Communication method and apparatus, computer readable medium, and electronic device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, a computer readable medium, and an electronic device. The communication method comprises: generating a request message, wherein the request message is used for requesting to obtain a network available capacity for a service data stream; and sending the request message to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting a network device to report the network available capacity. According to the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, a more objective network available capacity can be obtained, so that an application server can adaptively adjust the transmission rate on the basis of the network available capacity, thereby improving the resource utilization in processing multimedia service and enhancing the user experience.

Description

Communication method, device, computer-readable medium, and electronic device

[0001] Priority information

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on February 8, 2024, with application number 2024101780644 and invention name “Communication Method, Device, Computer-readable Medium and Electronic Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of computers and communication technologies, and in particular to a communication method, device, computer-readable medium, and electronic device. Background Art

[0004] In the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5th-Generation, 5G) and its subsequent evolution systems (such as 5G-A, 6G, etc.), high-bandwidth interactive services are one of the important service types. High-bandwidth interactive services include cloud gaming (Cloud gaming), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), extended reality (XR), cinematic reality (CR), XR and media services (XR and Media Services, XRM), etc.

[0005] These high-bandwidth interactive services not only require high transmission timeliness, but also significantly increase the amount of data generated at the application layer as performance increases, such as resolution and frame rate. Therefore, the data packets generated by the application layer for these services are typically transmitted using a series of related packets, known as a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set. Effectively controlling the transmission of these packets to meet the challenges posed by high-bandwidth interactive services on wireless network transmission remains a pressing technical challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, computer-readable medium, and electronic device that can obtain a more objective network available capacity, so that the application server can adaptively adjust the transmission rate according to the network available capacity, which is beneficial to improving resource utilization and user experience in processing multimedia services.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by practice of the present application.

[0008] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method applied to an application function network element, including: generating a request message, the request message being used to request obtaining the network available capacity for a service data flow; sending the request message to a policy control function network element so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting a network device to report the network available capacity.

[0009] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a policy control function network element, including: receiving a request message sent by an application function network element, the request message being used to request obtaining the network available capacity for a service data flow; generating policy information for the service data flow based on the request message, the policy information being used to request a network device to report the network available capacity; and sending the policy information to a session management function network element so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity based on the policy information.

[0010] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a session management function network element, including: receiving policy information sent by a policy control function network element, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the service data flow; generating processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information; and configuring the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

[0011] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to an application function network element, including: a generation unit, configured to generate a request message, wherein the request message is used to request the network available capacity for the service data flow; a sending unit, configured to send the request message to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity.

[0012] In the fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to a policy control function network element, including: a receiving unit, configured to receive a request message sent by an application function network element, wherein the request message is used to request to obtain the network available capacity for the service data flow; a generating unit, configured to generate policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity; a sending unit, configured to send the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information.

[0013] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to a session management function network element, including: a receiving unit, configured to receive policy information sent by a policy control function network element, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the service data flow; a generating unit, configured to generate processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information; and a sending unit, configured to configure the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

[0014] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: an application function network element generates a request message, wherein the request message is used to request the network available capacity for a service data flow; the application function network element sends the request message to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting a network device to report the network available capacity; the policy control function network element receives the request message sent by the application function network element; the policy control function network element generates policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity; the policy control function network element sends the policy information to a session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information; the session management function network element receives the policy information sent by the policy control function network element, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the service data flow; the session management function network element generates processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information; and the session management function network element configures the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

[0015] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising: an application function network element, configured to generate a request message, the request message being used to request the network available capacity for a service data flow; and, sending the request message to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting a network device to report the network available capacity; the policy control function network element is configured to receive the request message sent by the application function network element; generate policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, the policy information being used to request the network device to report the network available capacity; and, send the policy information to a session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information; the session management function network element is configured to receive the policy information sent by the policy control function network element, the policy information being used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the service data flow; generate processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information; and configure the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

[0016] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method as described in any one of the first to third aspects above is implemented.

[0017] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; a storage device for storing one or more computer programs, wherein when the one or more computer programs are executed by the one or more processors, the electronic device implements the communication method as described in any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0018] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of an electronic device reads and executes the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, causing the electronic device to perform the communication method provided in any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0019] In the technical solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the application function network element can generate a request message for requesting the network available capacity for the service data flow, and then send the request message to the policy control function network element. Furthermore, the policy control function network element can generate policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity, and send the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information. It can be seen that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can obtain more objective network available capacity, so that the application server can adaptively adjust the transmission rate according to the network available capacity, which is conducive to improving the resource utilization and user experience of processing multimedia services, so as to better cope with the challenges of high-bandwidth interactive services to wireless network transmission.

[0020] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary system architecture to which the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied;

[0022] FIG2 is a schematic diagram showing a transmission process of a multimedia data packet according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG3 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG4 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG5 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of a 5G network key network element architecture;

[0027] FIG7 shows a flow chart of network capability exposure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG8 shows a flow chart of network capability exposure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG9 shows a flowchart of network capability exposure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG10 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG11 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG12 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG13 shows a schematic structural diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Example embodiments will now be described in a more complete manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to these examples; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0035] In addition, the features, structures or characteristics described in the present application may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, there are many specific details so that the embodiments of the present application can be fully understood. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that when implementing the technical solution of the present application, it is not necessary to use all the detailed features in the embodiments, one or more specific details may be omitted, or other methods, elements, devices, steps, etc. may be adopted.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "module" or "unit" refers to a computer program or a part of a computer program that has a predetermined function and works together with other related parts to achieve a predetermined goal, and can be implemented in whole or in part by using software, hardware (such as processing circuits or memories) or a combination thereof. Similarly, a processor (or multiple processors or memories) can be used to implement one or more modules or units. In addition, each module or unit can be part of an overall module or unit that includes the function of the module or unit.

[0037] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically separate entities. That is, these functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0038] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, nor must they be executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may be decomposed, while others may be combined or partially combined. Therefore, the actual execution order may vary depending on the actual situation.

[0039] It should be noted that the term "plurality" used in this document refers to two or more. "And / or" describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

[0040] With the development of 5G and its subsequent evolution systems (such as 5G-A and 6G), many multimedia services requiring high data volumes and short latency have been adopted, such as cloud gaming, VR, AR, MR, XR, and CR interactive services.

[0041] For example, in the cloud gaming scenario shown in FIG1 , the cloud server 101 is used to run the cloud game. The cloud server 101 can render the game screen, encode the audio signal and the rendered image, and finally transmit the encoded data obtained by the encoding process to each game client through the network. The game client can be a user equipment (UE) with basic streaming media playback capabilities, human-computer interaction capabilities, and communication capabilities, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, smart TV, smart home, car terminal, aircraft, etc.; or the game client can be an application running in a terminal device. Specifically, the game client can decode the encoded data transmitted by the cloud server 101 to obtain an analog audio and video signal and play it.

[0042] It should be understood that FIG1 is only an exemplary representation of the system architecture of the cloud gaming system and does not limit the specific architecture of the cloud gaming system; for example, in other embodiments, the cloud gaming system may also include a background server for scheduling, etc. The cloud server 101 can be an independent physical server, or a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communications, middleware services, domain name services, security services, content delivery networks (CDNs), and big data and artificial intelligence platforms. The game client and the cloud server 101 can be directly or indirectly connected via wired or wireless communication, which is not limited in this application.

[0043] In the various multimedia-based interactive service application scenarios mentioned above, due to the huge size of multimedia data packets, they need to be split into multiple data packets for transmission. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, taking the 5G system as an example, the user plane mainly includes the application server, the user plane function (UPF), the base station (next generation nodeB, gNB), and the UE. For some typical service scenarios, the transmission of multimedia data packets is mainly in the downlink direction, such as from the application server (AS) to the UPF, and then sent to the UE through the gNB. During transmission, the multimedia data packet (using the XR data packet as an example in Figure 2) is split at the application layer of the application server. After the split data packet reaches the UPF from the application server as an IP packet, the 5G system transmits the sub-data packet to the UE end through the PDU session. At the UE end, it is delivered up the protocol stack step by step and reassembled to restore the multimedia data packet.

[0044] In the system shown in Figure 2, the L1 layer refers to the physical layer, which is used to ensure that the original data can be transmitted on various physical media; the L2 layer refers to the data link layer, which provides services to the network layer based on the services provided by the physical layer; the Internet Protocol (IP) layer is the network layer, which is used to implement data transmission between two end systems; UDP is the User Datagram Protocol, and GTP-U is the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Tunneling Protocol; PHY is the abbreviation of Physical, and is also known as the physical layer in Chinese; MAC is Media Access Control; RLC is Radio Link Control; PDCP is the Packet Data Convergence Protocol; and SDAP is the Service Data Adaptation Protocol.

[0045] As mentioned earlier, for multimedia services (such as XRM), it's common to split a single multimedia data packet into multiple packets for transmission. A single multimedia service frame or group of packets (GoP) can also be quite large, requiring a series of IP packets to carry it. These IP packets are somewhat correlated, and processing them based on this correlation can effectively conserve wireless network bandwidth.

[0046] For example, assuming that multiple IP packets are used for transmission, these multiple IP packets can form a PDU set. If some packets in the PDU set are lost, the entire frame, GoP or other video content may not be decoded, and the remaining data in the PDU set will be meaningless to the decoding end. However, if application layer forward error correction (FEC) or other mechanisms are introduced, the media application layer has a certain packet loss recovery capability or anti-packet loss capability, then the remaining data in the PDU set can still be recovered and decoded after some messages are discarded, which means that the remaining data in the PDU set is still meaningful for the receiving end to decode.

[0047] In related technologies, the network status is generally determined by detecting the QoS indicators of the QoS flow based on the Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring mechanism. However, this mechanism is mainly based on historical information and emphasizes statistical values. It cannot indicate the maximum network rate that can be used for burst data flows. Therefore, it is not suitable for burst traffic that may occur in multimedia scenarios, such as replaying a video, fast-forwarding a video, sudden changes in the video background, etc., which will lead to difficulties in selecting FEC, resolution, and frame rate at the application layer.

[0048] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a new communication solution, which enables the application function network element to generate a request message for requesting the network available capacity for the service data flow, and then send the request message to the policy control function network element. The policy control function network element can then generate policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity, and send the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element can instruct the service data flow processing device to report the network available capacity according to the policy information. It can be seen that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can obtain the network available capacity that more objectively reflects the actual situation of the network, so that the application server can adaptively adjust the transmission rate according to the network available capacity, thereby facilitating the improvement of resource utilization and user experience in processing multimedia services, and better responding to the challenges of high-bandwidth interactive services to wireless network transmission.

[0049] The following is a detailed description of the implementation details of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application:

[0050] FIG3 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method can be executed by an application function (AF) network element, or can also be executed by other network elements that can implement similar functions. The present embodiment does not limit this. In the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned AF network element can be referred to as an AF or application function network element. Referring to FIG3, the communication method includes at least S310 to S320. Taking the execution of the application function network element as an example, the detailed description is as follows:

[0051] In S310 , the application function network element generates a request message, where the request message is used to request to obtain the available network capacity for the service data flow.

[0052] It should be noted that the business data stream may be a multimedia business data stream, such as a cloud gaming business data stream, a VR business data stream, an AR business data stream, an MR business data stream, an XR business data stream, an XRM business data stream, a CR business data stream, etc. The business data stream may be transmitted in the form of a business data packet set (i.e., a PDU set). This is because the data packet formed by a single multimedia business frame or GoP may have a relatively large byte volume and needs to be split into a series of data packets for carrying. These data packets have a certain correlation between them, so these related data packets can be referred to as PDU sets. In other embodiments of the present application, the business data stream may also be transmitted in a business data packet-by-packet manner.

[0053] In some optional embodiments, network available capacity can be used to represent the amount of bandwidth, data capacity, or other related resources that can be actually used by the user device. Network available capacity may be affected by various factors, such as physical limitations of the device, network congestion, quality of service settings, etc. For example, network available capacity may involve one or more aspects such as network bandwidth, device processing power, storage space, etc. Specifically, in terms of network bandwidth, network available capacity can be the amount of data that the network can process and transmit within a specific time. In terms of device processing power, network available capacity can be the number or complexity of tasks that the device can handle. In terms of storage space, network available capacity refers to the amount of data that a device or system can store, etc.

[0054] The network available capacity in the embodiment of the present application may include the available capacity determined from the perspective of UE QoS flow performance detection, the capacity of UPF forwarding processing, and the available capacity obtained by the processing capability of the radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN) network element (such as a base station), etc., so that the determined network available capacity can more objectively display the actual status of the wireless link, so that the application server can adaptively adjust the transmission rate according to the network available capacity.

[0055] Specifically, the network available capacity for the service data flow includes at least one of the network available capacity of the user equipment, the network available capacity of the radio access network element, and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element.

[0056] Optionally, the network available capacity of the user equipment is determined based on at least one of the following factors: the resolution supported by the user equipment, the frame rate supported by the user equipment, the sending capability of the user equipment, the receiving capability of the user equipment, the processing capability of the user equipment (such as decoding capability, etc.).

[0057] Optionally, the network available capacity of the wireless access network element is determined based on at least one of the following factors: the frequency resources of the wireless access network element, the number of user devices served by the wireless access network element, the computing and processing capabilities of the wireless access network element, and the contract information of the user device (such as the upper and lower limits of the network capacity provided for the user device).

[0058] Optionally, the network available capacity of the user plane functional network element is determined based on at least one of the following factors: the routing and forwarding capability of the user plane functional network element, the service data flow processing capability of the user plane functional network element (such as the processing capability for PDU set), etc.

[0059] 3 , in S320 , the application function network element sends a request message to the policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the available network capacity.

[0060] In some optional embodiments, the AF may send the request message to a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element (in the embodiments of the present application, the PCF network element may be referred to as a PCF or a Policy Control Function network element) by directly sending the request message to the PCF network element. This approach is applicable when the AF is in a trusted environment. If the AF is in an untrusted environment, the AF may also send the request message to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, which then forwards the request message to the Policy Control Function network element.

[0061] In some optional embodiments, after AF sends the request message to PCF, PCF may generate policy information for requesting network devices to report network available capacity and send it to the session management function (SMF) network element (in the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned SMF network element may be referred to as SMF or session management function), and then SMF may generate processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information sent by PCF, and the processing rule information is used to instruct these devices to report network available capacity, such as generating N4 rules for UPF, QoS configuration information (QoS Profiles) for RAN, and QoS rule information (QoS rules) for UE, and then SMF configures these processing rule information to the corresponding devices, such as configuring N4 rules to UPF, configuring QoS Profiles to RAN, and configuring QoS rules to UE, to instruct these devices to report network available capacity.

[0062] In some optional embodiments, the AF may receive network available capacity feedback from the PCF, wherein the network available capacity feedback from the PCF is calculated by the SMF based on the network available capacity feedback from at least one of the user equipment, the radio access network element, and the user plane function element, and sent to the policy control function element. For example, the UE, RAN, and UPF may all feedback their own network available capacities to the SMF, and then the SMF calculates the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacities feedback from the UE, RAN, and UPF, and then sends it to the PCF. Alternatively, the UE may feedback its own network available capacity to the RAN, and then the RAN calculates the overall network available capacity of the access network side based on its own network available capacity and the network available capacity feedback from the UE, and sends the calculated overall network available capacity of the access network side to the SMF. The SMF then calculates the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the overall network available capacity of the access network side feedback from the RAN and the UPF's own network available capacity feedback from the UPF, and then sends it to the PCF.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the SMF aggregates the network available capacity. In other embodiments of the present application, the PCF may also aggregate the network available capacity. For example, the UE, RAN, and UPF can all feed back their network available capacities to the SMF, which then sends it to the PCF. The PCF then calculates the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacities fed back by the UE, RAN, and UPF. It should be noted that in the above example, the network available capacity for the service data flow is calculated based on the network available capacities of the UE, RAN, and UPF. In other embodiments of the present application, the network available capacity for the service data flow may also be calculated based on the network available capacities of some devices in the UE, RAN, and UPF.

[0064] In some optional embodiments, in addition to obtaining the network available capacity for the service data flow through the control plane, the AF may also obtain the network available capacity for the service data flow through the user plane.

[0065] For example, the AF (which can also be an application server (AS)) can receive network available capacity feedback from the user plane function network element. The network available capacity feedback from the user plane function network element is calculated by the user plane function network element based on the network available capacity feedback from the radio access network network element and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element. At the same time, the AF (which can also be an AS) can also receive network available capacity of the user equipment feedback from the user equipment via the application layer. That is, in this embodiment, the UE can directly feedback the UE's network available capacity to the AF / AS via the application layer. The UPF can then aggregate the UPF's network available capacity with the RAN's network available capacity and then send it to the AF / AS.

[0066] In some optional embodiments, the AF / AS may receive network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element, wherein the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element is calculated by the user plane function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by the radio access network element and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element; wherein the network available capacity fed back by the radio access network element includes: the network available capacity of the radio access network element and the network available capacity fed back by the user equipment. That is, in this embodiment, the UE may feed back its own network available capacity to the RAN, and the RAN may aggregate the RAN's network available capacity with the UE's network available capacity and then send it to the UPF. The UPF may then aggregate the aggregated capacity based on its own network available capacity and then send it to the AF / AS.

[0067] In some optional embodiments, after obtaining the network available capacity for the service data flow reported by the network device, the AF can adjust the transmission parameters of the service data flow sent to the user device according to the network available capacity, thereby realizing adaptive adjustment of the transmission rate, which is beneficial to improving resource utilization and user experience for processing multimedia services, so as to better cope with the challenges of high-bandwidth interactive services to wireless network transmission.

[0068] The above describes the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the application function network element. The following further describes the implementation details of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the policy control function network element in conjunction with FIG4:

[0069] FIG4 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method can be executed by a policy control function (PCF) network element, or can also be executed by other network elements, and the present embodiment does not limit this. Referring to FIG4 , the communication method includes at least S410 to S430. Taking the execution of the policy control function (PCF) network element as an example, the detailed description is as follows:

[0070] In S410 , the policy control function network element receives a request message sent by the application function network element, where the request message is used to request to obtain the available network capacity for the service data flow.

[0071] In some optional embodiments, the service data stream may be transmitted in a service data packet set (ie, PDU set) manner, or in a per-packet manner.

[0072] It should be noted that, for the relevant description of the network available capacity for the service data flow, reference can be made to the technical solutions of the aforementioned embodiments and no further details will be given.

[0073] In S420, the policy control function network element generates policy information for the service data flow according to the request message. The policy information is used to request the network device to report the available network capacity.

[0074] Optionally, the policy information for the service data flow generated by the PCF based on the request message may be a Policy Control and Charging (PCC) rule, wherein the PCC rule includes rule information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity. Optionally, the network device in this embodiment may include one or more of a UE, a RAN, and a UPF.

[0075] In S430 , the policy control function network element sends the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the available network capacity according to the policy information.

[0076] In some optional embodiments, after the PCF sends the policy information to the SMF, the SMF may instruct the processing equipment of the service data flow to report the network available capacity based on the policy information. For example, the SMF may generate an N4 rule based on the policy information, which includes information requesting the reporting of the network available capacity, and then send the N4 rule to the UPF to instruct the UPF to report the network available capacity; the SMF may generate a QoS Profile based on the policy information, which includes information requesting the reporting of the network available capacity, and then send the QoS Profile to the RAN to instruct the RAN to report the network available capacity; the SMF may generate a QoS rule based on the policy information, which includes information requesting the reporting of the network available capacity, and then send the QoS rule to the UE to instruct the UE to report the network available capacity.

[0077] In some optional embodiments, the PCF may receive network available capacity fed back by a session management function network element, wherein the network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element is calculated by the session management function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the radio access network element, and the user plane function network element; and then the PCF may send the network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element to the application function network element.

[0078] For example, the UE, RAN, and UPF can all feed back their own network available capacities to the SMF. The SMF then calculates the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacities fed back by the UE, RAN, and UPF, and sends it to the PCF. Alternatively, the UE can feed back its own network available capacity to the RAN. The RAN then calculates the overall network available capacity of the access network side based on its own network available capacity and the network available capacity fed back by the UE, and sends the calculated overall network available capacity of the access network side to the SMF. The SMF then calculates the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the overall network available capacity of the access network side fed back by the RAN and the UPF's own network available capacity fed back by the UPF, and sends it to the PCF.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the SMF aggregates the network available capacity. In other embodiments of the present application, the PCF may also aggregate the network available capacity. For example, the UE, RAN, and UPF can all feed back their network available capacities to the SMF, which then sends it to the PCF. The PCF then calculates the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacities fed back by the UE, RAN, and UPF. It should be noted that in the above example, the network available capacity for the service data flow is calculated based on the network available capacities of the UE, RAN, and UPF. In other embodiments of the present application, the network available capacity for the service data flow may also be calculated based on the network available capacities of some devices in the UE, RAN, and UPF.

[0080] The above describes the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application from the perspectives of the application function network element and the policy control function network element. The following further describes the implementation details of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of the session management function network element in conjunction with FIG5 :

[0081] FIG5 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method can be executed by a session management function (SMF) network element, or can also be executed by other devices. Referring to FIG5 , the communication method includes at least S510 to S530, which are described in detail as follows:

[0082] In S510, the session management function network element receives policy information sent by the policy control function network element. The policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the service data flow.

[0083] Optionally, the policy information received by the SMF may be a PCC rule, wherein the PCC rule includes rule information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity. Optionally, the network device in this embodiment may include one or more of a UE, a RAN, and a UPF.

[0084] In S520, the session management function network element generates processing rule information corresponding to various types of processing devices of the service data flow according to the policy information.

[0085] In some optional embodiments, the SMF may generate an N4 rule based on the policy information, which includes information for requesting reporting of the network available capacity, and then send the N4 rule to the UPF to instruct the UPF to report the network available capacity; the SMF may generate a QoS Profile based on the policy information, which includes information for requesting reporting of the network available capacity, and then send the QoS Profile to the RAN to instruct the RAN to report the network available capacity; the SMF may generate a QoS rule based on the policy information, which includes information for requesting reporting of the network available capacity, and then send the QoS rule to the UE to instruct the UE to report the network available capacity.

[0086] In S530 , the session management function network element configures the processing rule information to the service data flow processing device.

[0087] In some optional embodiments, the SMF may send the N4 rules to the UPF, send the QoS Profiles to the RAN, and send the QoS rules to the UE.

[0088] Specifically, taking the 5G system as an example, Figure 6 shows the key 5G network element architecture defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), SMF, UPF, PCF, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), and Unified Data Management (UDM) are 5G core network elements. A UE can be a 5G terminal such as a mobile phone or tablet; a (Radio) Access Network (R)AN can be a 5G base station; and a DN (Data Network) is the data network, i.e., the service server accessed by the UE.

[0089] Among them, AMF is responsible for terminating the N2 interface of the base station control plane and implementing the encoding and decoding of the Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) based on the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). The base station and AMF transmit the application layer NGAP protocol through the SCTP transport layer protocol, and carry the UE's non-access stratum (NAS) signaling data in NGAP. AMF is also responsible for terminating the UE's N1 interface, implementing NAS encryption and integrity protection, and is responsible for UE access authentication, authorization management, registration, connection, reachability and mobility management functions, as well as transparent transmission of session management messages between the UE and SMF.

[0090] In addition, (R)AN and UPF can interact through the N3 interface; UPFs can interact through the N9 interface; UPF and SMF can interact through the N4 interface; UPF and DN can interact through the N6 interface; SMF and AMF can interact through the N11 interface; SMF and PCF can interact through the N7 interface; SMF and UDM can interact through the N10 interface; PCF and AF can interact through the N5 interface; AMFs can interact through the N14 interface; AMF and PCF can interact through the N15 interface; AMF and UDM can interact through the N8 interface; AMF and NSSF can interact through the N22 interface; AMF and AUSF can interact through the N12 interface; AUSF and UDM can interact through the N13 interface.

[0091] Based on the system architecture shown in Figure 6, the SMF can configure the generated N4 rules to the UPF through the N4 interface. It can also configure QoS Profiles to the (R)AN through the AMF and configure QoS rules to the UE through the AMF+NAS connection.

[0092] In some optional embodiments, after configuring the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow, the SMF can calculate the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the wireless access network network element and the user plane function network element, and then send the network available capacity for the service data flow to the policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element sends the network available capacity for the service data flow to the application function network element.

[0093] It can be seen that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can obtain a more objective network available capacity, so that the application server can adaptively adjust the transmission rate according to the network available capacity, which is beneficial to improving the resource utilization and user experience of processing multimedia services, so as to better cope with the challenges of high-bandwidth interactive services to wireless network transmission.

[0094] 7 and 8 , the implementation details of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application are described in detail by taking the data stream of the XRM service in the 5G system as an example of transmitting through the PDU set:

[0095] 7 , the network capability exposure process according to an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0096] S701: Establish an end-to-end PDU session and start an XRM service between the UE and the AF / AS. In other embodiments of the present application, other types of multimedia services may also be started.

[0097] In step S702a, the AF sends a request message to the PCF via the NEF to obtain the network's real-time available capacity. In step S702b, the AF directly sends a request message to the PCF to obtain the network's real-time available capacity. S702a applies when the AF is in an untrusted network environment; S702b applies when the AF is in a trusted network environment.

[0098] It should be noted that the real-time available capacity of the network in the embodiment of the present application not only includes the network capacity determined from the perspective of single QoS flow performance detection of the UE, but also the available capacity obtained by comprehensively considering factors such as user subscription, UPF forwarding processing capacity, next generation RAN (Next Generation-RAN, NG-RAN) available wireless resources and UE side processing capabilities.

[0099] Optionally, the AF / AS obtains real-time available network capacity to address sudden XRM data volumes and short latency requirements, and to determine whether the available network capacity can meet these requirements. This real-time available network capacity is oriented toward PDU sets, meaning it is oriented toward one or more sudden states at the XRM application layer. For example, dragging the playback progress bar, resuming playback, or sudden changes in the video background can easily generate sudden data bursts.

[0100] S703 , the PCF generates a PCC rule for QoS monitoring or capability exposure service, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0101] S704: The PCF configures the PCC rules to the SMF, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0102] S705, SMF configures N4 rules to UPF, which includes information requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0103] S706: The SMF configures QoS profiles to the NG-RAN, which includes information requesting the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0104] S707, SMF configures QoS rules to the UE, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0105] S708: NG-RAN (i.e., gNB) feeds back the real-time available network capacity on the gNB side to SMF.

[0106] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the gNB side can comprehensively consider the frequency resources of the gNB, the number of terminals currently served, and the computing processing capability of the gNB. The given capacity represents the maximum capacity of the gNB side to serve the UE.

[0107] It should be noted that information such as the UE's Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (AMBR) in the user's subscription information is per-packet, not per PDU set. Therefore, the network capacity for PDU sets can be determined based on the characteristics of the PDU sets, for example, by combining it with the PDU Set Delay Budget (PSDB). Specifically, if the PDU set has a high latency requirement, the network's real-time available capacity will be lower to ensure the PDU set's quality of service. If the PDU set has a low latency requirement, the network's real-time available capacity will be higher.

[0108] S709, the UE feeds back the real-time available network capacity on the UE side to the SMF through the NAS.

[0109] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the UE side can be given in combination with but not limited to the following factors: information such as the resolution and frame rate that the UE can support; the UE's receiving (Receive, RX) capability, sending (Transmit, TX) capability, etc. under the current serving base station; the UE's processing capabilities, such as encoding capabilities, decoding capabilities, etc.

[0110] S710: UPF feeds back the real-time available capacity of the network to SMF.

[0111] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the UPF side can be given in combination with information such as the routing forwarding and PDU set processing capabilities of the UPF.

[0112] In step S711, the SMF analyzes the feedback information from the UE, NG-RAN, and UPF to obtain the real-time available network capacity for the PDU set, such as the maximum available network capacity.

[0113] S712: SMF feeds back the obtained real-time available network capacity, such as the maximum available network capacity information, to PCF.

[0114] In S713a, the PCF sends the real-time available network capacity to the AF via the NEF. In S713b, the PCF directly sends the real-time available network capacity to the AF. The AF can then perform media layer adaptation based on the real-time available network capacity, such as adaptively adjusting the transmission rate. S713a applies when the AF is in an untrusted network environment; S713b applies when the AF is in a trusted network environment.

[0115] In the embodiment shown in FIG7 , the real-time available capacity of the network is fed back through the control plane. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application also provides a method for feeding back the real-time available capacity of the network through the user plane, as shown in FIG8 , including the following steps:

[0116] S801: Establish an end-to-end PDU session and start an XRM service between the UE and the AF / AS. In other embodiments of the present application, other types of multimedia services may also be started.

[0117] In S802a, the AF sends a request message to the PCF via the NEF to obtain the real-time available network capacity. In S802b, the AF sends a request message directly to the PCF to obtain the real-time available network capacity. S802a applies when the AF is in an untrusted network environment; S802b applies when the AF is in a trusted network environment.

[0118] It should be noted that the real-time available capacity of the network in the embodiment of the present application not only includes the network capacity determined from the perspective of single QoS flow performance detection of the UE, but also the available capacity obtained by comprehensively considering factors such as user subscription, UPF forwarding processing capacity, available wireless resources of NG-RAN and UE side processing capabilities.

[0119] S803: The PCF generates a PCC rule for QoS monitoring or capability exposure service, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0120] S804: The PCF configures the PCC rules to the SMF, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0121] S805, SMF configures N4 rules to UPF, which includes information requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0122] S806: The SMF configures QoS profiles to the NG-RAN, which includes information requesting the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0123] S807, SMF configures QoS rules to the UE, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0124] S808: NG-RAN (i.e., gNB) feeds back the real-time available network capacity on the gNB side to UPF via the user plane.

[0125] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the gNB side can comprehensively consider the frequency resources of the gNB, the number of terminals currently served, and the computing processing capability of the gNB. The given capacity represents the maximum capacity of the gNB side to serve the UE.

[0126] It should be noted that the network capacity of a PDU set can be determined based on the characteristics of the PDU set, for example, by combining it with the PSDB. Specifically, if the PDU set has high latency requirements, the network's real-time available capacity will be lower to ensure the PDU set's quality of service. If the PDU set has low latency requirements, the network's real-time available capacity will be higher.

[0127] S809: The UE directly feeds back the AF / AS the real-time available network capacity on the UE side via the application layer connection. Optionally, the real-time available network capacity on the UE side can be provided in combination with, but not limited to, the following factors: information such as the resolution and frame rate supported by the UE; the RX and TX capabilities of the UE under the current serving base station; and the UE's processing capabilities, such as the encoding and decoding capabilities.

[0128] S810: The UPF aggregates its own network real-time available capacity and the network real-time available capacity of the gNB side fed back by the NG-RAN to obtain the network real-time available capacity, such as the maximum available network capacity information.

[0129] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the UPF side can be given in combination with information such as the routing forwarding and PDU set processing capabilities of the UPF.

[0130] S811, UPF feeds back the obtained real-time available network capacity, such as the maximum available network capacity information, to AF / AS.

[0131] In another embodiment of the present application for feeding back the real-time available capacity of the network through the user plane, as shown in FIG9 , the following steps are included:

[0132] S901: Establish an end-to-end PDU session and start an XRM service between the UE and the AF / AS. In other embodiments of the present application, other types of multimedia services may also be started.

[0133] In step S902a, the AF sends a request message to the PCF via the NEF to obtain the network's real-time available capacity. In step S902b, the AF directly sends a request message to the PCF to obtain the network's real-time available capacity. S902a applies when the AF is in an untrusted network environment; S902b applies when the AF is in a trusted network environment.

[0134] It should be noted that the real-time available capacity of the network in the embodiment of the present application not only includes the network capacity determined from the perspective of single QoS flow performance detection of the UE, but also the available capacity obtained by comprehensively considering factors such as user subscription, UPF forwarding processing capacity, available wireless resources of NG-RAN and UE side processing capabilities.

[0135] S903 , the PCF generates a PCC rule for QoS monitoring or capability exposure service, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0136] S904: The PCF configures the PCC rules to the SMF, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0137] S905, SMF configures N4 rules to UPF, which includes information requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0138] S906: The SMF configures QoS profiles to the NG-RAN, which includes information requesting the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0139] S907, SMF configures QoS rules to the UE, which includes information for requesting to obtain the real-time available capacity of the network.

[0140] S908: The UE provides feedback to the NG-RAN (i.e., gNB) regarding the real-time available network capacity on the UE side. Optionally, the real-time available network capacity on the UE side may be provided based on, but not limited to, the following factors: information such as the resolution and frame rate supported by the UE; the RX and TX capabilities of the UE under the current serving base station; and the UE's processing capabilities, such as the encoding and decoding capabilities.

[0141] S909: The gNB aggregates its own real-time available network capacity and the real-time available network capacity on the UE side fed back by the UE to obtain the real-time available network capacity.

[0142] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the gNB side can comprehensively consider the frequency resources of the gNB, the number of terminals currently served, and the computing processing capability of the gNB. The given capacity represents the maximum capacity of the gNB side to serve the UE.

[0143] S910: The gNB feeds back the network real-time available capacity to the UPF via the user plane, including the gNB's own network real-time available capacity and the UE's network real-time available capacity.

[0144] At S911, the UPF aggregates its own network real-time available capacity and the network real-time available capacity fed back by the gNB to obtain the network real-time available capacity, such as the maximum available network capacity information.

[0145] Optionally, the real-time available capacity of the network on the UPF side can be given in combination with information such as the routing forwarding and PDU set processing capabilities of the UPF.

[0146] S912: UPF feeds back the obtained real-time available network capacity, such as the maximum available network capacity information, to AF / AS.

[0147] In summary, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is mainly to extract the available capacity of the network from the network side or the user equipment side through network information opening, and to provide the application server with rate adaptive adjustment. The network information opening in the embodiment of the present application is not only a statistic of the data stream transmission performance of a certain UE, but also includes capacity information related to the base station capability and capacity, which can characterize the available rate range of the UE within the next specific time range. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can overcome the one-sidedness of the information based on the QoS monitoring mechanism to judge the status of the wireless link, provide the application server with a better rate adaptation information reference, and avoid the degradation of user experience due to the mismatch between application requirements and network capabilities.

[0148] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to 5G systems, but also to future evolved mobile communication systems.

[0149] The following describes an embodiment of the device of the present application, which can be used to execute the communication method in the above embodiment of the present application. For details not disclosed in the embodiment of the device of the present application, please refer to the embodiment of the communication method in the above embodiment of the present application.

[0150] FIG10 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be applied to an AF, or may also be applied to other network elements capable of implementing similar functions.

[0151] 10 , a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application includes: a generating unit 1002 and a sending unit 1004 .

[0152] Among them, the generating unit 1002 is configured to generate a request message, which is used to request the network available capacity for the service data flow; the sending unit 1004 is configured to send the request message to the policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the communication device 1000 further includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive the network available capacity fed back by the policy control function network element after sending the request message to the policy control function network element, wherein the network available capacity fed back by the policy control function network element is calculated by the session management function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the wireless access network network element and the user plane function network element and sent to the policy control function network element.

[0154] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the communication device 1000 also includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element after sending the request message to the policy control function network element, the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element is calculated by the user plane function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by the wireless access network network element and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element; and receive the network available capacity of the user equipment fed back by the user equipment through the application layer.

[0155] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the communication device 1000 further includes: a receiving unit, configured to receive the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element after sending the request message to the policy control function network element, wherein the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element is calculated by the user plane function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by the radio access network network element and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element; wherein the network available capacity fed back by the radio access network network element includes: the network available capacity of the radio access network network element, and the network available capacity fed back by the user equipment.

[0156] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the communication device 1000 further includes: an acquisition unit configured to obtain the network available capacity reported by the network device; and an adjustment unit configured to adjust the transmission parameters of the service data stream sent to the user equipment according to the network available capacity.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned solution, the network available capacity for the service data flow includes at least one of the network available capacity of the user equipment, the network available capacity of the radio access network element, and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element;

[0158] The network available capacity of the user equipment is determined based on at least one of the following factors: a resolution supported by the user equipment, a frame rate supported by the user equipment, a sending capability of the user equipment, a receiving capability of the user equipment, and a processing capability of the user equipment;

[0159] The network available capacity of the radio access network element is determined based on at least one of the following factors: frequency resources of the radio access network element, the number of user equipment served by the radio access network element, the computing and processing capability of the radio access network element, and subscription information of the user equipment;

[0160] The network available capacity of the user plane function network element is determined according to at least one of the following factors: the routing and forwarding capability of the user plane function network element, and the service data flow processing capability of the user plane function network element.

[0161] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the sending unit 1004 is configured to: send the request message directly to the policy control function network element; or send the request message to the network open function network element so that the network open function network element forwards the request message to the policy control function network element.

[0162] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned solution, the service data stream is transmitted in the form of a set of service data packets, or the service data stream is transmitted in the form of service data packets one by one.

[0163] FIG11 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be applied to a PCF, or may also be applied to other network elements capable of implementing similar functions.

[0164] 11 , a communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application includes: a receiving unit 1102 , a generating unit 1104 , and a sending unit 1106 .

[0165] Among them, the receiving unit 1102 is configured to receive a request message sent by an application function network element, and the request message is used to request to obtain the network available capacity for the service data flow; the generating unit 1104 is configured to generate policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, and the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity; the sending unit 1106 is configured to send the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information.

[0166] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned solution, the receiving unit 1102 is further configured to: after sending the policy information to the session management function network element, receive the network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element, where the network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element is calculated by the session management function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the radio access network network element and the user plane function network element; and the sending unit 1106 is further configured to: send the network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element to the application function network element.

[0167] FIG12 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be applied to an SMF, or may also be applied to other network elements capable of implementing similar functions.

[0168] 12 , a communication device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application includes: a receiving unit 1202 , a generating unit 1204 , and a sending unit 1206 .

[0169] Among them, the receiving unit 1202 is configured to receive policy information sent by the policy control function network element, and the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the business data flow; the generating unit 1204 is configured to generate processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the business data flow according to the policy information; the sending unit 1206 is configured to configure the processing rule information to the processing device of the business data flow.

[0170] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the aforementioned scheme, the communication device 1200 further includes: a processing unit, configured to calculate the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the wireless access network network element and the user plane function network element; the sending unit 1206 is further configured to: send the network available capacity for the service data flow to the policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element sends the network available capacity for the service data flow to the application function network element.

[0171] FIG13 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system suitable for implementing an electronic device of an embodiment of the present application. The electronic device may be the AF, PCF or SMF in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0172] It should be noted that the computer system 1300 of the electronic device shown in FIG13 is merely an example and should not impose any limitations on the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present application.

[0173] As shown in Figure 13, the computer system 1300 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 1301, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 1302 or the program loaded from the storage part 1308 into the random access memory (RAM) 1303, such as executing the method described in the above embodiment. Various programs and data required for system operation are also stored in the RAM 1303. The CPU 1301, ROM 1302 and RAM 1303 are connected to each other via a bus 1304. An input / output (I / O) interface 1305 is also connected to the bus 1304.

[0174] The following components can be connected to the I / O interface 1305: an input section 1306 including a keyboard, mouse, etc.; an output section 1307 including devices such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), and speakers; a storage section 1308 including a hard disk; and a communication section 1309 including a network interface card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card or a modem. The communication section 1309 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 1310 is also connected to the I / O interface 1305 as needed. Removable media 1311, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, is installed in the drive 1310 as needed, so that computer programs read from the removable media can be installed in the storage section 1308 as needed.

[0175] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present application, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present application includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, and the computer program is used to perform the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via the communication section 1309, and / or installed from a removable medium 1311. When the computer program is executed by the central processing unit (CPU) 1301, the various functions defined in the system of the present application are performed.

[0176] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the embodiments of the present application may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium or any combination of the two. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or component, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present application, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a computer program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device or device. In the present application, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries a computer-readable computer program. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0177] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible implementation architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. Among them, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, program segment, or a part of the code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in an order different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram or flowchart, can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and a computer program.

[0178] The units involved in the embodiments described in this application may be implemented by software or hardware, and the units described may also be set in a processor. In some cases, the names of these units do not constitute limitations on the units themselves.

[0179] As another aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the electronic device described in the above embodiments, or may exist independently without being incorporated into the electronic device. The computer-readable medium carries one or more computer programs, and when the one or more computer programs are executed by the electronic device, the electronic device implements the method described in the above embodiments.

[0180] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiment of the application, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be concretized in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be concretized.

[0181] Through the description of the above embodiments, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the embodiments of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to enable an electronic device to execute the method according to the embodiments of the present application.

[0182] For example, the electronic device may be an AF, then the AF may execute the communication method shown in FIG3 ; for another example, the electronic device may be a PCF, then the PCF may execute the communication method shown in FIG4 ; for another example, the electronic device may be an SMF, then the SMF may execute the communication method shown in FIG5 .

[0183] Those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the embodiments disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed herein.

[0184] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the exact structure described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to application function network elements, including: Generate a request message, where the request message is used to request to obtain available network capacity for the service data flow; The request message is sent to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: After sending the request message to the policy control function network element, the communication method further includes: Receive the network available capacity fed back by the policy control function network element, where the network available capacity fed back by the policy control function network element is calculated by the session management function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the radio access network network element, and the user plane function network element, and sent to the policy control function network element.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: After sending the request message to the policy control function network element, the communication method further includes: receiving a network available capacity fed back by a user plane function network element, where the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element is calculated by the user plane function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by the radio access network element and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element; and Receive the network available capacity of the user equipment fed back by the user equipment through the application layer.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: After sending the request message to the policy control function network element, the communication method further includes: receiving a network available capacity fed back by a user plane function network element, where the network available capacity fed back by the user plane function network element is calculated by the user plane function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by the radio access network element and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element; The network available capacity fed back by the radio access network element includes: the network available capacity of the radio access network element and the network available capacity fed back by the user equipment.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein: After sending the request message to the policy control function network element, the communication method further includes: Obtain the network available capacity reported by network devices; According to the available network capacity, the transmission parameters of the service data flow sent to the user equipment are adjusted.

6. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The network available capacity for the service data flow includes at least one of the network available capacity of the user equipment, the network available capacity of the radio access network element, and the network available capacity of the user plane function network element; The network available capacity of the user equipment is determined based on at least one of the following factors: a resolution supported by the user equipment, a frame rate supported by the user equipment, a sending capability of the user equipment, a receiving capability of the user equipment, and a processing capability of the user equipment; The network available capacity of the radio access network element is determined based on at least one of the following factors: frequency resources of the radio access network element, the number of user equipment served by the radio access network element, the computing and processing capability of the radio access network element, and subscription information of the user equipment; The network available capacity of the user plane function network element is determined according to at least one of the following factors: the routing and forwarding capability of the user plane function network element, and the service data flow processing capability of the user plane function network element.

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Sending the request message to the policy control function network element includes: Sending the request message directly to the policy control function network element; or The request message is sent to a network open function network element, so that the network open function network element forwards the request message to the policy control function network element.

8. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The service data stream is transmitted in a manner of a set of service data packets, or the service data stream is transmitted in a manner of service data packets one by one.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to policy control function network elements, including: receiving a request message sent by an application function network element, wherein the request message is used to request obtaining network available capacity for a service data flow; generating policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the available network capacity; The policy information is sent to a session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein: After sending the policy information to the session management function network element, the communication method further includes: receiving a network available capacity fed back by a session management function network element, where the network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element is calculated by the session management function network element based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of a user equipment, a radio access network network element, and a user plane function network element; The network available capacity fed back by the session management function network element is sent to the application function network element.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applicable to session management function network elements, including: receiving policy information sent by a policy control function network element, wherein the policy information is used to request a network device to report available network capacity for a service data flow; Generate processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information; The processing rule information is configured to a processing device for the service data flow.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein: After configuring the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow, the communication method further includes: Calculate the network available capacity for the service data flow based on the network available capacity fed back by at least one of the user equipment, the radio access network element, and the user plane function network element; The network available capacity for the service data flow is sent to the policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element sends the network available capacity for the service data flow to the application function network element.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to application function network elements, including: A generating unit configured to generate a request message, wherein the request message is used to request to obtain the network available capacity for the service data flow; The sending unit is configured to send the request message to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to policy control function network elements, including: a receiving unit configured to receive a request message sent by an application function network element, wherein the request message is used to request to obtain the network available capacity for the service data flow; a generating unit configured to generate policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, wherein the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity; The sending unit is configured to send the policy information to a session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: Applicable to session management function network elements, including: a receiving unit configured to receive policy information sent by a policy control function network element, wherein the policy information is used to request a network device to report available network capacity for a service data flow; a generating unit configured to generate processing rule information corresponding to various types of processing devices of the service data flow according to the policy information; The sending unit is configured to configure the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The application function network element generates a request message, where the request message is used to request to obtain the network available capacity for the service data flow; The application function network element sends the request message to the policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity; The policy control function network element receives the request message sent by the application function network element; The policy control function network element generates policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, where the policy information is used to request the network device to report the available network capacity; The policy control function network element sends the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs the processing device of the service data flow to report the network available capacity according to the policy information; The session management function network element receives the policy information sent by the policy control function network element, where the policy information is used to request the network device to report the network available capacity for the service data flow; The session management function network element generates processing rule information corresponding to various types of processing devices of the service data flow according to the policy information; The session management function network element configures the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

17. A communication system, characterized in that: include: An application function network element is configured to generate a request message, wherein the request message is used to request to obtain available network capacity for a service data flow; and, sending the request message to a policy control function network element, so that the policy control function network element generates policy information for requesting the network device to report the network available capacity; The policy control function network element is configured to receive a request message sent by the application function network element; generate policy information for the service data flow according to the request message, wherein the policy information is used to request a network device to report available network capacity; and send the policy information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element instructs a processing device of the service data flow to report available network capacity according to the policy information; The session management function network element is configured to receive policy information sent by the policy control function network element, where the policy information is used to request a network device to report available network capacity for a service data flow; Generate processing rule information corresponding to each type of processing device of the service data flow according to the policy information; And, configuring the processing rule information to the processing device of the service data flow.

18. A computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or claim 16 is implemented.

19. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; A memory for storing one or more computer programs, which, when executed by the one or more processors, enables the electronic device to implement the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 12 or claim 16.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes a computer program, which is stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor of the electronic device reads and executes the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, so that the electronic device executes the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 12 or claim 16.

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