[0082] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory, and an optional transceiver, wherein the memory is used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor enables the processor to implement the method described in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any implementation method thereof, wherein the transceiver is used to receive and / or send signals.

[0083] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method described in the first to fourth aspects and any implementation thereof.

[0084] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first to fourth aspects and any implementation thereof.

[0085] In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and is configured to execute the method described in aspects 1 to 4 above and any of their implementations. Optionally, as an implementation, the chip may further comprise a memory storing instructions, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory. When the instructions are executed, the processor is configured to execute the method described in aspects 1 to 4 above and any of their implementations.

[0086] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first network element and a second network element, wherein the first network element is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect and any implementation thereof, and the second network element is configured to execute the method described in the third aspect and any implementation thereof.

[0087] In combination with the tenth aspect, in certain implementations of the tenth aspect, the system also includes a third network element, which is used to execute the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect and any implementation thereof.

[0088] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned fifth to tenth aspects and any implementation thereof can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the first to fourth aspects and their implementation, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0089] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture 100 applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0090] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0091] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining an index by an access network device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0094] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0096] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0097] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0098] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] Various communication systems involve data transmission. For example, a common operator network, also known as a public land mobile network (PLMN), is a network established and operated by the government or an operator approved by it, such as a mobile network operator (MNO), for the purpose of providing land mobile communication services to the public, which involves data transmission. The embodiments of the present application may be based on PLMN or a network that meets the requirements of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standards, referred to as a 3GPP network. Among them, the 3GPP network includes but is not limited to the fifth generation (5th-generation, 5G) mobile communication network, the fourth generation (4G) mobile communication network (also known as the long term evolution (LTE) network), and other future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6th-generation, 6G) mobile communication network.

[0100] Figure 1 provides a schematic diagram of a network architecture 100 applicable to embodiments of the present application, using a 5G network based on a service-based architecture (SBA) in a 3GPP non-roaming scenario as an example. As shown in Figure 1 , network architecture 100 may include a terminal device 110, a data network (DN) 150, and a carrier network component. The carrier network may include, but is not limited to, a (radio) access network (R)AN 120 and a core network (CN). The following briefly describes the devices or network elements in each component.

[0101] Among them, (R)AN 120 may include one or more access network elements or access network devices, and the following description will be made using the access network device as an example. The interface between the access network device and the terminal device may be a Uu interface (or air interface). Of course, in future communications, the interface name may remain unchanged or may be replaced by other names, and this application does not limit this. An access network device is a device that provides wireless communication functions for a terminal device, and can connect the terminal device to a node or device in the network, that is, a network device. (R)AN can be regarded as a subnetwork of the operator network, and is an implementation system between a service node and a terminal device in the operator network. For example, a terminal device can connect to a service node of the operator network through the (R)AN, thereby obtaining the services provided by the service node. The access network equipment in (R)AN includes but is not limited to: the next generation node base station (gNB) in the 5G system, the evolved node B (eNB) in the long term evolution (LTE), the radio network controller (RNC), the node B (NB), the base station controller (BSC), the base transceiver station (BTS), the home base station (for example, home evolved nodeB, or home nodeB, HNB), the base band unit (BBU), the transmitting and receiving point (TRP), the transmitting point (TP), the small base station equipment, the mobile switching center, or the network equipment in the future network. The access network equipment can also be a module or unit that performs the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU); in a possible network structure, the CU can be used to support communications under protocols such as radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU can be used to support communications under the radio link control (RLC) layer protocol, the medium access control (MAC) layer protocol, and the physical layer protocol.The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies and device forms used by access network devices. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices that provide access network device functions may vary. For ease of description, in all embodiments of this application, devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices are collectively referred to as access network devices. In the embodiments of this application, access network devices can be replaced with access network network elements. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific types of access network devices.

[0102] The core network may include, but is not limited to, the following network elements: a user plane function (UPF) network element 130, a network exposure function (NEF) network element 131, a network function repository function (NRF) network element 132, a policy control function (PCF) network element 133, a unified data management function (UDM) network element 134, a unified data repository (UDR) network element 135, a network data analytics function (NWDAF) network element 136, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element 137, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element 138, a session management function (SMF) network element 139, and a management data analytics function (MDAF) network element 140. The network elements may also be referred to as network functions (NFs), which are not limited in the present embodiment. The following is a brief description of some network elements in the core network.

[0103] 1. The UPF NE 130 is the gateway for communication between the operator network and the DN. The UPF NE can be used to implement user plane-related functions such as packet routing and transmission, packet detection, service usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing, lawful interception, uplink packet detection, and downlink packet storage.

[0104] 2. AMF network element 138 is responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator's network, such as mobile status management, allocation of user temporary identity, authentication and authorization of terminal devices, etc.

[0105] 3. The SMF network element 139 is used to manage the sessions of the terminal device, such as the establishment, modification and release of the protocol data unit (PDU) session, and is also used for the selection and reselection of the UPF network element, the allocation of the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal device, and the quality of service (QoS) control. Among them, the session of the terminal device is a channel for transmitting user plane data, and the terminal device transmits data to and from the DN through the session.

[0106] 4. MDAF network element 140 is used to provide management data analysis services for one or more network elements, network slice instances or subnet instances. Through data analysis, it can help the management system set reasonable network topology parameters for network configuration, enhance the intelligent operation of management data related to operation and maintenance, and ensure service quality.

[0107] The data network DN 150, also known as a packet data network (PDN), is typically located outside of a carrier network, such as a third-party network. The DN can communicate with a terminal device through the carrier network and provide services to the terminal device.

[0108] Optionally, the network architecture 100 further includes an application function (AF) network element for providing application layer services. The AF network element may belong to the operator network or may be a third-party network element outside the operator network.

[0109] Optionally, network architecture 100 also includes operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) network elements for network management, such as performance monitoring, generating maintenance information, and evaluating network stability based on maintenance information; detecting network faults through periodic queries and generating various maintenance and alarm information; ensuring normal network operation through scheduling or switching entities; and performing fault monitoring, fault reporting, fault location, and fault repair. An operator network may include one or more OAM network elements. For example, (R)AN 120 includes one or more OAM network elements, referred to as RAN OAM; and the core network includes one or more OAM network elements, referred to as core OAM. Messages can be transmitted between different OAM network elements. The OAM network element can be any of the following management units: element management system (EMS), network management system (NMS), management authorization and execution (MAE), operations support system (OSS), or business support system (BSS). The OAM network element can also be a collection of any multiple management units among the above management units, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0110] It should be understood that the above-mentioned network elements can be physical entities in hardware devices, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a shared platform (e.g., a cloud platform). In terms of form, the above-mentioned network elements can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions.

[0111] Terminal device 110 is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users and can communicate with one or more network elements in the core network via the (R)AN. Terminal devices may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user agent, or user device. Terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water (e.g., ships); or in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal devices may be cellular phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, smartphones, mobile phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Terminal devices may also be handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices, or other devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, drones, or terminals in the Internet of Things or Internet of Vehicles, or relay user devices. The relay user equipment may be a 5G residential gateway (RG). The terminal device may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal for industrial control, a wireless terminal for unmanned driving, a wireless terminal for telemedicine, a wireless terminal for smart grids, a wireless terminal for transportation safety, a wireless terminal for smart cities, a wireless terminal for smart homes, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type or category of the terminal device.

[0112] It should be understood that the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is not limited to network architecture 100, and any network architecture that can realize the functions of the above-mentioned network elements or devices is applicable to the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the above-mentioned naming is only defined for the convenience of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in 5G networks and future networks. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements or devices may use the terminology in 5G, or may adopt other names, etc.

[0113] Taking the network architecture 100 shown in Figure 1 as an example, after the terminal device accesses the core network via the (R)AN, it can transmit data with different objects through the (R)AN and the network elements in the core network. For example, the terminal device can transmit data through these network elements and DN to obtain the services provided by the DN. For another example, the terminal device can transmit data with other terminal devices through these network elements to achieve communication between different terminal devices. The data transmission of the above-mentioned terminal devices depends on the network elements in the network to ensure the quality, and the degree to which the network elements process the information related to the data transmission will affect the quality of the data transmission. In response to the above problems, the embodiments of the present application propose a communication method, device and system that are conducive to the data transmission of terminal devices.

[0114] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication method 200 can be executed by the first network element and the second network element, or can be executed by modules and / or devices (for example, chips or integrated circuits, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the first network element and the second network element, and the present application is not limited thereto. For the sake of convenience of description, the following description will be given with the first network element and the second network element as the execution entities, and the parts not described in detail may refer to the existing protocols. The communication method 200 can be applied to the network architecture 100 shown in Figure 1. For example, the first network element is the SMF network element 139 or the NWDAF network element 136, and the second network element is the access network device in the (R)AN 120. As shown in Figure 2, the communication method 200 includes the following multiple steps.

[0115] S210. The first network element sends a query message to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the query message from the first network element.

[0116] Among them, the query message is used to query the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data. The query message can also be called a request message, used to request the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, or used to request the second network element to report the energy consumption information for transmitting data.

[0117] The second network element provides services to the terminal device, including data transmission services. That is, the second network element can forward data between the terminal device and other network elements or devices. For example, the second network element is an access network device in (R)AN 120. The terminal device accesses the second network element and accesses the core network through the second network element. Then, the second network element can forward data between the terminal device and the core network element (such as UPF network element 130).

[0118] The data includes data related to the terminal device. For example, the data includes data of the terminal device. Optionally, the data also includes data of other terminal devices that have the same specific characteristics as the terminal device, such as data of other terminal devices in the group to which the terminal device belongs. The following description uses the example of data including terminal device data.

[0119] The data, i.e., the data of the terminal device transmitted by the second network element, includes: the data of the terminal device sent by the second network element, and / or the data of the terminal device received by the second network element. For example, the data includes the data of the terminal device sent by the second network element, or the data includes the data of the terminal device received by the second network element, or the data includes the data of the terminal device sent by the second network element and the data of the terminal device received by the second network element.

[0120] The data of the terminal device sent by the second network element may include: data from the terminal device sent by the second network element to other network elements or devices, and / or data sent by the second network element to the terminal device. The data of the terminal device received by the second network element may include: data from the terminal device received by the second network element, and / or data received by the second network element from other network elements or devices and to be sent to the terminal device.

[0121] Optionally, the data is user plane data, such as data transmitted by the second network element between the terminal device and the user plane network element (such as UPF network element 130).

[0122] The energy consumption information of the second network element used to transmit data can also be called: information on the energy consumed by the second network element to transmit the data, energy consumption information of the second network element used to transmit data related to the terminal device, energy consumption information of the second network element used to serve the terminal device, network-side energy consumption information corresponding to the terminal device, or network-side energy consumption information caused by the terminal device.

[0123] Optionally, the query message includes information indicating the terminal device, such as identification information of the terminal device, so that the recipient of the query message can accurately determine which terminal device or devices the query message is used to query for data transmission energy consumption information. Exemplarily, the information indicating the terminal device can be a user permanent identifier (SUPI) of the terminal device.

[0124] Optionally, the query message includes information about a second time period, which is used to indicate the second time period, so that the recipient of the query message can quickly and accurately determine, based on the information about the second time period, the time period during which the first network element is querying the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data. In one implementation, the information about the second time period includes a natural time interval, such as from 8:00 to 9:00. In another implementation, the information about the second time period includes the duration of the second time period, such as 1 hour. In yet another implementation, the information about the second time period includes information describing the characteristics of the second time period, such as the information about the second time period indicating a nighttime period or a busy period.

[0125] Optionally, the query message includes requirement information, where the requirement information is used to indicate the first network element's requirement for energy consumption information. For example, if the requirement information indicates a time period requirement, this indicates that the first network element is querying the energy consumption information of the second network element used to transmit data during a specific time period, such as if the requirement information includes information about the second time period. For another example, if the requirement information indicates a requirement for a terminal device, this indicates that the first network element is querying the energy consumption information of the second network element used to transmit data for a specific terminal device, such as if the requirement information includes information indicating the terminal device.

[0126] Optionally, the name of the query message can be used to indicate the energy consumption information requirement of the first network element. That is, the recipient of the query message can determine the energy consumption information requirement of the first network element based on the name of the query message. No additional requirement information is required in the query message, which can reduce signaling transmission overhead. For example, when the query message is a nighttime energy consumption information query message, it indicates that the query is for the energy consumption information of the second network element used to transmit data during the nighttime period, that is, the second period is the nighttime period.

[0127] In one implementation, the first network element directly sends a query message to the second network element, and correspondingly, the second network element directly receives the query message from the first network element. For example, there is an interface between the first network element and the second network element, and the first network element sends the query message to the second network element through the interface.

[0128] In another implementation, the first network element sends a query message to the second network element via another network element. The following description uses the example of the first network element sending a query message to the second network element via a mobility management network element (such as AMF network element 138). Correspondingly, the second network element receives the query message from the first network element via the mobility management network element.

[0129] For example, a first network element sending a query message to a second network element via a mobility management network element includes: the first network element sending a first query message to the mobility management network element; correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the first query message from the first network element and sends a second query message to the second network element based on the first query message. In other words, the mobility management network element sends the second query message to the second network element under the triggering of the first query message. The first query message and the second query message can be the same, such as the mobility management network element transparently transmitting the query message received from the first network element to the second network element. The second query message can also be the result of processing the first query message. For portions not fully described for the first query message and the second query message, please refer to the above description of the query message.

[0130] Exemplarily, the information of the second time period included in the first query message is used to describe the characteristics of the second time period. The mobility management network element can determine the corresponding second time period according to preconfigured rules, and carry the second time period represented by a natural time interval in the second query message and send it to the second network element, thereby reducing the processing complexity of the second network element.

[0131] Exemplarily, the first query message includes information for indicating the terminal device, and the second query message includes information for indicating a connection, which is a connection between the mobility management network element and the second network element for transmitting messages related to the terminal device. The following description takes the information for indicating the connection as the identification information of the connection as an example. That is, the mobility management network element can determine the identification information of the connection based on the identification information of the terminal device, and send the second query message including the identification information of the connection to the second network element, so that the second network element can determine the identity of the terminal device based on the identification information of the connection, that is, determine which terminal device-related data the second network element is used to transmit for energy consumption information that the first network element inquires about. For example, when the second network element is an access network device, the identification information of the connection can be an identifier (identifier or identity, ID) of an NGAP connection, which is a connection between the mobility management network element and the access network device and associated with the terminal device. If the second query message is an NGAP message, the header of the NGAP message includes the ID of the NGAP connection.

[0132] Optionally, the mobility management network element sends a second query message to a second network element serving the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, such as the identification information of the terminal device in the first query message. For example, the mobility management network element determines the second network element serving the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, and sends the second query message to the second network element. For example, the mobility management network element locally stores a correspondence between the identification information of the terminal device and the address of the second network element. The mobility management network element determines the address of the second network element based on the identification information of the terminal device and the correspondence, and sends the second query message to the second network element based on the address. For another example, the mobility management network element sends a first request message, the first request message including the identification information of the terminal device, and the first request message is used to request the address of the second network element serving the terminal device. Subsequently, the mobility management network element receives a response to the first request message, the response including the address of the second network element, and the mobility management network element sends the second query message to the second network element based on the address. The address of the second network element may be the IP address of the second network element.

[0133] Optionally, the mobility management network element sends a second query message to the second network element based on the identification information of the second network element. In this implementation, before the mobility management network element sends the second query message to the second network element, the first network element also sends the identification information of the second network element to the mobility management network element. For example, the first query message also includes the identification information of the second network element. Thus, the mobility management network element can determine the target network element to send the second query message based on the identification information of the second network element, that is, determine to which network element to send the second query message. For example, the mobility management network element locally stores a correspondence between the identification information of the second network element and the address of the second network element. The mobility management network element determines the address of the second network element based on the identification information of the second network element and the correspondence, and sends the second query message to the second network element based on the address. In another example, the mobility management network element sends a second request message, the second request message including identification information of the second network element, and the second request message is used to request the address of the second network element indicated by the identification information; then, the mobility management network element receives a response to the second request message, the response including the address of the second network element, and the mobility management network element sends a second query message to the second network element based on the address. In another example, if the identification information of the second network element is the address of the second network element, the mobility management network element may directly send the second query message to the second network element based on the address.

[0134] S220. The second network element sends a response to the query message to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the response from the second network element.

[0135] The response includes an index, which indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data. For example, the relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data. Each unit can be 1 bit, 1 byte, 1 time slot, 1 frame, 1 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, etc., and the unit of energy consumption can be joule (J), watt-hour (Wh), kilowatt-hour (kWh), etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this. For example, index a indicates 10J / bit, then index a indicates that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each bit of the data is 10J, that is, the energy consumed by the second network element to transmit 1 bit of data of the terminal device is 10J. The index will be referred to as the index corresponding to the terminal device below.

[0136] The energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data includes the energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data and / or the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data. For example, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data includes the energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data, or includes the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data, or includes the energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data and the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data.

[0137] The energy consumption of the second network element for sending the data may also be referred to as the energy consumed by the second network element for sending the data of the terminal device, and the energy consumption of the second network element for receiving the data may also be referred to as the energy consumed by the second network element for receiving the data of the terminal device. It should be noted that the content of the data of the terminal device sent by the second network element and the data received by the second network element from the terminal device may be the same. For example, the second network element may send the data received from the terminal device to other network elements or devices. However, even if the content of the data is the same, the energy consumed by the second network element for sending the data and the energy consumed by the second network element for receiving the data may be different.

[0138] Parameters that affect the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data and the data, that is, parameters that affect the index corresponding to the terminal device, include but are not limited to: the distance between the terminal device and the second network element, the quality of the channel between the terminal device and the second network element, the transmit power of the second network element, the modulation order of the data, the number of data retransmissions, the form of the carrier used to transmit the data, or the number of beams or data radio bearers (DRBs) used by the second network element to transmit the data of the terminal device. Parameters that affect the index corresponding to the terminal device are hereinafter referred to as influencing parameters.

[0139] The second network element can determine the index corresponding to the terminal device according to the value of the influencing parameter. For example, when the value of the influencing parameter is less than the threshold, the terminal device corresponds to the first index; when the value of the influencing parameter is greater than or equal to the threshold, the terminal device corresponds to the second index.

[0140] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 3, when the influencing parameter is the distance between the terminal device and the second network element, the service range of the second network element is a circle centered on the second network element with a radius of R. The service range is divided into three regions. The first region is a circle centered on the second network element with a radius of r1. The second region is an annulus centered on the second network element with an inner radius of r1 and an outer radius of r2. The third region is an annulus centered on the second network element with an inner radius of r2 and an outer radius of R. The first region, the second region, and the third region correspond to index a, index b, and index c respectively, where 0 < r1 < r2 < R. In this example, the second network element can determine the corresponding index according to the region where the terminal device is located. For example, if the terminal device 1 is located in the first region, the index corresponding to the terminal device 1 is index a; if the terminal device 2 is located in the third region, the index corresponding to the terminal device 2 is index c.

[0141] Another example is that the influencing parameter is the quality of the channel between the terminal device and the second network element. The quality of the channel between the terminal device and the second network element can be measured by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Here, the description will be given taking the signal-to-noise ratio as an example. The second network element can determine different signal-to-noise ratio intervals, which respectively correspond to different indexes. For example, the first interval [SNR1, SNR2) corresponds to index a, the second interval [SNR2, SNR3) corresponds to index b, and the third interval [SNR3, SNR4) corresponds to index c. Here, SNR1 < SNR2 < SNR3 < SNR4, the bracket "[" means including the endpoint, and the bracket ")" means not including the endpoint. In this example, the second network element can determine the index corresponding to the terminal device according to the interval where the signal-to-noise ratio of the terminal device is located. For example, when the value of the signal-to-noise ratio is in the first interval, the index corresponding to the terminal device is index a.

[0142] The second network element can also determine the index corresponding to the terminal device by other means. The specific method can be specified by the protocol or pre-configured. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0143] Optionally, the response also includes the data volume of the data. For example, the data volume is the data volume of the data of the terminal device transmitted by the second network element within a first time period, and the first time period corresponds to the index. Exemplarily, the query message is also used to query the data volume, such as the query message includes first indication information, the first indication information is used to query the data volume, or the first indication information is used to indicate that the response to the query message includes the data volume. The second network element includes the data volume in the response based on the query message, such as the first indication information in the query message.

[0144] Optionally, the response also includes information about the first time period, where the first time period corresponds to the index. Exemplarily, the query message is further used to query information about the first time period, such as if the query message includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to query information about the first time period, or the second indication information is used to indicate that the response to the query message includes information about the first time period. Based on the query message, such as the second indication information in the query message, the second network element includes information about the first time period in the response.

[0145] The first time period corresponds to the index, which may be an index determined by the second network element according to the value of the influencing parameter in the first time period.

[0146] It should be noted that the response may include multiple indexes. For example, the second time period includes not only the first time period but also one or more other time periods. Then, in addition to the index corresponding to the first time period, the response also includes the indexes corresponding to the other one or more time periods. For specific implementation, please refer to communication method 500.

[0147] In one implementation, the second network element directly sends a response to the query message to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element directly receives the response to the query message from the second network element. For example, if an interface exists between the first network element and the second network element, the first network element and the second network element can directly transmit the response through the interface, thereby simplifying the information transmission process and reducing transmission latency.

[0148] In another implementation, the second network element sends a response to the query message to the first network element through the mobility management network element (such as AMF network element 138), and correspondingly, the first network element receives the response from the second network element through the mobility management network element.

[0149] In another implementation, the second network element sends a response to the query message to the first network element via a user plane network element (such as UPF network element 130), and the first network element receives the response via the user plane network element. For example, the second network element sends a first response to the user plane network element, and the user plane network element receives the first response from the second network element and sends a second response to the first network element based on the first response. The first response and the second response can be the same, or the second response can be the result of processing the first response. For details about the first and second responses, please refer to the above description of the responses.

[0150] Exemplarily, the first response includes an index, information about the first time period, and identification information of the terminal device, and the second response includes an index and a data volume, wherein the data volume is determined based on the information about the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device. For example, after receiving the first response, the user-plane network element determines a session associated with the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, determines the data volume of data transmitted by the session during the first time period based on the information about the first time period, and then sends a second response including the index and the data volume to the first network element.

[0151] S230. The first network element obtains energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index.

[0152] Among them, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data can also be called the energy consumed by the second network element to transmit the data, the network side energy consumption corresponding to the terminal device, or the network side energy consumption caused by data transmission of the terminal device.

[0153] For example, the first network element may adopt the following method 2.1 or method 2.2 to obtain the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data.

[0154] Mode 2.1: The first network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

[0155] The relationship indicated by the index is determined based on the index and the list corresponding to the second network element, and at least one index in the list corresponding to the second network element corresponds to the relationship. For example, before the first network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data, the communication method 200 further includes step S231 (not shown in the figure).

[0156] S231. The first network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element according to the index to determine the relationship indicated by the index, that is, the first network element determines the relationship indicated by the index by querying the list corresponding to the second network element.

[0157] For example, the list corresponding to the second network element includes at least one index, wherein each index corresponds to a relationship, and the relationships corresponding to different indexes may be the same or different. Taking the example where the relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of data, different relationships indicate that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of data is different. Exemplarily, the list corresponding to the second network element is shown in Table 1, where index a indicates that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each bit of data is 10J, index b indicates that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each bit of data is 50J, and index c indicates that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each bit of data is 60J. Assuming that the terminal device corresponds to index a, the first network element can query Table 1 to determine that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting 1 bit of data of the terminal device is 10J.

[0158] Table 1

[0159] Optionally, before the first network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element according to the index to determine the relationship, the method further includes: the first network element obtains the list corresponding to the second network element according to the identification information of the second network element. The lists corresponding to different network elements may be different. For example, among the at least one index included in the lists corresponding to different network elements, one or more indexes may be different; for example, in the lists corresponding to different network elements, the relationships indicated by the same index may be different. Therefore, before the first network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element according to the index, it obtains the list corresponding to the second network element according to the identification information of the second network element, so that the relationship indicated by the index can be determined more accurately.

[0160] In one example, the first network element obtains the list corresponding to the second network element according to the identification information of the second network element, including the following steps S232 and S233 (not shown in the figure).

[0161] S232: The first network element sends a fourth request message to the fourth network element, where the fourth request message is used to request the list corresponding to the second network element. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the fourth request message from the first network element.

[0162] Optionally, the fourth request message includes identification information of the second network element. For example, the response to the query message includes identification information of the second network element, and the first network element requests the fourth network element for a list corresponding to the second network element based on the identification information of the second network element.

[0163] The fourth network element may be an OAM network element, such as RAN OAM, or may be the MDAF network element 140 in FIG. 1 .

[0164] S233. The fourth network element sends a response to the fourth request message to the first network element. The response includes a list corresponding to the second network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the list corresponding to the second network element from the fourth network element.

[0165] For example, the fourth network element locally stores a list corresponding to at least one network element, including a list corresponding to the second network element. The list stored locally by the fourth network element may be pre-configured in the fourth network element, or may be determined by the fourth network element through measurement, statistics, and other methods. The embodiment of the present application does not limit how the fourth network element determines the relationship between the various index indications in the list corresponding to the second network element. It should be understood that the parameters that affect the relationship between the various index indications in the list and the parameters that affect the index corresponding to the terminal device in step S220 are the same. Exemplarily, the fourth network element may test the energy consumption of the second network element under different values ​​of the affecting parameters to obtain the relationship indicated by the index. Taking Figure 3 as an example, the fourth network element may test the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data of the terminal device and the data for the terminal device in the first area to obtain the relationship indicated by index a. The relationship indicated by the index may change dynamically, and the fourth network element may measure and update the relationship indicated by the index multiple times, that is, update the list corresponding to the second network element.

[0166] The fourth network element searches for a list corresponding to the second network element according to the fourth request message, such as the identification information of the second network element in the fourth request message, and sends the list corresponding to the second network element to the first network element.

[0167] After the first network element receives the list corresponding to the second network element from the fourth network element, it can also save the list corresponding to the second network element locally for subsequent queries, which can reduce the number of times the first network element requests the list from the fourth network element, reduce signaling overhead, and save transmission resources.

[0168] Optionally, the above steps S232 and S233 can be replaced by steps S232-a and S233-a (not shown in the figure).

[0169] S232-a: The first network element sends a fifth request message to the fourth network element, where the fifth request message is used to request the relationship indicated by the index. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the fifth request message from the first network element.

[0170] The fifth request message may include identification information and index of the second network element.

[0171] S233-a. The fourth network element sends an index indicating a relationship to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives an index indicating a relationship from the fourth network element.

[0172] For example, the fourth network element searches for the list corresponding to the second network element from the list corresponding to at least one local network element based on the identification information of the second network element, and queries the list corresponding to the second network element based on the index, thereby determining that the relationship corresponding to the index in the list is the relationship indicated by the index, and then sends the relationship indicated by the index to the first network element.

[0173] Based on the above steps S232 - a and S233 - a, the first network element obtains the relationship indicated by the index from the fourth network element, which reduces the processing complexity of the first network element.

[0174] In another example, the first network element obtains the list corresponding to the second network element according to the identification information of the second network element, including the following steps S234 (not shown in the figure).

[0175] S234. The first network element searches for a list corresponding to the second network element from a locally stored list based on the identification information of the second network element.

[0176] For example, if the first network element locally stores a list corresponding to at least one network element, the first network element can search for the list corresponding to the second network element from the locally stored list based on the identification information of the second network element. If the list corresponding to the second network element is stored locally, the first network element can query the list to determine the relationship indicated by the index. If the list corresponding to the second network element is not stored locally, the first network element can execute steps S232 and S233 to obtain the list corresponding to the second network element from the fourth network element. The first network element can also execute steps S232-a and S233-a to obtain the relationship indicated by the index from the fourth network element.

[0177] Optionally, if the first network element locally stores a list corresponding to the second network element, the first network element may query the list to determine the relationship indicated by the index if the list is valid; if the list is expired, execute steps S232 and S233 to receive the list corresponding to the second network element from the fourth network element, or execute steps S232-a and S233-a to obtain the relationship indicated by the index from the fourth network element. For example, the first network element locally stores the list corresponding to the second network element and the validity period of the list. The first network element may determine whether the list is valid or expired based on the validity period of the list. Considering that the list corresponding to the second network element may be updated, the first network element confirms whether the list is valid before querying the local list corresponding to the second network element, and requests the list or the relationship indicated by the index from the fourth network element if the list is expired. Based on this method, the first network element can use the latest list to determine the relationship corresponding to the index without having to request the list corresponding to the second network element multiple times, which can improve the accuracy of energy consumption while reducing signaling overhead and saving transmission resources.

[0178] In one implementation, the response to the query message includes the data volume of the data, i.e., the first network element can obtain the data volume from the response. In another implementation, the first network element obtains the data volume based on information of the first time period, where the data volume is the data volume of data transmitted in the session between the terminal device and the user-plane network element during the first time period, or the data volume is the data volume of data transmitted by the second network element during the first time period.

[0179] For example, the first network element obtains the amount of data from the user plane network element based on the information of the first time period. The data amount is the amount of data transmitted in the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element during the first time period, as described in steps S235 and S236 (not shown in the figure).

[0180] S235. The first network element sends information of the first time period to the user plane network element. Correspondingly, the user plane network element receives the information of the first time period from the first network element.

[0181] For example, the response to the query message includes information of the first time period, and the first network element sends a sixth request message to the user plane network element for requesting data volume, and the sixth request message includes information of the first time period and identification information of the terminal device.

[0182] S236: The user plane network element sends a data volume to the first network element, where the data volume is the data volume transmitted during the first time period in the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the data volume from the user plane network element.

[0183] For example, the user plane network element determines the session associated with the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, and determines the amount of data transmitted by the session in the first time period based on the information of the first time period, and then sends the data amount to the first network element.

[0184] Optionally, in step S235, the first network element directly sends information about the first time period to the user plane network element. Similarly, in step S236, the user plane network element directly sends the data volume to the first network element. For example, an interface exists between the first network element and the user plane network element, and the first network element and the user plane network element can directly exchange information through the interface. Exemplarily, the first network element is an SMF network element.

[0185] Optionally, in step S235, the first network element sends information about the first time period to the user plane network element via the fifth network element. Similarly, in step S236, the user plane network element sends the data volume to the first network element via the fifth network element. Exemplarily, the first network element is an NWDAF network element and the fifth network element is an SMF network element.

[0186] For another example, the first network element obtains the amount of data from the session management function network element based on the information of the first time period. The data amount is the amount of data transmitted in the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element during the first time period, as described in steps S235-a and S236-b (not shown in the figure).

[0187] S235 - a . The first network element sends information of the first time period to the session management function network element. Correspondingly, the session management function network element receives the information of the first time period from the first network element.

[0188] For the specific implementation of step S235-a, please refer to step S235.

[0189] S236-a: The session management function network element sends a data volume to the first network element, where the data volume is the data volume transmitted during the first time period for the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the data volume from the session management function network element.

[0190] For example, the session management function network element determines a session associated with the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, and determines the amount of data transmitted by the session during the first time period based on the information of the first time period, and then sends the data amount to the first network element. Exemplarily, the session management function network element has the ability to count the amount of data transmitted by the session.

[0191] For example, the first network element obtains the amount of data from the second network element based on the information of the first time period. The amount of data is the amount of data transmitted by the second network element during the first time period. That is, steps S235 and S236 can be replaced by the following steps S235-b and S236-b (not shown in the figure).

[0192] S235 - b. The first network element sends information of the first time period to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the information of the first time period from the first network element.

[0193] For the specific implementation of step S235-b, please refer to step S235.

[0194] S236-b: The second network element sends a data volume to the first network element, where the data volume is the data volume transmitted during the first time period in the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the data volume from the second network element.

[0195] For example, the second network element determines the amount of data related to the terminal device transmitted in the first time period based on the identification information of the terminal device, and then sends the data amount to the first network element.

[0196] After the first network element determines the relationship indicated by the index and obtains the data volume, it can determine the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship and the data volume. For example, if the relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

[0197] When the response to the query message includes multiple indexes, the first network element can determine the relationship indicated by each index through the above steps, and obtain the data volume corresponding to each index, and then determine the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by each index and the data volume corresponding to each index. For example, the response to the query message includes a first index and a second index, the first index corresponds to a first time period, the first data corresponding to the first index is the data of the terminal device transmitted by the second network element during the first time period, the relationship indicated by the first index is the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the first data, and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the first data is equal to the product of the data volume of the first data and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the first data. Similarly, the second index corresponds to a third time period, the second data corresponding to the second index is the data of the terminal device transmitted by the second network element during the third time period, and the relationship indicated by the second index is the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the second data, then the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the second data is equal to the product of the data volume of the second data and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the second data. Then, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data of the terminal device is equal to the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the first data plus the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the second data.

[0198] Mode 2.2: The first network element obtains the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index, including steps S410 to S430 shown in FIG. 4 .

[0199] S410. The first network element sends an index to the third network element. Correspondingly, the third network element receives the index from the first network element.

[0200] Among them, the third network element can be an energy consumption network element, which is used to count and calculate the energy consumption of other network elements or devices. The energy consumption network element can be a network element in the core network or a third-party AF network element. The energy consumption network element can be set separately or integrated with other network elements. The embodiment of this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0201] For example, the first network element sends a third request message to the third network element, where the third request message includes an index. The third request message can be used to request the second network element to use energy consumption for transmitting the data.

[0202] S420. The third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the relationship indicated by the index.

[0203] For example, the third network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element based on the index to determine the relationship. That is, the third network element determines the relationship indicated by the index by querying the list corresponding to the second network element, wherein at least one index in the list corresponding to the second network element corresponds to the relationship. The implementation method for the third network element to query the list corresponding to the second network element based on the index to determine the relationship can refer to the description of determining the relationship indicated by the index by the first network element in Method 2.1, and will not be repeated here.

[0204] The third network element determining the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index may include: the third network element determining the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data. In this implementation, before the third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index, the method further includes: the third network element obtaining the data volume of the data.

[0205] In one example, the third network element receives the data volume from the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element sends the data volume to the third network element. For example, in step S410, the first network element may send the index and the data volume to the third network element via the same message, so that the third network element can obtain the index and the data volume at one time, reducing processing latency. The first network element may also send the index and the data volume to the third network element via different messages, and this embodiment of the application is not limited to this.

[0206] In another example, the third network element obtains the data volume from the second network element. For example, in step S410, the third network element receives the index, information of the first time period, and identification information of the terminal device from the first network element, and sends the information of the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device to the second network element. For example, the third network element sends a seventh request message for requesting the data volume to the second network element, and the seventh request message includes the information of the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the information of the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device from the third network element, and sends the data volume to the third network element. The data volume is the data volume of the terminal device transmitted by the second network element during the first time period.

[0207] In another example, the third network element obtains the data volume from the user plane network element. For example, in step S410, the third network element receives the index, information of the first time period, and identification information of the terminal device from the first network element, and sends the information of the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device to the user plane network element. For example, the third network element sends a seventh request message for requesting the data volume to the user plane network element, and the seventh request message includes the information of the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the user plane network element receives the information of the first time period and the identification information of the terminal device from the third network element, and sends the data volume to the third network element. The data volume is the data volume of the data transmitted during the first time period in the session between the terminal device and the user plane network element.

[0208] After the third network element determines the relationship indicated by the index and obtains the data volume, it can determine the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship and the data volume. Exemplarily, the relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data, and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is equal to the product of the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data and the data volume. For the specific implementation of the third network element determining the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship and the data volume, reference can be made to the description of the first network element determining the energy consumption in Method 2.1.

[0209] S430. The third network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data from the third network element.

[0210] After sending the index to the third network element, the first network element can obtain the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data, which can reduce the processing complexity of the first network element.

[0211] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network element sends an index to the first network element to indicate the relationship between the data related to the terminal device and the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data. The first network element obtains the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data based on the index, so that the first network element can further understand the data transmission situation of the terminal device from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also perform corresponding processing, which is beneficial to the data transmission of the terminal device.

[0212] Optionally, the communication method 200 further includes the following steps S240 to S260 (not shown in the figure).

[0213] S240. The first network element triggers the policy control network element to update a policy related to data transmission according to the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data.

[0214] Exemplarily, when the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is greater than or equal to a threshold, the first network element triggers the policy control network element to update the policy related to data transmission. For example, the second network element is configured with a policy control request trigger condition, which includes that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is greater than or equal to a threshold. When the condition is met, the first network element sends a message to the policy control network element for requesting an update of the policy, such as an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update request message. For another example, the first network element sends a notification message to the policy control network element, which notification message is used to notify the policy control network element that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is too high. The first network element may also send a message to the policy control network element for requesting to reduce the energy consumption related to data transmission, or send a message for requesting to turn on the energy-saving mode. The above message may include a cause value, which is used to indicate that the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is too high.

[0215] Exemplarily, the first network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data to the policy control network element, so that the policy control network element can update the policy related to data transmission based on the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data. For example, when the energy consumption of the second network element used to transmit the data is greater than or equal to a threshold, the policy control network element updates the policy related to data transmission.

[0216] S250. The policy control network element sends the updated policy related to data transmission to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the updated policy from the policy control network element.

[0217] For example, the policy control network element, triggered by the first network element, updates the policy related to data transmission and sends the updated policy to the first network element.

[0218] S260. The first network element sends the updated policy related to data transmission to the second network element.

[0219] For example, the first network element sends an updated policy related to data transmission of the terminal device to the second network element based on the policy received in step S250, such as one or more updated QoS parameters related to data transmission of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the updated policy related to data transmission from the first network element and performs data transmission according to the updated policy.

[0220] Based on the above embodiment, the first network element triggers an update of a data transmission-related policy based on the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data, so that the second network element can transmit data according to the updated policy, which helps the second network element provide high-quality data transmission services to the terminal device. Furthermore, if the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is too high, the first network element triggers a policy control network element to update its policy, such as enabling energy-saving mode or reducing energy consumption related to data transmission, which is conducive to achieving network energy conservation.

[0221] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the first network element as the SMF network element 139 in Figure 1, the second network element as the access network device in the (R)AN 120, the third network element as the energy consumption network element, and the terminal device as the UE 1 as an example, the specific implementation of the communication method 200 is introduced. The communication method 500 can be executed by the SMF network element, the AMF network element, the access network device and the energy consumption network element, or by modules and / or devices (for example, chips or integrated circuits, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the above-mentioned SMF network element, AMF network element, access network device and energy consumption network element, and this application is not limited. For the convenience of description, the following description is based on the SMF network element, the AMF network element, the access network device and the energy consumption network element as the execution entities. For the parts not described in detail, please refer to the description in the existing protocol and the communication method 200. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method 500 includes the following steps.

[0222] S510, the SMF network element sends a query message A to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the query message A from the SMF network element, where the query message A is used to query the energy consumption information of the access network device used to transmit UE 1 data.

[0223] For example, in order to count the network-side energy consumption corresponding to UE 1, the SMF network element sends a query message A to the AMF network element serving UE 1.

[0224] For example, in order to count the network-side energy consumption corresponding to session 1, that is, the energy consumption of the access network device used to transmit the data of session 1, the SMF network element sends a query message A to the AMF network element serving UE 1, where session 1 is the session between UE 1 and UPF network element 130.

[0225] Among them, the AMF network element corresponding to UE 1 is the AMF network element serving UE 1, that is, the AMF network element providing services to UE 1.

[0226] For example, in the process of establishing session 1, when the SMF network element receives the session establishment request of UE 1 through the AMF network element, the SMF network element locally saves the correspondence between the identifier of session 1, the identifier of UE 1 and the address of the AMF network element, so that the SMF network element can determine the address of the AMF network element based on the correspondence and the identifier of session 1, and send a query message A to the AMF network element based on the address of the AMF network element, and carry the identifier of UE 1 in the query message A.

[0227] For example, in the process of establishing session 1, the SMF network element records the correspondence between the identifier of session 1 and the identifier of UE 1, so that the SMF network element can determine the identifier of UE 1 based on the correspondence and the identifier of session 1, and determine the address of the AMF network element serving UE 1 based on the identifier of UE 1, and send a query message A to the AMF network element according to the address of the AMF network element.

[0228] Exemplarily, the SMF network element can obtain the AMF network element corresponding to UE 1 through the AMF network element discovery process. For example, the SMF network element sends the location information of UE 1 to the NRF network element, and then the SMF network element receives the address of the AMF network element corresponding to UE 1 from the NRF network element. Among them, the SMF network element can determine the location information of UE 1 based on the historical information of UE 1's session (i.e., session 1).

[0229] The SMF network element can also determine the UE to which the session belongs and the AMF network element corresponding to the UE through other means, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0230] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the triggering conditions for the SMF network element to send a query message A to the AMF network element. Exemplarily, the SMF network element sends a query message A to the AMF network element based on a request from another network element or based on a rule pre-configured by the operator. When the SMF network element receives a message from another network element requesting statistics on the network-side energy consumption value corresponding to session 1, the SMF may send a query message A to the AMF network element when there is a connection between UE 1 and the network side, that is, when UE 1 is in a connected state, and reject the request of the network element when UE 1 is disconnected from the network side.

[0231] The query message A may include the identification information of UE 1, so that the AMF network element can determine UE 1 based on the identification information of UE 1. The query message A may also include the identification information of the access network device, so that the AMF network element can determine, in step S520, to which access network device to send the query message B based on the identification information of the access network device.

[0232] Optionally, the query message A also includes first information for indicating a time period. The AMF network element can determine, based on the first information, the time period in which the query message A is used to query the energy consumption information of transmitting the data of UE 1. The time period is hereinafter referred to as the statistical time period, which may correspond to the second time period in the communication method 200. The first information may be used to indicate a natural time interval, or to indicate the duration of the statistical time period, or to describe the characteristics of the statistical time period. For specific implementation, reference may be made to the description of the information for the second time period in step S210, which will not be repeated here.

[0233] S520. The AMF network element sends a query message B to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the query message B from the AMF network element.

[0234] For example, the AMF network element sends query message B to the access network device based on query message A. In other words, the AMF network element sends query message B to the access network device when triggered by query message A.

[0235] In one example, the AMF network element sends a query message B to the access network device serving UE 1 based on the identification information of UE 1 in the query message A. In another example, the AMF network element sends a query message B to the access network device indicated by the identification information of the access network device in the query message A. For specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description in step S210.

[0236] Query message B may include identification information of UE 1, such as the AMF network element includes the identification information of UE 1 in query message A in query message B and sends it to the access network device. Alternatively, query message B includes identification information of an NGAP connection, which is a connection between the AMF network element and the access network device for transmitting messages related to UE 1. Exemplarily, query message B is an NGAP message, and the header of the NGAP message includes the identification of the NGAP connection.

[0237] Query message B may also include second information indicating a time period, so that the access network device can determine, based on the second information, the time period during which the access network device is being queried for energy consumption information used to transmit UE 1's data. The second information may be the same as the first information, or may be obtained based on the first information. For example, the first information indicates the nighttime period, and the AMF network element determines that the natural time interval corresponding to the nighttime period is from 10 PM to 6 AM. The AMF network element then generates second information indicating the natural time interval from 10 PM to 6 AM. The second information may also indicate a statistical period determined by the AMF network element based on a preconfigured rule. For example, the preconfigured rule indicates that the statistical period is one hour starting at the next hour after the query message is received. Assuming that the AMF network element receives query message A at 7:40 AM, the second information indicates the natural time interval from 8 AM to 9 AM. By explicitly informing the access network device of the natural time interval through the second information, the AMF network element can reduce the processing complexity of the access network device.

[0238] S530. The access network device sends a response message to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the response message from the access network device. The response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1.

[0239] Optionally, the access network device sends a response message to the SMF network element through the AMF network element, and correspondingly, the SMF network element receives a response message from the access network device through the AMF network element.

[0240] For example, after receiving the query message B, the access network device first determines the statistical period. The following describes a method for determining the statistical period in different situations depending on whether the query message B includes the second information.

[0241] Case 1: the query message B does not include the second information, and the access network device determines the statistical period according to a preconfigured rule.

[0242] In one example, the preconfigured rule indicates that the statistical period is 1 hour after the access network device receives the query message B. Assuming that the access network device receives the query message B at 7:40, the statistical period is from 7:40 to 8:40.

[0243] In another example, the statistical strategy indicates that the statistical period is 1 hour starting from the first hour after the access network device receives the query message B. Assuming that the access network device receives the query message B at 7:40, the statistical period is from 8:00 to 9:00.

[0244] Case 2: the query message B includes the second information, and the access network device can determine the statistical period according to the second information.

[0245] For example, the second information is used to indicate a natural time interval, and the statistical period is the natural time interval indicated by the second information.

[0246] For another example, the second information is used to indicate the duration of the statistical period. The access network device can determine the starting time of the statistical period according to preconfigured rules. For example, the starting time is the time when the access network device receives the query message B, or the starting time is the first hour after the access network device receives the query message B. The statistical period starts from the starting time and lasts for the duration indicated by the second information.

[0247] For another example, if the second information is used to describe the characteristics of the statistical period, the access network device can determine the corresponding statistical period based on preconfigured rules. For example, if the first information is used to indicate the nighttime period, and the preconfigured rules indicate that the nighttime period is from 10 PM to 6 AM, then the statistical period is from 10 PM to 6 AM.

[0248] Then, the access network device can send one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 during the statistical period to the SMF network element in any of the following ways.

[0249] Method 5.1: The access network device sends the index corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element every first period during the statistical period.

[0250] During the first period, the access network device may determine the index corresponding to UE 1 every second period, where the second period is less than or equal to the first period. The first period may also be referred to as a reporting period. Query message B includes the first period and / or the second period, or the access network device determines the first period and / or the second period based on a preconfigured rule. This is described below with reference to Example 1.

[0251] Example 1: The statistical period is from 8:00 to 9:00, the first cycle is 30 minutes, and the second cycle is 15 minutes. The access network device determines that UE 1 corresponds to index a at 8:15, and UE 1 corresponds to index b at 8:30, and then sends the index a and index b corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element, such as the access network device sending a response message A, including index a and index b; then, the access network device determines that UE 1 corresponds to index a at 8:45, determines that UE 1 corresponds to index a at 9:00, and sends the index a corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element, such as sending a response message B, including index a.

[0252] Among them, the access network device determines the corresponding index a of UE 1 at 8:15. The access network device can determine the corresponding index a of UE 1 based on the value of the influencing parameter at 8:15, or the access network device determines the corresponding index a of UE 1 based on the value of the influencing parameter within the time period from 8:00 to 8:15.

[0253] In one implementation (method 5.1.1), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and information about the time period corresponding to each index. That is, the access network device sends the one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element, and also sends the time period corresponding to each index to the SMF network element. As in Example 1, response message A may include Table 2, and response message B may include Table 3.

[0254] Table 2

[0255] Table 3

[0256] Optionally, when the access network device determines multiple indexes that are the same within the first cycle, the access network device may aggregate the time periods corresponding to the same indexes and send them to the SMF network element. For example, Table 3 may be replaced with Table 3-1.

[0257] Table 3-1

[0258] Optionally, the information of the time period corresponding to each index included in the response message can be replaced by the response message including the second period and the start time or end time of the time period corresponding to each index. Optionally, when the SMF network element knows the second period, for example, the query message B includes the second period, or the pre-configured rules in the SMF network element and the pre-configured rules in the access network device include the same second period, the information of the time period corresponding to each index included in the response message can be replaced by the response message including the start time or end time of the time period corresponding to each index. Exemplarily, Table 2 and Table 3 can be replaced by Table 2-1 and Table 3-2, respectively.

[0259] Table 2-1

[0260] Table 3-2

[0261] In another implementation (method 5.1.2), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the data volume corresponding to each index. That is, the access network device sends the one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element, and also sends the data volume corresponding to each index to the SMF network element. The data volume corresponding to each index is the data volume of UE 1 transmitted by the access network device during the time period corresponding to the index.

[0262] As in Example 1, the access network device further determines that the access network device transmitted X bits of data for UE 1 from 8:00 to 8:15, Y bits of data for UE 1 from 8:15 to 8:30, Z bits of data for UE 1 from 8:30 to 8:45, and L bits of data for UE 1 from 8:45 to 9:00. The access network device then sends the X bits of data corresponding to index a, the Y bits of data corresponding to index b, and the Z and L bits corresponding to index a to the SMF network element. Exemplarily, response message A may include Table 4, and response message B may include Table 5. Optionally, when the SMF network element knows the unit of the data volume, such as when the unit of the data volume is specified by the protocol or when the SMF network element pre-configured rules include the unit of the data volume, the unit of the data volume in Tables 4 and 5 may be omitted.

[0263] Table 4

[0264] Table 5

[0265] Optionally, when the access network device determines multiple indexes that are the same within the first cycle, the access network device may sum up the data volumes corresponding to the same indexes and send the sum to the SMF network element. For example, Table 5 may be replaced with Table 5-1.

[0266] Table 5-1

[0267] Method 5.2: After the statistical period ends, the access network device sends the index corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element.

[0268] During the statistical period, the access network device may determine the index corresponding to UE 1 every second period, where the second period is less than or equal to the statistical period. Query message B includes the second period, or the access network device determines the second period based on preconfigured rules. It should be understood that Method 5.2 can be considered as a scenario in which the second period in Method 5.1 is equal to the duration of the statistical period. Therefore, the specific implementation of Method 5.2 can refer to Method 5.1 and is not further described here.

[0269] Method 5.3: The access network device determines the index corresponding to UE 1 at the beginning of the statistical period and every second period. When the index changes, the access network device sends the index corresponding to UE 1 before the change to the SMF network element. The access network device also sends the most recently determined index corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element at the end of the statistical period. This is explained below with reference to Example 2.

[0270] Example 2: The statistical period is from 8:00 to 9:00, and the second period is 15 minutes. The access network device determines that UE 1 corresponds to index a at 8:00, and determines that the index corresponding to UE 1 changes to index b at 8:15. It sends index a to the SMF network element. For example, the access network device sends a response message C to the SMF network element, including index a. Next, the access network device determines that UE 1 corresponds to index b at 8:30. If there is no change, it does not need to send the index to the SMF network element. Then, the access network device determines that the index corresponding to UE 1 changes to index a at 8:45, and sends index b to the SMF network element. For example, the access network device sends a response message D to the SMF network element, including index b. Finally, the access network device sends the most recently determined index a to the SMF network element at 9:00, the end time of the statistical period. For example, the access network device sends a response message E to the SMF network element, including index a.

[0271] In one implementation (method 5.3.1), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the time period corresponding to each index. That is, when the access network device sends the one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element, it also sends the time period corresponding to each index to the SMF network element. For example, in Example 2, response message C also includes the time period from 8:00 to 8:15, response message D also includes the time period from 8:15 to 8:45, and response message E also includes the time period from 8:45 to 9:00.

[0272] In another implementation (method 5.3.2), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the data volume corresponding to each index. That is, the access network device sends one or more indexes corresponding to the terminal device to the SMF network element, and also sends the data volume corresponding to each index to the SMF network element.

[0273] For example, in Example 2, before sending response message C, the access network device determines that X bits of data were transmitted from UE 1 from 8:00 to 8:15. Response message C also includes the X bits of data corresponding to index a. Before sending response message D, the access network device determines that Y bits of data were transmitted from UE 1 from 8:15 to 8:45. Response message D also includes the Y bits of data corresponding to index b. Before sending response message E, the access network device determines that Z bits of data were transmitted from UE 1 from 8:45 to 9:00. Response message E also includes the Z bits of data corresponding to index a.

[0274] In another implementation, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1, the data volume corresponding to each index, and the corresponding time period. For example, the above-mentioned methods 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 can be combined, and methods 5.3.1 and 5.3.2 can be combined.

[0275] Optionally, when the query message B does not include the second information, the access network device may send the index corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element every first period. For specific implementation, please refer to the above method 5.1. The access network device may also determine the index corresponding to UE 1 once at the moment of receiving the second request message and every second period. When the index changes, the access network device sends the index corresponding to UE 1 before the change to the SMF network element. For specific implementation, please refer to the above method 5.3.

[0276] Optionally, the query message B also includes indication information A. For example, the query message A includes indication information A, and the AMF network element carries the indication information A in the query message A in the query message B and sends it to the access network device.

[0277] Indication information A is used to indicate the type of information included in the response message, and can also be used to indicate the reporting strategy of the access network device, that is, to indicate that the response message includes the index corresponding to the terminal device, or includes the index corresponding to the terminal device and the data volume corresponding to each index, or includes the index corresponding to the terminal device and the time period corresponding to each index, or includes the index corresponding to the terminal device, the data volume corresponding to each index and the corresponding time period.

[0278] Correspondingly, the access network device sends a response message according to the indication information A, and the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 (such as the above-mentioned method 5.1 or method 5.3), or includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the data volume corresponding to each index (such as the above-mentioned method 5.1.2 or method 5.3.2), or includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the time period corresponding to each index (such as the above-mentioned method 5.1.1 or method 5.3.1), or includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1, the data volume corresponding to each index and the corresponding time period (such as the combination of the above-mentioned method 5.1.1 and method 5.1.2, or the combination of method 5.3.1 and method 5.3.2).

[0279] Exemplarily, when the indication information A takes a first value (such as 00), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1; when the indication information A takes a second value (such as 01), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index; when the indication information A takes a third value (such as 10), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the time period corresponding to each index; when the indication information A takes a fourth value (such as 11), the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1, the amount of data corresponding to each index and the corresponding time period.

[0280] Exemplarily, when query message B includes indication information A, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index; when query message B does not include indication information A, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the time period corresponding to each index. Alternatively, when query message B includes indication information A, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the time period corresponding to each index; when query message B does not include indication information A, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index.

[0281] Optionally, the reporting strategy of the access network device may also be specified by the protocol or pre-configured, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0282] S540. The SMF network element obtains the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting data of UE 1 according to one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1.

[0283] For the convenience of description, the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting data of UE 1 is referred to as the energy consumption of the access network device below.

[0284] In one implementation, step S540 includes the following steps S541 to S543 , and this implementation is denoted as S540 (A).

[0285] S541. The SMF network element determines the relationship indicated by each index in one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 based on the list corresponding to the access network device.

[0286] S542. The SMF network element obtains the data volume corresponding to each index in one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1.

[0287] S543. The SMF network element determines the energy consumption of the access network device according to one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index.

[0288] The specific implementation of step S541 can refer to the description of step S230 and will not be repeated here.

[0289] In an example of step S542, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index. For example, the access network device sends a response message to the SMF network element through the above-mentioned method 5.1.2 or 5.3.2. The SMF network element can obtain the data amount from the response message, and then in step S543, determine the energy consumption of the access network device based on the relationship indicated by each index in the one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index.

[0290] For example, when the relationship indicated by the index is the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting each unit of data, the SMF network element adds the product of the relationship indicated by each index and the amount of data corresponding to the index to obtain the energy consumption of the access network device. For example, UE 1 corresponds to N indexes, where the amount of data corresponding to the nth index is Vn, and the relationship indicated by the nth index is En. The SMF network element can calculate the energy consumption of the access network device according to the following formula: Wherein, N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than N. Taking the list corresponding to the access network equipment as Table 1, the energy consumption of the access network equipment when the SMF network element receives response messages A and B is 10·(X+Z+L)+50·Y.

[0291] When the SMF network element receives multiple response messages, the SMF network element can use the formula Calculate the energy consumption and then add the energy consumption corresponding to all response messages to obtain the total energy consumption. For example, according to the energy consumption data table shown in Table 1, the energy consumption corresponding to response message A in method 5.1.2 is 10·X + 50·Y, and the energy consumption corresponding to response message B is 10·(Z + L). Therefore, the energy consumption of the access network device is 10·X + 50·Y + 10·(Z + L).

[0292] In another example of step S542, the SMF network element obtains the data volume corresponding to each index from the UPF network element. Optionally, the specific implementation of step S542 can adopt any of the following methods.

[0293] Method 5.4, step S542 includes the following steps S542-a and S542-b (not shown in the figure).

[0294] S542-a, the SMF network element sends a request message A to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the request message A from the SMF network element.

[0295] The request message A includes the identifier of UE 1 and information of one or more time periods, and is used to request the data volume of UE 1 within the one or more time periods. The one or more time periods are time periods corresponding to one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1.

[0296] For example, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and information about the time period corresponding to each index. For example, the access network device sends a response message to the SMF network element through the above-mentioned method 5.1.1 or method 5.3.1, and the SMF network element carries the information of the one or more time periods in the request message A and sends it to the UPF network element.

[0297] For another example, the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1, the SMF network element determines the time period corresponding to each index, and carries the information of the one or more time periods in the request message A to the UPF network element. Exemplarily, the SMF network element determines the time period corresponding to each index according to a preconfigured rule.

[0298] Alternatively, the request message A includes the identifier of session 1 and information of the above-mentioned one or more time periods, and the request message A is used to request the amount of data transmitted by session 1 within the one or more time periods. For example, the request message A is a packet detection rule (PDR) update request message, and the PDR includes the identifier of session 1 and the one or more time periods, and requires statistics on the amount of data transmitted by session 1 within these time periods.

[0299] S542-b, the UPF network element sends the data volume of session 1 in the one or more time periods to the SMF network element.

[0300] When request message A includes the identifier of UE 1, the UPF network element determines the identifier of session 1 associated with the identifier of UE 1 based on the association between the identifier of the UE and the session identifier, and determines the data volume of session 1 in each time period. The method for the UPF network element to determine the data volume of session 1 in each time period can refer to the existing technology, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0301] Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the data volume of session 1 in each time period from the UPF network element, and associates the data volume in each time period with the index corresponding to each time period to obtain the data volume corresponding to each index.

[0302] Method 5.5, step S542 includes the following steps S542-c and S542-d (not shown in the figure).

[0303] S542-c, the SMF network element sends a request message B to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the request message B from the SMF network element.

[0304] The request message B includes the identifier of UE 1.

[0305] Optionally, the request message B also includes third information for indicating time, and the third information is the same as the information for indicating time sent by the SMF network element to the AMF network element, such as the third information is the same as the first information in step S510.

[0306] Optionally, the request message B also includes a third period,

[0307] The identifier of UE 1 in the request message B may be replaced with the identifier of session 1, for example, if the request message B is a PDR update request message. For specific implementation, please refer to step S542-a.

[0308] S542-d. The UPF network element sends the data volume of session 1 in each third cycle to the SMF network element.

[0309] For example, the UPF network element sends a response message B to the SMF network element, and the response message B includes the data volume of session 1 in each third cycle.

[0310] When the request message B includes the identifier of UE 1, the UPF network element determines the identifier of session 1 associated with the identifier of UE 1 based on the association relationship between the identifier of the UE and the session identifier.

[0311] The third period is the period during which the UPF network element determines the data volume of session 1. That is, the UPF network element determines the data volume of session 1 in units of the third period, and the UPF network element determines the data volume of session 1 within each third period. The third period is associated with the second period during which the access network device determines the energy consumption index corresponding to the terminal device. For example, the second period is a positive integer multiple of the third period. Request message B includes the third period, or the UPF network element determines the third period based on preconfigured rules.

[0312] In one implementation, the UPF network element sends the data volume of session 1 in each third period within the statistical period to the SMF network element. The UPF network element may determine the statistical period based on the third information or according to a preconfigured rule. For a specific method, refer to the method in step S530 in which the access network device determines the statistical period based on the second information, which is not repeated here.

[0313] For example, the statistical period is from 8:00 to 9:00, the third cycle is 15 minutes, and the UPF network element statistics session 1 from 8:00 to 8:15, 8:15 to 8:30, 8:30 to 8:45, and 8:45 to 9:00 as X bits, Y bits, Z bits and L bits respectively. The UPF network element sends a response message B to the SMF network element, including X bits, Y bits, Z bits and L bits.

[0314] Optionally, the response message B also includes the time period corresponding to each data volume. For example, the response message B includes the following Table 6.

[0315] Table 6

[0316] In another implementation, the UPF network element sends the data amount to the SMF network element once every fourth period, and the data amount sent each time includes the data amount of session 1 determined by the UPF network element within the fourth period. The request message B includes the fourth period, or the UPF network element determines the fourth period according to a preconfigured statistical policy.

[0317] If the third cycle is 15 minutes and the fourth cycle is 30 minutes, the UPF network element can determine that the data volume of session 1 from 8:00 to 8:15 and from 8:15 to 8:30 is X bits and Y bits respectively, and send the following table 7-1 to the SMF network element; then determine that the data volume of session 1 from 8:30 to 8:45 and from 8:45 to 9:00 is Z bits and L bits respectively, and send the following table 7-2 to the SMF network element.

[0318] Table 7-1

[0319] Table 7-2

[0320] Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the data volume of session 1 in each third cycle from the UPF network element, and matches the data volume with the energy consumption index in the response message A according to the time period, that is, the data volume and energy consumption index corresponding to the same time period are matched. For example, when the response message A includes Table 2 and Table 3, the SMF network element determines that the data volume corresponding to the energy consumption index a is X+Z+L bits, and the data volume corresponding to the energy consumption index b is Y bits.

[0321] Among them, the response message B includes the time period corresponding to each data volume, and the SMF network element can obtain the time period corresponding to each data volume according to the response message B. Alternatively, the SMF network element determines the time period corresponding to each data volume according to the third period and the statistical time period, or the third period and the fourth period, and then determines the data volume corresponding to each energy consumption index according to the time period.

[0322] Steps S542-c and S542-d can be executed at any time point after the SMF network element determines that the network-side energy consumption value corresponding to UE 1 or session 1 needs to be counted and the statistical period is determined, for example, after the SMF network element receives the response message in step S440, or after or at the same time as the SMF network element sends a query message A to the AMF network element in step S510, or before the SMF network element sends a request query message A to the AMF network element.

[0323] When the SMF network element obtains the data volume of session 1 from the UPF network element, the response message also includes the data volume corresponding to each energy consumption index. The data volume in the response message may be different from the data volume from the UPF network element. The SMF network element can take the data volume in the response message as the basis, or the SMF network element can process the data volume in the response message and the data volume from the UPF network element to obtain a result (such as an average value or maximum value), and send the result to the energy consumption network element.

[0324] When there are multiple sessions between UE 1 and one or more UPF network elements, the SMF network element can obtain the data volume of each session of UE 1 from the one or more UPF network elements according to the above step S542, and then obtain the data volume corresponding to each energy consumption index by combining the data volume of each session.

[0325] After the SMF network element obtains the data volume corresponding to each index from the UPF network element, in step S543, the energy consumption of the access network device is determined according to the relationship indicated by each index in the one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the data volume corresponding to each index. For example, the energy consumption of the access network device can be determined according to the formula Calculate the energy consumption of access network equipment. For example, the SMF network element receives response messages A and B from Table 3. The SMF network element obtains from the UPF network element that the amount of data corresponding to the time period from 8:00 to 8:15 is X bits, the amount of data corresponding to the time period from 8:15 to 8:30 is Y bits, the amount of data corresponding to the time period from 8:30 to 8:45 is Z bits, and the amount of data corresponding to the time period from 8:45 to 9:00 is L bits. The SMF network element can then combine Table 1 to calculate the energy consumption of the access network equipment as 10 (X + Z + L) + 50 Y.

[0326] The above-mentioned SMF network element obtains the data volume corresponding to each time period, which can be replaced by the SMF network element obtaining the data rate corresponding to each time period, and calculating the data volume corresponding to each time period based on the data rate corresponding to each time period and the duration of the time period.

[0327] In another implementation, step S540 includes the following steps S544 to S546.

[0328] S544. The SMF network element obtains the data volume corresponding to each index in one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1.

[0329] The specific implementation of step S544 can refer to the above step S542 and will not be repeated here.

[0330] S545. The SMF network element sends one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index to the energy consumption network element. Correspondingly, the energy consumption network element receives one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index from the SMF network element.

[0331] S546. The energy consumption network element sends the energy consumption of the access network equipment to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the energy consumption of the access network equipment from the energy consumption network element.

[0332] For example, the energy consumption network element queries the list corresponding to the access network device based on one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1, determines the relationship indicated by each index, and then determines the energy consumption of the access network device based on the relationship indicated by each index and the amount of data corresponding to each index. For specific implementation, please refer to the above steps S541 and S543, which will not be repeated here.

[0333] Optionally, the communication method 500 further includes the following steps S550 to S570 (not shown in the figure).

[0334] S550. The SMF network element triggers the PCF network element to update policies related to data transmission. Correspondingly, the PCF network element updates policies related to data transmission under the triggering of the SMF network element.

[0335] S560. The PCF network element sends the updated policy related to data transmission to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the updated policy related to data transmission from the PCF network element.

[0336] S570. The SMF network element sends the updated policy related to data transmission to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the updated policy related to data transmission from the SMF network element.

[0337] Access network devices can perform data transmission according to the updated policy.

[0338] The specific implementation of steps S550 to S570 can refer to steps S240 to S260 and will not be repeated here.

[0339] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device sends one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element. The SMF network element obtains the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting UE 1's data based on the one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1. Thus, the SMF network element can further understand the situation of UE 1's data transmission from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also perform corresponding processing, which is beneficial to UE 1's data transmission. Furthermore, the SMF network element can trigger the PCF network element to update the policy related to UE 1's data transmission, and then send the updated policy related to UE 1's data transmission to the access network device, so that the access network device can transmit UE 1's data according to the updated policy, which helps the access network device provide high-quality data transmission services for UE 1. Furthermore, when the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting the data is too high, the SMF network element triggers the PCF network element to update the policy, such as turning on the energy-saving mode or reducing the energy consumption related to data transmission, which is beneficial to network energy saving.

[0340] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating another communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Communication method 600 is similar to communication method 500, except that, in communication method 500, the access network device sends the index corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element via the control plane, while in communication method 600, the access network device sends the index corresponding to UE 1 to the SMF network element via the user plane. As shown in Figure 6, communication method 600 includes the following steps. For portions not fully described, reference may be made to existing protocols and the descriptions in communication methods 200 and 500.

[0341] S610. The SMF network element sends a query message A to the AMF network element.

[0342] S620. The AMF network element sends a query message B to the access network device.

[0343] The specific implementation of steps S610 and S620 can refer to the description of steps S510 and S520, which will not be repeated here.

[0344] S630: The access network device sends a response message to the UPF network element, where the response message includes one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the response message from the access network device.

[0345] The access network device can send a response message to the UPF network element based on the uplink tunnel information allocated by the UPF network element to the session of UE 1.

[0346] The response message further includes at least one of the following information: the time period corresponding to each index, or the amount of data corresponding to each index.

[0347] Optionally, the response message also includes identification information of the access network device.

[0348] In the following text, the access network device sending a response message to the UPF network element is referred to as the access network device sending energy consumption information through the user plane; the access network device sending a response message through the AMF network element in step S530 is referred to as the access network device sending energy consumption information through the control plane.

[0349] Optionally, the access network device sends a response message to the UPF network element according to the indication information B in the query message B. The indication information B is used to indicate the sending path of the energy consumption information, that is, to indicate whether the access network device sends the energy consumption information through the control plane or the user plane.

[0350] In one example, when the indication information B takes a first value (such as 0), the indication information B is used to indicate that the energy consumption information is sent through the user plane, and the access network device sends a response message to the UPF network element. When the indication information B takes a second value (such as 1), the indication information B is used to indicate that the energy consumption information is sent through the control plane, and the access network device sends a response message to the AMF network element according to step S530.

[0351] In another example, when the request message B includes the indication information B, the access network device sends the energy consumption information via the user plane; when the request message B does not include the indication information B, the access network device sends the energy consumption information via the control plane. Alternatively, when the request message B includes the indication information B, the access network device sends the energy consumption information via the control plane; when the request message B does not include the indication information B, the access network device sends the energy consumption information via the user plane.

[0352] Optionally, the access network device may determine a method for sending the energy consumption information based on the name of the request message B. For example, when the request message B is a user plane energy consumption information reporting request message, the access network device sends the energy consumption information via the user plane; when the request message B is a control plane energy consumption information reporting request message, the access network device sends the energy consumption information via the control plane.

[0353] The access network device can distinguish energy consumption information from other user plane data by message name or message type. For example, if the response message is an energy consumption information reporting message, the UPF network element can identify the energy consumption information by the message name or message type, and then send the response message to the SMF network element in step S640.

[0354] For the detailed implementation of how the access network device sends a response message to the UPF network element, please refer to the description of step S530.

[0355] S640: The UPF network element sends one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index from the UPF network element.

[0356] When the response message includes the amount of data corresponding to each index, the UPF network element can send one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 in the response message and the amount of data corresponding to each index to the SMF network element.

[0357] When the response message includes the time period corresponding to each index, the UPF network element can determine the data volume corresponding to each time period, that is, the data volume corresponding to each index, and then send one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the data volume corresponding to each index to the SMF network element.

[0358] The UPF network element also sends the identification information of the access network device to the SMF network element. For example, the UPF network element sends the identification information of the access network device in the response message to the SMF network element.

[0359] The UPF network element can identify the energy consumption information of the terminal device from the user plane data sent by the access network device. For example, the UPF network element can distinguish the energy consumption information of the terminal device from other user plane data based on the message name or message type. The UPF network element can also identify the energy consumption information of the terminal device through other means, which are not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0360] S650. The SMF network element obtains the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting data of UE 1 based on one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the amount of data corresponding to each index.

[0361] The specific implementation of step S650 can refer to the description of step S540. The difference from step S540 is that the SMF network element has already obtained the data volume corresponding to each index in step S640, so the SMF network element does not need to obtain the data volume corresponding to each index from the UPF network element.

[0362] Optionally, the communication method 600 further includes steps S550 to S570.

[0363] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device sends one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 to the UPF network element. The SMF network element then obtains the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting UE 1's data based on the one or more indexes and the data volume corresponding to each index received from the UPF network element. This allows the SMF network element to further understand UE 1's data transmission from an energy consumption perspective, which is beneficial for UE 1's data transmission. Furthermore, the SMF network element can trigger the PCF network element to update policies related to UE 1's data transmission and then send the updated policies related to UE 1's data transmission to the access network device. This allows the access network device to transmit UE 1's data according to the updated policies, helping the access network device to better provide data transmission services for UE 1 and ensure data transmission quality. Furthermore, if the energy consumption of the access network device for transmitting the data is too high, the SMF network element triggers the PCF network element to update policies, such as enabling energy-saving mode or reducing data transmission-related energy consumption, thereby facilitating network energy conservation. Furthermore, the SMF network element can obtain one or more indexes corresponding to UE 1 and the data volume corresponding to each index from the UPF network element at one time, reducing the processing complexity of the SMF network element.

[0364] It should be noted that the SMF network element in the above-mentioned communication method 500 and communication method 600 can be replaced by an NWDAF network element. In this implementation mode, the above-mentioned "SMF network element sends to the UPF network element" can be replaced by "NWDAF network element sends to the UPF network element" or "NWDAF network element sends to the UPF network element through the SMF network element"; "SMF network element receives from the UPF network element" can be replaced by "NWDAF network element receives from the UPF network element" or "NWDAF network element receives from the UPF network element through the SMF network element"; "SMF network element receives from the UPF network element" can be replaced by "NWDAF network element receives from the UPF network element" or "NWDAF network element receives from the UPF network element through the SMF network element". "UPF network element sends to the SMF network element", "UPF network element receives from the SMF network element" or "UPF network element receives from the SMF network element" can be replaced similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0365] Figure 7 is a flow chart of another communication method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Unlike the communication methods 200, 500 and 600, in the communication method 700, the second network element calculates and sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting data. As shown in Figure 7, the communication method 700 can be executed by the first network element and the second network element, or by modules and / or devices (for example, chips or integrated circuits, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the first network element and the second network element, which is not limited by the present application. For the sake of convenience of description, the following description is based on the first network element and the second network element as the execution entities, and the parts not fully described can refer to the existing protocols. The communication method 700 can be applied to the network architecture 100 shown in Figure 1. For example, the first network element is the SMF network element 139, and the second network element is the access network device in the (R)AN 120. As shown in Figure 7, the communication method 700 includes the following multiple steps.

[0366] S710. The first network element sends a query message to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the query message from the first network element.

[0367] The query message is used to query the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, and the data includes data related to the terminal device.

[0368] Optionally, the query message includes identification information of the terminal device.

[0369] The specific implementation of step S710 can refer to the description of step S210 and will not be repeated here.

[0370] S720: The second network element calculates energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to an index, where the index indicates a relationship between energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data.

[0371] For example, the second network element determines the index corresponding to the terminal device, and calculates the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

[0372] Exemplarily, the second network element may determine the index corresponding to the terminal device based on one or more of the following parameters: the distance between the terminal device and the second network element, the channel quality between the terminal device and the second network element, the transmit power of the second network element, the modulation order of the data, the number of data retransmissions, the form of the carrier used to transmit the data, or the number of beams or DRBs used by the second network element to transmit the data of the terminal device. For specific implementation, please refer to the description in step S220 and will not be repeated here.

[0373] After the second network element determines the index corresponding to the terminal device, and before the second network element calculates the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data, the communication method 700 also includes: the second network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element according to the index to determine the relationship, that is, the second network element determines the relationship indicated by the index by querying the list corresponding to the second network element, and at least one index in the list corresponding to the second network element indicates the relationship.

[0374] In one example, the second network element obtains the list corresponding to the second network element from the fourth network element based on the identification information of the second network element. For specific implementation, please refer to steps S231 and S232. In another example, the second network element obtains the relationship indicated by the index from the fourth network element based on the identification information of the second network element and the index. For specific implementation, please refer to steps S232-a and S233-aS232-a. In yet another example, the second network element stores the list locally, then the second network element may query the local list based on the index to determine the relationship indicated by the index; or, if the locally stored list is valid, the second network element may query the list to determine the relationship, and if the locally stored list is expired, then obtain the list corresponding to the second network element or obtain the relationship indicated by the index from the fourth network element. For specific implementation, please refer to step S234, which will not be repeated here.

[0375] After the second network element determines the index corresponding to the terminal device, and before the second network element calculates the energy consumption used by the second network element to transmit the data, the communication method 700 further includes: the second network element obtaining the data volume of the data. For example, when the index corresponds to the first time period, the data volume is the data volume of the terminal device-related data transmitted by the second network element during the first time period. The index corresponding to the first time period may be determined by the second network element based on the values ​​of one or more of the above parameters during the first time period. The specific implementation of the second network element obtaining the data volume of the data can refer to existing protocols.

[0376] After the second network element determines the relationship indicated by the index and obtains the data volume of the data, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data can be calculated based on the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data. For example, when the relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data, the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data can be equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

[0377] S730. The second network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data from the second network element.

[0378] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network element, under the triggering of the first network element, calculates the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting data of the terminal device, and sends the energy consumption to the first network element, so that the second network element can further understand the data transmission situation of UE 1 from the perspective of energy consumption, and can also perform corresponding processing, which is beneficial to the data transmission of UE 1.

[0379] Optionally, the communication method 700 further includes the following steps S240 to S260. Based on this embodiment, the first network element triggers an update of a data transmission-related policy based on the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data, so that the second network element can transmit data according to the updated policy, which helps the second network element provide high-quality data transmission services to the terminal device. Furthermore, if the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is too high, the first network element triggers a policy control network element update policy, such as enabling energy-saving mode or reducing energy consumption related to data transmission, which is conducive to achieving network energy saving.

[0380] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the device 1000 may include a transceiver unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020. The transceiver unit 1010 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform data processing, or in other words, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, and the processing unit 1020 is used to perform other operations in addition to receiving and sending. The transceiver unit 1010 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0381] In one possible design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the first network element in the above method embodiment, or a component of the first network element (such as a chip).

[0382] The communication device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the first network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to perform operations related to the transmission and reception of the first network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 can be used to perform operations related to the internal processing of the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0383] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to send a query message, wherein the query message is used to query energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, wherein the data includes data related to the terminal device; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to receive a response to the query message, wherein the response includes an index, wherein the index indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data; the processing unit 1020 is used to obtain the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index.

[0384] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG2 , the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S210 and S220 ; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as step S230 .

[0385] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG. 4 , the transceiver unit 1010 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S410 and S430 ; and the processing unit 1020 may be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0386] In which, when the device 1000 is used to execute the method in Figure 5, the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S510, S530, S545 and S546; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as S541, S542, S543 and S544.

[0387] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG6 , the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S610 and S640 ; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as S650 .

[0388] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG. 7 , the transceiver unit 1010 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S710 and S730 ; and the processing unit 1020 may be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0389] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above steps can be found in the description of the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0390] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the third network element in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the third network element.

[0391] The communication device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the third network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to perform operations related to transceiver transmission of the third network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 can be used to perform operations related to internal processing of the third network element in the above method embodiment.

[0392] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive an index from a first network element, wherein the index indicates a relationship between energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting data and the data, wherein the data includes data related to a terminal device; the processing unit 1020 is used to determine the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on the relationship indicated by the index; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element.

[0393] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG4 , the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S410 and S430 ; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as step S420 .

[0394] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG5 , the transceiver unit 1010 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S545 and S546 ; the processing unit 1020 may be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0395] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above steps can be found in the description of the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0396] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the second network element in the above method embodiment, or a component of the second network element (such as a chip).

[0397] The communication device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the second network element in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to perform operations related to transceiver transmission of the second network element in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1020 can be used to perform operations related to internal processing of the second network element in the above method embodiment.

[0398] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used for a query message, wherein the query message is used to query energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, wherein the data includes data related to the terminal device; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send a response to the query message, wherein the response includes an index, wherein the index indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data.

[0399] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 1010 is used to receive a query message from the first network element, which query message is used to query the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, and the data includes data related to the terminal device; the processing unit 1020 is used to calculate the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data based on an index, and the index indicates the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data; the transceiver unit 1010 is also used to send the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element.

[0400] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG. 2 , the transceiver unit 1010 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S210 and S220 ; and the processing unit 1020 may be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0401] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG5 , the transceiver unit 1010 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S520 and S530 ; the processing unit 1020 may be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0402] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG6 , the transceiver unit 1010 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S620 and S630 ; the processing unit 1020 may be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method.

[0403] When the device 1000 is used to execute the method in FIG7 , the transceiver unit 1010 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S710 and S730 ; the processing unit 1020 can be used to execute the internal processing steps in the method, such as S720 .

[0404] It should be understood that the device 1000 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1010 can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it can include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit 1020 can be a processing circuit.

[0405] The apparatus 1000 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the network element (such as the first network element, the third network element, or the second network element) in the above-mentioned method. This function can be implemented by hardware, or it can be implemented by hardware executing the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0406] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 2000 includes one or more processors 2010 and one or more memories 2020. The processor 2010 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 2020, or to read data / signaling stored in the memory 2020, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memory 2020 is configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 2020 may be integrated with the processor 2010, or may be provided separately.

[0407] Optionally, as shown in Figure 9, the apparatus 2000 further includes a transceiver 2030, which is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 2010 is configured to control the transceiver 2030 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0408] As a solution, the device 2000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network element in each of the above method embodiments.

[0409] As another solution, the device 2000 is used to implement the operations performed by the third network element in the above method embodiments.

[0410] As another solution, the device 2000 is used to implement the operations performed by the second network element in the above method embodiments.

[0411] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0412] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0413] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor. It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0414] 10 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 3000 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 3010 and an input / output interface 3020 .

[0415] Logic circuit 3010 may be a processing circuit in chip system 3000. Logic circuit 3010 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit, so that chip system 3000 can implement the methods and functions of various embodiments of the present application. Input / output interface 3020 may be an input / output circuit in chip system 3000, outputting information processed by chip system 3000 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into chip system 3000 for processing.

[0416] As a solution, the chip system 3000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network element, the third network element, or the second network element in each of the above method embodiments. For example, the logic circuit 3010 is used to implement the internal processing-related operations performed by the first network element, the third network element, or the second network element in the above method embodiments; and the input / output interface 3020 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first network element, the third network element, or the second network element in the above method embodiments.

[0417] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0418] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0419] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, comprising a first network element and a second network element, wherein the first network element is configured to implement the operations performed by the first network element in each of the above method embodiments, and the second network element is configured to implement the operations performed by the second network element in each of the above method embodiments. Optionally, the communication system further comprises a third network element, wherein the third network element is configured to implement the operations performed by the third network element in each of the above method embodiments.

[0420] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods performed by the first network element, the third network element, or the second network element in each of the above-described method embodiments. For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods performed by the first network element, the third network element, or the second network element in each of the above-described method embodiments.

[0421] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0422] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following explanations are made.

[0423] First, in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0424] Second, in the embodiments of this application, "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0425] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "first," "second," and various numerical references (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) are used to distinguish between different messages for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, they are used to distinguish between different messages, rather than to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the objects described in this manner can be interchanged where appropriate to describe scenarios other than the embodiments of the present application.

[0426] Fourth, in the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. It does not limit the time, nor does it require the device to perform judgment actions when implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0427] Fifth, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0428] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, "used to indicate" may include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information A is used to indicate A, it may include that the indication information A directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and does not necessarily mean that the indication information A contains A.

[0429] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood to include various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to obtain information A to be indicated. Information A to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. The sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method.

[0430] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication information A" may be an explicit indication, i.e., directly indicated by signaling, or obtained based on parameters indicated by signaling, in combination with other rules, other parameters, or by deduction. It may also be an implicit indication, i.e., obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0431] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, "storage" may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially provided separately and partially integrated into a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium and is not limited by this application.

[0432] Eighth, in the embodiments of the present application, "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", "data processing", etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving", which is not limited in the present application.

[0433] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, including: A first network element sends a query message for querying energy consumption information of a second network element for transmitting data, where the data includes data related to a terminal device; The first network element receives a response to the query message, the response including an index indicating the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data; The first network element obtains the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is determined according to the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is equal to the product of the data volume and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first network element obtaining the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index includes: The first network element sends the index to a third network element; The first network element receives the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data from the third network element.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network element sends the data volume of the data to the third network element.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first network element obtaining the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the index includes: The first network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The response further includes the data volume, and the query message is also used to query the data volume.

9. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The method further includes: The first network element obtains the data volume according to information of a first time period, where the data volume is the data volume of the data transmitted during the first time period in a session between the terminal device and a user plane network element, or the data volume is the data volume of the data transmitted by the second network element during the first time period, and the first time period corresponds to the index.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The response further includes information of the first time period, and the query message is also used to query the information of the first time period.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The relationship indicated by the index is determined according to the index and a list corresponding to the second network element, and at least one index in the list corresponding to the second network element corresponds to the relationship.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The query message includes information for indicating the terminal device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network element triggers a policy control network element to update a policy related to data transmission according to the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, including: A third network element receives an index from a first network element, the index indicating the relationship between the energy consumption of a second network element for transmitting data and the data, where the data includes data related to a terminal device; The third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the relationship indicated by the index; The third network element sends the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data to the first network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The third network element determining the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the relationship indicated by the index includes: The third network element determines the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data according to the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is equal to the product of the data volume of the data and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third network element receives the data volume of the data from the first network element, or the third network element receives the data volume of the data from the second network element, or the third network element receives the data volume of the data from the user plane network element.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that The method further includes: The third network element queries the list corresponding to the second network element according to the index to determine the relationship, and at least one index in the table corresponding to the second network element corresponds to the relationship.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The method further includes: The third network element receives the identifier of the second network element from the first network element; The third network element obtains the list corresponding to the second network element according to the identifier of the second network element.

21. A communication method, characterized in that, Includes: The second network element receives a query message for querying the energy consumption information of the second network element for transmitting data, and the data includes data related to the terminal device; The second network element sends a response to the query message, and the response includes an index indicating the relationship between the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data and the data.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, The energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is determined according to the relationship indicated by the index and the data volume of the data.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The relationship indicated by the index includes the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting the data is equal to the product of the data volume of the data and the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting each unit of the data.

25. The method according to any one of claims 21-24, characterized in that, The response further includes the data volume, and the query message is further used to query the data volume; and / or, The response further includes information on a first time period corresponding to the index, and the query message is further used to query the information on the first time period.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21-25, characterized in that, The query message includes information for indicating the terminal device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 21-26, characterized in that, The relationship is used to update the policy related to data transmission; The method further includes: The second network element receives the updated policy and performs data transmission according to the updated policy.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-27.

29. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a first network element and a second network element, wherein: The first network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-13; The second network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 21-27.

30. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a first network element and a third network element, wherein: The third network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 14-20; The first network element is used to send an index to the third network element; The first network element is further used to receive the energy consumption of the second network element for transmitting data from the third network element.

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